Josh's POV.

I'm sure everything will be just fine……

I walked tentatively up the stairs, hoping that Uncle Collins' words were true and that things would be okay between Aba and Dad. I braced myself as I slid open the loft door slowly, and I suddenly froze when I saw both my parents standing in the living room and glaring at each other. Dad was just about to say something nasty when they noticed that I was home. In an instant, they relaxed and put on fake smiles for me, thinking I didn't know what was going on. Dad walked up to me and hugged me, and said, "Hey buddy, I just came up with this great melody on my guitar but I'm finding it hard to get some lyrics to go with it. Think you can help me out with that?"

"Sure thing, Dad," I replied, plastering a smile on my face for his sake. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aba go back to editing his film in the corner of the living room, a hurtful expression in his eyes. As soon as Dad went to his room to tune his guitar, I went and sat down next to Aba, and hugged him tightly.

"Is everything okay, Aba?" I asked him and he hugged me back. "Did you manage to work things out?"

Aba smiled sadly at me and wiped his eye from under his glasses. "Yes we did, Yeshula. We're fine. It's just….gonna…take some time. That's all. Please stop worrying about us." He then pulled me close and kissed my forehead. "Say, why don't we go to the Life for dinner tonight? Just us and the gang?"

I smiled, but still couldn't get rid of that knotted feeling in the pit of my stomach. "Okay, Aba. Sounds great." Just then Dad entered the living room with his guitar and sat in his favourite place next to the giant window. I sat across from him and wrote down whatever I could to go with the music, praying silently to myself that everything really would be okay.

Roger's POV.

The three of us sat at our table in the Life cafe that evening, Mark next to me, and Josh on the seat across from us, and the silence between us so thick you could cut it with a meat cleaver. Josh shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he looked at us with worry in his eyes. I felt so sorry for him, to put him through our problems. Albeit he was our son and had a right to know what was going on, I could see that the tension between us was starting to affect him. I reached across the table to squeeze his hand, and he offered me a small smile in return. But all I got in return was an apprehensive glare from my husband.

"What?" I asked him, annoyed at his reaction. What the fuck was he getting so huffy about now?

Before he could open his mouth, the door of the cafe flew open and in walked Collins, Maureen, Joanne and Leana (Mimi couldn't come because she had to work a longer shift that night). The three of us sighed in relief and smiled as our friends grabbed extra tables and chairs and put them all together for us. Collins sat on the other side of me, Maureen and Joanne sat next to Mark and Lea sat with Josh. We gave our orders to the waiter and made small talk with each other. Once our drinks arrived, Collins looked at me with a serious expression.

"So, how's everything going between you two, Rog?" he asked, taking a sip of beer.

I gave him my most convincing smile. "Oh everything's fine Collins. Why are you asking?"

"C'mon now, dude. You may be foolin' those girls and yourself but ya ain't foolin' me." Damn him for knowing us so well. "Roger, why can't the two of you sort this out? It's starting to scare Josh."

"I know that! But sadly, Mark here thinks I'm trying to turn Josh into a mini-me who drinks anddoes smackand fucks around with groupies, which is not true." Just then, our orders arrived. I took a huge swig of my beer. "I mean, how could I ever do something like that? Everyday that I wake up, I regret letting April take advantage of me. I regret going out with her every night to get high. I regret – "

"Shut up, Roger." Collins interrupted me. "What happened to that motto we believed in? Forget regret, or you won't be able to live a happy life. That's all in the past. Just put it behind you and move on, man."

"Yes Collins, I know," I said, digging into my soy burger. Mark ate his caeser salad as he continued to chat to Maureen and Joanne, ignoring me. I glanced over at Josh, who picked nervously at his club sandwich while Lea chatted on about her eccentric Math teacher. God, how I hated putting him through this. I ordered another beer and fixed my gaze on Mark, who still kept ignoring me. Finally I couldn't take it any longer.

"So, are you done yet?" I asked him.

Mark turned to face me. "Done with what?"

"Ignoring me." His playing-dumb act was really getting under my skin.

Mark crinkled his forehead and frowned at me. "When you use your damn brain and realise exactly what could have happened to our son because of you, then I will be," he snapped.

I scowled at him. "For the millionth time Mark, I am not trying to turn Josh into me. I'm just trying to make him a little bit more social, that's all. He's like you every time you stick that damned camera on your face, he shuts off the world and hides behind his journal so he doesn't have to face the world around him. You know what? If anything, you're trying to make him more like yourself! Detaching from everything and everyone around him so he can hide in a place where nobody can reach him!"

Mark glared daggers at me, his blue eyes turning as cold as ice. "Fuck you, Davis," he spat and turned his back to me. That was it. I could not sit here and take this anymore. If he wanted to be angry, I'll give him something to be fucking angry about. I got up from my seat and walked to the bar where I could catch a glimpse of Tony, the new bar assistant. He was young and probably still innocent, the freckles on his face making him look like a 14-year-old. Just as he finished his shift and hung up his apron, I grabbed him by the arm, pressed him into the corner, and straddled his hips with mine. He gasped and practically fainted on the spot, but I held him up and continued straddling him. Just as I had planned, Mark looked at both of us with a mixture of horror and rage in his eyes. Ha! I cackled inside my head. Now he's got a reason to be mad, because now I'm doing something really wrong. He shot up from his seat, strode towards us past all the other patrons and looked me straight in the eye, his eyes practically blazing out of his head.

"Roger, I think it's time we headed home. Now." He spoke with clenched teeth, an ice-cold voice and tightly balled-up fists.

I smirked triumphantly. "Ok, cool. I'm ready," I matched his tone. I released Tony, who slunk to the floor in a heap, and walked back to our table where all our friends regarded us with worried expressions. Of course, no one was as worried as Josh, who no doubt saw the whole thing. Poor guy, he really thinks all this is his fault when really it's not. I gently squeezed his shoulder and ruffled his hair.

"Hey there buddy, wanna head home now?" I asked him. He mumbled an 'okay' and we all split the bill and walked our separate ways to our homes, after bidding each other goodbye. I tried to slip my arm around his shoulder as we walked, but he shook me off and slapped me in the face. "Get the fuck away from me!" he hissed.

Josh looked up at me, tears brimming in his dark olive eyes as I put my hand on my cheek. "Dad?" he whispered.

I so badly wanted to say, don't worry son. Everything's fine. But I couldn't. Because we both knew that that wasn't true. So I just sighed andhugged him tightlyas we walked back to the loft in silence.

Once inside, we bid Josh goodnight and sent him to his room. Let him get some sleep so he wouldn't have to worry about us. I followed Mark into the bedroom, where we began to change for bed. Finally relenting, I placed an arm around his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry Marky. I didn't mean to do that. Honestly."

Without even turning to look at me, he spoke in that same icy tone. "Don't you dare think that I'm done with you."

I glared at his back. I could already tell this was going to be one hell of a night…..