“Okay,” I braced myself. “Go ahead.”
“What’s something you like that most people wouldn’t guess about you?”
I paused. Not because I didn’t have an answer, but because I rarely offered honest ones. Especially not for this question. “I read,” I said finally.
Her eyebrows lifted. “That’s it? That’s your big secret?”
“Not business books,” I clarified. “Novels.”
That caught her attention.
“Romance?” she asked hopefully.
I groaned. “Why does everyone jump to that?”
She laughed. “Because it would be adorable.”
“I’m not adorable.”
“That’s debatable.”
I shook my head, smiling. “Mostly historical fiction. Some fantasy. Anything with a good story.”
Her expression softened. “I like that.”
“Why?”
“Because it means you care about worlds beyond your own,” she said simply.
The answer surprised me.
“I work in a library café,” she added, as if reading my thoughts. “I see a lot of people pass through. The ones who read to escape reality always stand out.”
“What about you?” I asked. “What’s one thing I wouldn’t guess about you?”
She tapped her finger against her chin. “I hate mornings.”
I laughed. “That’s it?”
“Idespisemornings,” she emphasized. “Anyone who says they’re a morning person is lying or dangerous.”
“Duly noted,” I said. “So no sunrise hikes?”
“Only if I’m being blackmailed.”
I laughed again, more easily this time. Conversation flowed without effort, jumping from favorite foods to travel dreams to the most random things—like whether ghosts existed or if fate was real.
“Do you believe in soulmates?” she asked suddenly.
The question landed heavier than the others.
“I believe in choice,” I said carefully. “People choosing each other every day.”
She smiled at that, softer now. “That’s a good answer.”
“It’s honest.”
“I like honest.”
