Jackson rang the doorbell and waited, the familiarity washing over him in a serene calmness that he hadn't felt since he got in his car.

He held his breath when the door opened and felt everything around him start to crumble when he saw the woman on the other side, "H-Hi."

"Oh!" She said with wide and surprised eyes, "Jackson, honey, what are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming."

He swallowed the lump down his throat before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around his mother who didn't miss a beat before her own arms wound around his shoulder, "Sweetie?" She whispered softly, "Is everything okay?"

He grunted before closing his eyes and basking in the scent that defined his childhood. That perfume always made him feel like he was safe and protected. Her hand came up and the back of his head.

"Why don't you come in? I was making lunch anyways." She said as he pulled away.

Jackson nodded and pulled away before trailing after her into his childhood home. "Hey, Roxie. How are you, girl?" He said when his mother's small puppy came running up to him, pawing at his calves for attention.

"How's school?" His mom called out from the kitchen. "You're finished exams right?"

Jackson hummed in response before picking Roxie up and sitting down on the couch before setting her on his stomach. "School's starting back in a week, I thought I'd drop by when I have the time."

His mother glancing at him through the doorway, taking in the vacant, tired eyes that were such a departure from his regular cheerful radiance that he'd carry with him when he visited her. He didn't seem like her Jackson.

"How's Jaebum?" She asked casually.

Jackson stared at Roxie, the size of his palm easily bigger than her entire face, "He's okay…we're not really talking or anything right now."

"Oh." She said slowly, taking in the information, "Did you fight?"

Roxie climbed up Jackson's chest and nosed his jaw, "Kind of, I don't know, it was more of a disagreement. We didn't see eye to eye on something kind of important."

"I see." She murmured.

Jackson his lips and fisted his hand, "I feel like I don't know him anymore, he isn't the same guy I thought I knew."

She laughed, making Jackson look over at her, "What? How is that funny?"

"It's amazing." She said while shaking her head, "You're the same ignorant kid that I couldn't live without."

He frowned and sat up, "What do you mean?"

"I don't think Jaebum isn't the same guy you thought you knew, sweetheart. I think you're just not the same person that you were when you met him. He stayed the same, you changed and now you're blaming him."She said softly.

Jackson scowled, "It's not like it's my fault."

"It's probably no one's fault. You're 22, you're going to grow and change constantly. You outgrew Jaebum." She said while finishing up the lunch she was making.

Jackson fell silent before he curled up on the couch while hugging Roxie to his chest, "Mom?"

She stilled, her heart lurching when she heard the tremble in his voice, "Hm?"

"How did you deal with dad dying?" He whispered. 

Her shoulders dropped as she brought the dishes to the dining table, "I don't know. It just happened, I wasn't given a choice and no one prepared me with what it was going to feel like, I just let everything unravel for a long time and when I was ready, I started to re-spool myself."

"Were you ever angry at dad?" He asked while sitting up.

He wished he could ask her if she ever had to go through his dad's death like he had to go through Mark's. He had to witness the journey Mark took before he died, follow his last steps before going to meet his demise.

She sat down at the table and turned to look at him with a smile, "Of course. Every day, I blamed him for hurting me, for putting me through this, for leaving me alone with a son, for leaving his son alone without a father, I blamed him for everything because that was the only feeling that made sense." She looked at her finger with her wedding ring, "Over time I figured myself out. I wasn't mad at your dad, I was mad that I was alone, that I didn't know what to do."

Jackson stood up and walked over to her before sitting across from her. She reached out and brushed his hair back lovingly, "Then I realized that I had you. I had this little boy that never cried because he was scared. I had this little boy that would sneak into my room and hug me tight in the middle of the night. Suddenly it got a lot easier, having someone who stood by your side and loved you made it better. It was just me and you, sweetheart."

"I need surgery." He whispered with teary eyes.

Her smile fell as her eyes widened as she grasped his face between her palms, "W-Why? What happened? Are you okay?"

"My shoulder is done." He rasped out, "I-I can't swim anymore, or at least for a long time if the surgery is successful."

His mother's lip quivered before she pulled him into her arms as his tears overflowed, "I'm so sorry."

"I don't know what to do with my life now. Everything is a mess." He sputtered.

She hushed him and rocked him back and forth, "It'll be fine. We'll figure it all out."

"Everything's falling apart." He muttered.

She closed her eyes and held him tighter, "That means you can still put it back together."

-----

People say that your twenties are your most important years because that is the time when you begin forming the person that will stay with you for the rest of your life no matter what happens.

It's a new era of formative years that mould the way you view the world and yourself. Most people are half way through that journey but Mira and Jackson were starting again from scratch.

They were rediscovering themselves without Mark as a factor.

Mira smoothed the floral dress down her body and glanced in the mirror, making sure the concealer she had loaded on under her eyes was doing its job. She didn't look anything like herself, which was the exact look she was going for. She looked cheerful and peppy and full of life.

Letting out a breath, she grabbed the bottle of unopened wine and strode up the driveway in her heels before ringing the doorbell. The door swung open and the smile on the person's face started to fade when they saw her.

"M-Mira. You're here."

She beamed brightly at Lena's mother and held the wine out to her, "It's nice to see you. It's been so long."

Lena's mom slowly took the bottle from her before looking at her with the same shock, "Your parents said that you weren't going to make it."

"My plans fell through so I thought I could stop since I had the time." She said politely.

Lena's mother blinked at her before snapping out of her daze, "W-Well come in. Your parents are in the backyard."

Mira smile gratefully and laced her hands behind her back to hide the nervous sweat that was growing on it as she followed Lena's mother. She could see her relatives mingling in the living room stop and stare at her when she walked by. She knew that they recognized her and were wondering why she was there.

She kept her gaze forward and slightly crossed her eyes so that her vision was blurred so she could ignore their stares. Once they made it to the yard, she was able to catch her breath when she spotted her parents talking to her aunt while sipping wine.

Her dad saw her first, his eyes widening as he took a step towards her, "Mira?"

Her mother turned in confusion, her lips parting at the sight of her. Lena's mother had disappeared somewhere, giving Mira the limited privacy of reuniting with her parents. They came up to her and gave her a quick hug.

"Hon, what are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to come." Her father said while her mother fussed over Mira's hair.

She shrugged and looked down, "I just wanted to be out in public."

"What do you mean?" Her father asked as her mother handed Mira a glass of wine.

She grabbed her mother's hand and squeezed while shaking her head, "I just missed you guys and wanted to see you before you get on your next flight."

"Are you okay with being here?" Her mother murmured.

Mira struggled to smile, "I'll be okay."

"We're glad you're here, hon." Her father said softly. "We've missed you too. How's school?"

She nodded, "Good, nothing new."

"Any boys?" Her mother quirked with a smirk.

Her father rolled his eyes, "Oh please don't start." Mira's silence caught his attention and his expression was quick to change, "Wait are you serious? You have a boyfriend?"

"No, I don't." Mira said with a laugh.

Her mother snickered, "No, but you clearly like one."

"It's too difficult to want a relationship with anyone now in my state." Mira said seriously.

Her father's lips turned down, "That's not true. Just because you're having a hard time doesn't mean you can't be in a