It was during a break from band practice, on a Sunday night.

  David lit a cigarette, sitting on a plastic box just outside the studio while Adam was working on a new riff.

  “Hey, David. Are you free sometime soon to meet my mom?”

  Nickie asked casually, but her eyes gave her away: hopeful, a little nervous.

  David didn’t hesitate.

  “Yeah, sure. Is tonight okay?”

  “I think so.” She texted with the speed of light and got an answer just as fast.

  “Yeah, it’s cool.” She said with a grin.

  “Text me the address,” he said, curious now.

  He figured her mom just wanted to make sure Nickie was safe during gigs. Reasonable. Still, he braced himself. This felt important.

  “By the way… is it ok if you two talk alone?” Nickie asked, voice careful.

  Too careful for someone usually so blunt.

  David cocked his head, slowly exhaling a stream of smoke. “Yeah. Sure. Any reason why?”

  She shrugged. “No. Just. I think it’ll be better.”

  He narrowed his eyes. Not in suspicion, just seeing her:

  The way she pretended to scroll her phone again.

  The way her fingers moved fast but aimlessly.

  The way her eyes flicked toward the studio window… Toward where Adam was slouched with his bass.

  She hadn’t said anything, not out loud, probably not even to herself yet.

  But David knew the look. He’d seen it before.

  Hell, he’d worn it, once, when he was younger and dumber and just starting to understand what it’s like…

  Nickie wasn’t scared of Adam.

  She was scared of what she felt around him.

  She didn’t know how to explain it to her mom.

  Didn’t have the words yet.

  Didn’t even know if she was supposed to have them.

  David’s expression softened.

  “You don’t have to explain it to me,” he said, voice low, kind. “But I think I get it.”

  Nickie blinked. “Get what?”

  He gave her a wry, lopsided smile. “You want her to know he’s important. But you’re not ready to say why.”

  That cracked something in her. She opened her mouth, closed it. Looked away.

  “He just… gets quiet, you know?” she muttered. “And he’s weird about his hands sometimes. And…”

  “I know.”

  “I just don’t wanna say the wrong thing. Or make it about me. Or… Ugh, I don’t even know.”

  David flicked his cigarette aside and stepped off the box. “You’re doing fine.”

  Nickie looked up at him, puzzled. “But I didn’t say anything.”

  “Exactly,” he said, smirking. “You didn’t say the wrong thing. That’s advanced-level restraint, especially for someone who talks with their entire body.”

  She stood there for a moment, watching him with those sharp eyes of hers, not quite sure what to do with the way her chest felt tight.

  He clapped a hand gently on her shoulder. “I’ll talk to her. You focus on not tripping over your own drumsticks in front of him.”

  “I never trip over my…”

  She paused. “Okay, one time. And it was dark.”

  He grinned. “Totally believable.”

  From inside, Adam called, “You guys coming or what?”

  Nickie’s face lit up like a match. She turned and jogged in without another word.

  David stood there for a second longer, watching the door she disappeared through. Then he sighed through his nose, muttering to no one:

  “My cute little baby brother’s got no idea, does he?”

  ***

  A couple hours later, David stood at the front door of Nickie’s place, the sound of soft footsteps approaching from within.

  The door opened to reveal a warm, lived-in home.

  The kind of place with plants on windowsills and books tucked into every available corner.

  Nickie smiled, stepping aside to let him in.

  “Come on in,” she said, motioning him toward the living room.

  On the coffee table: a pot of tea and a plate of neatly arranged snacks, steaming gently under the warm lamplight.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to it. Homework calls,” Nickie added with a half-dramatic salute, disappearing down the hallway.

  David chuckled to himself.

  A moment later, a woman with kind eyes entered the room. Her smile was gentle, her presence steady and warm.

  “Hi, David. It’s so nice to finally meet you. Please… call me Elanya,” she said, offering her hand.

  “Very nice to meet you, Elanya,” David replied, shaking it politely.

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  They settled into two plush chairs as the scent of tea filled the air.

  Elanya poured them each a cup, her movements calm, practiced.

  A white cat was sitting on the couch like the queen of the universe, examining David with judging eyes.

  “I’ve been hearing good things about your band,” Elanya said.

  “Nickie mentioned you agreed on a name, but I don’t seem to recall it.”

  “It’s not official yet,” David said, taking a sip, “but we’re leaning toward REAPERAND. It’s based on our initials: Adam, Nickie, David.”

  Elanya’s eyes lit up. Something about the way she smiled… it reminded David of Nickie when she was holding back excitement.

  “I like it,” she said. “Adam is your younger brother, right?”

  “Yeah,” David replied, already pulling out his phone.

  “My cute little menace of a baby brother.”

  He showed her a photo: Adam, tall and striking in a school uniform, tattoos snaking up his neck, piercings catching the light, expression serious and unreadable; with just a touch of softness.

  Elanya noticed the look of pride when David held out his phone, as though showing her a photo of his child.

  She let out a soft laugh.

  “Oh, my. Nickie seems to like him quite a bit,” she added with a hint of knowing in her tone. “She talks about him often.”

  David smiled. He’d guessed as much.

  “She’s not the only one,” he said. “It’s been a year of searching… finding someone who both loves this kind of music and can actually play at Nickie’s level? That’s rare. Mythical-level rare.”

  He sipped his tea again, his voice softening.

  “Adam didn’t like any of the drummers we tried before her. And I mean none of them. The first time they played together… it was like something snapped into place.”

  Elanya studied him gently. She could hear the tenderness when he spoke of both of them.

  “Yes,” she murmured. “Nickie does love the drums. Very deeply.”

  ‘And she loves them, too,’ she thought.

  “Do you have any plans to perform?” she asked, curious.

  “It’ll take time,” David said, leaning back in his chair. “But at this pace? Not too long. We’re aiming for an album first, then maybe a small tour.”

  He hesitated. Then added, “Nickie’s been really clear that school comes first. We schedule around her studies. We’ll adjust things when exams come up.”

  Elanya’s smile warmed. “Thank you for that. That’s very considerate of you.”

  Elanya took a sip of her tea, eyes drifting to the rim of the cup before returning to David’s face.

  “I’m glad to hear she’s setting those boundaries herself,”

  She said with a small nod.

  “She’s always been like that: disciplined, focused. When she decides something matters, she means it.”

  David smiled faintly. “Yeah. She doesn’t really do things halfway.”

  “No,” Elanya agreed, then paused for a beat, her tone softening. “Sometimes I wish she would.”

  David looked up, eyebrows lifting just slightly.

  Elanya met his gaze, not quite sad, not quite amused… just honest.

  “She pushes herself hard. Grades, practice, everything. I’ve never had to ask her to care. If anything, I sometimes wonder whether I should be telling her it’s okay not to be the best at everything.”

  She gave a quiet laugh, almost to herself.

  “She thinks it all has to be earned. Every bit of praise, every bit of love. But I try to remind her that the things she loves don’t have to come with conditions. That it’s alright to want joy for joy’s sake.”

  She glanced over at the white cat still perched behind her.

  “It’s a hard lesson to pass down. But I hope she hears it… eventually.”

  David didn’t answer right away. Just nodded slowly, the weight of her words settling in. It was a lesson that David tried to teach Adam, and it was definitely hard.

  “She’s got good instincts,” he said finally. “And people around her who see her. That helps.”

  Elanya smiled at that: small, but full of something warm.

  “Then I’m glad she has you all.”

  David gave a modest nod. “She’s one of us now. We’ll do what we need to make it work… for all of us.”

  Elanya’s expression shifted. Softer now, more maternal than polite.

  “You take care of Adam too?” she asked gently.

  David hesitated, gaze dropping to his tea.

  “Yeah... That’s... complicated.”

  There were a few silent moments where David’s brows slightly furrowed.

  He didn’t move to speak again right away.

  Just sat with the words, eyes tracing the swirl of steam from his cup like it might give him a map out of this.

  Elanya didn’t fill the silence. She simply sipped her tea, her posture easy, unrushed.

  The cat shifted behind her with the faintest huff, resettling its paws like royalty adjusting a throne.

  David glanced up, caught the creature’s level, unblinking stare.

  “…She’s been staring at me like she’s deciding whether I’m worthy,” he muttered.

  Elanya let out a soft laugh. “You should feel honored. That’s the longest she’s gone without turning her back on a stranger.”

  That made David smile. A small one. He set his cup down carefully.

  “She’s not so different from Nickie,” he added, almost to himself. “Or Adam, come to think of it.”

  Elanya tilted her head. “Mm. Fierce little creatures, all three.”

  There was a pause. A comfortable one.

  Then she said, with quiet honesty,

  “Nickie’s been through some difficult things in the past. I won’t go into detail… She may want to share that herself one day. But I’ve seen how she holds her strength like a blade and a shield. She can be brave and kind at the same time. It’s... rare.”

  David met her eyes.

  Really saw her, then.

  Not just Nickie’s mother, not just a host offering tea.

  Someone who got it.

  He nodded slowly, bracing himself.

  There was a weight behind his inhale, like he was gathering something tightly wrapped in his chest.

  “Adam lives with me now,” he said, voice low.

  “He’s been through a lot. He survived... Something very painful.”

  Elanya’s face didn’t change. She didn’t flinch, didn’t lean in. Just listened… with that same steady warmth, and quiet permission.

  David took a breath.

  “He has PTSD. The kind that doesn’t let go easily. Physical contact is hard for him. Triggers panic attacks, flashbacks...”

  He exhaled. The weight in his shoulders eased, just a bit.

  Elanya nodded slowly, eyes filled with compassion.

  “That must be very hard… for both of you.”

  David’s voice softened.

  “Yeah. But Nickie’s the first person he’s been okay with. Since it happened. He feels safe around her.”

  At that, Elanya’s lips curved into a small, hopeful smile.

  “Thank you for telling me that,” she said. “It means a lot. And it took courage.”

  David gave a quiet nod, cheeks slightly flushed.

  “She doesn’t know,” he added. “About what he went through.”

  “You’re waiting for Adam to tell her himself,” Elanya said gently.

  “Exactly.”

  A pause.

  “David,” she said kindly, “I’d like you to reach out to me… about Nickie, about anything.”

  He nodded, already reaching for his phone. “Of course. I’ll give you my number.”

  As they exchanged contact info, something unspoken passed between them: a shared understanding, a quiet promise.

  For Nickie.

  For Adam.

  For the band that was starting to feel like something more than music.

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