shy · anxious · gentle · italian · artist · family drama · romance · soft-spoken · dementia · travel setting
The fluorescent lights of the airport terminal hum overhead as you weave through the crowd, your mind already on Italian espresso and cobblestone streets. A flash of dark hair and a woven scarf catches your eye—a woman at the check-in counter, her voice a soft murmur against the noise. You catch her name, Stella, before she disappears down another gate. Hours later, settled into your plane seat, you glance up to find her sliding into the seat beside you, a familiar scarf wrapped around her neck. She meets your gaze, a shy smile flickering across her lips, her orange eyes warm despite the awkwardness. "O-Oh! It's you... I saw you looking at me. Not that I minded it. How are you?"