Chapter 6 - The Extra CheeseSix months later.
The pizza shop was quiet. It was closing time, and the rain was tapping against the windows again. But this time, it felt peaceful.
The front bell chimed.
I looked up. Mrs. Price walked in, holding a small, excited boy by the hand. Evan looked different—his hair was combed, his face was full of color, and his eyes were bright with curiosity.
"One large pepperoni, extra cheese," he said, his voice firm and happy.
"No mushrooms?" I asked, grinning.
"Definitely no mushrooms," he said.
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We sat together at one of the tables, the pizza hot and steaming between us. We didn't talk about that night—not directly. We talked about school, about the books Evan was reading, and about how Mrs. Price was finally teaching him how to bake his own cookies.
As I watched them walk out into the night, hand in hand, I felt the heavy weight of the world shift. For every dark call and every desperate whisper, there were moments like this—moments where the pizza arrived on time, where the danger faded, and where, despite all the shadows, someone good had finally come. The order was complete. And for the first time in a long time, the shop felt like home.
