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I take his phone in my right hand while he leads me down the hall.

"Anything I want? What if I want a pony?"

He grunts.

"A pink pony?"

"Guestrooms," he mutters, jerking his chin toward a few doors. "Bathroom. This one’s nice—it’s got a waterfall… thing. Whatever you call it."

He speaks with quiet pride. This is his house, one he crafted in some way for himself, one that’s all his—away from his parents’ suffocating bullshit. Even if they’re still circling, waiting to pull him back under.

"And I really don’t give a fuck what you order. Just get me some food. Fast."

I pull up the app, scroll, and place an order for the greasiest takeout I can find. I throw in a side salad to appease my conscience.

I press the button. "Are you a big tipper?"

"Of course. They’re bringing me food, and I don’t have to cook. Tip them whatever the hell you want."

I like that.

I tip big and hand him the phone back.

He opens a door at the very end of the hall. “And this room here, it’s?—"

He stops. I do too. Instead of moving forward, I stare.

Inside, the walls are lined with shelves. Books—old, worn, their spines cracked with use. It smells of varnished wood and aged paper.

A framed quote hangs over the desk.

"Even in the grave, all is not lost."

I freeze.

"Edgar Allan Poe?" My voice comes out soft.

Matvei shrugs, but there’s something guarded in the set of his jaw. "Yeah. So?"

I stare at him, heart racing. "You know I like Poe."

His head tilts. He doesn’t respond. Did he put this here for me? Or…

My skin crawls, that familiar flash ofhow long has he been watching mebubbling up. Of course he knows. Of course he’s been in my shit.

Except—

I haven’t read Poe in years.

Years.

But when I did, I didn’t just read, Iconsumed.Memorized. It was all I read because, for the first time in my life, I felt seen. Someone else understood the complex emotions of being human, of wanting to live and sometimes hating every second.

But how would he know?

I didn’t leave that trail for him to follow. I didn’t post it, didn’t leave a book lying around, barely thought about it… until right now.

"So how did you know?" I whisper.