*Chapter 181

The invitation came quietly.

So quietly that Alex almost didn’t realize how important it was at first.

It happened on a Wednesday afternoon, just after school.

They were walking together as usual, backpacks bouncing lightly against their backs. The road was dry, the sky clear, and everything felt normal again.

Leo walked beside Alex, holding his notebook close to his chest.

He had been talking about frogs again.

Of course.

“…and some frogs… can live in trees,” he ...