Rose For You

2

"Who'd give me a Rose?", asked Nadine, clearly perplexed.

"Someone who likes you", said Keyz.

Nadine rolls her eyes. "So helpful, Keyz."

"I mean, does it really matter who gave it?", asked Keyz.

"Of course it does!", exclaimed Nadine. "I need to find out if it's a prank or not. If it isn't then I need to break their heart gently."

Keyz eyes widened. "What?! Why?"

"I'm not dating material Keyz", said Nadine, bluntly.

Keyz frowned. "Nadine... if this is about-"

"- It has nothing to do with that. But, if I felt a lot more comfortable in my skin then maybe I'd date. Will you help me find the person who gave me this?"

Keyz looked hesitant but nodded. "Ok... fine."

Nadine smiled and hugged Keyz. "Thanks, mate! You're the best."

-
"Hey Dad, I'm home!", called out Seb, closing the door behind him.

"Hi son", replied Seb's father, a tired expression on his face.

Seb frowned when he saw his Dad. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I just don't feel too good, that's all. I-I don't think I'll be able to come to see you busk today. I'm sorry, son."

Seb tried to hide his sadness. "Don't worry about it Dad. Nadine and Keyz will be there."

His Dad smiled. "I'm so glad they came into your life."

Seb smiled. "Me too. Now, let's get you to bed."

"I'll be fine", said Seb's Dad.

"I know you will. I'd feel better if you let me help you though", said Seb. When his Dad agreed to let him help, Seb guided him up the stairs and to his bedroom. "I'm going out but if you need anything, call me."

Seb's Dad nodded before slowly closing his eyes and mumbling something.

"Sh... get some rest", whispered Seb. He walked out of the room and grabbed his things before leaving.

He regularly busked near the shopping centre. He's always been passionate about music. The first instrument he learned how to play was the piano. He busks with his guitar though. He's performed near the shopping centre since he was 10, but his Mum used to play all the music for him and he just sang until he was 13, when he decided to play an instrument too. Nadine used to busk too, which is something they bonded over.

Seb started to play his guitar. As he sang, a small crowd started to form. Halfway through the song, he spoke to the crowd. "How about we all sing the chorus together, yeah?"

Some members of the crowd were hesitant, preferring to just listen. Nadine and Keyz appeared and made their way to the front of the crowd.

"Come on, guys! I sound like I've got a mouth full of rocks when I sing so don't worry about embarrassing yourself. Let's just have some fun!", exclaimed Keyz, his smile brightening when some people laughed. "Here, Nadine will join in too", he said, gently pushing Nadine towards the microphone.

Seb smiled. "Yeah, go on Nadine. You can start it off."

Nadine looked hesitant. "No... It's ok, it's your-"

"- Don't start that. Come on, you know you want to."

Nadine sighed and after a few seconds, she moved closer to the microphone. She sang Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran, her voice quiet and soft. As the song continued, her confidence grew and she didn't even notice that everyone had joined it. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Seb, who was smiling brightly at her. She then looked at Keyz, who was grinning and gave her a 'thumbs up.'

Nadine thanked everyone and Keyz joined Nadine and Seb for a few of the songs. The atmosphere was electric. Seeing everyone having so much fun made Seb feel great. After an hour, Seb started to pack his things away.

"That was so much fun", smiled Keyz. "Just like old times."

Seb smiled. "I know! I just wish Dad was here."

"Oh yeah, why wasn't he here?", asked Keyz.

"Is everything ok?", asked Nadine, a concerned look on her face. When Seb didn't reply, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Seb?"

Keyz's eyes were filled with sorrow and he moved closer to Seb, as if to shield him from the outside world. "You can tell us anything, you know that right?"

Seb looked up at the pair, tears brimming in his eyes. "I think he's dying."

Without a word, Nadine pulled Seb and Keyz into a hug. "Just tell us how we can help and we will", she whispered.

Keyz nodded in agreement. "Any way we can."

Seb melted into the hug, grateful to have his friends by his side. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

They all pulled away from the hug and just stood in silence for a couple of minutes.

"His MS is getting worse. He had four MS attacks last week. I'm really worried", explained Seb.

"What have the Doctor's said?", asked Keyz.

"Nothing they haven't said before", replied Seb. His eyes met Nadine's and he smiled. He then looked at Keyz. "That's why I'm so grateful to have you both in my life. You've always been there for me."

Nadine and Keyz looked at each other.

"Aww, he loves us", beamed Keyz, which made Nadine laugh.

"Yep, he fell for our plan to make him love us forever and ever", joked Nadine, a mischevious smile on her face.

After a few seconds, the trio started laughing.

"You guys are weirdos", laughed Seb.

"The good kind?", asked Keyz.

"The good kind", smiled Seb.