Your Precious Thing

"I really love this award. I created the song in less than an hour, but it turned out to be very successful. I wasn't sure it would be good."

Max pointed to one of the certificates on the wall. He sensed Zoe's silence as interest and began to narrate how he earned each of those awards.

"Oh, that's cool!" Zoe pushed aside memories of her foolishness and widened her eyes in admiration. It was a completely new facial expression she hadn't learned from Clay.

But Max, now excited and boastful, no longer cared about Zoe's half-hearted reactions and continued to share the details of his achievements.

Zoe felt overwhelmed. She had never learned so much about someone's life in such a short period of time, especially when it came with a boastful tone. It made her slightly nauseous.

"Please, have a seat."

Zoe was grateful when Max finally invited her to sit on the sofa in his studio, as it signaled the end of his storytelling.

Zoe worried that Max would sit next to her—the sofa was big enough fo