Every summer, you noticed him from across the beach—alone by the rocks or sometimes surrounded by friends, laughing quietly, his surfboard never far away. You were often with your own group, sharing stories and smiles, but every now and then your eyes would catch his from across the sand.

Neither of you ever crossed the line to say hello. When surrounded by others, you kept your distance, careful not to intrude on each other’s worlds. Just two separate lives brushing past one another in the same sunlit space.

Still, those stolen glances lingered longer than they should. You wondered what it would be like to talk, to break the silence—but the moments slipped away, carried off by the tide and the noise of friends.