Lucas's laughter became rarer over the next week. He avoided eye contact, flinched at phone notifications, and spent hours fixing things that didn't need fixing.
Finally, Emma knocked on his door.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He explains slowly."My mom's health is… declining. I moved here to be closer, but I feel like I'm already too late."
Emma stepped closer. "You're not too late. And you don't have to handle it alone."
He looked at her for a long moment, eyes tired. " I didn't expect a neighbor to care."
"I'm not just a neighbor."