The rest of the summer feels uneventful. I don't hear from Roman at all even though we have each others' numbers now. I try not to worry too much about it, spending as much time with Briar as possible. It won't be too long until she has to leave for New York after all.

We hang out with Mona a few times. Of course, we're always reading together, too. But we spend most of our time in A Quiet Café to keep Marlowe company while she adds the finishing touches to the mural. She's pretty much done. Lanh, Hien, the dragon lord, and the fairy queen are drawn and painted down to the last detail with adoring, peaceful smiles on their faces with the ocean and mountains aligned behind them. Marlowe still insists on making the background more "mystical," though. Whatever that means. So Briar, her family, and I sit in the café with Marlowe.

Thera sits at the piano, upbeat melodies drifting through the room. Everett and Gareth sit at a table near Marlowe to keep a conversation going with her. Briar and I sit on top of a different table back-to-back, propping each other up. I have Gareth's laptop, reading over some of his changes and adding comments. Briar has her headphones on while she reads a book. It's one of those rare ones not by her dad. When I'm not typing and she's not flipping the page, we interlace our fingers, letting them rest at our sides.

Gareth joins me and Briar every few minutes to see what I think, knowing I don't want to move when I'm so close to his daughter. Usually, he's attentive when I'm giving feedback, but I catch him exchanging glances with Thera from across the room. Sometimes they look between Briar and the door, their eyebrows furrowing. Even when Gareth isn't right next to me and Briar, it feels like he's waiting for something.

I don't understand why until I hear the bell above the door go off. Everyone except Briar, who's too caught up in her book and the music blasting through her headphones, looks up. I tighten my grip on Briar's hand when I see who it is.

I almost wish I hadn't reacted at all.

Briar glances at me over her shoulder doing a double-take as her eyes sweep across the entrance. She sits up, letting go of my hand and shifting to slide off the table. She lowers her headphones as she approaches Sarina and Myron.

I know Briar told me that she and Myron more or less talked things out, but I'm still ready to step in if he does or says something shitty. So far, though, he's being civil. He even returns Briar's hug and manages a smile. Not that it stops me from scrutinizing him for any little sign of disrespect.

After Briar introduces Marlowe and Everett to Sarina and Myron, she turns to her friends. "What are you guys doing here?"

Sarina holds up the black duffle bag in her hands. "We're here for the celebratory livestream."

Briar tilts her head to the side. "The what?"

Myron gives her an exasperated look. Even that doesn't seem hostile like it was back at Woodworth. More... good natured... "You know. To congratulate you on getting a talent agent to represent you on Broadway."

Briar shrugs, tugging on her cardigan sleeves. "This is the first time I've heard about this."

Sarina and Myron look at Briar's parents. Briar narrows her eyes as she follows their lead. Gareth and Thera smile at her. Gareth comes over to hug his daughter.

"We asked Sarina to go live on her channel about this," he says. "We wanted to surprise you." When he pulls away, he gestures to the doors. "Your guitar and violin are in the car, so you can play with any instrument you want."

Sarina waves her phone in the air. "We also have a list of songs everyone back home wants to hear you sing."

Briar looks around the room. I didn't know about this, and it looks like Marlowe and Everett didn't either. But we all look at Briar expectantly now. I can't stop the smile from spreading on my face when a glimmer appears in her eyes. It doesn't exactly make her eyes glow amber, but it gives it a certain light like sparks showering over wood.

A subtle smile plays on Briar's lips as she nods at Sarina. Sarina doesn't hesitate to shove the duffle bag into Myron's chest, instructing him to set up the recording equipment. With that, Sarina takes Briar's hand, and they go get her instruments, laughing and smiling together. Myron rolls his eyes, but he does as Sarina asks.

I set Gareth's laptop aside and slide off the table to help Myron. He nods at me, giving me directions. I do as he says, glancing behind me. Briar's family and Marlowe are caught up in conversation, smiling and laughing as they steal glances at Briar through the glass doors and windows. She's caught up in her own conversation with Sarina as they take their time to come back in.

I turn to Myron again, lowering my voice as I ask, "You're not going to say anything to upset Briar today, right?"

Myron frowns as he sets up a microphone. He asks me to hand him a cable before adding, "Briar didn't tell you about our conversation?"

I thrust the cables at him. "She did, but it's hard to forget seeing her cry because of you."

Myron takes a deep breath, audibly exhaling through his nose. When the microphone is set up, he walks past me, kneeling to dig through the duffle bag for another microphone and a laptop case. He straightens, turning to me, his eyes dark. But again: it's not hostile like back at Woodworth. I think I can almost say he looks remorseful.

"Look," he sighs, "I know everything I've said to Briar has been fucked up." His knuckles turn white as he adjusts his grip on the microphone. "And I know one good conversation and apology isn't going to fix any of it, but I promise you, I won't say anything fucked up to her today."

I follow Myron to one of the tables, watching him open the laptop and set up the livestream for YouTube. "What about in the future?"

Myron glances at me, hitting the keys a little harder as he types. "You think I could say anything about a Broadway star like Briar and not have at least one person tell me I'm stupid?"

Well, at least he thinks it's a matter of when Briar gets on Broadway like the rest of us and not if she does. But... "You shouldn't need someone to tell you you're stupid to be decent to Briar."

Myron stops typing, the sudden quiet between us pressing in. After a moment, he starts typing again, his eyebrows furrowed. "You're right, but don't worry. I won't say anything that'll upset her." He stands to head back to the duffle bag, looking me in the eyes. "Promise."

I don't know how much I can trust Myron's word for it, but Briar and Sarina come back in and join us, so I can't keep interrogating him. I settle with giving him one last meaningful look when we make eye contact again.

Once everything is set up, Briar and Sarina sit side-by-side at a table in front of the bookcases, each with their own microphone. Briar has her guitar on her lap, and when Myron cues them in, she starts singing  "My Shot" from Hamilton. After Briar strums the last chord, she announces to the viewers that she has a talent agent to represent her on Broadway. Sarina chimes in that Briar will sing any song request and answer any questions people send in.

From the moment I met her, I knew Briar was amazing, but seeing her in her element always reminds me all over again. She's absolutely made for the spotlight from the confident way she presents herself to the emotions flooding her voice and expression with every song she sings and plays to the easy articulation of every question she answers.

No one in the room can take their eyes off of her. Marlowe even gives up on working, plopping down in a chair next to me with a smile on her face. Myron hasn't made any snarky remarks either, even when he chimes in with some of his thoughts on certain musicals. He even laughs at some of Briar's jokes and goes quiet when her emotions are particularly intense during a song. Guess he's finally seeing Briar for what she is: talented.

But even if Myron still doesn't see it, I don't think Briar would notice. She's too caught up in performing right now. So when she falters, her smile slipping, everyone follows her gaze to the door. I sit bolt upright, and I feel Marlowe put a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back like she's saving me from stumbling off a cliff.

Roman mouths an apology before he pulls out a chair next to me. Marlowe squeezes my shoulder once. I feel her pull me towards her again, but she stops herself, slowly letting go and letting me sit near my brother if I want to. Roman catches it, nodding at her. She nods back, turning to watch Briar again. Roman does the same, but I catch him sneaking glances at Marlowe.

Briar gives Roman a single pointed look and me a worried one before she jumps back into the livestream like nothing happened. It's impressive, but I can't fully appreciate just how impressive it is with my brother right next to me. I've been waiting for a response, but I thought it'd come through a text or a phone call at most. I didn't think he'd come in person to say something to me. Not that he's saying anything to me right now.

Then: "You're taking song requests, right?"

Briar's smile stays on her face, but she grips her guitar until her knuckles turn white. "Yeah. Did you want a particular song?"

Roman's eyes flicker to me. "'Rollercoaster' by the Jonas Brothers."

Briar raises her eyebrows at me. The moment I nod, she starts playing the song. I try to focus on her, but I see Roman glance at me every few seconds. At certain lyrics, I find myself glancing at him, too. Especially when Briar puts so much heart behind the words. It makes me feel exactly what the song means, and I'm sure Roman is feeling it just as much.

When Briar finishes the song, Roman turns to me and whispers, "Do you want to step outside and talk?"

I might have been waiting for Roman to reach out, but having him do it is an entirely different experience. It's like I'm about to get hit by a bus, and I don't know if the driver will swerve in time or hit me. I want to trust that Roman won't run me over, though. If he means the lines in that song about going through the ride all over again with me, he wouldn't be here just to hurt me.

I nod. We stand and walk outside. I pause at the door to look back at Briar. She shoots me a worried look, and I give her a reassuring smile in return. She doesn't need to worry about me when she's busy killing it on camera. For good measure, I mouth, "I'll be okay," before slipping outside. I make sure Roman and I are out of sight from the windows so Briar doesn't get distracted, too.

I let myself look directly at Roman now. With the sun shining directly on him, I see just how disheveled he looks with his messy hair and dark circles under his eyes. And yet he doesn't look tired. If anything, he looks a little more awake than the last time I saw him.

"Briar is really talented," Roman says.

I nod. "I know. Everyone knows."

Roman laughs, but he quickly sobers. He takes a deep breath, slipping his hands into his pockets. "I'm sure you want to talk about how amazing your girlfriend is—"

"Yeah."

"—but I came to tell you I thought a lot about what you said. Not just about escaping from Nanay and Tatay but about how you felt like you had to escape from me."

"You already apologized for that."

He shrugs. "Well, I still think I need to make up for it, so do you want to come live with me?"

I blink. "You found a place?"

Roman nods. "Yeah. It's about halfway between both our schools, so you can finish out high school in Boucreek while I finish college." He gestures back at A Quiet Café. "But if you want to keep living with Briar's grandfather, you can do that, too." He slips his hands back in his pockets and shrugs. "Up to you."

We might be a little estranged, but I know Roman. I've watched his body language long enough to know when he's nervous. I just never thought I would make him nervous. But I guess there's a first for everything. And I'm glad this first is happening because it means he cares about my decision which means he cares about what I think of him.

"Do you mind if I stay with you?" I ask.

His eyes widen for a second before he wrestles it back into nonchalance. "If you want to." After a pause, he adds, "Once you graduate, you're helping with rent, though."

I laugh. "Okay. Sure." I lick my lips, swallowing. "So... when are you moving out?"

"In a few weeks."

"And you told Nanay and Tatay?" He doesn't respond. "Kuya—"

Roman waves me off. "I'll tell them today. Don't worry. I just need to finalize a few things."

I nod, pressing my fist against the palm of my hand. "Do you..." My voice catches. I take a deep breath and clear my throat. "Do you want me to be there when you tell them?"

Roman blinks, his eyebrows shooting up. "You want to be there? After what they did and said to you?"

I shrug, letting my hands drop to my side. "If you want me to be. Safety in numbers and whatever."

Roman barks out a humorless laugh. "Thanks, Idris, but I think it'll be better if I'm there on my own." His empty smile fills out into a full frown. "And I don't want them to say anything else to you."

My vision blurs, and I laugh to distract Roman from noticing. As an extra precaution, I punch him in the shoulder. "Look at you finally stepping up as a big brother."

His eyes darken. Maybe a few weeks ago, I would've shrunk into myself, but right now, I feel safe. Like I know Roman won't say anything to hurt me. And he doesn't. Instead, he puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry it took a while," he says.

My vision blurs even more. I try to shrug it off. "We had good moments. I'm sure we'll have more once we're living in the same apartment together."

Roman swipes his hand across the top of my head. "Or you'll annoy me to death."

"That, too." We laugh together, and it feels almost normal. Maybe one day it'll feel completely normal. I take a deep breath, clasping my hands together. "Well, I guess I should head back inside and let you do what you need to do." I tighten my hands. "Unless you want to come in with me and watch Briar?"

Roman looks from me to A Quiet Café and back. He arches an eyebrow. "Are you sure she won't kill me?"

"She won't if you're nice to me."

Roman gives me a wary smile, but he nods. We head back inside together. The moment we do, Briar looks at me, a question in her eyes even as she keeps singing "The Good Part" by AJR. I smile back at her, and her expression relaxes. It brings even more emotion into her voice if that's possible, and when Roman and I take our seats, all I can think is this really might be the good part.