When Fallon and her mother arrived at the wake, the atmosphere was filled with grief and sadness as family and friends gathered to pay their respects. There were more people here than Fallon had anticipated, especially after what Jonathan said about the family not being close by. But it seemed quite a few had made the trip.

Fallon and her mother took their place in line as they slowly made their way towards Trent, and the few family members also standing beside the casket. Fallon recognized Trent's uncle, William, the years had not been kind to him, and despite being younger than Trent's mother, he looked ten years older. She also recognized Trent's grandmother, who was seated quietly in a wheel chair, occasionally looking over at the coffin, occasionally looking over at Trent. She seemed confused and unsure. And finally, Trent's cousin Karen, who was only a few years older than them, but always acted as though she was much more adult. It was an interesting cast of people who made up the line up.

As the line moved closer, Fallon began to silently recite what she would say. She hated wakes and addressing family members who weren't quite sure who she was or why she was there.

I'm so sorry for your loss, oh it's me, Fallon, from when we were kids.

She repeated this over and over in her head, until finally, it was her turn to pay her respects. Karen was first, "I'm so sorry for your loss," she stretched out her hand to shake Karen's.

"Oh thank you so much. I'm so sorry, you look so familiar, but I can't place you."

"Fallon, I'm Trent's friend Fallon."

"Oh my God, yes! Oh God, we're all so grown up, it's crazy. Thank you for coming, Auntie Steph loved you."

"Of course."

That interaction, made the next one with Will easier, "Hi Will, I'm so sorry for your loss." Will took it upon himself to take Fallon into his embrace, "thank you my dear, and thank you for coming all this way." A small tear escaped his eye as he sniffed.

As Fallon waited patiently for the person before her to be done chatting with Trent about the weather, she felt a sudden pit in her stomach. What do you say to the friend you haven't seen in five years aside from I'm sorry? And at that point she wasn't sure if she was apologizing about Trent's mother, or more than that.

Finally stepping forward, she found herself face to face with him, "Mr. McBride, it's lovely to meet you, I'm so sorry for your loss." She held out her hand to shake his.

He smiled, his smug looking smile that Fallon had always remembered. "I see Jonathan has been taking care of you then." When he went to grab her hand, he gently tugged her towards him and she fell into his embrace.

Quickly embracing him back, she relaxed and the pit in her stomach went away. "I'm so sorry Trent," she whispered so only he could hear her.

"Thank you, and thank you for coming all this way."

They finally let go and took a step back from one another, "you look very handsome, your mom would be proud. You put your big boy suit on." Fallon giggled trying to make light of the situation.

"She did teach me the best."

"How are you doing this all alone?"

"I've got a little help from my friends Jameson and Jack." He smiled.

It made Fallon furrow her eyebrows, "I won't hold you now, we'll catch up later?"

"We can do some catching up later."

She walked over to the casket and knelt in front of it, making the sign of the cross like she remembered from her communion and confirmation classes so many years ago. She wasn't necessarily a practicing catholic, but she knew a little prayer could go a long way. She made sure it was a good one, one that asked for Trent's mom to be at peace in the after life, and another side prayer that entailed a beg and plea to help Tret through this and to keep him safe. She remembered to say thank you and made the sign of the cross again.

Both her and her mom took their places among the mourners, they watched slideshows of photos from when Trent's mom was younger, they signed the book of attendees and took a prayer card. And occasionally, Fallon felt Trent's eyes staring her down from across the room. While she tried to never meet them completely, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was constantly looking at her. When she finally got the nerve to look over at him, the priest had entered the room and she noticed, Trent was gone.

With her eyes searching over the crowd, she wasn't able to find him.

"Mom, Trent is gone." She leaned over and whispered.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom, he lost his mom Fal, this has to be difficult for him."

"I'm just gonna peek in the other rooms, see if he's there. I'll slide out the back."

Her mother simply nodded.

As inconspicuously as possible, Fallon tip toed out of the back doorway and into the hall. She looked in each room, the ones with photos, the one with books to sign, and she even quietly called his name in the bathroom. But nothing resulted in finding him.

She took a chance and stepped out of the front doors of the funeral parlor. The sky was overcast, casting a somber hue over the scene. She spotted the familiar gazebo nestled in a corner of the garden, and her heart ached as she saw Trent sitting there, alone, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

She approached him with a heavy heart, her footsteps soft on the cobblestone path. Trent's shoulders were slumped, and his gaze was fixed on a distant point, lost in his thoughts. She hesitated for a moment, giving him the space he needed, before quietly taking a seat beside him.

"Hey," she said softly, her voice a gentle reminder of her presence.

Trent turned his head, his expression a mix of surprise and gratitude. He managed a faint smile, his eyes bloodshot from tears that had already been shed. "Fallon," he said, his voice husky, "thank you for being here."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Fallon replied, her gaze tender. "Your mom meant a lot to me too."

Trent took a sip of his whiskey, the clinking of the ice cubes echoing in the quiet garden. "It's just... hard to believe she's gone. She was everything to me, you know?"

Fallon nodded, her heart breaking for her friend. "I know, Trent. She was an incredible woman. She loved you so much."

Trent's fingers traced the rim of his glass as he looked out at the garden, seemingly lost in memories. "She always believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. She was the one who encouraged me to follow my dreams, even if they seemed impossible. He sniffed and took another sip of the whiskey. "You know, I spent all this time, hoping, no one would really come all the way here for her services. That sounds really shitty to say, but it's true. I just really didn't think I could stand there for six hours, of people reminiscing, telling me they're sorry, so I made sure that even if people did come, it wouldn't be a long messy day. And still, I couldn't get through the blessing." 

Fallon reached out and placed her hand on Trent's, offering silent support. "Trent, you lost your mom, no one expects you to have it all together. You put her services together, people are here, that's it, you're mourning, you don't have to be perfect. You don't have to sit through the blessing or all the people if you don't want to or if you can't, it's okay. And look at where you are now, Trent. You've accomplished so much. I know she was proud of you."

Trent turned to her, his eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and sadness. "You've always been there for me, Fally. You're like family."

Fallon smiled, her eyes moist with unshed tears. "And you're like family to me too, Trent. You've been my anchor through so many storms."

As the breeze rustled the leaves and the distant murmur of the wake reached their ears, they sat in the gazebo, sharing a moment of quiet solace. The weight of loss was heavy, but the presence of a true friend made it bearable.

Trent turned to Fallon, his gaze steady. "You know, my mom always thought we'd end up together. She used to tease me about it."

A bittersweet smile played on Fallon's lips. "Well, your mom had a point. We've been through a lot together."

"I just want it to all be over. I want everyone to go back home, I want to go back to my quiet, secluded, life."

"I know, it'll be over soon. Today's almost done."

"I'm glad you're here though." He put his hand on her knee.

"I'm glad I'm here too. Come on, we need to get back in there before they finish the blessing or everyone might think you took me out to the gardens for a quickie during the whole thing." She pulled him up off the ground.

"Well that sounds kind of nice now that you mention it." He said getting close to her ear.

She rolled her eyes, "come on, we're not about to start a family scandal." She was pulling him back towards the funeral parlor.