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His backpack looked too big. His shoes were scuffed. But his eyes lit up the moment he saw Micah\u2014and he ran, as if the past few months had never happened.<\/p>\n
Micah met him halfway, arms already open, tears already falling. They embraced so tightly I thought they might never let go.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you staying?\u201d Micah asked breathlessly.<\/p>\n
\u201cPermanently,\u201d I said, barely able to speak past the lump in my throat.<\/p>\n
What followed was a blur\u2014laughter, squeals of excitement, questions we couldn\u2019t fully answer. We gave them space. They talked about Pok\u00e9mon, spaghetti, and whether ghosts were real.<\/p>\n
That night, Zayden fell asleep in Micah\u2019s bed, the teddy bear between them. I lingered in the doorway, just watching. It felt right\u2014like something once broken had quietly mended itself.<\/p>\n
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