Free Falling

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"How're dad and Lars anyway?" I asked Jo while we waited back at the hotel. It was Sunday afternoon and we'd spent the morning indoors together before hitting some stores for a couple hours. Mom and Jo were set to leave for the airport in an hour and Finn volunteered to drive us there.

It was amazing how well he'd handled the weekend, a lot better than I'd expected. I could tell by the way he watched us interact quietly that he wasn't all to familiar with our kind of dynamic. It made me wonder what his days had been like growing up with a stepmother like Octavia and River as his step brother, not to mention no dad at all and the thought that your birth mother never cared for you at all. It made me more appreciative of what I had with the people I cared about.

"I don't know, I think one of these days dad might just retire from real estate and become a bass player again."

The thought made me scoff. "What makes you say so?"

When dad was younger him and two other friends had a band in junior year made up of him as the bassist and the other two taking on vocals and drums. At the time it was all fun and games to dad who later separated from the duo to attend college. The band however continued to play and grew to amass a fairly big audience and following. He reconnected with them five years back and they've been in touch ever since.

"Their bassist lost his wife and decided to take an indefinite break from the band. They don't think he's ever coming back, her death hit him pretty hard. Now Jesse and Mike are taking temporary bassists until they can find somebody permanent."

"Dad wants to join them?"

"I'd say it's more of a midlife crisis, you know how he leans into his impulses."

"Can he still play, though?"

"Yeah, he's very rusty. He hasn't picked up a guitar in decades."

"But he was good back then. He might still have some of that magic."

"Maybe. Oh, well."

"You said Lars has a friend staying at the house?"

"Yeah, his name is Tobi. He's stays with his shitty uncle since his parents died. God, I don't know how he manages to put up with that man. Talk about vile."

I tried to imagine how vile he could be. "Does he hurt him?"

Jo's face scrunched up in disgust. "Not physically. Tobi left before he could. He plans on going to go stay with his older sister after graduation. She lives in Boston. That's where he grew up until their parents passed and she couldn't take care of him on her own."

"That's a lot."

She stood up from her position on the bed and stretched in every direction, unwinding herself. "Yeah, well he's lucky to have Lars as a friend. Our brother is the nicest of us three."

"Mm, agreed."

"Wasn't up for debate," she smirked. She walked up to me and sat right beside me on the couch. "Now tell me sister dearest, how did you and Finn start dating? I still can't believe you two are an actual couple. You. And him. You're so worlds apart."

Tell me about it.

"Yeah, we were. But we met in the middle and found our own little space."

"That is some poetic shit right there."

"I don't know, it just... happened. Sometimes it feels like a dream." I felt a sharp sting on my arm and realized she'd just pinched me. A mighty painful pinch. "Ow!"

"You're wide awake. Not a dream."

"You're insufferable."

"One of my many qualities, I know. I just hope you two stick it out till... yunno, the end. You guys really look good together. Mom thinks so too."