Leo meets Elena

( Leo's POV, The Bakery Shop )

As soon as Leo entered the Baker's shop, Elena rushed over from behind the counter that she was working from and gave Leo a big warm hug.

"Leo my boy!" Elena exclaimed in joy, as she ran her fingers through Leo's hair and held him close to her chest.

Instantly, the embrace melted away the year-long separation like snow beneath the sun.

All the months of distance and uncertainty dissolved into the warmth of Elena's arms as the weight of time and distance, which had been a constant shadow over Leo, seemed to vanish as if it had never existed.

Leo had missed this feeling over the past year more than he had allowed himself to acknowledge, and now that he was here, it felt like a dream.

The sensation of his mother's touch was warm and wholesome, grounding him in a moment he had longed for but feared might never come.