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Nate sent another message, then put the phone down and returned to the comments. Leo leaned in with him.

@emily_94: is this a ghost reveal or a boyfriend reveal because i’m getting both

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Then Leo pointed farther down the page. “Read the next one.”

Nate did. They’d agreed that they didn’t have to answer everything, and he was happy to leave Emily wondering.

There were more questions about the painting, and someone asking permission to share a picture of it, which Nate gave. Then he found a familiar name.

@oldhouselove: Hello, Leo! What do you think of the renovations so far?

Nate recognized the account from his bathroom videos. Usually there were questions about hardware, or where he’d found something.

He turned to Leo. “What do you think?”

“Most of it’s good.”

Nate opened a reply and typed Leo says: “Go on.”

“Well, obviously the noise is annoying, and you leave your tools everywhere. But the house looks much better.”

Nate typed it out, resisting the urge to defend where he kept his tools. Leo was watching the words appear with great interest.

“Add that I’m not letting you paint everything gray.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Then you shouldn’t mind.”

Nate added it. He let Leo read the finished reply before posting, and Leo made him change the noise to the constant noise.

“All right?”

“Yes. That’s good.”

Nate posted it and finally picked up his fork.

The noodles were cold, but they tasted fine. He managed several bites while Leo read the surrounding comments, occasionally asking him to move the page.

Then a reply appeared beneath theirs.

@oldhouselove: Thank you, Leo! Completely with you on the gray. What colors would you choose?

“Oh,” Leo said, pleased. “Which room?”

“I’ll ask.”

“Because it makes a difference. The sitting room gets different light from the kitchen. You can’t just pick one color for the whole house.”

“I know that.”

“Well, tell them.”

Nate typed the question and went back to his dinner while Leo considered his answer. He was still standing close enough for Nate to feel the cold of him along his arm, talking through the possibilities, occasionally changing his mind.

The phone buzzed again. Nate left it alone.