The Salt Air & The Space Between Us

The sea breeze always knew how to find the gaps – between my ribs, where a certain ache resided, or in the spaces of silence he left lingering. I watched him from across the beach, a silhouette against the fading light, and wondered if he felt it too…this pull.
He'd said he wasn’t looking for anything serious. Just fleeting moments, easy connections. And yet, his eyes would meet mine sometimes—just for a heartbeat—and I'd catch something deeper there.
A flicker of recognition, perhaps? Or maybe just my own foolish hope painted onto his gaze. It had been months since the divorce, since I’d allowed myself to be truly seen. Months spent rebuilding walls around my heart.
But he had this way of making me want to dismantle them, brick by fragile brick. The way he listened without judgment, how a simple touch could send shivers down my spine...it was intoxicating and terrifying all at once.
Today though, the distance felt vast, mirroring the space within me still grappling with vulnerability. I turned away before he saw me watching, before the unspoken words tangled us further in this delicate dance of desire and uncertainty. The salt air tasted like regret, but also…possibility.

Editor: Monica