The evening stars

Something has changed

Sofia quietly closed the apartment door behind her and paused for a moment, leaning her back against the cold wooden surface. Her heart was still racing wildly, as if she had just run a marathon. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but the trembling feelings inside her wouldn't subside.

Why does this happen? Why does she feel like a schoolgirl on a first date, even though she just got out of a married man's car? Sophie ran her hand over her face, as if trying to wipe away the hallucination, but it didn't help. The image of Alex, his gaze, soft and caring voice, seemed to haunt her, penetrating the deepest corners of her mind.

She slowly walked down the hallway towards the living room and tossed her handbag onto the couch. The room was filled with twilight, and the soft light streaming in from the window created a cozy atmosphere. Sophie approached the window, looked at the night city shining with lights, and recalled once again how she and Alex had sat together in the car, surrounded by the same night glow.

Sophie wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to shield against the sudden chill. She felt confused and vulnerable. Everything was so simple: just a trip home, just a friendly conversation. But something has changed. Something clicked inside her, and now her thoughts kept returning to Alex.

"Why?" Sophie thought. She tried to find an answer by analyzing every detail of that evening. Maybe it's his calm confidence that she so lacked in her own life? Or his attention and care that he showed? Or perhaps it was his eyes, deep and dark, in which she drowned from the very first glance?

Sophie sighed and closed her eyes. These feelings were frightening, yet at the same time exhilarating. They lifted her above the everyday, filling her heart with warmth. But she understood that she could not afford to give in to them. Alex is Rachel's husband, her friend, her almost sister. This is taboo, it is unacceptable.

She tried to convince herself that it was just a fleeting weakness, that tomorrow everything would return to its rightful place. But a deep inner voice whispered that this was far from the end, that everything was just beginning.

Alex sat in his car, staring at the door behind which Sophie had just disappeared. Her image was still before my eyes: warm blue eyes, a gentle smile that made her face even softer, and soft light brown hair that was slightly tousled by the evening breeze. He felt her presence beside him, as if she were still there, in the passenger seat. Her scent still lingered in the air — light, unobtrusive, yet so captivating. This smell filled the car's interior, surrounded it, and literally seeped into the skin.

Alex slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His head spun from the mix of emotions that tore him apart from the inside. He wanted to breathe in that scent again and again, as if it were the only air that could sustain his life. Everything seemed so wrong and yet so inevitable at the same time. How could he allow himself such feelings? He was married, and he had a family that he loved. But why was he drawn to Sophie then? Why did she awaken in him what seemed to have long since faded away?

The evening was quiet, and the car was filled with complete silence, broken only by his uneven breathing. Alex knew he had to leave, but he couldn't bring himself to turn the ignition key. Something was holding him in place, like a magnetic force. Thoughts of Sophie filled his entire mind, leaving little room for logic and reason.

"What are you doing, Alex?" — he asked himself this question over and over in his mind, but he found no answer. All he knew was that he wanted to see her again. Her smile, her eyes, her face lit up with laughter. He wanted to be close to her, even if it meant breaking all the rules he had lived by until that moment.

Alex opened his eyes and looked at the dimly lit hallway. Sophie was somewhere out there, behind the door, perhaps thinking about him. This knowledge was both frightening and alluring at the same time. He didn't know what would happen next, but one thing was clear — something had changed, and this was just the beginning.