Page 182 of Dream On, Liar

“What?”

“A gym.”

I gestured vaguely towards the upstairs room.

“The view is incredible. And at sunset…” I shook my head, trying to explain it properly. “It would be perfect. I mean, if we’re being technical, it’d make the perfect library. But for you, I think a gym room is better.”

He looked at me as though I had just rearranged his entire life in a single sentence.

“That’s an amazing idea.”

“I know.”

He gave a quiet huff of laughter.

I stood before I could overthink it. “Come on.”

I reached for his hand.

The moment our fingers touched, something in my chest reacted, quiet and sharp and immediate, as though my body had been waiting for that contact without telling me.

His fingers closed around mine without hesitation.

I did not let myself think too much about it.

We went to the room we’d been sharing together for the past few days.

The room was colder than the rest of the house, its wide windows stretching across one wall and making it feel as though it had been built to hold as much light as possible. Outside, the sky had darkened beneath a heavy layer of cloud, and rain pressed steadily against the glass. The sea was barely visible beyond the trees, but I could already picture how different it would look at sunset.

“Look at this,” I said, moving closer to the window. “At sunset, it would be unreal. And when you need some fresh air, you could just open the back door and step outside.”

He came to stand beside me and looked out at the view.

“You’ve really thought about this.”

I shrugged, trying to make it sound casual. “Maybe I just like the idea of you having somewhere that feels like yours.”

Before he could answer, I pushed open the door to the deck. “Plus, when it rains like this, you can do this.”

Cold air rushed into the room, and I stepped outside almost without thinking.

The rain hit me immediately, sharp and cold against my skin, but instead of making me retreat, it made me laugh. There was something about standing there in it that felt strangely freeing, like I had needed the cold more than I had realised.

“Maeve,” he said from behind me, his voice sharper now. “Get inside.”

I turned back towards him, laughing.

“It’s just rain.”

“So?”

“So I’m not going to melt.”

“You’re going to get ill.”

“That’s not how illness works.”

He stared at me as though I were personally responsible for every bad decision ever made. “Come back inside.”