New York felt different when I wasn't rushing through it.
Maybe it was the weekend, or the way Sophie kept stopping every few steps like she was afraid the city might disappear if she didn't look closely enough. Maybe it was the fact that William walked beside us instead of a step ahead, hands in his coat pockets, moving at our pace instead of his usual purposeful stride.
"You really live here." Sophie said for the third time since we'd left my apartment.
"Yes." I said, laughing. "That's usually how addresses work."
She ignored me, tilting her head back to look at the buildings like they might start talking. "This is insane. Do you know how many people dream of this?"
I glanced at William out of the corner of my eye. He was watching her, not in an obvious way, just observant, like he was cataloguing her reactions. The way she spoke with her hands. The way she smiled at strangers like she expected them to smile back.
"I forget sometimes," I admitted. "It just… becomes normal."
