"I want something warm," I say finally. "This one."
I tap the oak.
The framer nods once. "Good choice. Doesn't compete with the image."
Tom's still studying his options. He picks up a simple wood frame, clean lines, minimal profile. Holds it up to the light, checking the finish.
"This one," he says.
The framer takes both frames, sets them aside. Then he leans forward slightly, tapping the edge of my print.
"You want to float these or mat them?"
Tom answers before I can. "Mat."
The framer nods. "Will these get direct light?"
"No."
"Couple of days. I'll text when they're ready."
He wraps both prints carefully in brown paper, writes something on a slip, and tucks it into a drawer behind him.
"Thursday afternoon, probably" he says. "After two."
We step outside into late afternoon light. The street is quiet—residential, tree-lined, the kind of block where people walk dogs and carry groceries in reusable bags. The air is cooler than it was when we walked in.
Tom stops a few steps from the door, hands in his pockets.
"Where are you going to put yours?"
"Living room," I say. "So I see it when I come home."
He nods. "Mine's going back above my desk."
I glance at him. "Going back?"
He rubs the back of his neck, looks away briefly, then back.
"Well. It's already there. Pinned."
I blink. "Wait—you've had it up already?"
"Yeah." He shrugs, but there's something almost shy in the gesture. "Pinned, with a thumbtack. So now it'll be hung properly."
I don't know what to say to that. So I just stand there, looking at him.
We don't move. Neither of us seems quite ready to leave yet.
Tom shifts his weight. "This was a good idea."
He reaches up, brushes a loose strand of hair away from my cheek. His hand stays there, palm warm against my jaw. He steps completely into my space. He leans in, and the cold air between us disappears, replaced by the slow, deliberate press of his lips against mine.
My hand comes up, wraps around his wrist, holding him there for a second longer.
When he pulls back, I'm smiling.
"I thought so," I say, sort of laughing.
