I didn’t expect bowling to make me nervous.

Like, at all.

We walked into the bowling alley and it was already loud pins crashing, music way too bass heavy, my sisters hyping themselves up like it was the Olympics. The camera was on, of course. I was trying to act normal. Casual. Like my heart wasn’t already doing that weird fast thing.

She was there too.

Standing a little behind us, tying her shoes, smiling like she always does. She waved at the camera once and then went back to watching me, which should honestly be illegal.

I grabbed a ball that was definitely heavier than it looked and immediately regretted it.

“Need help?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I said, immediately almost dropping it.

She laughed not loud, just this soft laugh and stepped closer to steady the ball in my hands. Our fingers overlapped for a second and my brain fully shut down. Like, completely.

My sisters were yelling in the background, placing bets on who was going to lose first. I barely heard them.

When it was my turn, I stepped up to the lane. I could feel her watching from behind me, and somehow that made everything feel ten times more intense. I rolled the ball, and it… did not go straight.

Gutter.

My sisters lost it. I covered my face, laughing out of pure embarrassment.

She walked up next to me. “Okay, but that was kind of iconic.”

“Be serious,” I said.

“I am,” she smiled. “It takes confidence to commit that hard.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

A few turns later, she showed me how to line up my shot. She stood behind me, not touching at first, just guiding with her voice. Then, carefully, she placed her hands over mine.

“Like this,” she said quietly.

Her voice was close. Too close. I nodded even though my brain was absolutely not processing instructions anymore.

I rolled the ball.

Strike.

My sisters screamed. I turned around, shocked, and she was already smiling at me like she knew it would happen.

I don’t know what came over me, but I hugged her. Just for a second. Quick. Impulsive.

She froze for half a second then hugged me back.

Not too tight. Not too long.

But it lingered.

The rest of the game felt different after that. Every high-five felt charged. Every time our shoulders brushed while sitting down, my stomach flipped. I kept wondering if she felt it too, or if I was just reading into everything like I always do.

At one point, we sat next to each other, watching my sisters argue over the score. She leaned in and whispered, “You’re actually really good.”

I laughed. “You literally coached me.”

“Still,” she said. “You listened.”

Something about that made my chest feel warm.

When filming wrapped up, the alley lights felt dimmer, quieter. My sisters went to return the shoes, leaving us alone by the lanes. She bumped her shoulder lightly against mine.

“Thanks for letting me help,” she said.

“Thanks for… helping,” I replied, suddenly way too aware of how close she was.

We stood there for a moment, not touching, but not moving away either.

I didn’t say it. She didn’t either.

But when she smiled at me soft and a little nervous it felt like maybe she knew.