i'm obsessed with this, how old is he and what was he like before he disappeared? christian would've been about eight when it happened and still a sheltered good kid so i could see his parents refusing to let him have any contact with him when he came back even if they'd been friends before, which he would've numbly gone along with because he was still too traumatized to do otherwise even though he now realizes that was shitty on his part and might try to make amends if he's open to it? otherwise he also recently moved back after quitting his job as a journalist and while he thinks he's left all that behind, he could easily be persuaded to help him with research or interviews if he needs it, especially if there's still some of that guilt involved