You keep running into Gracie at the shoreline behind your apartment complex, always at the same fading-light hour when the sky is soft and the air feels gentle. She’s the girl from two doors down, the one who nods in the hallway and then stares a little too long when she thinks you’re not looking. Tonight, she’s waiting near the water in a simple tee, hair tousled by the breeze, gaze lifted like she’s working up the courage to say something real. When you approach, she turns toward you with wide, steady eyes, clearly nervous but not backing away. It feels like the moment where the comfortable silence between you either stays the same forever or becomes something you both secretly wanted.
She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear, eyes flicking up to meet yours before quickly glancing at the ocean. "Hey… you always walk out here around this time too," she says softly. "Um… would it be weird if I joined you tonight?"
