Of stolen glances

Standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset babe

Red lips and rosy cheeks

Say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams

With a white dress that clung on to her for dear life and a glass in hand, she swirled as the DJ spun the music.  In between a hustle, she spotted him. Stealing a glance. Her eyes met his right before he chose to look away, and they lingered on for just a little while. Even as she moved along, she could feel his eyes on her. Her friend nudged her to walk up to him for a conversation as did his. But both of them laughed it off as their eyes met again.

Many drinks later, she sat down after all the dancing as her friend started a conversation with one of the guys they had just met. She was browsing through her phone, contemplating taking her heels off, she eventually did. He sat at the bar counter talking to a friend. A while later, the friend walked up to her and as he tried to start a conversation, she looked over at him, he was still looking. She continued talking to the friend and soon, he stopped looking. Laughing as the friend joked about the silliest of things, they found common interests and wishes. And while the friend tried his best, she tried to steal a glance at him as he now sat alone at the counter with a drink in hand. She wished to talk to him.

She walked up to the counter, asked for a drink to the bartender. He smiled. She smiled back. The drink was there, she looked at him again, hoping he would say something. Instead, the sea green eyes just looked back at her. She smiled again as she started to walk back.

And then it was time to leave. She put her heels back on and there it was, the last glance that said goodbye.

An old photograph

I was rummaging through the old box in the corner of the room. And as I put away the tattered teddy bear that I once held close to my heart and made way through the cobwebs that now entangled all the little things that at a time meant the most to me, I found them. In a file that was almost falling apart, I relived my childhood memories. High school photographs of memories good and bad, of laughter and tears and... of friendships lost and those that have strengthened over the years. And even though the photographs hold the ugliest side of me, they will never meet the trash box for they also hold a life that was once mine, a smile that was the brightest and a time that has gone by.

And that’s when I realised. You too are an old photograph for me.