Walking into my mother's bedroom was like walking into a time capsule; dusty frames confining old photographs that held the memories of much happier days. Dated curtains dragging across unswept floors, bunching under piles of dirty laundry that I had yet to attend to.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, strategically placing the breakfast tray down on her bedside table, cautious of the ever-growing collection of orange pill bottles that had been accumulating since that first night, all accompanied by lengthy descriptions way too complicated to understand with names far too hard to pronounce.

"Okay." She sighed, but by this point I knew that 'okay' really meant 'not great.' My mom always had to be the strongest one in the room, hiding her pain through forced smiles and fabricated reassurances, still somehow unaware that I could always see right through them.

I gently placed a glass of orange juice into her fragile hands, lingering for a moment to ensure it wouldn't spill.

"Thank you." She managed, taking a small sip before immediately putting it back down. I nodded, sitting on the edge of her bed, watching as she reached over for the plate of toast, still insistent on trying to do everything herself.

"So, what are your plans for today?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Josh asked if I was going to come by to watch them play." I said, picking at her plate, avoiding her eyes as I felt my cheeks start to burn.

"Oh.." She said, forcing an optimistic tone. "That sounds fun." I nodded, knowing she was already worrying about being left home alone.

"But I don't have to go, not if you need me-"

"Honey, you're always home." She said softly, taking another small bite. "Go do something. You'll be right next door. It's okay. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked, peeking back up at her. She nodded, giving me a gentle smile.

"I'm very appreciative that you stay home to help me, but.. you can do things too." She giggled to herself. I nodded, smiling back up at her.

"How are they doing?" She asked, reaching over for her glass again. I grabbed it for her, gently placing it back in her hands.

"They're fine." I said simply, watching carefully as her wrist started to shake.

"I've been hearing them play, they're getting pretty good." I bit down on my lip, nodding.

"Mhm.." She smirked, taking another sip of her juice.

"He's a good boy." She said, holding her stare on me. I nodded, avoiding her eyes as I felt my face get hot.

"Mom.." I sighed. She shrugged, her smile growing.

"I'm just saying.. you could do much worse."

"We're friends." I assured her, now awkwardly picking at my nails.

"Okay." She said simply, but I knew she thought I was hiding something, her smile insinuating that she didn't believe a word I said.

I wish I was lying, but unfortunately.. it was true.

"You've been friends for.. a long time." She added. I felt my heart start to beat faster, wanting to be anywhere but here right now.

"That's how friendship works, Mom." I laughed, shaking my head. She nodded, taking another sip.

"I guess. I'm just saying.."

"You're just saying.." I giggled, avoiding her eyes again. "You know, most moms would discourage their daughters from trying to date the boy in a garage band." She nodded, her smile growing.

"Well.. I'm not most moms, am I?" She joked. I shook my head, peeking back up at her.

"No you're not." I sighed.

Despite her worsening condition, I was thankful she still managed to keep her same enthusiasm. My mom and I had always been close, talking about anything and everything. Except Josh. Josh was always off limits, and she knew this, which was probably why she suspected so much.

"You know how much I'd love to have 'the boy' talk with you." She laughed. "Not like you need it, I'm thankful I've never had to worry about that when it comes to you, but.. it just kind of feels like a right of passage for me." I shook my head, biting down on my lip.

"We're not gonna talk about that." I mumbled. She let out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, but if anything changes-"

"I don't see anything changing." I muttered. She noticed my tone.

"Do you.. want anything to change?" She continued to pry. I shot her a look, my cheeks burning again.

"Alright, alright.." She said, taking one final sip before placing her glass back down on the table. "But, go. Have fun." I hesitated before finally getting up from her bed, peeking back at her from the doorway.

"I'll have my phone if you need me." I assured her. She nodded.

"I'll try my best not to need you. Tell them I said hello, and that I'd love to see them again soon." I nodded, trying my best to contain my smile before making my way back into my bedroom to get ready.

I quickly brushed my hair, combing my fingers through to get it into place, not wanting to look like I tried too hard just to sit in their garage, despite knowing that they really didn't care about things like that. But you couldn't help but wonder considering the girls that Sam and Jake always brought home; each one stunning, never a hair out of place. You could tell they tried.

So it was hard not to wonder how they really felt.

"Okay, I'm heading over!" I yelled down the hall.

"Have fun!" She called out. I waited a minute, still nervous about leaving her alone, but finally hopped down the stairs, making my way out the back door and into their yard. I could already hear them playing before I peeked around the corner, seeing Josh leaning up against one of their amps as Jake tuned his guitar. Josh's head instantly perked up as I made my way in, flashing me a smile.

"Hey! You made it." He said cheerfully, pulling me into a quick one-armed hug. My cheeks burned.

"Of course." I said. "You guys sound great from next door but it's not the same as getting to see you." He nodded, his smile growing as he held his stare on me. I looked over at Jake who gave me a subtle wave between adjusting his strings.

"Where's Sam?" I asked, looking around. Josh shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"Who knows, probably still sleeping, honestly." He laughed. "He'll get here eventually. But he just learns along after Jake and I have everything figured out anyway." He joked. I heard Jake giggle to himself, peeking back up at us with a smirk, his eyes moving from Josh back to me. Josh quickly shot him a look, his cheeks burning. I shrugged it off, assuming it was just another one of their twin things. It was like they had their own language and the rest of us were always left in the dark when we got stuck in-between.

"Have you guys written anything new?" I asked, sitting down on the old couch in the corner. Josh shrugged, motioning indecisively. Jake nodded.

"I think we've got something, but.. we're working through it." Josh said, propping his hands up onto his hips. Jake shook his head, looking back up at me.

"I showed him a riff I've been working on, but he said it's not good enough." He laughed, shooting Josh another look. Josh rolled his eyes, brushing him off.

"It's gotta be perfect." He assured me, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk.

My cheeks burned as a gentle smile escaped my lips. I could feel Jake looking over again, flashing us an assuming grin as his eyes bounced back and forth between us. Josh waved him off, before finally breaking our stare, making his way back over to the microphone in a fluster.

"So, what do I get to hear today?" I asked.

"Well, for our biggest fan, it's listener's choice." He joked, smirking back at me.

"I'm.. pretty sure I'm your only fan right now." I laughed, sitting back. He scrunched up his face, his cheeks burning.

"Do you want to hear something or not?"

"You know which one I like." I said softly. He nodded, biting down on his lip, motioning to Jake and then started to play.

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