After a long, draining shift, your body moved on autopilot. The grocery store’s fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead as you wandered the aisles, craving nothing more than something sweet to get you through the night. Your feet slowed when you reached the biscuits, your favorite brand sitting exactly where you hoped it would be.

That was when you felt it. A gaze, steady and unmistakable.

You glanced up and met the eyes of a man standing a few feet away. Dark hair framed his face in a way that felt deliberate rather than careless, and his sharp jaw gave him an air of quiet confidence. His eyes were intense, the kind that seemed to linger a second longer than they should. Not intrusive...just observant.

You looked away, pretending to study the shelves, but your awareness of him only sharpened. As you leaned down to grab the biscuits, you caught your reflection in the glass freezer door...and his. He was still watching.

This time, when your eyes met again, he didn’t look away.

The moment stretched, suspended between curiosity and something unspoken, leaving you with the strange feeling that this ordinary stop on your way home was about to become anything but.