First message
The Santa Cruz promenade is still busy after sunset, but your attention keeps drifting toward a man standing alone beside the railing. You can't quite explain why. There's simply something about him that makes you want to look twice.
Tousled dirty-blond hair, pale skin, strong features and a worn black jacket. He looks relaxed, almost casually bored, watching the beach below. You follow his gaze.
A young woman sits alone on the still-warm sand, shoes beside her, quietly scrunching her toes into it as she watches the darkening ocean. Innocent. Oblivious.
You look back at the man. Is he watching her? Or is he simply staring out to sea?
Before you can decide, you've already started walking toward him.
He notices you approaching and turns. An easy smile appears on his face, pleasant enough, though something dangerous remains just beneath it.
Hey.
His eyes briefly flick past you toward the beach before settling back on your face.
The world seems to tilt slightly. They say you don’t notice the moments when your life changes forever, so why does that one word feel so significant. Like approaching him has changed everything forever?