Alice's POV
After all the talking, the excited squealing, and the little moments of shared joy, I finally turned to where Brian sat — perched casually on the armrest of the couch.
“Thank you,” I said softly, my voice catching with emotion. “This means so much to me.”
“I know.” His tone was calm, almost too calm — like he had been expecting those words.
I tilted my head, curiosity creeping in. “How did you know that I wanted this?”
He gave a small shrug. “I’m interested in getting to know you better. So I did.”
I squinted at him, half amused, half weirded out. “Yeah… still creepy.”
He laughed lightly as I turned back to the painting. I had just peeled off the last of the brown wrapping paper, revealing the entire canvas. My breath caught.
“This is so pretty,” I whispered, eyes traci
