Chapter 120 – "Home Is Arriving"
Four Months Later
New York City
Four months.
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One hundred and twenty-two days.
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Approximately.
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Not that anyone was counting.
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They were absolutely counting.
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Especially JJ.
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J&K Headquarters
JJ sat in her office.
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Or rather—
she sat on her desk.
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Because chairs were apparently optional.
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Percy
Watching her.
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Judging her.
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Silently.
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JJ
"They're landing today."
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Percy
"I know."
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JJ
"Everyone."
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Percy
"I know."
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JJ
"ALL OF THEM."
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Percy
"I KNOW."
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JJ
"WHY ARE YOU NOT EXCITED?"
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Percy
"Because I'm emotionally stable."
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JJ
The entire office laughed.
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Including the interns.
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Elsewhere
Bengaluru
Care stared at her suitcase.
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Then checked it.
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Again.
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Then again.
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And once more.
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Aera
Watching from the doorway.
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"You've checked that bag six times."
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Care
"What if I forgot something?"
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Aera
"Like?"
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Care
"..."
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Aera
"Exactly."
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Lyra
Appeared behind them.
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Coffee in hand.
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Already tired.
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Despite the day not having started.
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The Truth
Care was excited.
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Very excited.
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She just refused to admit it.
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Because if she admitted it—
certain names would enter the conversation.
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And she wasn't emotionally prepared for that.
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Aera
"You miss him."
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Care
"No."
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Aera
"You do."
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Care
"No."
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Lyra
"You absolutely do."
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Care
"I hate both of you."
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Meanwhile
Manila
Chaos.
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Pure chaos.
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Freya
Had three suitcases.
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Nobody knew why.
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Not even Freya.
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Ella
Was trying to reduce luggage.
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Failing.
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Rakhi
Already packed perfectly.
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As expected.
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Mica
Had forgotten where her passport was.
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Again.
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Grace
Was chasing Grazel Jay.
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Who had somehow packed twelve toys.
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Grazel
Age: 6.
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Occupation: International threat.
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Denzel
"Why do you need twelve toys?"
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Grazel
"What if they get lonely?"
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Nobody had a counterargument.
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Architecture Department
Felix.
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Calix.
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Denzel.
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All arriving separately.
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Yet somehow already arguing.
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Felix
"I booked the wrong flight."
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Calix
"Of course you did."
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Meanwhile
Tokyo
Yuri stared at a board meeting.
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Then at his watch.
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Then stood up.
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Executive
"Mr. Hanamitchi?"
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Yuri
"My family is gathering."
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Silence.
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Executive
"We still have agenda items."
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Yuri
"Good luck."
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Then he left.
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Like a king abandoning a battlefield.
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London
Inside C2W.
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Keifer was smiling.
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Which immediately worried employees.
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Because smiling Keifer meant trouble.
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Employee
"Sir?"
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Keifer
"They're coming."
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Employee
"...who?"
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Keifer
"The idiots."
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Everyone understood immediately.
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Cole
Meanwhile.
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Still working.
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Of course.
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Because the man physically couldn't relax.
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Keifer
"They arrive in six hours."
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Cole
"Hm."
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Keifer
"You're excited."
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Cole
"No."
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Keifer
"You cleaned your office."
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Silence.
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Keifer
"Oh my God."
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Cole
"Leave."
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Keifer
"You cleaned your office because Care is coming."
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Cole
"Leave."
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Keifer
"You are unbelievable."
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Cole
"Keifer."
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Keifer
"I'm telling JJ."
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Cole
"I can remove you as CEO."
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Keifer
"Worth it."
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New York
As evening approached—
planes began arriving.
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From India.
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From Manila.
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From Japan.
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From everywhere.
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Different flights.
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Different lives.
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Different careers.
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Yet somehow—
all leading to the same city.
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The Feeling
It felt strange.
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Because four months wasn't long.
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Yet it was.
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Long enough for routines to form.
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Long enough for responsibilities to grow.
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Long enough to realize how much you missed people.
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Night
The city lights sparkled.
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Cars moved through Manhattan.
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The skyline glowed.
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And somewhere among millions of people—
a group of friends was slowly returning to each other.
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Not students anymore.
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Not graduates anymore.
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Adults.
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Professionals.
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Dreamers.
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Builders.
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Leaders.
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Yet still—
the same idiots who once called themselves:
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Section E.
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And tomorrow—
for the first time in four months—
they would all be together again.
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Nobody was prepared.
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Especially New York.
🖤🗽✈️🌃✨
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JFK Airport
New York City
The airport never knew what hit it.
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Because normal reunions involved:
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Hugs.
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Smiles.
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Maybe a few tears.
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Section E?
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No.
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Absolutely not.
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Arrival
The first victim was Yuri.
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The moment he stepped out—
JJ launched herself at him.
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Literally launched.
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Yuri
"JASPER JEAN—"
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Too late.
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Both almost fell.
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The airport security immediately became concerned.
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Then
Freya arrived.
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Followed by Ella.
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Followed by Rakhi.
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Followed by Mica.
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And suddenly the terminal became louder than a concert.
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Grace
Grace appeared carrying a sleepy Grazel.
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Which lasted approximately three seconds.
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Grazel
The six-year-old spotted everyone.
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Then immediately woke up.
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Grazel
"UNCLES!"
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She sprinted.
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Every man present immediately opened their arms.
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Denzel
"She gets faster every year."
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Felix
"That's concerning."
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Calix
"Very concerning."
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Percy
Within fifteen minutes—
everyone was talking over everyone.
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Nobody could hear anything.
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Nobody cared.
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Then
The Bengaluru group appeared.
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Lyra.
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Alex.
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Aera.
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Rhys.
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And finally—
Care.
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JJ
The scream she produced could probably be heard in another terminal.
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Care
"Oh no."
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Too late.
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JJ had already arrived.
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Impact
The hug almost knocked Care over.
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JJ
"I MISSED YOU."
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Care
"I can tell."
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JJ
"YOU LOOK THINNER."
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Care
"I've been working."
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JJ
"Illegal."
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Aera
Immediately joined.
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Then Lyra.
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Now four women were hugging again.
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History repeated itself.
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Meanwhile
Rhys and Alex exchanged a look.
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Alex
"Same chaos."
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Rhys
"Same people."
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Then
One final group appeared.
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Cole
And
Keifer
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Immediately.
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The atmosphere changed.
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Not because they were CEOs.
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Not because they were powerful.
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But because family had arrived.
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Keifer
Immediately got trapped.
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By JJ.
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Obviously.
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JJ
"YOU LEFT ME."
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Keifer
"It was four months."
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JJ
"FOREVER."
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Keifer
"Four months."
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JJ
"FOREVER."
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Nobody helped him.
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Meanwhile
Care had planned to greet Cole normally.
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Like a mature adult.
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Like a professional.
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Like a doctor.
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Reality
The moment she saw him—
she forgot everything.
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Not visibly.
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But enough.
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Enough to smile.
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And somehow—
Cole smiled too.
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Small.
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Barely noticeable.
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Yet there.
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The Hunger Crisis
Five minutes later—
everyone remembered something important.
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Food.
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Percy
"I'm starving."
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Felix
"I'm dying."
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Freya
"If I don't eat in ten minutes, I'm suing somebody."
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Aera
"Valid."
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Thus
An emergency meeting was held.
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The conclusion:
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Mariano Mansion.
Immediately.
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The Cars
People scattered.
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Trying to organize transportation.
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Failing.
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As expected.
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Keifer's SUV
Contained:
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Cole.
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Keifer.
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JJ.
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Care.
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And somehow Percy.
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Nobody knew how Percy got there.
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Not even Percy.
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The Drive
For the first fifteen minutes—
chaos.
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Absolute chaos.
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Stories.
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Arguments.
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Updates.
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Laughing.
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Then
Silence.
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Unexpected silence.
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Care
Had fallen asleep.
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Completely.
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The travel.
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The hospital shifts.
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The exhaustion.
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Finally winning.
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Everyone
Noticed.
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Immediately.
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JJ
"Aww."
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Percy
"Aww."
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Keifer
"Aww."
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Cole
"..."
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Reality
Care had accidentally fallen asleep on Cole's shoulder.
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Without realizing.
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Without permission.
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Without dignity.
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JJ
The grin appeared.
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The dangerous one.
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Cole
"No."
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JJ
"Yes."
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Cole
"No."
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Keifer
"Yes."
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Percy
"Definitely yes."
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Cole
"I hate all of you."
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Nobody believed him.
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Mariano Mansion
Eventually—
they arrived.
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And the mansion erupted.
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Because suddenly:
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Section E.
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The Mariano family.
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The Watson brothers.
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Grace.
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Denzel.
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Grazel.
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Everyone.
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All together.
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Again.
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Dinner
The dining hall became war.
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Not because of fighting.
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Because of food.
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Eman
Immediately judged everything.
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Professionally.
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Percy
Immediately stole food.
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Professionally.
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Freya
Complained.
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Professionally.
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Grazel
Managed to obtain three desserts.
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Nobody understood how.
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After Dinner
Nobody wanted to sleep.
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Nobody.
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Because they had missed each other too much.
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So naturally—
they occupied the living room.
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The entire living room.
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Blankets
Everywhere.
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Pillows.
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Cushions.
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People.
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Chaos.
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Home.
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Midnight
Conversations slowly became quieter.
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One by one—
people fell asleep.
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Freya first.
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Then Ella.
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Then Felix.
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Then Percy mid-sentence.
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As usual.
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Just before everyone slept—
Cole stood.
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Looking around the room.
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At every familiar face.
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Every person he cared about.
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And then said:
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"Get proper rest."
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JJ
"Why?"
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Cole
A small smile appeared.
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Rare.
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Mysterious.
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Dangerous.
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Cole
"Because tomorrow is important."
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Silence.
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Keifer
"What happens tomorrow?"
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Cole
"Surprise."
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The entire room groaned.
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Immediately.
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JJ
"I hate surprises."
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Percy
"That's a lie."
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JJ
"Okay, I love surprises."
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Cole
Still smiling.
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Because tomorrow—
everything would change.
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And none of them had the slightest idea.
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Not about the headquarters.
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Not about the gifts.
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Not about the future waiting for them.
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Tomorrow would be unforgettable.
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But tonight—
they slept together beneath one roof.
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Just like old times.
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Just like family.
🖤🌃🏡✨👨👩👧👦