"Thankfully my ex has calmed down about that, but I didn’t expect this to feel so real," he admits.
I stare at the TV where a man is now howling like a wolf.
"Honestly," I say, "I expected this to feel temporary."
"Does it?" he asks.
I hesitate.
"No."
Our shoulders touch.
Neither of us moves away.
Daisy snores loudly from the rug.
"Your dog is broken," Gabriel whispers.
"She had a big day," I whisper back.
"Of sleeping."
"It's exhausting keeping up with new smells, Maddie, and Mr. Pickles," I say.
We both laugh.
Then the laughter fades and the room goes quiet again.
Gabriel's voice softens.
"You've made this place better," he says.
My chest does this stupid little flip when he says that, like my heart just got caught off guard.
"Careful," I say lightly. "You say things like that and Daisy is going to think she has competition."
He glances at the dog stretched across the rug.
"She already thinks she runs the house," he says.
"She does," I say. "We just live here."
We go quiet for a second.
Then he says something that hits deeper.
"You know, I meant what I said that night."
"Which part?"
"That I wanted you as a partner."
My heartbeat speeds up.
His hand brushes mine on the couch.
I don't move away.
