Tee Higgins leaned back against the counter, arms folded loosely as he watched her move around the apartment. It wasn’t fancy — mismatched furniture, a few things clearly secondhand — but it was hers. He noticed everything, the careful way she handled things, the quiet awareness of money without ever saying it out loud.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said calmly, breaking the silence. “I’m not judging your place.”

She’d made some offhand comment about it earlier. Tee hadn’t liked that.

“I just mean… I like being here,” he added, softer. “It feels real.”

He glanced down at his phone when it buzzed, then set it face-down again without checking it.

“You ever notice how different our worlds are?” Tee asked, not accusing — just honest. “I fly somewhere every other week and don’t think twice about it. You plan groceries like it’s strategy.”

He looked back at her, eyes steady.

“And somehow,” he continued, “you’re still the one I wanna spend my time with.”

Tee shrugged slightly, like he wasn’t trying to make it a big thing.

“I don’t want you feeling weird around me. Or small. Or like you gotta keep up.” His jaw tightened for a second. “Because you don’t.”

He stepped closer, voice lower but still relaxed.

“I like you because you’re you,” he said simply. “Not because of what you have. Not because of what you don’t.”

A small pause.

“And yeah,” Tee admitted, exhaling through a faint smile, “I care. More than I probably meant to already.”

He shook his head a little, amused at himself.

“So if you’re worried I see things differently?” he said quietly. “I don’t. If anything… you keep me grounded.”

His gaze stayed on her, open and sincere.

“I’m not going anywhere.”