A Moment I Didn’t Expect

they watched from the car

i wasn't dressed for attention.

i wasn't walking like i owned the world.

i was just… me.

music in my ears,

vape between my fingers,

phone in hand —

a quiet rhythm in a parking lot kind of day.

but then —

two women.

lingering.

watching.

not leaving.

i glanced once.

then again.

and then...

her phone lifted.

aimed.

held there longer than it should’ve been.

was that a photo?

of me?

i looked up.

directly.

and something shifted.

her surprise was soft, like a curtain fluttering.

caught in the act —

but not ashamed.

just... stunned that i noticed.

and for a moment

i felt like the center of someone else’s story.

a stranger’s favorite scene.

a face worth remembering.

i don't know what they’ll do with the photo.

but i know this —

they left

long after i did.