"You gave me something that no one had before

You gave me peace

Like a river that had been rushing, pulled by the current for too long

You made my waters still

I found rest in your arms"

- L.Y.

Indie was startled awake from her dream when Violet pounced on her bed. Indie rubbed her eyes. She looked down at her cat, who was swishing her tail this way and that, clearly in the mood to play. Indie booped her on the nose.

"Not now, Violet. It's too early for your astronomical energy levels." Indie yawned. She trudged to the bathroom and turned on the shower, feeling less than ready to begin her day.

Her brain was a cacophony of music, memories, and an ever-present longing for chai tea. She wished she could wash out the sadness that had overtaken her insides, but it was no use. Her dad's birthday was in about a week, and everything she tried to distract herself with proved to be utterly useless—she just kept dreaming about him. It wasn't entirely a bad thing; in a way, it was keeping his memory alive. However, Indie couldn't help but note that birthdays were meant to be a celebration of life, not a memorial.

Indie had always enjoyed the one-on-one time she got to spend with her mother on her dad's birthday, though. They started their own tradition of getting daisies—Lewis's favorite flower—and laying them at his grave. They would then sing "Happy Birthday" to him and chat with him about all the exciting things he was missing. After that, they got a beverage from Ivy Cafe and sat on the green bench in front of the abandoned Argyle's Florals, reminiscing and people watching. Although it was sad, Indie and Mae made the most of the day, taking time to comfort each other and remind themselves that they would see him again soon.

But that lonely October day always seemed a little bit colder without Lewis.

Indie greeted her mom with an embrace when she got home from an extra long shift. Mae kissed her daughter on the head, combing through her long blonde waves of hair.

"Good to see you, sunshine." Mae smiled.

"How was work?" Indie asked, taking careful note of the red rings beneath her mom's piercing blue eyes.

Mae shrugged. "Eh, nothing special." She rubbed the crease between her eyebrows. "It feels like my shifts are getting longer and longer," Mae laughed awkwardly.

Indie bit her lip. "You shouldn't have to work such long hours, mom. It's not fair." She sighed. "Here, you sit down in the living room. I'm gonna make us dinner, okay?"

Mae raised a brow. "Oh, that's nice, sweetie, but you don't have to-"

Indie cupped her hand around her ear. "Oh, what's that, mom? I can't hear you over the couch calling your name," she said with a mischievous smile. "Go relax, seriously. You deserve to put your feet up after a long day around sick people."

Mae shook her head, smiling. "How did I get so lucky?" She sighed, giving Indie a quick kiss on the forehead. She finally complied to Indie's orders with little complaints, leaning back into the dark green velvet, allowing the cushions to soak up all her stress.

Indie quickly threw together a couple grilled cheese sandwiches, along with a side salad. She sliced up some apples, chopped up some walnuts, and added some cranberries to the plain lettuce. She finished it off with some Italian dressing—Mae's favorite.

Indie called her mom to the table when she finished cooking and setting the table. Mae smiled when she saw the meal set before her.

Mae sat down. "It looks delicious, honey." She slid a forkful of salad into her mouth. "You seem to be in a good mood lately."

Indie bit her tongue. To her mom, it probably appeared that way, considering Will was constantly on her mind and all. But there was a tiny voice of contradiction inside Indie that spoke out of turn at random, which only painted the pain of her past in a more vivid hue.

"Well... you'll be glad to hear this." Indie began, taking a nibble out of her toasted cheese. "I do believe that Will has passed the Three Date Test Drive... and checked all the boxes on my list of qualities to possess."

Mae smiled triumphantly. "Really?" She asked, followed by a nod from Indie. "Well, that's fantastic, sweetie! I'm so proud of you." She nodded. "He did seem like a pretty nice young fella when he came around here a few weeks back. He was also pretty cute," she teased, winking.

Indie nearly spit out her milk, her face cycling through every shade of red. "Mom," Indie's eyes widened.

"Oh, honey, I'm just teasing." Mae let out a laugh. "I'm just happy that you've found someone who makes you happy."

The words sat heavily in Indie's heart. Her mom had someone who made her happy, and now he would never return. "Yeah... he really does make me happy." Indie admitted. She thought for a moment, mixing her salad around with her fork. "Speaking of Will, maybe we could go birthday shopping for him soon?"

Mae tilted her head. "Sure! When's his birthday?"

Indie bit her lip. Too close for comfort, she thought. "Next Saturday, I think. The 16th?"

Mae thoughtfully chewed another bite of salad. "Oh, wow." She nodded. "That's only a few days after Lewis's. That's strange," she chuckled awkwardly.

Indie looked down at her plate. "I've been trying not to think about that." She mumbled.

Mae looked at her daughter, sympathy in her eyes. "Sweetheart... I'm sorry. That's a pretty brutal transition."

Indie nodded. A lump formed in her throat as she realized she couldn't even express her emotions to Will about the situation, due to the lie she'd told. How had it gotten so out of hand in such a short time?

"But... unfortunately, that's life. There have been quite a few instances where I've gone to a wedding and a funeral in the same weekend." She sighed. "Life kicks us down, a lot... but luckily, we have the choice to get back up."

Indie smiled weakly. "Thanks, mom." She exhaled.

"So... what are you thinking about getting Will for his birthday?" Mae asked, transitioning into the next subject quite smoothly. "Some super exciting boy object?"

Indie giggled. "No, no... luckily, Will isn't really interested in 'boy objects.'" She replied. "I have a few ideas, but I think I'll know it when I see it."

Mae nodded. "You're probably right." She smiled. "I think a little shopping will do us some good." She wiped her hands on her napkin after finishing off her toasted cheese. "Excellent job with dinner again, Indie bug."

"Thank you," Indie smiled. "It was the least I could do."

Mae took their dishes to the sink, washing them quickly as Indie took care of the leftover salad. Once they completed their chores, Mae turned to Indie, placing her hands on her hips.

"Now, who's ready for a little retail therapy?"

~ * ~

Getting to spend a little extra time with her mom was something that Indie never took for granted. After going to far too many stores (many of which were completely irrelevant to finding a birthday gift for Will), Mae and Indie headed home to unpack all their bags.

"I know you're judging me from up there, Lewis," Mae looked up at the stars for a brief moment on the drive home. "Shopping is the solution to every problem, I don't make the rules."

Indie laughed. She took her phone out of her pocket, after realizing how much she missed Will.

Indie: Hey, Will, I may or may not have just picked up your birthday presents. I miss you!

Just like clockwork, Will answered in a matter of minutes.

Will: Whaaat? Lemme see!

Indie: It's a surprise, doofus. :P

Will: Well, to add to the suspense, I'd like to inform you that I also picked up a few items for you.

Indie raised a brow.

Indie: You did? For what?

Will: To give you?

Indie shook her head. She deduced that Will was, in fact, a fictional man being written by a female author. There was no way that real-life men talked or acted the way he did.

Indie: You're crazy, Will Whitlock.

Will: Crazy in love, Indie Argyle.

Indie ignored the fact that she began to blush profusely.

Indie: Wanna call later?

Will: Of course.

Indie took her bags to her room when they arrived home, putting her new clothes and other items away. She also scored a few records at the thrift store they'd gone to, which she immediately set beside her record player.

After putting everything in its place, Indie casually sprawled herself out on her bed, calling Will as soon as possible.

"Hello, is this the most gorgeous girl in the world speaking?" Will's voice crackled on the other end of the call.

Indie rolled her eyes playfully. "Depends on who you think that is, I suppose," she replied.

"I think that answer is pretty self-explanatory, don't you?"

"I guess," Indie gave in, kicking her feet in the air behind her. "So, what are you up to? I miss you a lot."

"I miss you too." Will replied. Indie swore she could hear a smile in his voice. "I want to take you on another date soon."

Indie let out an exasperated laugh. "You've taken me on so many wonderful dates, Will, how do you even have any more ideas?"

"I have my ways," Will retaliated.

Indie began playing with her hair. "Could I come up to your place next time?"

Will paused on the other end, clearing his throat. "I, uh- I don't think that's a good idea right now," he replied.

Indie frowned to herself, her heart sinking ever so slightly. "Oh, uh, how come?" She asked, trying to keep her emotions on lockdown.

"Um... mom's been feeling under the weather these past two days." Will lied. "She got some kinda sickness from one of the little booger-pickers at her school. I don't want you to get sick too."

"How thoughtful of you," Indie replied. A bit of her sarcastic tone slipped out, but she couldn't help it. She really wished she could get a tour of Will's house and meet his family; and she didn't really care about getting sick. "Well... let me know as soon as she's over it, ok?"

"Will do," Will replied. There was a rustling noise on his end of the call. "So, how's your dad? Have you talked to him at all since he left?"

Indie bit her lip. She should've known the conversation was going to steer back around to his "business trip"—the two weeks he was supposed to be gone were almost up.

Now it was Indie's turn to lie.

"Uh... I just talked to him this morning, actually." She said in the most sunshiny tone she could muster. "He told me that the conference was going well, but that it was longer than he told mom and I."

"Longer than two weeks?"

"Yeah..." Indie twirled her hair, faster this time. "Mom was upset that he's been gone for what feels like a month." She laughed awkwardly. "I miss him... I miss him a lot." Indie sighed. Finally, something she'd told Will that wasn't a lie.

Will chuckled. "Yeah, I can see why. Are you sure that this so-called 'conference' isn't just some crazy hostage situation? Might be something to look into if he's gone any longer."

Indie forced a laugh as a knot tightened in her throat. Unfortunately, her dad had already been gone well over a month with no signs of coming back anytime soon.

Indie cleared her throat. "Yeah, you may be right." She sighed.

A silence crept between them. Indie wondered if Will could see right through her lies. She hated herself for choosing to lie in the first place; it just seemed like the easier way out. It turned out to be a lot harder than she anticipated. She just had to find the right moment to tell him, but the problem was, every moment that was presented to her felt wrong, and time was running out.