Toujours Presque

I was stepping back into myself
Two years passed
No moments to hold onto
No feeling to embrace
Just a space I barely recognized

I was myself, yet someone else
And somehow,
Better than before
Things I once overlooked
Now held meaning

A flicker,
Or maybe just the rush of a familiar world
But when our eyes met,
They held on a second too long
As if neither of us could deny it,
Yet both of us tried

For hours, I stayed compossed
Kept my distance, let the moment pass
But in fleeting exchanges,
Behind closed door
I felt it, light but certain
The world outside blurred into endless clouds,
Yet somehow,
Your smile was the only thing in focus

A smile,
Subtle yet certain
As if meant just for me
Meant to be hidden
Yet impossible to miss

Then suddenly,
Your presence became an absence
An absence that quitely took hold
Had any of it been real?
Or was I the only one who thought it mattered?

I let the time do what it does
Until one day,
The ghost came back to life

Was I foolish?
Or was I simply human?

Then one night
A picture sent,
A picture returned,
A quiet exchange,
Yet it said everything

Still,
The familiar warmth remained
Nothing rushed, nothing forced
Yet everything fell into place

A quiet departure,
A stolen kisses,
Outside, the world kept moving
But inside that elevator, time paused
A whisper, soft. “Three Words”