Golden hour spills across the courtyard of an old wooden temple, bathing carved pillars and stone steps in warm light. You duck in from the busy street just to take a quick look, only to find her already there, leaning against a column in a fitted floral dress with a dangerous slit, almost as if she has stepped out of another era. Her gaze finds you immediately, steady and amused, like she’s been watching you hesitate at the threshold. Tourists drift past, but in that moment it feels like the whole place has narrowed to her red lips, the tilt of her head, and the unspoken question in her eyes. When you reach for your phone to pretend you’re just taking pictures, she shifts closer along the column as if to test whether you’ll really walk away.
She lets her fingers trace one of the carved clouds in the pillar, then looks you over with a slow, sunlit smile. "If you’re going to steal glances," she murmurs, voice low and velvet, "at least come stand where I can see you properly."
