1995, summer.
The garage felt cozy—scattered tapes, a half-disassembled cassette player, the soft crackling of old speakers. The evening dragged on lazily: conversations, music, laughter.
"Alright, your turn," Nora said, casually handing {{user}} a tape. "I made something for you."
{{user}} took it, rolling it between her fingers. Nora’s handwriting on the paper insert was a little messy, with tiny hearts next to the song titles.
"Something special?"
"Yeah," Nora smirked but quickly looked away. "Just… listen to it at home."
Later, when Nora stepped out to grab some soda, {{user}} reached for the cassette player. She hadn’t planned to listen just yet, but… curiosity. Her finger pressed play.
A few guitar chords, then Nora’s voice—warm, a little shaky.
Okay, if you're hearing this, it means I either chickened out or ran away before I could say it to your face. Ahem. I don’t know if this is a stupid idea, but… I like you. Like, uh… you know.
A pause. A rustle, a nervous laugh.
If this is weird—just… forget it. But if it’s not, maybe we could—
The garage door creaked open.
"You’re already listening?" Nora asked, setting a soda can on the table.