Page 35 of Fake Out Hearts

“I don’t blame you for falling in love with it. It’s amazing,” I say and take a slow spin around to drink in more of the details.

“I’m glad you like it. And don’t be shy, make it your home. When I first moved in, I was afraid to touch anything in here.”

He chuckles, and I laugh with him because it’s not hard to believe. Everything in the condo screams money, but there are hints that it’s lived in too. There are dishes in the sink, and I’m pretty sure I spot a stray sock by the stairs to the loft.

“It definitely feels expensive, but it weirdly feels like a home too, if that makes sense?” I say.

“It makes perfect sense! That’s exactly how I felt. It wasn’t exactly the place I imagined buying beforehand, but it felt right.”

“It sure feels a lot better than the staged film set that was Shawn’s place,” I murmur, and Theo scoffs.

“Imagine that. Fake ass. But seriously, feel free to make this place your own and make yourself comfortable however you want.”

“Thank you, but honestly, I’m not sure I even know how to do that,” I tell him.

Theo shoots me a skeptical look, his brows stitched together. “Oh, come on, I saw your apartment. You’ve got some decorating chops.”

“I can’t take credit for that. Shawn’s crew designed most of it.”

“Wow. He really did script every last detail, didn’t he?”

“You have no idea. But I’m not kidding. I don’t know the first thing about making a place a home. I’ve never really had one to try it with before.”

“Well, you do now.” Theo walks over to take both of my hands in his. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour. I mean, it’s not very big, but still.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer before tugging me over to the metal, exposed staircase that leads up to the loft and the master bedroom. He spots the sock at the foot of the stairs and gives me a nervous glance.

“Uh, sorry about that. I must have dropped it when I was doing laundry before practice. I swear I’m not a slob.”

“I’m hardly in a position to judge.”

He chuckles, his eyes warming as he leads me into another room. “This is the master bedroom.”

Similar to the living room, this room features a very high ceiling, but it slants down to a point near the bed in the far corner, giving the room an angular, almost mountainous feel itself. I love the way the design naturally pulls my eye.

But when I glance around and see no other beds or doors, my heart skips a beat. Is this the only bedroom in the condo? I know we’re married and all, but does Theo expect us to share a bed already?

I’m trying to figure out whether that excites or scares me, but I get my answer when he brings me back downstairs and into a hall off the kitchen where another bedroom waits.

“This will be your room,” he says and opens it, revealing a large but mostly empty space, aside from a bed, dresser, and all my boxes stacked against the far wall. “As you can see, it’s pretty much a blank slate. I rarely have company over other than my parents, so I haven’t done anything with it, but I figure that’ll give you the chance to try some things out. Is it okay?”

“It’s great, yeah.” I nod, already thinking of where I’ll put some of my things. Not that there’s much to place, but still.

“Awesome. Then I’ll leave you be for a while so you can get settled. Help yourself to anything in the house. The fridge is fully stocked, but I’m not a cook myself, so we’ll have to figure that out. Not that I expect you to cook for me or anything like that,” he adds in a hurry, and I smile at him.

“I like cooking, actually, but I appreciate the consideration. And, well, everything else you’ve done for me. Seriously, Theo. I don’t have the words.”

“Good, because you don’t need them. Go ahead, make yourself at home. I’ll go get your bags out of the car.”

He grins at me, then disappears back down the hall. I stand there staring at the room for a few seconds, feeling like a total fish out of water. It’s just like Theo said, I’m almost afraid to touch anything. Because as much as he insists that this is my home now too, I still feel like an intruder.

I close the door to the bedroom, more to put myself at ease than for privacy, and walk over to the bed to sit on the edge of it. The movers Theo hired did a great job with all my stuff. As far as I can tell, there aren’t even any dented corners, so it’s highly unlikely any of my things got damaged in the move.

I labeled everything, but with the way they’re stacked, I can’t read them, so I reach for the nearest one at the top of the stack and peel away the tape. It turns out it’s the last box I packed with all the odds and ends that wouldn’t fit in anywhere else. I sift through it since I can’t remember everything that’s inside, and my heart clenches when I spot a bright red maple leaf at the bottom of the box. It’s a little wall decoration that my mom bought for me when I was a kid, and somehow, I’ve managed to keep it across all the many moves we’ve made.

“Maybe this will help make it feel more like home,” I mutter and pull the leaf out of the box. There’s a little hole built into the top of the middle leaf for a nail, so I scan the walls to see if one is already around. There isn’t, but I do find a little tab on the back of the bedroom door that’s probably supposed to hold a robe or something like that.

I get up and walk the leaf over, and it fits perfectly on the tab. “There,” I say with a smile, running my fingers over the cool metal. I’m farther away from home than I thought I’d ever be, literally and figuratively, but it isn’t the first time. I kept this same decoration hanging above my bed in my apartment back in LA because I got so homesick at first.

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