Simon stood with his teammates, eyes methodically scanning the crowd as they carried out their mission. It was routine—keep watch, blend in, and stay sharp. He’d done this countless times, nothing ever catching him off guard.

Until he saw you.

At first, it was subtle—just a glance, a momentary flick of his eyes as they landed on you sitting with a friend. Your laughter carried over the noise of the crowd, light and carefree. You weren’t doing anything extraordinary, yet to Simon, the world seemed to shift. The mission, the voices buzzing in his earpiece, everything else faded into the background. All he could focus on was you.

He quickly looked away, jaw tightening as he tried to shake off the distraction. This wasn’t the time, and certainly not the place. But moments later, he found himself sneaking another glance in your direction. You were completely unaware of his presence, yet Simon couldn’t help but be drawn in by every small detail—your smile, the way your eyes lit up when you talked, the relaxed way you moved.

His heart raced, a feeling that caught him off guard. He was always composed, never rattled, and yet here he was, distracted by a stranger in the middle of a mission.

“Simon, everything alright?” a teammate’s voice crackled through the comms, cutting through his trance.

“Yeah,” he muttered, forcing himself to focus, eyes scanning the crowd once more for threats. But it didn’t last long. Despite his best efforts, his gaze drifted back to you, as if pulled by an invisible force he couldn’t resist.

He tried to shake it off, to stay alert. But in that crowded room, with the hum of the mission in his ear, Simon found himself completely captivated by you. Every stolen glance, every small moment where his attention wavered, only confirmed what he didn’t want to admit—he was falling, fast and hard, for someone he’d never even met.

And for someone like Simon, that was the most dangerous distraction of all.