'You coming over?' Mia asked.

'I...' I pondered over. Should I really go? I considered her offer. I wanted to stay at my bed and just sleep for twelve whole freaking hours but then I thought of all the other options I could use, well, I was out of all other activities. 'Okay.'

I stood up when someone knocked on my door. It was Henry. Just as he opened the door, a strong aura of alcohol hit my nostrils. 'What?' I asked him.

'I'm going out. My nephew's comin' over to stay for a few days.' I furrowed. Did he just say his nephew? Coming over to stay? Like in my house? 'Be nice to him.'

'He can't stay here. It's not a hotel okay. It's my home.' He deadpanned.

'Like I give a damn.' He said and closed the door loudly. I cringed and huffed out. He said nephew. He told me to be nice to him. Probably that little boy won't be troublesome. I hoped as I prepared to meet Mia nd Ryan's friends at Cafe.

***

'And do you remember when Yang asked that girl out and she rejected her saying he was like a brother to her and Yang practically punched her brother in his stomach that he stayed in the hospital for weeks?' Noah reminisced while we all laughed.

'In my defence, I was pretty riled up. I had a crush on her since the beginning and she just destroyed it, man.' Yang defended.

Ryan brought another memory. 'Aye you remember when Noah was drunk and he wore his underwear outside just because he wanted to be superman and went straight to his crush's house.' Noah's face was getting red out of embarrassment while ours was getting red because of laughter.

'The one who rejected him?' Yang asked as he drank his water.

'Yeah.' Ryan continued. 'and he yelled "your turtle's face is prettier than yours bitch!" and then his dad came out and boom! Noah Lucas, a man of limited respect lost its last bit as he laid face down on the floor with a hand print of his face and broken tooth.'

'Ha, Noah's mom slapped him when we took him back to his house because,' Ryan laughed as he tried to speak. 'she didn't recognise him first.'

Noah sank down in his chair while I spat the water on the table. Mia , Ryan and I laughed our hearts out. 'Oh God!' Noah rubbed his face. 'When will you forget?'

'Never.' They both answered simultaneously.

The memories continued and the tension drowned. It was our first meeting after Ryan's grandma's funeral and we all were pretty much relaxed now. Our order came up and soon, we were indulge in eating.

'When are you going to start your practice?' Mia voiced the question that had been eating me away since Ryan and I had a fight.

'I'm not going to.' Ryan replied. He picked up fries, dipped them in the ketchup, and quickly ate them as if he wanted the lunch the be over as soon as possible so he won't be asked these questions.

'What? What do you say?' Noah was utterly startled.

'I said Noah, I'm not participating in the contest anymore.' Noah's face hung to the lengths of the ground while Mia exchanged a bewildered glance with me and Yang.

'You can't quit bud.' Yang said. 'I get that it's been hard for you. Hell, a lot harder but man, quitting is just another level.'

'Exactly. Jane worked so hard on you. You can't let your practices and shit to go to waste.' At Noah's persuasion, Ryan gave me a look.

'I know man,' Ryan bit his burger. He chewed on it slowly and when he sallowed it, he spoke softly. 'But that stage reminds me about my grandma's death and I can't stand on it anymore.'

'We'll ask them to change the stage then.' Noah suggested and everyone deadpanned but apparently Noah still didn't get the message.

'Hey, it's gonna be just fine.' Mia added. 'You're just holding on something you should let go.'

Mia's words, for some reason hit me hard. Then Ryan's words came back to me when he told me how to feel free to finally let go of the strings that have been hurting you. He was trapped, in the nonexistent web of guilt and regret. That was why he was blaming me and now himself. He's just scared —afraid to let go, to let lose.

Ryan too, by the look on his face, was affected by Mia's words who, after saying such a deep thing, was taking huge bites from her burger. 'Think about it.'  Yang said. 'Don't waste this golden opportunity, man. Maybe, it'll never come back again.'

Ryan casted me a long look. Thinking—figuring himself out. I could feel the battle between his heart and mind. 'You know what? Stop it.' Ryan said unexpectedly. 'I'm not a baby. Stop treating me like one.'

'Bro, we're no—'

'No!' Ryan cut yang off. 'It's my decision. Stop making it a big deal. If I don't want to go, then I don't want to go.' Thinking about his harsh tone, he softened it. 'I-I, I get it guys. You guys are worrying about me, but really, I'm fine.' But his voice didn't match his eyes. He had forgotten how his voice grew so much familiar to me. How the highs, lows, the shakiness could easily be depicted by me.

'Give it a try. You're so close.' Noah argued once more but Ryan shook his head slightly, stood up and murmured about the bathroom and left.

I sighed and pushed my hair behind my ear. 'He's messed up man.' Noah commented.

'Yeah.' Yang added. 'He's giving up.'

'He's just confused. That's all.' I said. 'He's been through a lot. He doesn't have a family, that is what we should not forget.' I played with the lettuce leaf that fell down from my sandwich on the box. 'I think it's his decision. We should not force him to do anything.' My voice almost broke as my mind recalled Ian telling me that I force things a lot on people.

'Yeah,' Mia faintly said.

'But then there's his future,' I voiced my thoughts. I didn't even look at them whether they were listening to em or not. I just kept on going as I played with my lettuce. 'I know he's hurt. I get it but he's just gonna lose his future. I know singing makes him feel good—alive.' I remembered all the moments when Ryan couldn't sing well, but then he'll close his eyes, feel the music and he would get lost in the strings of notes. 'And I don't want him to back down. I want him to walk on the stage and show everyone that he's fucking strong and that nothing can stop him.'

I looked up and caught everyone exchanging smug faces and smirks and smiles but it all disappeared soon and they noticed me watching them. Yang cleared his throat. 'He's coming.'

But he didn't as a teenage girl halted him mid way with a mobile and a diary in her hand. She asked Ryan for an autograph and a selfie. Ryan was apparently shocked. I knew he didn't expect it at all. 'O... ok.' Bewildered, he took the selfie and then, when he was signing, his hand shook.

He came back to the table and sat with widened eyes and furrowed eyebrows look. 'And someone's getting famous eh?' Noah nudged him in his elbow.

'Did she just...?' Ryan trailed off. He himself didn't believe that he was damn famous.

'Yes Ryan, you are so many girl's daddy. Almost every girl of the school has your poster in her locker and is daydreaming to sleep with you.' Ryan choked on his drink, a tomato almost slipped out of Noah's mouth, Yang's water stayed in his mouth longer than it should, my un-raisable eyebrows stood up, but Mia gingerly dabbed her mouth with the napkin, cleaned her hands and then innocently blinked at us.

'Baby,' Yang gave Mia a you-said-what look but Mia still didn't get it.

'Ooook.' Noah said as he stood up. 'We really need to leave.'

'Yeah.' We all simultaneously agreed. Suddenly, a idea hit me so strongly that I felt the blow. I bit my lower lip as if to hide my smile.

'You okay?' Ryan asked as he walked side by side with me.

I shook my head. 'Amazing.'

***