He didn’t speak much.
Didn’t ask questions.
He observed.
Gabriel’s silence carried weight. His eyes were not a child’s eyes — not Aaron’s bright, curious ones, not the warm, hungry gaze that asked to be included. Gabriel’s stare was colder, sharper. He took everything in as though he were cataloguing evidence.
Aaron noticed. At first, he tried. He sat cross-legged on the carpet, opening one of his books — the one about constellations he loved. He pointed at the Orion cluster, tracing it with his finger.
“See this? Dad says if you follow the belt you can find Sirius. It’s the brightest star in the sky.”
Gabriel leaned closer, his shadow falling across the page. He stared. He did not answer.
Minutes passed like hours until Aaron shut the book with a frustrated snap and muttered, “Fine
