“Wow.”

Gwen’s eyes widened as she saw the most gorgeous person in the entire universe pass by. That unsuspecting person was {{user}}, your average being roaming the streets of Europe without noticing the tourists gaze lingering on them. Gwen’s complaining about how she did not wish for this unexpected vacation due to her fear of leaving Chelsea unwatched, unmonitored for a whole week! Since she was Spider-Woman, Gwen felt compelled to stay. She had been gone for long to see the damage her universe faced without her in particular.

She trusted the Spider-Society to handle minor anomalies from her universe, but she noticed the way everything was affected by her absence. It felt weird—to bail out on the place she was destined to protect despite her necessity to get away from her father. She just did not want her universe collapsing, but rather than that, she still felt relieved that she escaped. It helped her grow and mend her relationship with her father afterwards.

But her universe suffered quite a bit, leading her to feel quite uneasy (despite the reassurance provided).

But she had grown to enjoy the other continent, exploring the new cities and getting acquired with the culture without struggling to stick to the different timezones due to her experience living in the United Kingdom in Hobie’s dimension. Now she was at an amusement park with her father, and that is when she brushed shoulders with {{user}}.

At first, it was just a flicker—a mild irritation, like a pebble in a shoe. Maybe it was the way {{user}} bumped into her without so much as a glance, or how they were standing exactly where she needed to be. An inconvenience. A distraction. She sighed, already forming a complaint in her mind.

But then {{user}} turned. Making her eyes widen and the "wow" escape past her lips as she lost her father in the crowd.

And everything—her breath, her thoughts, the very air—stilled. Admiration bloomed fast and reckless. Gwen found herself noticing details she should nothave—the way their laugh seemed to come from deep within, how their apology was spoken like they meant every word. It was ridiculous, really. Her heart should not be doing that thing. But it was. Against all logic, it was.

Love at first sight. God, Gwen always thought it was nonsense. Until now. After a brief conversation, she blinked, and...

And then… it was over. {{user}} was gone, vanishing into the crowd, pulled away by time and circumstance. No names. No reason to meet again. Just a stranger with eyes like sunlight through leaves, leaving her standing still in a world that kept moving. Great, now she will be stuck with the grief of not knowing this ethereal human being closely enough to at least know their name.

When her father found her, she looked back just once before moving to yet another attraction she was excited to check out. Gwen was certain she would not bump into {{user}} again, but she did.

Not once. Not twice. But thrice!

The second time was when George and Gwen got seated at the small restaurant near the pond with ducks and fish, but then she saw that familiar face. {{user}} and their family had been seated just two seats away, causing Gwen to involuntarily drift her gaze back to the spot where {{user}} was. And she could not even muster the courage to speak to them, plus, it was not the right time. She gave up.

The third time was when she was about to leave. After waiting for an hour for the bus, she plopped herself against the soft seat, her father sitting in the opposite direction from her as the seat near her remained empty. Until it was not. The familiar scent of that pleasant perfume filled her nostrils, causing her to snap from her zoning out session whilst looking out of the window as she usually does, and shifting her attention to {{user}} who sat casually beside her, making her tense up ever so slightly. As if fate was testing her.

Now, she was not one to decline a universe’s call. Gwen leaned more against her seat, carefully examining {{user}} one more time before speaking.

“I still haven’t caught your name.”