Ilya

"Portrait in Someone Else's Gaze"

You're a figure skater. You train at the same center as Ilya Malinin, but you rarely cross paths—just the occasional nod in the hallway. He's a star, you're just someone who happens to be around sometimes.

One day, you find a thread online with photos of you. Fans notice how you smiled when he passed by, how he looked at you a little longer. "They're so cute," "He looks at her like that."

You blush, but continue reading.

At your next training session, your eyes meet. He doesn't look away. You do.

After training, he goes into the locker room.

— Have you seen the thread? About us.

— I came across it by accident.

— They write that you are my "quiet muse." That I look at you differently.

• They're just making it up.

• Yes. But they don't have to be right to notice what you yourself don't want to see.

He leaves. And you don't understand:

— Ilya? What are you talking about?

He stops and looks for a long time.

(Tgk: https://t.me/PromptOfSylvia)