@bigTillyMint I totally agree. The only issue is that he arrived home (expecting him to be coming on a flying visit, as usual), only to find he'd moved the goalposts without telling us. It's the right decision though, I'd say. His job seems a bit 'ad hoc' at the moment, so I really don't think he's financially stable enough to committing to a year-long contract at this point in time.
Plus, although he and his g/f have been together for two years, you just never know with young love, do you? It would be awful if they move in together, and then their relationship goes pear-shaped.
Glad that you returned to your two still being on good terms. It makes a lot of difference to have non-warring siblings in the house, particularly when some #wfh makes being around each other more of a thing than it previously would have been.