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🌙 Chapter 5 — Almost Something
The last note of choir rehearsal faded into the echo of the empty church hall.
Someone stacked the hymn books. Someone else turned off the mic.
Then the crowd drifted away, leaving only two people still pretending to "pack up."
Sarah and Eli.
He was coiling his drum cables with way too much focus — like it suddenly took a PhD in engineering to roll a wire.
> Sarah: "You always stay late?"
Eli: "Only when the company's good." 😏
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop smiling. "You have a line for everything."
> Eli: "Nah. Just for you."
> Sarah: "You're impossible."
> Eli: "And yet… you're still talking to me."
Sarah let out a soft laugh, brushing hair out of her face. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"
> Eli: "You've mentioned."
He tossed his drumsticks into his backpack, then looked up at her — really looked.
For a second, neither of them said anything. The silence felt like its own song.
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🚶 The Walk
Outside, the church parking lot was quiet. The night air was cool, smelling faintly of rain and asphalt. A few lights flickered in the distance.
> Eli: "You want me to walk you home?"
Sarah: "I can handle two blocks, superhero."
Eli: "I know. Just… humor me."
So they walked.
Their footsteps crunched on gravel. Every few seconds, their shoulders brushed — accidentally on purpose. 💫
> Sarah: "You know, if my mom saw us right now, I'd be dead."
Eli: "Then I'll walk on the opposite side. That way, it's just 'two random church members coincidentally heading the same direction.'"
> Sarah (laughing): "Oh yeah, super convincing."
> Eli: "Hey, I'm trying to be a gentleman here."
> Sarah: "You? A gentleman?"
> Eli: "Ouch. I have layers, you know."
> Sarah: "Like an onion?" 🧅
He laughed, shaking his head. "Wow. You're ruthless."
> Sarah: "You set yourself up for that."
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They stopped at the corner where the streetlight hummed.
Sarah looked up — the night sky stretched wide, a dark velvet dome full of tiny, blinking stars. ✨
> Sarah (quietly): "You ever feel like you're supposed to be doing something bigger than this?"
> Eli: "All the time. But I don't even know what 'this' is half the time."
> Sarah: "Yeah."
(pause)
"It's like… everyone at church expects you to be perfect, and you just… can't be."
> Eli: "Same. My mom thinks I'm this perfect 'man of God.'"
(grins faintly) "Meanwhile, I forget to pray half the time."
Sarah smiled — not judgmental, just… understanding.
> Sarah: "I don't think it's about being perfect. I think it's about being honest."
He looked at her — eyes soft, voice quieter.
> Eli: "Then you're already halfway to heaven."
> Sarah: "You're such a flirt."
> Eli: "You make it easy."
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A beat of silence.
The world felt like it had slowed down just for them — the hum of streetlights, the whisper of wind, the warmth between them.
He reached out like he might brush her hand — stopped himself — then shoved his hands in his hoodie pocket instead.
> Eli (smiling slightly): "I don't wanna mess this up."
> Sarah: "Mess what up?"
> Eli: "Whatever this is."
She didn't answer right away. Her heart was doing cartwheels.
> Sarah: "Then don't."
He nodded, smiling like someone who just heard their favorite song for the first time.
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💫 Later That Night
When Sarah finally walked inside, Kim was waiting on the couch like a whole FBI agent.
> Kim: "You're late."
Sarah: "Choir ran long."
Kim: "Uh-huh. With Eli?" 👀
> Sarah (blushing): "Kim!"
> Kim: "Girl, your face says everything."
Sarah groaned, rushing to her room — but she couldn't stop smiling.
On her nightstand, her phone buzzed:
Eli: You made tonight feel like a movie. 🎬
Sarah: You're dramatic.
Eli: Only when it's worth it. 💛
Sarah hugged her pillow and whispered into the quiet:
"Lord, if I'm in trouble… at least it's the good kind." 😅
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