Inside, the smell of vanilla candles drifted through the air. Art from all over the world adorned the walls. A little girl with messy curls appeared on the staircase.
“Mommy, who’s that?” she asked.
Alexandra crouched down. “This is my friend. His name is Elias. He’ll be spending time with us.”
The girl squinted at him. “Are you a good person?”
He swallowed. “I’m trying to be.”
“Okay,” she said decisively. “But no scary stories at night.”
For the first time in years, Elias laughed.
That night, after dinner, Alexandra sat with him on the balcony.
“Tell me who you really are, Elias.”
He stared at his hands. “I was once one of the best data scientists in Boston. I had a wife, Melissa, and two kids—Evelyn and Noah. We… we were perfect. And then one winter… they were on a flight to Colorado. Their plane went down. No survivors.”
Alexandra’s eyes glistened.
“I’m so sorry.”
He shook. “I walked out of my life and never went back.”
She touched his hand. “I lost my parents to a crash. My husband disappeared when my daughter was a toddler. Pain changes us. But it doesn’t have to end us.”
That night, Elias dreamed for the first time in years.