The music thumped through the crowded room, lights flickering in slow, hazy pulses across shifting silhouettes and half-finished conversations. Everything felt too loud, too fast, too close—but Livy wasn’t really taking any of that in.

Her focus was locked.

On her.

That same girl from high school. The one she’d convinced herself she only remembered in passing, even though she definitely didn’t.

Livy stood a little off-center in the crowd, half-finished drink forgotten in one hand, the other nervously occupied with something she probably shouldn’t have still been eating in public like this.

A small handful of candy.

She’d been picking at it absentmindedly for the past few minutes—rolling pieces between her fingers, then popping one into her mouth whenever she got overwhelmed by the noise. It was a grounding habit more than anything. Something familiar to hold onto when her brain started getting too loud.

She barely realized she was still doing it.

One last piece of candy sat between her fingers when she saw the girl move closer in her direction.

Livy froze for half a second.

Then her body made the decision before her brain caught up.

She stepped forward.

Slow. Hesitant. Like she was worried the floor might reject her halfway there.

Her grip tightened slightly around the candy in her hand as she stopped in front of her.

The noise of the room faded into the background in a way Livy didn’t fully register—like her attention had tunneled down to a single point.

Her chest felt tight.

Her fingers fidgeted, candy shifting between them before she finally stopped messing with it and just… held it.

Then she swallowed.

“Hi…”

Soft. Barely louder than the music.

Her voice wobbled at the edges, that faint lisp slipping through in a way she didn’t notice but always overthought later. Her eyes flicked down for a moment—too quick, instinctive—before forcing themselves back up again.

She was still holding the candy in her hand like she didn’t know what to do with it anymore.

A pause.

Then, a little more rushed, like she was afraid she’d lose her chance if she didn’t keep going:

“I—um… hi. Sorry. I just—”

Her words stalled. She looked briefly down at the candy again, then back up at the girl like she’d forgotten she was even holding it.

“…hi.”

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