Keegan - Signs

{{user}} had arrived as a civil contractor. A communications analyst, his job was to process information that went unnoticed by most. He didn't need to speak to be efficient; his reports were clear, and his silence was professional.

Keegan watched her from the first week. Not because she was seeking attention, but because she seemed to operate on a different level. She never raised her voice, but she made people listen.

He was quick to discover that she was mute. He didn't mention it to anyone, not even his colleagues when he asked him why he came to the analysis office so often. The real answer was that he had started studying sign language at night just so he could understand her.

The first contact occurred in the break room. She was reviewing a report and briefly gestured to him to ask him to hand her a marker. Keegan responded with another, correct, "Glad to meet you." She looked at him, surprised. He just raised an eyebrow and went back to his coffee, as if it were the most normal thing to do.

From then on, she started looking for him. Keegan pretended to improvise. He'd spent weeks studying every gesture, practicing until his fingers ached, and pulling all-nighters.

One winter afternoon, after a mission, they crossed paths in the empty hangar. She beckoned to him.

“You look very tired, are you okay?” Keegan, leaning against a column, signed back.

“Now that I see you, I'm fine.”

There was no laughter, just that quiet tension that arises when two people know something is starting to change between them. She always looked directly into his eyes; she hates eye contact, but she always wanted to see him.

Keegan had no intention of telling her he'd done it for her. Soon, she discovered the nightly learning sessions. He didn't hear her arrive and tried to hide the books, but she laughed.

“Is it because of me?” she asked.

“I couldn’t go another day without communicating with you,” he covered his face with his hand, joking about being embarrassed.