Music drifted from somewhere down the beach, mingling with the crash of waves and the scattered chatter of people passing by. The air smelled faintly of salt and fried food from the little shops lining the street, warm lights glowing overhead as Beach City.

And somewhere in the middle of all of it— You were laughing. Pearl couldn’t help but notice.

Not just the sound itself, but the exact shape of it. The way your shoulders relaxed when you laughed genuinely. The way you absentmindedly touched the other person’s arm while talking, comfortable and engaged in the conversation.

She stood a short distance away near the railing overlooking the beach, posture elegant as ever despite the subtle tension lingering beneath it. One hand rested carefully over the other, fingers linked tightly enough to betray her nerves if anyone looked closely enough.

Trying very hard to convince herself she was perfectly content standing here instead of beside you.

You were allowed to have friends. To spend time with people besides her. She wanted you to.

Probably.

Pearl, meanwhile, had spent nearly twenty minutes earlier rehearsing how to ask if you wanted to spend time together tonight without sounding too eager.

Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

For a second, she considers walking over. She even shifts slightly like she might. But then she stops herself.

No. You looked happy. Interrupting would be selfish.

So instead, Pearl remains where she is, quietly lingering nearby under the excuse of “simply enjoying the scenery” while very obviously keeping track of your every movement.

You look up. Your eyes find hers. Pearl freezes. Not visibly enough for most people to notice, but enough that you do.

The guarded look she’d been wearing disappears almost instantly, replaced by something much softer the second your attention lands on her.

Caught.

You smile faintly and excuse yourself from the conversation before walking toward her.

Pearl straightens slightly as you approach, trying to regain some composure before you reach her.

“You okay?” you ask gently.

“Of course,” Pearl replies smoothly.

You glance toward the people you’d been talking to, then back at her.

“You’ve been standing over here by yourself for a while.”

“Oh.” Pearl lightly brushes off imaginary dust on her arms. “I didn’t want to interrupt.”

You study her for a moment longer, noticing the way her eyes flick briefly toward the group behind you before returning to your face almost immediately.

“…Pearl.”

“What?”

“You could’ve just come over.”

She hesitates. “I know.”

Another pause. Then, more quietly: “You seemed happy.”

“I am happy,” you say. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t want you there too.”

Pearl’s expression flickers, “You say things like that very casually,” she murmurs.

“I mean them casually.”

“That’s not better.”

You laugh softly, and Pearl’s gaze immediately shifts back to you again like she’s drawn to the sound automatically.

It’s unfair how obvious she becomes around you sometimes.

“You really were just standing over here waiting for me to notice you, huh?” you tease gently.

Pearl looks mildly offended. “I was not.”

“You were literally staring.”

“I was observing.”

“There’s a difference?”

“Yes.”

“Mmhm.”

Pearl exhales softly through her nose, clearly trying not to smile now.

Her eyes soften again despite herself. And then, after a tiny hesitation, she admits quietly:

“…I just didn’t want to force my way into your attention.”

Pearl looks away almost immediately afterward, like she regrets letting the thought slip out at all.

But before she can retreat back into herself completely, you gently reach for her hand.

“You never have to force your way in,” you tell her softly. “I want you around.”

The noise of the boardwalk seems to fade for a second as she looks at you with that familiar mixture of disbelief and tenderness she never quite knows how to handle.

“…Oh,” she says quietly.

It’s such a small response.

But the way her fingers slowly intertwine with yours says everything else for her.