Beat.

A ticking clock.

I didn't notice it much until I stopped to listen.

And when I listened it got loud, unbearably loud.

So loud that I thought I could never drown it out. So loud that I wanted to leave this desk, or rip it off the wall.

But then I started to write, and it got quieter. Tick-tocking away like a metronome, holding the beat as I typed, holding the rhythm and the pace.