60 || Emmett Larkin

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After hearing what Phoebe said earlier, my mind is a mess of static. Every attempt to form a coherent thought feels futile. We grab our corn dogs, but the walk back to Lance and Jannah isn't the same as before. The silence between us is suffocating, the kind that makes you hyper-aware of every step, every glance. Every fucking heart beat can be heard from either of us if I focus hard enough. The tension weighs heavy, but neither of us dares to break it.

"Hey, you guys are back!" Jannah greets us with a bright smile. When we approach, I notice her head resting on Lance's shoulder as he strums lightly on his guitar. Her gaze shifts to Phoebe. "No Dairy Queen stall?" she asks, scanning for the familiar Blizzard ice cream but instead spotting the corn dog in Phoebe's hand.

Phoebe shakes her head, offering a small smile. "The line was too long, so I asked Lilian to grab one for me since she was near the front." She takes a bite of her corn dog, muffling her next words. "She's with Samuel, so don't bother looking for her."

At the mention of Samuel, Lance perks up, his strumming faltering. "You found Samuel?"

Phoebe and I nod in unison, but something about Lance's phrasing catches my attention. I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes. "What do you mean by found?"

Lance drops his gaze, focusing back on his guitar as he plucks a few soft notes. "Yesterday, Samuel didn't come home. I tried calling him, but he wasn't answering," he mutters. When he looks up, he flashes a relaxed smile, though it feels slightly forced. "But thankfully, you guys saw him. I was a little worried."

Phoebe chuckles lightly-a sound I can't help but cling to, knowing it might be one of the last times I hear it. It'll be weird if ever I hear her familiar laugh only in the midst of a crowd a few weeks later. My chest aches a little from thinking about it. All my thoughts could conjure was the inevitable pain when Phoebe finally leave the band and went on to focus on her life again. It's funny how that I ache to be a part of her life while I don't have any rights to be in the first place.

The dreams I kept having made me believe so, but this is the real life. Phoebe has her own life. And I respect the hell out of her for reaching this far.

"He probably crashed at Lilian's place," Phoebe says. Her voice pulled me back out of my static thoughts. "That's why he didn't come home."

Lance nods at her reasoning. "As long as he's okay, I'm good with that."

"Don't worry about it," Phoebe says, her tone reassuring. "Lilian's great. He's in good hands."

Jannah turns to Lance, nudging him playfully. "See? Nothing to worry about. Your adopted brother is safe and sound."

Lance chuckles softly. "Yeah, I think so." His gaze shifts to mine, his eyes catching the sunlight streaming through the tree branches above. The warmth in them is unmistakable. "Does he look happy?"

I nod, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "He does."

"What's going on?" Phoebe asks, her gaze flicking between Lance and me.

"Samuel's always had a hard time trusting people," Lance explains, his voice quiet but steady. "It's rare for him to feel comfortable around anyone. So, we're just glad he's finally found someone who accepts him for who he is." He wiggles his eyebrows teasingly before returning to his guitar.

Phoebe glances at me, her expression softening. I shrug, offering her a small smile before taking another bite of my corn dog.

"Where's Alecks?" Jannah asks suddenly, her eyes darting between us. "Didn't he want corn dogs, too?"

"When we got there, he wasn't anywhere in sight," I reply, still puzzled by his absence. "But it's fine-we've still got-" I check my phone, partially pulling it from my pocket. "-thirty minutes until showtime."

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