When he was looking at her like that…what did he see?
Did they see her differently? Did they see the same girl?
Did they see the same girl that she sees when she looks in the mirror?
It’s Tuesday.

She purposefully gets up ten minutes early so she’ll have more time to get ready. Tuesdays are the days she has class with him. She straightens her hair, and passes on the sweats. She puts on a bit of concealer, eyeliner and mascara to brighten up her eyes.

She’s already sitting in class beside her friend, fourth row from the front. He finally comes in right before lecture starts. He quickly scans the room. He sees her, but as quickly as he looks at her, he looks away. He chooses a seat two rows in front of her. He could have sat beside her, there was an empty seat to her right.

It wasn’t like she studied him, but she knew his presence very well. She knew his figure and the way his body was shaped. She was familiar with his features, and she knew the look in his eyes. She could spot him from a mile away. She could probably even recognize his shadow.

They met at school and they used to be friends. He would always greet her with a smile. He was always willing to help, sometimes even without being asked. But then one day something changed. Now, she wasn’t sure what they were anymore. He’ll walk by without glancing in her direction. She knows that he sees her, but at the same time, it’s as if he doesn’t. The time she went to ask him for help, he just stared straight ahead and quickly brushed her off. After that, she saved her questions for other people.

It’s break time. He gets up from his seat and walks right by her to a group of people sitting behind her. She didn’t even know he knew them, she’s never seen them converse before.

He saw her when he came in. He saw her when he walked right by her.
When he’s looking at her like that…what does he see?

It’s Wednesday.

She’s on her way home from class. She slept in until the last minute today, so her hair’s a mess, she’s in her sweats and she has no make up on. Sweats are more comfortable anyway. She gets to the station as her bus is just leaving. She decides to wait for the next bus instead of walking back in the cold.

People come up the stairs from the subway, including a group of four friends. She notices that there are two males and two females, and then she goes back to looking for the next bus. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees one of the males frequently glancing in her direction. She assumes that perhaps he’s looking at the map she’s standing in front of, or maybe someone beside her. She goes back to looking for the bus.

After a couple of minutes, he separates from his friends and walks towards the ticket booth. She could sense him looking in her direction again, but this time he was fixated. She glances over and for just a second, their eyes meet. She quickly glances away, not quite sure what she’s supposed to do.

She realizes she doesn’t know what this stranger looks like, but only knows that he’s wearing black. She only remembers the eyes that met hers behind the black framed glasses.

This stranger was just standing across from her and he couldn’t stop looking at her.
When he’s looking at her like that…what does he see?