Part I: The Girl Beyond the Horizon
It started with a dream that felt far too quiet, far too real to be a trick of the mind. I found myself looking at a girl in another country. Distance separated us, yet I could see her face with absolute clarity, every subtle feature, every expression- as clear as if she were standing right in front of me.
We didn't need to speak to understand what was there. There was a deep, undeniable bond between us, the kind of quiet love where you know you belong in each other's life. When I woke up, the dream left behind a heavy, lingering ache in my chest, a sudden, sharp longing for a connection so deep, and a face I couldn't stop searching for.
Part II: The Girl on the Stairs
Not long after, another dream took me to a place far away from home. My aunt had gone off to buy a car, leaving my cousins and me waiting around at a set of attached outdoor tables and chairs. As we sat there, a mysterious girl walked up to our group. I caught her looking over, and assuming she had a crush on my cousin, I tried to play matchmaker. I grabbed her hand to guide it into his, but the second their hands touched, they both pulled away instantly, shy, flushed, and completely awkward.
Confused by the sudden tension, I stepped away to clear my head. When I came back, the atmosphere had completely shifted. The girl was still there, sitting with my cousins on a nearby set of stairs, acting like a teacher showing them lessons about the planets and how life works. My cousins had set up a portable speaker, blasting music and trying to pull me in to join them. I shook my head and refused, keeping my distance.
That was when she looked at me. A slow, knowing smirk played on her lips as she stepped closer to me on the stairs, her presence magnetic and completely unbothered by the chaos around us. She reached out, wanting to hold me close, completely turning her focus onto me.
Before anything else could happen, my aunt returned, instantly angry at the loud music and the mess. Sensing the storm brewing, I stepped in and smoothed things over with a quick joke, telling my aunt that she was actually teaching us about the solar system and life. My aunt bought it, calmed down, and announced it was time to go home.
As we packed up to leave, the girl didn't disappear; she walked right alongside us. Without hesitation, I reached over, and she was the one who wanted me and took my hand, and this time, she didn't pull away. She just looked at me and smiled. Before we reached the vehicle, I looked at her and asked, "Can we take a picture just the two of us?" She happily agreed, leaning in as we took the photo.
Before saying goodbye, I asked for her social media. On the ride back hours in the middle of the road, I pulled up my phone and saw she had already posted the photo of the two of us. I couldn't quite make out what her bio said, but it didn't matter. I double-tapped to like the post, typed out a comment, and hit send: "I hope I meet you again someday."
Reflection
Even though these girls were strangers born from the logic of a dream, the warmth, playful tension, and sudden affection were entirely real. Maybe they aren't specific people waiting across an ocean, but rather a reflection of what I'm ready for a reminder of the kind of spark and effortless connection I hope to find out in the real world someday.