“And you made it into a song?”

“Yeah. At your show the other night, you told the story that I now realize was about when you saw Alejandro with his family. That’s got to be a hard story for you to tell. But you do, over and over again. Your strength blows me away, angel.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, humbly.

“I remembered what you said about how putting your words to music was what helped you finally get all those awful feelings out, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

“And?” she asked hopefully.

“It helped. I’ve been at it for quite a while.”

“Tobias, that’s wonderful.” She hugged him. “And you blew me away with your words. Your description of hurting like a kid is so accurate. That’s exactly what I felt after losing Ashley. All I wanted to do was crawl onto my mother’s lap and let her make things better.”

He swallowed hard, hating that he unknowingly stirred hurtful memories. He set down his guitar and took her hand. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad I heard it. I want to know what you felt like then and what you feel now. But I had my mom. I could go to her anytime I wanted for a hug or so she could tell me that we’d get through it.” Tears welled in her eyes. “But you couldn’t.”

“It’s okay, babe.” He hugged her. “I was fine.”

“How could you be fine? You lost your mom, your dad wasn’t there for you as you got older, and then you lost everything else. It must have been awful going all those years without anyone to hug you or hold you or tell you they loved you.”

“My grandfather and Elsa told me.”

“But still. I miss Blaine and it’s only been a few weeks.” She wiped her eyes, glancing at the backpack. “Are those the letters you sent to your sister?”

“Yeah. I was going to try putting one to music, but…” He shook his head. “I’m not there yet.”

“That’s okay.”

“Every time I look in that backpack, the same questions hit me. Why didn’t she come to me when he was hurting her? I was always there for her. Always. I took every phone call, every text. I talked through hundreds of problems with her.” He reached into the front pocket of the backpack and pulled out a Mad Truth About Love card. “She gave me this when she moved in with me.”

He handed her the card and watched her reading the words he’d long ago memorized. WE MAY NOT ALWAYS SEE EYE TO EYE was printed on the front of the card, and inside, PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU’RE FREAKISHLY TALL, BUT I STILL LOVE YOU.

As she silently read his sister’s note, the words played out in his mind.