Chapter 1:The Day I Didn't know
The first time I saw him, I didn’t know my life was about to change.
It wasn’t anything dramatic. No music playing in the background. No sudden pause in time like in the stories people always talk about.
It was just a normal day.
And yet… he looked at me like it wasn’t.
I remember it clearly.
The sun was soft that afternoon, not too bright, not too dull—just enough to make everything feel calm. I had been in a hurry, trying to get through my day without drawing attention to myself, like I always did.
That’s when I noticed him.
Standing a few steps away.
Watching.
Not in a strange way… but in a way that made me feel seen.
I looked away quickly.
People don’t just look at me like that, I thought.
So I ignored it.
A few minutes later, there was a small commotion nearby.
“I think I dropped it here,” he said.
His voice was calm, but there was a hint of worry in it.
A girl beside him bent down, searching near the ground. “Don’t worry, we’ll find it,” she said, brushing her hair behind her ear as she looked up at him with a smile.
I stood there for a second, unsure why I was even paying attention.
Then she found it.
His watch.
“Here,” she said, handing it to him.
Relief crossed his face. “Thank you… I didn’t even realize when I lost it.”
Their hands brushed for a moment.
And I don’t know why… but something inside me shifted.
That must be his girlfriend, I told myself.
It made sense.
She was kind. Pretty. Confident.
The kind of girl someone like him would choose.
Not someone like me.
I turned to leave.
But before I could take another step, I felt it again.
That feeling.
Like someone was looking at me.
Slowly, I glanced back.
And there he was.
Not looking at the girl beside him.
Not at the watch in his hand.
But at me.
For a second, everything felt… quiet.
Like the world had paused just enough for me to notice.
His eyes didn’t move away.
And for some reason… neither did mine.
I broke the moment first.
Of course I did.
I looked down, pretending I hadn’t noticed anything, and walked away like it meant nothing.
Like he meant nothing.
But I didn’t know then…
That moment would follow me.
That his eyes would find me again.
That the story I thought belonged to someone else…
Was already beginning with me.
