Page 25 of The Liar in Room 5

Long. Client meeting, studio meeting, three more client meetings, and then maybe lunch.

Followed by more meetings?

How did you know?

Got the psychic thing happening? Very LA.

LA? Or just Cali?

Ha, fair point. Definitely Cali.

How’s yours?

…

…

I ate breakfast downstairs. What an exciting life, right?

Where do you usually eat breakfast?

…

It’s easier to eat in my room.

But today it was downstairs?

Yeah

Proud of you.

7

Drew

Breakfast. That’s it. One meal.

I needed my pep talk to work because I told myself that today was the day I would eat breakfast in the dining room. For the last week, I’d managed to eat downstairs, but I always hid in the library or outside where no one would find me. Today, I wanted to try eating around people.

I’d told Henry that I’d eaten downstairs, but I hadn’t gone into detail. He hadn’t asked, but I wanted him to keep being proud of me.

Maybe I was ready to start getting on with my life. Or maybe I was bored. Either was possible.

“Mind if I join you?”

From my seat by the window, I was able to look into the backyard. My view was the same as from my room, but the shouts and laughter from the littles were much more distinct. Someone was cheating at tag, and someone—Tony might have been their name—wasn’t having it. My jealousy hadn’t lessened, but I wasn’t expecting to be caught eavesdropping. When I glanced up, Phoenix was watching me stare out the window. His response was a knowing raised eyebrow.

“No, I’m not one. Just wishing I was,” I answered the unspoken question clearly written across his face.

“It’s not unusual for people to be hesitant about an interest in being little.”

I appreciated how matter-of-fact he was. It was probably one of the reasons Henry had so much respect for him. They were both unfailingly polite, but neither of them put up with nonsense for the sake of it. Or deflection.

“Thanks for the out, but I know that much about myself, and I’m not a little,” I assured him with a weak smile.

“I sense a ‘but,’” Phoenix countered with a perfectly arched brow.

“I mean…it’s nothing. I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”