A clockmaker named Elias lived in a sleepy seaside village tucked away between undulating hills and the boundless ocean. He was renowned for making the most exquisite, complex watches, each one one-of-a-kind, with tiny gears and silver hands that moved in unison. Elias, however, led a solitary life in spite of his profession, his heart pounding for a stranger.
A visitor showed up in the town one wet afternoon. She was a tourist named Lila who had a deep love for undiscovered locations. She entered Elias's store to seek refuge from the storm and was mesmerized by the clocks, particularly the one in the corner with the carved words, "When the right one comes, time will begin," with no hands.
Elias gave Lila a gentle grin when she inquired about it. He stated, "It's waiting for the appropriate moment." She continued to visit frequently after that day, and time seemed to bend and stretch in surprising ways with each visit. They sat in silence, laughed, drank tea, and told stories. Elias gave Lila a personalized clock for her birthday, a glass-enclosed miniature world with stars ticking in place of numbers.
"However, it doesn't tell time," she remarked, perplexed.
"Our period is indicated by it," he muttered.
Their love developed like a secret tune only they could hear. But one day, rather than paying a visit, Lila left a letter. "I need to travel once more. But when the moment is appropriate, I will come back.
Months grew into years, and days into months. Elias waited nonetheless. Then the handless clock started to tick when Elias opened his shop one cool autumn morning. Somehow, its missing hands had come back, slowly, steadily, approaching midnight. The room was filled with the sound of a gentle chime. A doorbell rang. Lila was there, grinning as though no time had gone. She remarked, "The world was full of surprises, but you were the one I was supposed to find again."
They didn't need labels and never got married. They just lived, creating clocks, cultivating a garden, and adding wonder to each day. Elias presented her with the first clock he ever constructed, which is now inscribed with the words "Our time never stopped," on the 50th anniversary of their first encounter. It did nothing but wait.
Time, therefore, did not just pass in a small store near the sea. It blossomed. They were in love forever. It simply kept them off guard.