Infectious.

And that smile was enough for me.

*Lin's POV*

I woke up to the sound of crying at 5:30 am. It was Sebastian. I got out of my bed, and shuffled my feet to his room. I picked up my crying son and rocked him gently.

"Hey, bud, you do realize it's super early, right?" I said to him as I bounced him in my arms. It was no use; he kept crying.

I looked over at a clock at noticed the time. "Come on bubba, we gotta be up in a little less than 5 hours to meet my friend" I say, basically pleading my almost two year old son to stop crying.

I decide it might be best to take him into my room with me. So I grabbed his blanket, a pillow, and a stuffed animal for him and walked back to my bed room.

As I slid back into my bed, with Sebastian holding onto me, crying still, I turned on my TV. Luckily, I caught 'Chuggington' and it was able to relax him back to sleep. I smiled and held him on my chest. I placed one hand on his back and one under his butt to support him. I covered his tiny body with his blanket that my mother made him and watched as he slept.

By 6:00 am, I was finally able to sleep. My son was sleeping away and I was able to shut the TV off to close my eyes. I soon find myself drifting into a peaceful slumber.

Every morning just around 7:30, the city wakes up. The traffic picks up, local merchants open their carts, the newspaper delivery boys are on route, coffee shops open and brew coffee, and the smell of fresh baked goods can be smelt from miles away. It's truly the best wake up call anyone can ask for.

I stretch my arms and legs out, squinting my eyes shut for just a second longer before I open them and place my hand back on my sons back.

I pick him up and gently shake him. "Sebastian, come on buddy, let's get ready for the day!" I say and kiss his cheek.

We make our way back to his room so I could do a list of things that made up our morning routine.

- change the diaper
- pick out clothes
- dress child
- brush his hair
- get him ready for breakfast
- feed child
- start day

Step one, done. I changed his diaper. On to step two. Done. The list went quicker than usual today. Buy 7:20, we were already up to getting him ready for breakfast.

Quickly remembering my conversation with Pippa last night, I decided that we could bend the schedule a bit. I would make sure he got a few donut holes at the coffee shop. I set him down on the floor and put on some cartoons. I watched as he watched them contently.

I sat on the couch and pulled out my phone. I decided to text Pip to see if she was up yet. It was 8:00 at this point.

L: Goooood Morning! You awake yet?
P: Ugh, I am now! Thanks your text woke me up😆
L: Well well, Miss. Soo, you're a sleepy head!😂
P: But yes. I'm up. Still meeting at Starbucks at 10?
L: Yes. I'm bringing mi niño. See you then

The short conversation left a smile on my face. Pippa always knew how to make me laugh, smile, or anything else. She's one of the main reasons Im able to laugh after Vanessa. Pip just always knows what to do.

As I wait for it to become time to start to leave to meet Pippa, I figured it would be best if I started to tidy the place up.

Papers, books, toys, cards, and just about everything else, were scattered around everywhere. We moved in months ago, and I still haven't fully unpacked or sorted everything. My piano is still out of tune and probably will be for some time. I'm just so busy that it's hard to get anything around the house done.

I decided to shuffle all my work things, which mainly consisted of piles of papers and boxes holding sheets of music, into the spare room. It suddenly became my office. By the time I was finished it was 9:45.

"Time to go!" I said as I walked back into the living room to see Sebastian playing with some toys. "Come on bud! Let's go!" I said as I picked him up and headed out the door, grabbing his coat on the way out.

Starbucks wasn't far from my apartment, so we got there around 9:50. I wasn't sure where Phillipa was staying, so I wasn't sure how long it would take her.

Much to my surprise, Pippa came walking in around 9:55. I smiled and stood up so she could find me easily.

"Pip! Over here!" I say, smiling and waving my free hand that wasn't holding Sebastian. She smiled and walked towards me.

"Lin! It's so good to see you again. And hi Sebastian!" She said giving me hug, then reaching out to hold Seb. I smile and hug back and hand him over. "It's good to see you too, it's been so long." I said as I guided her to a chair to sit.

As we both sat down, I couldn't help but look at her, she was still as gorgeous as she was when I last saw her. "What have you been up to?" I ask reaching for her hand.

She smiled and places her hand in mine. "Trying to land an audition, get a place, a steady job, ugh. Why is being an adult hard?" She said laughing. I laughed with her and shrugged.

"Well..." I started and watched as her eyes sparkled with the sun light. "I'm working on something, and I'd love for you to be a part of it."

Her face lit up and she bounced Sebastian in her arms. "Oh my gosh! Really?" She asked excited and I nodded. She kissed my hand. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She said. I smiled.

It was now 12:00. I didn't realize that we have been in Starbucks for two hours. But I knew Seb was probably getting hungry.

"Hey, Pip. Wanna join us for lunch?" I asked as we both got up. I looked at her and it seemed as if she had been eating a lot lately. "Have you been eating?" I asked concerned.

She looked at me and nodded. "I have, but not like I should. It's not a lot. But it's what I can afford. Lin, I'd love to join you guys." She said with a smile. And that smile was enough for me.

*So I think I'll be writing two chapters a day! Maybe more. I really like writing, hah. I hope you guys enjoy. Like always feedback is welcome. - Matthew.