“Planning an escape or just negotiating with the silverware?” he asked.
I laughed before I could stop myself.
And that was it.
That was the moment something shifted.
Rick didn’t treat me like background noise.
He asked questions. Real ones. And he actually listened to the answers.
He noticed things about me that I didn’t think anyone saw.
Like the way I always checked prices first.
Like the way I hesitated before accepting anything, even something small.
One night, he said, “You look at things like they might disappear if you enjoy them too much.”
I shrugged. “Because they usually do.”
He didn’t argue.
He just nodded, like he understood more than he said.
Over time, I got used to being there.
To conversations that didn’t feel forced.
