“What I’m trying to say is that you’ve done enough for me over the past two years to last a lifetime. You don’t need to do that anymore. The only thing that’s helping me not shrivel up under the weight of my eternal debt to you is this album. Seeing you do this for yourself right as I’m about to leave is the best goodbye gift you could have possibly given me. Don’t you dare feel guilty about it. Don’t you friggin’ dare.”
I listened to her, stunned. In the past two years, she had never given me a hint that she felt that way. Tears welled in my eyes.
“You don’t owe me anything,” I croaked, pulling her into a hug. “You’re my sister. You’re the one who taught me to be brave. What the hell am I going to do when you’re not here?”
She rubbed my back. “I’m going three and a half hours away, not flying to the Moon,” she spoke into my shoulder, her words coming out muffled. “You’ll see me so much that soon you’ll be insisting I get my summer internship somewhere farther away.”
Crying and chuckling at the same time, I leaned back to look at her face. “I love you, Mol.”
She scrunched her nose. “Love you, too, but honestly, you still smell like the hot dude from last night, and I think I’m gonna need those details on the drive over.”
Not a chance in hell.
* * *
“You’re sounding unusually good today,” Abel said after I finished recording the rhythm track of their fifth song on Monday.
I ignored the implied insult in that sentence. “What do you mean?”
“That’s the first time you got it perfect on the very first try.”
“Week number three.” I shrugged. “I’m getting the hang of it.”
Cole, sitting on the couch in the control room, sucked loudly on the straw of his iced latte. “Did you get some practice this weekend?”
“No. I was busy,” I said, giving him my most innocent look.
His lips stretched into a grin, and Abel looked between us, his face darkening with suspicion. “I’d ask if Cole was giving you some tips, but I know there is no way in hell he could teach you anything about your instrument.”
Cole bounced a foam stress ball against Abel’s chest. “Asshole.”
I laughed at them. It was past seven, and I was eager to get some dinner at home.
“Hey, how was your Through Azure Skies practice yesterday?” Ezra asked, recalling our discussion on Saturday.
“It got cancelled,” I said as I zipped up the guitar case. “Liam’s future in-laws extended their visit, so we’re going to meet up on Thursday evening. That reminds me, are you okay if I leave just before six that day?”
Ezra wore a small frown when I looked up. “Yeah, of course. So you haven’t talked to them yet about continuing together?”
“Nah. It’s okay, though. We’ll talk on Thursday.”
Silas gave me a questioning look. “What’s going on?”
“We’re trying to figure out if we can keep playing together after Mason leaves for college. I’m going to try convince them it’s a good idea, as per Ezra’s and Cole’s encouragement,” I told him.
The guitarist glanced between the two of them. “First time I support someone following their advice.”
“You guys are being such haters today,” Cole called out. “What is it? Jealous of how good my hair looks or something?”
“Nah, just your annoying good mood,” Silas fired back.
I turned away, not wanting my face to accidentally reveal my thoughts. Today had been one of the most productive recording days we’d had, and despite not wanting it to be so, I couldn’t help but think it had something to do with what had happened on the weekend.
* * *
I hadn’t been home for two hours when I got a text from an unknown number.
“I’m going back to the studio to write tonight.”
