Damon

- Dimitri Sokolov

It has been a week since Nikolai found his way to our house.

Seven days, but they have felt like something much longer and richer, like the first warmth after winter or an endless summer day.

There is a comforting quiet that has settled over the place now that he is here.

The way he smiles, the way he relaxes around us—it's as if he has finally come home.

This week, I have watched him transform from a tightly wound spring into someone who can enjoy peace.

That panicked look that used to flash across his face every time one of us entered his space? It's gone.

He doesn't flinch anymore, doesn't tense up. Instead, he's started to expect us, like he's grown used to the rhythm of our steps, the rhythm of our voices. It's a fragile peace and safety he's found, but it's peace nonetheless.

Truth be told, he is way closer to Alexei than he is to me, and oddly, that does not bother me at all.