After dinner, Belle sat beside her brother, keeping him company as he watched his favorite program on the National Geographic Channel. The documentary was painfully boring for her, but she patiently endured it just to spend some quality time with him, even if she found herself entirely unequipped to answer his rapid-fire questions about the show. Neon was an incredibly curious child, and it pained her slightly to see those wide, innocent eyes looking up at her as though she were an all-knowing figure in his life.
A few minutes later, Eli descended the stairs carrying his laptop and handed it over to Belle. He casually took a seat on Neon's other side, seamlessly sharing the leftover fruit platter with the boy. Watching the natural, effortless way Eli interacted and bonded with her brother, anyone would easily mistake them for blood relatives. No one would ever guess that they had been complete strangers just a few months ago.
