Today, two of my husband’s friends came over to visit, and we were all relaxing by the pool. The weather was perfect—sunny with a slight breeze, the kind of day you dream of when you think of a carefree afternoon. My husband, Matt, and Kevin were deep in conversation, as usual, talking about work, life, and who knows what else. They always get caught up in their own world, especially when they haven’t seen each other for a while. I didn’t mind, though. It gave me some space to enjoy the peace and take in the quiet around me.

Nick, on the other hand, was a bit of a different story. He’d been hanging around the poolside with us, chatting casually, but I couldn’t help but notice how his gaze lingered on me from time to time. At first, it felt like an innocent glance, but then I realized he was actively taking pictures. Not in a discreet way, but rather as if he was deliberately trying to capture the angles of my body, my expressions—almost like he was studying me through his lens.

I tried not to think too much about it at first. Maybe he was just being playful, maybe he wanted a shot of the group or a candid moment, but the longer it went on, the more uncomfortable I felt. Nick wasn’t the type to hide his intentions, and the way he was positioning himself around me, adjusting his camera, made it clear he wasn’t taking pictures for any casual reason. I glanced at my husband, hoping he would notice what was happening, but he and Kevin were so engrossed in their conversation that they barely noticed anything outside of their discussion.

I shifted in my lounge chair, hoping to distract myself from the unease building inside. But Nick didn’t stop. He seemed to take a certain pleasure in the way I posed for his camera, whether intentionally or not. The attention was subtle, but it was there—his focus seemed to stay on me just a little too long. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. The situation felt awkward. Was he doing this because he was genuinely interested in photography, or was there something else?

I tried to ignore it, hoping it would pass, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. I glanced over at Matt again, silently hoping he would notice the dynamic between Nick and me. But still, he and Kevin were in their own little world, so absorbed in their conversation that the entire moment seemed to slip by unnoticed. It was as if the two men were so comfortable in their friendship that they didn’t see the subtle tension brewing on the sidelines.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. I tried to carry on like everything was normal, chatting when necessary, but the uneasy feeling lingered. As the sun began to dip lower in the sky and the pool started to cast long shadows, I couldn’t help but wonder whether this moment would remain just an innocent afternoon by the pool or if there was something more at play that I would need to address.