His POV

She always hums when she’s excited. A little off-key, a little too loud for how late it is, but it fills the car anyway. The kind of hum that sounds like sunshine—even when it’s coming from the passenger seat of my dim, midnight-stained sedan parked just outside a cheap burger joint.

Her legs are tucked up on the seat. Hoodie too big. Hair half-tied. And she doesn’t stop smiling when I hand her the paper bag, even before she opens it.

Burger. Fries. Chicken bites. Sundae.

She doesn’t even ask—just beams at me like I’ve handed her a bouquet of roses instead of $17.89 worth of sodium and carbs.

I drop my own order into the cup holder. Small fries. No drink. I don’t eat.

She notices.

“Where’s yours?”

“Just fries.”

Her brows pinch. “You’re not hungry?”

I glance at her, then back at the dashboard. The car still smells like fresh oil and fake cheese.

“I’m trying to save,” I say. Casual. Even. Like I’m not deliberately picking each word. “Company’s got some restructuring coming. Costs are tight. Gotta cut back where I can.”

A lie, technically.

I could buy this whole franchise and not flinch. Could build another one across the street just to watch them compete. But I don’t tell her that.

Because this isn’t about food. It’s about her. It’s about whether she notices. Whether she cares.

Or if all she ever wanted was someone to buy her things and play pretend.

She unwraps her burger. Doesn’t answer right away. I pick at a single fry, slow, like it matters.

“I’m good,” I say before she can push hers at me. “Eat. You need it.”

She stares at me, quiet now. And that’s when I feel it shift. Something changes in the silence. The hum’s gone.

The sunlight in her voice flickers—like she knows there’s more to this than what I’m saying, but she doesn’t know why I’m saying it.

And I wonder if she’ll call me out. If she’ll push. Ask the real question.

Or if she’ll just smile again, say “thank you,” and take what’s given—without ever really seeing me.

I don’t look at her. Just keep eating my fries. One by one.

Waiting.