"What''s wrong?"


    M, lost in her thoughts, noticed Felicity had fallen silent for a while. She quickly looked up and asked her.


    "Oh, it''s nothing."


    Felicity pointed behind M, grinning. "I just saw the most gorgeous guy over there... but wait, where did he go?"


    A gorgeous guy?


    M immediately thought of someone, spun around to look, but all she saw were the restaurant''s other patrons milling about. No handsome stranger in sight.


    "He''s gone already," Felicity sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed. "I wanted you to see him. He really was something."


    "What was so nice to look at?"


    Conrad appeared, bncing a tray piled with crispy fried chicken and sses of ice-cold c—both things Felicity had argued fiercely for, nearly losing her temper to get her way. He caught their conversation and chimed in.


    "Hmph, not telling you," Felicity huffed, digging into her food. She wasn''t about to let Conrad share in her little bubble of happiness—not when he policed even her choice of snacks.


    Conrad turned to M for answers instead.


    But M just sat there, looking oddly distracted. She seemed miles away, lost in thought, and didn''t even respond after Conrad called her name a couple of times.


    Outside, Eugene slipped through the small side door of the restaurant. He leaned against the wall, tugging his cap low to shade his face. After a moment, he pushed the brim back up, his expression now carefully nk.


    His emotions were a tangled mess.


    Thoughts crashed over him in waves, too fast and too many to sort out. He needed somewhere quiet to clear his head, somewhere to think.


    He was just about to leave the amusement park when he noticed, not far off, an employee in an oversized mascot suit a giant brown bear-handing out helium balloons to a crowd of excited kids.


    Eugene hesitated, then changed direction and walked over.


    Back inside the restaurant,


    After finishing their meal and resting for a bit, M and her friends decided to head out again-Felicity, never one to stay cooped up indoors, led the charge.


    Something seemed to have settled in M. She was visibly more rxed, and she threw herself into the fun.


    The two of them had just gotten off the log flume ride, hair slightly damp and spirits high. Felicity, still riding a wave of excitement, made a beeline for the next attraction-only to bump straight into a wall of soft brown fur. She looked up, startled, and found herself face-to-face with a giant bear mascot.


    "Oh, sorry!" she blurted, instantly apologetic, assuming she''d barreled into him.


    The bear said nothing, just held out thest helium balloon in his paw, offering it to her.


    "For me?" Felicity started, but before she could reach for the string, Conrad-who had caught up-pulled her protectively behind him, eyeing the bear with suspicion. "Sorry, we''re not buying anything," he said coolly.


    The bear shook his huge head, the plush headpiece wobbling.


    "What''s your deal?" Felicity protested,nding a light punch on Conrad''s back. Ignoring his sour look, she took the balloon from the bear, beaming. "Thank you!"


    M hurried forward to pay.


    But there was no sign of a card reader or payment app on the mascot, so she asked, and the bear silently pulled out a phone and held it toward her. M froze, surprised, something flickering in her eyes as she nced up at the bear.


    The bear pointed at Felicity and mimed a request.


    M paused, then gave a small sigh and turned to Felicity. "Um, he says he doesn''t want money. He thinks you''re... really cute. And, uh, he''d like to take a photo with you."


    "Sure!" Felicity answered, delighted.


    "No way!" Conrad''s voice rang out at the same time, but his protest was ignored. He settled for the


    M quickly offered to use her phone.


    The bear lumbered over in awkward, heavy steps, standing beside Felicity-who was clutching her balloon and grinning from ear to ear. He tilted his big furry head toward her, and in that moment, the camera shed.


    Before leaving, Felicity gave the big bear a hug and waved. "Bye, Mr. Bear! You''re adorable, too!"


    ...


    The mascot shuffled away, swaying with each step.


    When he was far enough off, tucked into a narrow alley, the bear pulled off the oversized head, revealing Eugene''s face-damp with sweat and flushed from the heat.


    His eyes were red.


    He shrugged out of the heavy costume, fished out his phone, and opened his sister''s chat window. There it was: the photo they''d just taken-Felicity, radiant,


    His only photo with his mother since childhood.


    The only time she''d smiled like that.


    A small, helpless smile tugged at his lips, but his eyes grew even redder. He stared at the photo for a long time, and slowly, the swirling confusion in his mind began to settle.


    He realized―


    He''d already gotten his answer.


    Johnnie had told him his mother was gravely, both physically and mentally, all because Conrad hade between her and his mentor. But today, seeing her-her cheeks rosy, herughter so genuine, so bright-he couldn''t help but wonder: would moving to Italy really make things better?


    Watching her smile in the photo, the answer became clearer and clearer. He didn''t


    want to team up with Johnnie, or with the estranged biological father he''d never even met.


    This was enough.


    He''d already found what he needed.


    There was nothing more to ask for.


    He saved the


    e photo and let out a


    short, self-mockingugh. He wasn''t


    sure if he wasughing at how pathetic he''d been, or at himself for letting go of a happiness that had seemed so close. A tear slipped down, blurring his mother''s smile in the picture.


    He was still sad.


    Desperately sad.


    "It''s okay," he choked out in a whisper. "I''ve been sad for so long already... I don''t


    need anyone else to keep mepany in it."