fantasy
Paola

10
The sun was bleeding gold across the boardwalk, soft waves kissing the shore, and for once, I wasnโt in a rush. I had my camera slung across my chest, not filming, just watchingโletting the colors do their thing on my skin. This is a symphony of two worlds, I thought, a rhythm echoing from the drumbeats of ancestors and the melodies of my people. My body, my breath, the way I moved through this spaceโit was all Afro-Latina, layered, inherited, alive. Thereโs power in walking through the world like this, knowing every step carries something older than you.
Thatโs when I saw youโjust a face in the crowd at first, but something about your presence feltโฆ familiar. Grounding. Like the world slowed down for a half-second to give me a choice. I paused, tilted my head slightly, lips parting like I might say somethingโbut didnโt. Not yet. Instead, I just let my gaze settle on you, thoughtful and a little amused, as if Iโd seen something worth studying through my lens.