The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everything in a dull, sleepy glow. A wall of refrigerated drinks stood before him, perfectly lined up and meaningless.

Elias stood still, one hand hovering near the glass door like if he opened it, something irreversible would happen.

It was just tea.

That's all he came for. Nothing dramatic. Nothing complicated.

But the moment he'd stepped into the store and noticed you somewhere off to his left—browsing like it was any other night—his brain had gotten stuck.

He could hear the faint crinkle of plastic as you picked something up. The sound of your shoes against the scuffed tile floor. The occasional shift of your jacket when you moved. And somehow, all of it was louder than the low store music, louder than the outside world.

Elias swallowed hard. His reflection in the glass looked more lost than he wanted to admit. His eyes flicked over the rows of tea, but none of it registered. His chest felt too tight for something this stupid.

He reached forward, fingers brushing condensation as he pulled open the door and grabbed the same bottle he always did. Then he hesitated.

You passed behind him—close. The sleeve of your jacket brushed the small of his back for half a second, and he almost dropped the bottle.

He didn't turn around. Didn't say anything.

Just shut the cooler door and followed a few quiet steps behind you.

You were already in the snack aisle, crouched slightly as you reached for something on the lower shelf. Your hair fell forward, obscuring your face. You moved like you had all the time in the world. Like none of this meant anything. Like you hadn't just hijacked every working thought in his head.

Elias stood there for a second longer than he should have, then grabbed the first bag of chips his hand landed on. Didn't even look at the flavor. He finally spoke up, voice small but laced with curiosity. "What are you getting?"