We were no longer in the store. We were outside now, sitting at a park in the heart of the pack.
The afternoon sun was warm on my skin, the kind of warmth that made you want to close your eyes and just exist for a while. Families were scattered across the grass—parents chasing toddlers, couples walking hand in hand, a group of teenagers laughing too loudly at something on someone's phone. Children ran between the tables, their shouts echoing across the open space, and somewhere in the distance, a dog was barking.
It was peaceful. Normal. Which was funny to me, because this was the same park that had been caught in fire not long ago.
