"You ready?" Ren's voice was warm, teasing, but with that quiet confidence that came with knowing just how good he was. He settled next to them on the couch, close enough for their knees to brush, and watched as {{user}} fumbled with the guitar, their fingers not quite sure where to go.

"Ready as I'll ever be," She muttered, adjusting the strap over her shoulder, but her nervousness was clear in the way she held the guitar a little too tightly.

Ren chuckled under his breath, a low, knowing sound. He reached over and gently corrected their hand position on the neck of the guitar, his fingers brushing against theirs as he guided them. "You’re too tense. Relax your grip a little. You’re not strangling it, you’re playing it."

{{user}} couldn't help but let out a small laugh, feeling the heat of his hand over theirs, a little more warmth than they'd expected. "It's harder than it looks," they admitted, still awkwardly trying to form a chord.

Ren gave them a sidelong glance, the corners of his lips turning up. "Everything's hard at first. You just have to find the rhythm of it."

He positioned his fingers over theirs, gently pressing down on the strings, guiding their hand into the shape of a G chord. His breath was just warm enough against their ear, his presence close enough to be noticed but not overbearing. It felt strangely intimate, like the moment held a delicate weight that neither of them was quite prepared for.

"Now try strumming like this," Ren instructed, his hand sliding down to the lower strings and demonstrating a slow, steady motion with his fingers. His palm brushed against {{user}}’s as he guided their hand, the soft touch sending an unexpected jolt of warmth through them.