"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up with a bright smile. "You're not just saying that?"
"Really," he confirmed, his voice warm with affection.
But then she hesitated again, her insecurity creeping back in.
"Won't it be too... normal for you?" she asked uncertainly. "Too basic?"
Eric looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Can't I like something normal?" he asked. "What's wrong with normal things?"
"I just meant—" Hailey started, but Eric interrupted her.
"I don't need everything to be expensive or flashy," he said. "Sometimes the most meaningful things are the simple ones. This is meaningful because you thought of me."
Without waiting for her answer, he began removing the expensive watch he had been wearing. He set it carefully on the table, then held out his wrist toward her.
"Put the new one on for me," he said.
Hailey smiled and carefully fastened the watch around his wrist, her fingers gentle as she worked with the clasp.
