When your eyes looked distant or a small frown creased your face, he would give you a leaf, a candy, or a sticker. He lingered close, watching your small smile form after the gesture.

You told him nothing. He memorized the exact way your lips curved, how your hands accepted it, how your eyes flickered briefly to him in quiet acknowledgment. Every action became a testament to his obsession, his devotion, his quiet insistence that he mattered in your little world.