**ACE 35.5 — “Afterimage”** \\ **Chapter 3 — Slightly Offbeat** No one said anything for a while. That, by itself, wasn’t unusual. What was— was that the silence didn’t land at the same time. ---- Ace leaned back against the edge of the table. Shammy stood just close enough that the air between them felt shared. Mai— remained exactly where she was. ---- The triangle existed. It just didn’t… settle. ---- “…this is stupid,” Ace said. ---- The words came out flat. Not annoyed. Not dismissive. Just— early. ---- Shammy blinked. A fraction too late. “…what is.” ---- Ace didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze moved between them— measuring something she wasn’t putting into words. ---- “…we’re trying too hard,” she said. ---- Mai’s lips twitched. Not quite a smile. “…you’re saying that,” she said. ---- A beat. ---- Ace shrugged. Slight. Contained. ---- “…yeah.” ---- The timing almost lined up. Almost. ---- Shammy let out a small breath. The air followed. Closer now. More responsive. ---- “…she’s not wrong,” she said. ---- Mai turned— but spoke before she fully did. ---- “That doesn’t make it useful.” ---- The sentence overlapped itself. Just enough to feel like it had been said twice. ---- They all noticed. ---- No one pointed it out. ---- That, too, was new. ---- ---- Ace pushed off the table. Walked toward the kitchen. Not carefully. Not compensating. Just— moving. ---- The floor creaked. On time. ---- She stopped. ---- “…okay, that’s new,” she said. ---- Shammy tilted her head slightly. ---- “…what.” ---- Ace tapped the floor once with her foot. ---- Creak. ---- Perfect. ---- “…it’s catching up,” she said. ---- Mai exhaled. ---- “That’s not reassuring.” ---- Ace smirked. ---- “…it is a little.” ---- The smirk came a fraction before the thought that caused it. ---- Shammy laughed. ---- The sound landed in the room— clean. ---- For a moment— ---- everything aligned. ---- Then— ---- it slipped again. ---- ---- Mai walked into the kitchen. ---- Not because she needed anything. Because movement— seemed easier than stillness. ---- She reached for the cabinet. Opened it. ---- Paused. ---- “…we’re out of coffee,” she said. ---- Ace turned— already halfway through the motion— ---- “…no we’re not.” ---- Mai blinked. Looked inside. ---- There was coffee. ---- Exactly where it should be. ---- She closed the cabinet. Slow. ---- “…I know that,” she said. ---- Shammy leaned against the counter. ---- “…you said it anyway.” ---- Mai didn’t answer. ---- Because that was the problem. ---- ---- Ace grabbed the coffee container. Set it down. ---- The sound hit the counter— perfectly timed. ---- She froze. ---- “…okay,” she said slowly. ---- “…that’s definitely new.” ---- Shammy’s lips curved. ---- “…you like it.” ---- Ace glanced at her. ---- “…a little.” ---- A beat. ---- “…don’t tell Mai.” ---- Mai didn’t look at them. ---- “I heard that.” ---- The timing was perfect. ---- Too perfect. ---- Ace winced slightly. ---- “…yeah, no, that’s worse.” ---- Shammy laughed again. ---- This time— the air followed smoothly. ---- ---- Mai poured coffee. ---- The liquid hit the cup— on time. ---- She stared at it. ---- “…we’re stabilizing,” she said. ---- Shammy nodded. ---- “…a little.” ---- Ace leaned against the counter. ---- “…too much?” ---- Mai didn’t answer immediately. ---- She lifted the cup. ---- For a moment— everything held. ---- Perfect. ---- Then— ---- she took a sip— ---- and the warmth hit before the liquid touched her lips. ---- She froze. ---- “…no,” she said quietly. ---- “…not stable.” ---- Shammy’s smile faded. ---- “…just closer.” ---- Ace set her own cup down— carefully— watching the timing. ---- It landed exactly when it should. ---- She stared at it. ---- “…this is messing with me,” she said. ---- Shammy leaned closer. ---- “…you love it.” ---- Ace didn’t deny it. ---- “…a little,” she admitted. ---- Mai shook her head. ---- “You’re impossible.” ---- The words overlapped— just slightly— with the movement of her turning. ---- Ace grinned. ---- “…and you’re trying too hard.” ---- Silence. ---- Shammy looked between them. ---- “…she’s right,” she said. ---- Mai exhaled. ---- Slow. ---- “…I know.” ---- A beat. ---- “…I just don’t like it.” ---- ---- The room settled. ---- Not perfect. ---- Not aligned. ---- But— lighter. ---- The gaps were still there. ---- But now— ---- they weren’t the only thing in the space. ---- ---- Ace stepped closer. ---- Not calculating. ---- Not compensating. ---- Just— choosing. ---- She stopped near Mai. ---- Close enough to matter. ---- The timing— didn’t line up. ---- Didn’t need to. ---- “…you’re overthinking it,” she said quietly. ---- Mai didn’t move away. ---- “…I know.” ---- A beat. ---- “…I always do.” ---- Shammy stepped in— closing the space between them. ---- The air shifted— not perfectly— but together. ---- “…then don’t,” she said softly. ---- Silence. ---- This one— ---- landed at the same time. ---- ---- Mai looked at both of them. ---- Not analyzing. Not measuring. ---- Just— seeing. ---- “…that’s not how this works,” she said. ---- Ace’s voice came immediately. ---- “…maybe it is now.” ---- A beat. ---- Shammy’s hand brushed lightly against Mai’s arm. ---- Not deliberate. Not calculated. ---- Just— there. ---- The air followed. ---- Soft. ---- Warm. ---- Not aligned. ---- Shared. ---- ---- And for the first time since they had come back— ---- the gap between them didn’t feel like something to fix. ---- It felt like something they could step through.