The sky outside had already begun to darken by the time they gathered their things and prepared to leave. Katherine helped Maya zip up her little hoodie while Nathan stood by the door, swinging his small backpack lazily.
But before they could all head out together, Felix suddenly cleared his throat. "I won't be going back with you."
Katherine looked up, surprised. "Is something wrong?"
Felix offered a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing urgent. I just have something I need to handle before the end of the day. Shouldn't take long."
Maya's lips puckered into a pout. "You're not coming?"
Nathan frowned. "But we wanted to show you our new dinosaur sticker book."
Felix crouched down to their level, his expression softening. He gently brushed Maya's hair away from her face. "I know, and I'm really looking forward to that. I promise I'll make it up to you. Maybe I'll even bring snacks next time."
