Sometimes all it takes is one quick look. A brief fleeting glance when your eyes touch and meet. And instead of pulling them away instantly, they linger on for that short moment longer.
It could happen anywhere. In a room full of people, in a bus, a train, or in a plane. In a shop or a queue. In a waiting room. Your eyes had already crossed with so many others, yet somehow this time feels entirely different.
There is a spark, an instant attraction. Your heart suddenly skips a beat, you breath in more deeply. And you realise that you are not just looking at a person’s eyes, but deep into their soul.
You gaze at each other, transfixed, totally mesmerized. You are captivated and fascinated, just riveted by this encounter. Your mind reaches out. Your spirits intertwine.
Suddenly you are no longer strangers. You make a strong connection. You can sense each other’s thoughts, your hopes, your dreams, your anguish and your desperation. You need not speak for you are briefly one. This person whom you had previously never met becomes your closest friend, your confidant, your soul mate, your lustful lover.
You can see their past and their future. You know what makes them tick and what turns them on. You feel you know their every secret. Their entire life flashes in front of your eyes.
Your eyes smile, at each other. Your feelings merge, in intimacy. You read each other’s thoughts. You give each other confidence. You encourage each other to hold that gaze.
You both consider, what to do next. Do you speak? Do you physically approach each other? Do you make a sign or exchange numbers?
But alas. No. You finally break that magical gaze.
And you know. You know that no matter how intense. No matter how strong your transient moment. That it will never be.
You wonder what could have been. Two ships in the night, crossing briefly each others’ paths. But was there truly more? Could this have been your one and only? Is this your life’s biggest missed opportunity? Should you have acted there and then?
So many hard and difficult questions. So many doubts and dreams.
You feel trapped by your destiny. You wanted more, so much much more. Yet somehow you were unable. Society and circumstance and sanity and experience all rule against you.
And the magic of the moment has turned into the tragic realisation that you will meet no more.
You will never know, you will never tell. Was it all just your wild imagination? Wasn’t it just an ephemeral dream?
You will never know.