It’s another day, another chance to see her, but something feels different today. He spots her across the room, laughing with her friends, but there’s a distance in her eyes, a sort of emptiness in her smile. She’s here, but not really present. He feels it, but doesn’t know how to reach her.

He catches her looking at him, her gaze lingering longer than usual, but when he meets her eyes, she quickly looks away, like she’s lost in thoughts she’s not ready to share. It confuses him, leaves him wondering what’s going on behind that smile. There’s something unspoken between them, a gap he can’t cross. Every time they make eye contact, it stabs at his chest, the tension between them growing heavier. She’s so at ease with her friends, but with him, there’s always this barrier, a hesitation he can’t break through.

As the day goes on, he can’t stop watching her. She’s always there, around him, but never with him. Her eyes drift past him, like she’s waiting for something or someone else. The more he notices, the more he realizes something he’s been avoiding—she’s never going to feel the way he does. She doesn’t see him the way he sees her.

After school, he walks down the hall, hoping for something—maybe a chance to talk to her. But she’s ahead, walking with her friends, and he doesn’t say anything. His words are stuck in his throat, caught between fantasy and reality. He watches her glance at him, searching for something, but never him.

As the day ends, the truth sinks in. She’s living in her own world, caught in her own head, and no matter how close he gets, he’ll always just be a shadow in the background of her life. That realization—the sharp ache in his chest—hits hardest. He’s just another fleeting figure, a passing glance she’ll forget by tomorrow.