Shower talk came up next. “Two showers help sleep,” he said, like a podcast tip. Evelyn tried it twice that week and slept hard. Correlation felt like proof. She didn’t see the thread yet. It was only a handful of suggestions that seemed to help rather than bind her..
One morning, her makeup migrated into labeled pouches. “So you can find things quickly,” he offered, proud of the new drawer system. It was charming—tidy, considerate—and oddly official. She set mascara in Eyes, blush in Cheeks, and teased him for perhaps being the world’s only boyfriend to know the intricacies of women’s makeup.