hours
passed with an effortless grace that is the hallmark of true compatibility. We moved fluidly through topics both light and weighty: the absurdities of office politics, the profound sense of place in travel, the awkward, formative moments of childhood. We laughed easily, a spontaneous, genuine sound that bounced pleasantly off the sound-dampening walls. I felt a rare sense of grounded presence; the distracting pull of my phone and the outside world vanished, replaced entirely by the immediate, gentle rhythm established between us. The evening felt, in a word,
