im thinjing about petscop again
im thinking about paul finally putting doen tge controller. turning off the console. removing the disk from the tray and putting it back in its case for the last time
im thinking about him grabbing all of his belongings, getting in belles car, and driving straight home. straight to lina
im thinking about lina hugging him at the door. grabbing his shaking hands and pulling him inside. helping him into a clean change of clothes. pressing a kiss onto the top of his head, despite how dirty his hair is
im thinking about her washing his hair in the sink when its too far gone to fix on his own. gently scrubbing despite the resistance. working through it slowly and deliberately, until all of the knots are brushed out
im thinking about belle perched on fhe counter, taking silly pictures of paul and playing funny videos for him. lina doesnt understand internet humor but she smiles to herself knowing that both of her kids are happy, if only for a moment. she cuts his hair lovingly, running her fingers through it more often than necessary. he responds by leaning into her hand
im thinking about how paul looks in the mirror, surrounded by his real family, and for the first time in his life he knows exactly who is looking back at him













