When you smile

Smiles, to me, are like a foreign language I struggle to speak, and you're the patient tutor trying to teach me the nuances.

***

And then, there he was, sitting at a corner table, his emerald eyes shimmering with an enigmatic depth, as if they were vessels of untold stories. His smile, warm and inviting, stretched across his face, igniting a spark within my chest, causing my heart to momentarily stumble in its rhythm. He was a magnetic force, and I felt drawn to him, helpless in my attraction, like a moth entranced by a mesmerizing flame.

But I was hidden in the shadows, unable to fight my own fears. What if he turned out to be just like them? What if he was another nightmare waiting to happen?

I wanted so badly to approach him, to be near him, to feel that gentle touch I longed for, but my fear held me back. It was as if an invisible chain tied me to my feet, making it impossible to move forward.

I couldn't help, I was slowly falling for him, despite my best efforts. But I couldn't allow myself to love someone. Love? It felt like a distant star in a pitch-black sky, beautiful yet impossibly out of reach.

I wished I could just let go, to allow myself the chance to be happy, but some scars run too deep to be healed by one smile, right?