There was a moment

no one else noticed—

when the world leaned in

and time forgot to move.

A hand reached out,

not demanding,

just present.

And mine, uncertain, met it.

In that stillness,

we were not names

or stories

or mistakes.

We were

held

beheld

beloved.

No vows spoken.

No promises carved in stone.

Only a breath shared

that made everything lighter.

I don’t know where it went.

That second.

That softness.

Maybe it lives somewhere in the dust of memory,

tucked between all the louder things.

But I know it was real.

Because even now,

in the quiet between heartbeats,

I feel it echo.