The living room at Rory’s house was a cozy kind of chaos, backpacks tossed in corners, school blazers draped over chairs, and half open bags of chips scattered across the coffee table, late afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds, painting golden stripes across the room as the ceiling fan hummed lazily overhead.

On the couch, Rory sat cross legged with an acoustic guitar balanced on his knee, his two best friends, Jace and Tyson, were squeezed in beside him, Jace absentmindedly picked out a bass line on an unplugged electric guitar while Tyson tapped a steady rhythm against the coffee table with a pair of drumsticks, the three of them had been stuck on the same chord progression for nearly twenty minutes, quietly debating melodies and throwing around ideas.

Meanwhile, you were seated on the plush rug near the armchair, completely occupied by your four year old niece, Bella, whom you’d been babysitting after school.

At the moment, you were deeply involved in what Bella considered a very serious tea party, a tiny pink plastic teacup was balanced in your hands while Bella enthusiastically shoved a plastic croissant toward you.

Across the room, Rory’s fingers slowed against the guitar strings. His attention drifted away from the discussion almost immediately, settling on you instead, the moment he saw you sitting cross legged on the floor, earnestly participating in a pretend tea party, a warm smile spread across his face.

“Hey,” Rory called over the noise, his deep voice cutting through Jace’s strumming, you looked up. “You need anything over there, babe?” he asked. “Juice? Snacks? More cookies for the boss?”