Page 324 of Let Me In

And then she hides her face in my chest again, like she can’t quite take the weight of that.

I let her.

We stay like that for another long stretch of quiet.

And then, almost without thinking, I say it.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

She hums, head still pressed to me.

“Mhm?”

I run a hand up her back.

Slow.

Thoughtful.

“You ever think about… having your own space?”

I pause.

“Not away from me. Just… something that’s yours.”

She shifts.

Lifts her head.

Looks up at me with those wide, cautious eyes.

“Like a room?”

I nod.

“A writing nook,” I murmur.

“Something quiet. Off the bedroom maybe. With big windows, and shelves. A desk that fits you just right.”

She blinks.

Then blinks again.

Like she doesn’t trust what she heard.

“I could build it on this summer,” I go on, voice low, steady.

“Doesn’t need to be big. Just enough space for your stories to stretch their legs. For you to sit and dream without interruption.”

She stares at me.

Mouth slightly open.

Eyes glassy.

“I don’t want to crowd you,” I add. “But I know how much it means to you. And I want you to have it.”

Her hand comes up.

---