Despite having grown up in this house, I stepped right smack-dab in the middle of the creaky step, the one that had been squeaky since I could remember and was identifiable by its crooked wood. I was so totally off my game here, even though the definition of “home” told me I should feel otherwise. My eyes darted over to the couch as I inched closer to the kitchen. Given Andrew’s too-steady, too-quiet breathing, he must be awake. Whether it was my fault or not, I wasn’t sure. I briefly considered abandoning my mission altogether, but… pie. Instead I tried to hurry past him.

I’d cleared the living room, my back now to him, when I heard, “Couldn’t sleep either?” from behind me.

I pasted on a smile and turned to face him. After a couple of awkward seconds with me rocking back and forth heel to toe, I uncharacteristically admitted, “Most people can’t wait to get home and sleep in their childhood bed, but it makes me a ball of—”

“Shénjīng,” he finished for me. The Mandarin surprised me, enough to make my head pop back—and your double chin appear, my mother said in my head.

“Uh, yeah.” Except I wouldn’t have said it in Chinese.

“I picked up on your nerves during dinner,” he said in a low voice as he stood and followed me to the kitchen. While I turned on the light and took a quick survey of our options, he continued, “Is it because I’m here and you’re worried about how it’s going? Because I can tell you from experience you can let some of that anxiousness go.”

“Thanks,” I said, even though my unease in this house had been present since way before I’d paid him into my life.

I grabbed the pie and some paper plates. But right before I dished it out, I pointed to him, then the pie, and raised my eyebrows to ask if that was what he wanted. His eyes widened in surprise before he caught himself and nodded at me.

My gaze focused on my busy hands as I asked, “Are you not used to people asking what you want? Because your job is all about pleasing others?” I briefly wondered what his family was like and what they thought of his Rent for Your ’Rents position.

“It’s a rarity because of the line of work, yeah, but I assume most of the world is like that too?”

I shrugged. “People are selfish.”

The silence between us filled with unspoken experiences, but the agreement was palpable.

My tongue savored each bite, rolling it around to mimic all the thoughts rolling around my mind.

“Don’t you want to ask me more questions? Like why I did this?” I asked.

“I already know why.” He was staring down at his pie.