A Glimpse of Her

The day started like any other. The agency was its usual organized chaos—everyone moving with purpose, doing their thing. Photographers setting up, stylists adjusting outfits, the buzz of chatter filling the air. I'd grown used to it, the constant hum of activity. But even in all the noise, I still often felt like an outsider, content with the silence that came with being part of the background. Though i am the one who got in this situation purposefully.

-And then I saw her-

She wasn't part of the usual team. I hadn't seen her around before. She was standing by a backdrop, adjusting some props with quiet focus. She wasn't trying to draw attention, but there was something about her—something that made it hard to look away.

Short, delicate features, and this calm, effortless energy. She wasn't the loud, attention-grabbing type; instead, she seemed to move with purpose, in her own world.

And then, just like that, she looked up.

"Hi," she said. Her voice was soft, but it held this quiet confidence.

I froze.

"Uh… hey," I muttered, awkwardly.

She smiled, tilting her head like she was waiting for me to say something else. But when I didn't, she just gave a small, understanding smile and went back to her work.

I stood there for a few seconds longer than necessary, my heart pounding. Why was I so shaken up by something so simple?

The agency was full of kind people, all supportive and encouraging. The kind of people who told me I had potential, that I could go far. But the truth was, even though they were nice, I still felt out of place. They had that natural confidence I didn't have. That ease. And here I was, stuck in my own head, unable to even speak properly.

-Though i am fine with that right now-

It wasn't the first time someone greeted me. In fact, the team here was always polite. But with her? It felt different. It wasn't just a greeting—it was like she actually saw me.

I didn't know why I felt like this. Relationships? They weren't really something I cared about. People my age, they were all in relationships, having the typical high school love stories, but I never bothered. I've always been kind of weird, with tastes and interests that didn't match anyone else's. Whenever I saw a girl who caught my eye, it was either her personality didn't match my interests, or her looks didn't match what I was looking for. It was always one or the other, never both.

So, I stopped caring about relationships. I convinced myself it didn't matter and never even bothered to think about it.

But this?

Her saying hi, even in the most casual way, stirred something I hadn't felt in a long time. It wasn't love at first sight. I wasn't the type to fall for anyone like that. But there was this strange pull—something about her that caught my attention in a way no one ever had before.

I didn't know what to do with it. Didn't know how to act. What was I even supposed to say to someone like her? It wasn't like I was out there looking for a girlfriend or anything.

But even so, I couldn't shake the feeling. For the first time in a long while, I found myself wondering if maybe—just maybe—I could step out of my comfort zone and talk to her again.

I didn't know what would come of it, if anything at all. But as I went through the rest of the day, my mind kept going back to that simple "hi," and I realized one thing: I didn't want it to be the last time we spoke.

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