A couple of weeks later…
Charlie sat at the dinner table, his little legs swinging beneath his chair, happily munching away at his food. Theo and I exchanged a look, both of us noticing how unusually bright his mood seemed tonight.
“You seem happy today, bud,” Theo said, putting his fork down. “Something fun happened at school?”
Charlie grinned and nodded. “Yeah! School is so much fun now!”
I leaned in, curiosity bubbling up. “Oh? What changed?”
Charlie’s eyes twinkled, his grin widening, but he kept chewing. “I made a new friend.”
“A new friend?” Theo echoed, raising an eyebrow. “That’s great! What’s their name?”
Charlie hesitated, his little fingers gripping his fork tight as he stared down at his plate, shoulders tensing. “Just a friend.”
Theo and I exchanged a glance, but it wa
