The next few weeks felt lighter. The autumn days grew colder and shorter, but Cameron felt light and steady. He paid better attention in class, spoke up more in study groups. He wasn't just putting his life back together anymore. He was actually living it.
His "cousins," Marcus and Eli, stayed close. Cameron barely noticed them most days... until Marcus stared down a loud frat guy or Eli casually scanned a late-night study room. They'd even started giving short, gruff feedback on his code.
Aaron was present in quiet ways. A good morning text that arrived same time Cameron's alarm went off. A late-night message that simply said, "Finished the meeting. Thinking of your botany garden. It's way quieter than Tokyo." The connection grounded him.
