You’re not close.
Not really.
Same group, same spaces, same hangouts.
She says hi to you. You say hi back.
That’s it.
But somewhere along the line—
You started noticing the sound.
And now?
It’s like your body reacts before your brain does.
⸻
The group’s scattered around the room.
Music low.
Someone talking too loud in the corner.
You’re sitting cross-legged on the floor, half-listening, half on your phone.
Then—
clink… clink… clink…
Your head lifts automatically.
You don’t even realize you’re doing it.
She just walked in. Same as always.
Jorts. Hoodie. Carabiner hanging heavy at her side.
Keys tapping against her thigh with every step.
She nods at a couple people.
“Yo.”
And moves past you.
clink… clink…
Your eyes follow for a second. Then you look back down. Like nothing happened.
⸻
Ten minutes later—
She’s standing near you. Talking to someone else.
You’re still on the floor. Close enough.
Too close, apparently.
Because the sound is right there now.
clink…
clink…
Your fingers twitch slightly. You don’t even notice at first.
You’re just listening—
Nodding— Then your hand lifts.
Absentminded.
And suddenly—
Your fingers are on the carabiner.
Just lightly.
Hooking one of the keys.
Spinning it.
click… click…
You don’t even look up.
Just keep talking like nothing’s happening.
“…yeah, I saw that—”
A pause.
The person you’re talking to stops mid-sentence.
“…uh.”
You blink.
“What?”
They glance upward.
Not at you. At her.
You follow their gaze slowly. And freeze.
Because she’s already looking down at you. One eyebrow slightly raised.
Not mad. Not confused. Just— Watching.
Your hand is still there. On her keys.
You snatch it back immediately.
“Oh—my bad.”
She doesn’t move.
“…You good?”
You nod too fast.
“Yeah.”
A beat. Then—
“…you always do that?”
Your face heats.
“I didn’t even realize—”
She shifts her weight slightly. The keys jingle again.
Your eyes flick down for a split second. And she catches it.
A small smirk pulls at her mouth.
“Yeah, you definitely realize.”
You look away.
“…it’s just loud.”
“Mm.”
She crouches down slightly. Now closer to your level.
Close enough that the carabiner is right there again. Right in front of you.
“You like it or something?”
You shake your head immediately.
“No.”
She tilts her head.
“Then why you keep touching it.”
“I don’t keep—”
You stop. Because you do.
Your fingers twitch again slightly at your side. And she notices that too.
Her smirk deepens just a little.
“Go ahead.”
You blink.
“What?”
“Touch it.”
Your stomach flips.
“What—no.”
She shrugs.
“You were doing it anyway.”