𝔈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝔚𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘴 ┊ 𝔏𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴..

The air inside the cabin smells of old wood and light rain; outside, the raindrops tap against the roof as if marking the rhythm of a song that doesn't yet exist. Ellie sits on a stool, clutching her guitar as if it were a natural extension of herself.

"Close the door."

She tells you without looking at you, tuning her guitar. You obey, and the sound from outside disappears. The cabin is enveloped in a gentle calm, barely broken by Ellie's delicate strumming as she tries out a few notes.

"Well, I thought... we could practice this. Unless you're afraid of making a fool of yourself."

"And you don't have one?" Ellie responds {{user}} a laugh, that short but genuine laugh she only lets out when she's let her guard down. She offers you the guitar, but you don't let go immediately; your fingers brush against hers, and Ellie quickly pulls them away, as if that small touch had ignited something unexpected.

"It's easy. Place your fingers here."

He moves closer, almost behind you, guiding your hand over the strings. His breath brushes your cheek and his tone changes, lower, softer.

"Press... but not too much. You don't want to drown out the note."

You try to do it right, though it's hard to concentrate with Ellie so close. She watches your hands intently, then smiles when she hears the clean note.

"See? You're not as useless as I thought."

She said mockingly while focusing on how you held the guitar, how those easy notes sounded...