It was daytime.
Not real daytime, dream daytime.
Blurry, without hours, without shadows.
You were standing in front of your parents's house, but it didn't look exactly like you remembered.
The walls looked cleaner, the windows larger, and the wind quieter than usual.
You walked in without knocking.
As always.
And there, around the table, they were there.
Your parents and your sisters. And… her.
A girl you didn't know.
Her face wasn't familiar. No clear memory.
But in the dream, you just knew.
It was her.
The one you had exchanged a few words with the night before, without even knowing her face.
A total stranger, barely part of your life and already sitting at your table.
She was speaking.
With them.
As if she'd known them forever.
As if she'd always been there.
No one found it strange.
Not even you.
You were sitting next to her.
And for a moment… you felt something rare, calm.
Not the thrill of love, not the nervousness of desire.
Just a presence that asked nothing of you, didn't try to impress you, nor run from you.
She was there.
And that was enough.
You don't remember the words.
You don't know if you laughed, or if you even spoke.
But you remember the feeling.
As if your heart had finally found a room where it could sit down without armor.
The meal didn't last.
You don't even know if it ended.
At some point, the dream shifted.
As if someone turned the page too quickly.
She was gone.
The light had changed.
And you woke up.
You didn't think about her when you woke.
You didn't try to find her name.
But you kept that strange feeling in your chest, all day long.
As if someone had placed a hand gently on your shoulder.
And that warmth… had vanished before you could hold on to it.