Noah

I released a breath and returned to my seat, ignoring everyone who tried to catch my eye. I was done with the attention. I was done with this suit and the tie that was suffocating me. I was done with responsibilities.

I was just done.

The priest shared something from the bible, and I closed my eyes and leaned forward, elbows on my knees. If I could get away with earplugs, I'd probably ask for them. I needed today to be over.

Thank fuck we were parting ways after this. There'd be dinner for the closest at my folks' house, but nothing big like this.

"Now, please, the stage is yours, Julian," the priest said, which confused the fuck outta me.

I looked behind me at Daniel, lifting a brow.

"I didn’t tell you?" he whispered.

No, he damn well hadn't. I didn't mind, obviously. If Julian wanted to say something about our family, great—good for him. I'd just figured it wasn't his thing.

This was the kid who had spent the past two weeks trashing their home in Berlin, if James's assistant was correct. He hadn't returned any calls; he hadn't given a fuck.

Julian didn't go to the podium like the rest of us had done, though. He headed for the piano that stood to the side.

I straightened in my seat and folded my arms over my chest.

I recalled Mia telling me he'd had a double major. Maybe music was one of them.

Julian didn't say anything. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, and the moment his fingers gently hit the keys, I heard what song it was. Mad World. If he did this well, he'd fucking ruin me.

He sang quietly, with a hint of a British accent. If I wasn’t mistaken, I'd teased him about his accent changing when they'd moved to Germany. Now, his voice was merely a punch in the gut. Quiet and soft, yet clear and raw. I hadn't expected any of this.

Songs like these…they triggered memories and emotions, and I was already near my breaking point. I didn't wanna be around people when I was pushed over the edge, which was inevitable.

He went on, a bit choked up, singing about drowning his sorrows and no tomorrows, and it made me wonder if he'd been pushed over the edge, too. 'Cause the first thing that came to mind was destroying things.

For a relatively short song, Julian seemed to go on forever. I sniffled and rubbed my eyes. He needed to fucking stop. He didn't only perform it well; he was gifted as hell. His fingers danced over the keys flawlessly, and his voice…Jesus Christ.

The kid was in pain.

I was going through purgatory, but damn. Despite how close I'd been with our family, he'd seen most of them every day. He was young, and he'd lost his mom and dad, his little brother and sister. Plus two grandparents.

Glancing over at James's parents, I wondered if they could be there for Julian. They were beside themselves with grief for their son, daughter-in-law, and two young grandchildren. Where was Julian off to after this? Back to Berlin?

I bet he had friends there, but what about family?

No matter how he'd acted before today, I kinda owed it to myself and my sister to talk to him.Chapter 4

I was spent after the whole church ordeal was over, and when we got back to my parents' house, the first thing I did was pour a drink.

Fuck what the others thought. It was only James's parents, my friends, Julian, and Pop's two brothers with their wives. Luckily, though, no one seemed to think I'd turned into an alcoholic yet. While the women gathered in the kitchen to set up the food we'd had catered, the men ended up in the living room with glasses of whiskey.

"You did good, son," one of my uncles told me. "Organizing all this today…Abigail and Frank would'a been proud."

I strolled over to the window and emptied half my glass. "I didn't do much. Thank Sophie and Danny." It was dark outside, but I was sure I could see movement in the backyard. There was a porch swing attached to an ancient tree, and I was willing to bet it was Julian out there. He'd kept to himself on the way over to the house, not saying much.

We'd gotten lucky where the reporters were concerned. There had only been a couple waiting outside the church after the service. Easily dealt with, but maybe it had affected Julian negatively. I didn't know.

I loosened my tie and took it off.

If I never had to wear one again, I wouldn't complain.

My uncles told Tennyson and Daniel about my pop as a young guy, and my friends had a couple stories to share as well, about my birthday party where they'd met Pop the first time. I'd had it and needed some air, so it was a good time to play the uncle I was supposed to be and check in on Julian.