It has always been you

Noah notices things. The way light falls in a room, the exact shade of someone's hair, every small detail except the one staring him in the face.

He meets Claire by accident, and somehow she never quite leaves again, until one ordinary friendship quietly becomes the center of his whole life. She's loud where he's careful, certain where he hesitates, and entirely unaware of what she's doing to him.

Some people fall slowly. Noah just took an embarrassingly long time to notice he already had.

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Content warning: This book includes brief references to a past emotionally abusive relationship (non-graphic, discussed retrospectively).