Little Miss "We-Should-Hang-Out"

Lyrics

[Intro]
There you are. 
By the sugar station at "The Daily Grind".
Tuesday, ten-fifteen.
My heart does that little jump.
Not of joy. 
Of social obligation.

[Verse 1]
Your coat is new. A good color on you.
You look well.
I hope I look busy, important.
We do the smile. The one we've both practiced.
The "oh my god, hi!" that means "oh, right, this again."
We ask about work. We ask about that trip to Lisbon you took in August.
I saw the pictures. I didn't 'like' them.
You didn't notice. It's fine.

[Chorus]
And then the words come. 
Right on schedule. 
After the perfect, calculated pause.
"We should *totally* hang out sometime."
The air gets thin with the lie. 
We both nod.
A beautiful, empty promise made of steam from our cups.

[Verse 2]
"Yes, absolutely, we have to," I say. My turn. 
I play my part so well.
"I'll text you later this week," you offer. 
A final, generous lie.
It lets us both off the hook.
We don't need to check our calendars. 
We know they're empty for each other.
We already have the numbers, buried under years of people we actually call.

[Chorus]
And there it is again. The little ghost between us.
"We should *totally* hang out sometime."
We say it to its face. We watch it pretend to breathe.
A beautiful, empty promise made of steam.

[Bridge]
This friendship went to sleep years ago.
We just keep tucking it in.
Afraid to check for a pulse.
Because it's easier this way.
To be a friendly face in a coffee shop.
A reflection of a person who has history, who keeps in touch.
It's the mirror's glimmer for a moment, proving we are kind, proving we are connected.
We are both such good people. 
In theory.

[Outro]
You pick up your flat white. 
I pick up my Americano.
Another smile. The last one.
"So good seeing you."
And we turn. 
And walk away into our separate lives.
And the text never comes.
And the phone never rings.
The ghost is gone.
The air is clear again.