Page 181 of Dream On, Liar

“I did.”

“Why?”

He looked at me as though the answer were obvious.

“You like it.”

I stared at him.

It was not simply that he had bought it for me. It was that he had noticed. He had remembered. Everything. Then he had acted on it without making a performance out of any of it.

As though caring about me were not something he had to think about.

It was simply something he did.

“You’re ridiculous,” I said quietly.

“I’ve been told.”

But I was no longer really teasing him.

Then I saw the rest of the things he had brought back.

Books. Snacks. The exact crackers I liked. Chocolate I had mentioned once without even thinking about it.

Something shifted in my chest again.

“You actually listened,” I said, almost to myself.

His brow furrowed slightly. “Obviously, I’m a great listener.”

I rolled my eyes at his response, but I looked away before he could see too much.

Because it was becoming harder to hide things from him.

And I was beginning to realise how much I wanted to stop trying.

He continued putting things away, and I watched him for a moment longer than I should have before a thought surfaced. “Have you decided what you want in that room?”

He stopped.

His hand rested against the cupboard. “No.”

I followed his gaze towards the stairs. “I keep thinking about it.”

“Have you got an idea?” he asked.

I hesitated.

Because I did.

It simply felt too big to say aloud.

Still, I found myself saying it.

“You could have your gym there”

He turned fully towards me.