Stellar Pretending

"If it makes my house feel more like a home to you, just bring it." Jingwei said, staring firmly into her eyes. "I want you to be comfortable when living with me." 

Sensing Xue Ning's disbelief, he added. "You can bring stuff like your shoes or even your graffiti table. I may need convincing on your mouldy toaster though."

"My toaster isn't mouldy, it's well-loved," Xue Ning retorted instinctively, ignoring the fact that her mother said the exact same thing when Xue Ning had taken a photo of it to show her family the newest addition to her kitchen. Meanwhile, her father had called it a fire hazard, and her brother had called it a source of radiation.

Ridiculous, all of them.

"Yeah, by the racoons in the park," Jingwei said flatly. "I think if you toasted bread in it, it might just give you indigestion."

"What if I insist on bringing it?" Xue Ning said, tilting her head up challengingly to stare him down. "What if I need it to feel at home?"