[ She starts marking the time in her head, one second, one beat. A minute is a long time to stand together, silent and so close, a long time to notice things. Like how soft his skin is, against hers, how soft humans are in general. The rise and fall of his breath, and hers on the off beats, so loud she can't even hear the forest around it any more, and the thrumming of her pulse up against his fingers.
It's the longest minute she can remember in her entire life. ]
Time's up! [ Her voice sounds too loud, too cheerfully bright, in the wake of so much silence. But her hands still linger against his, and she doesn't pull away when she glances up at his face. ] What's the count?
[ As though there's some doubt that there will be anything other than 60, a perfect marker of the seconds. ]
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It's the longest minute she can remember in her entire life. ]
Time's up! [ Her voice sounds too loud, too cheerfully bright, in the wake of so much silence. But her hands still linger against his, and she doesn't pull away when she glances up at his face. ] What's the count?
[ As though there's some doubt that there will be anything other than 60, a perfect marker of the seconds. ]