Mars sat at the head of the long, rectangular conference table, surrounded by a sea of papers, planners, and glowing laptop screens. She was trying to concentrate, but the conversations about lighting cues, dancers, and costume changes blurred together in her mind. The meeting dragged on, and Mars felt like she was being suffocated by logistics. Everyone in the room-from choreographers to tour managers-seemed laser-focused, but Mars was struggling to keep her attention intact. Her phone buzzed on her lap, and she peeked down, smiling faintly at Billie's text thread.

Mars typed quickly: "Ugh, I'm so bored."
Within seconds, Billie replied: "Cry about it. :)"

Mars smirked. Smartass. She started to text back, but a voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Mars, focus," Janice, her manager, said from across the table, raising an eyebrow.

Mars looked up, sliding her phone face down on the table. "Sorry. ADHD."

A few chuckles rippled through the room, but Janice didn't look amused. "Right. As I was saying..." Janice gestured toward a digital calendar projected onto the wall. "All of your choreography is locked. Sean Bankhead will be overseeing everything, but you'll need to step in for final rehearsals if needed. We're sticking with the same venues and gear configurations we planned months ago."

Mars nodded vaguely, her mind drifting again until she heard something that snapped her back to reality.

"And that's it-tour launches on the 10th of November. Now, let's talk through the November schedule-"

Mars interrupted before Janice could continue. "Wait, can we block off November 20th through 27th? Zaine's birthday is on the 23rd, and I don't wanna celebrate it on the road."

Janice sighed, already anticipating the pushback. "Mars, we can't reschedule those dates. The L.A. and Chicago shows are locked in. The venues are sold out, and the promo's already running-"

"I don't care. Find a way." Mars's tone was firm, her jaw set. She wasn't going to budge on this. "We can do a makeup show, whatever it takes, but I'm not spending Z's birthday in a hotel room or on a tour bus."

The team exchanged uneasy glances, but Janice knew better than to argue when Mars got that look in her eyes. "Fine," she relented. "I'll move things around."

"Obrigado," Mars muttered, her Brazilian accent slipping out slightly.

The room quieted as Janice made a note, and the meeting trudged on for another half hour. Mars managed to keep herself from zoning out entirely, but by the end, she was more than ready to leave.

When Mars finally got home, the smell of food greeted her the moment she stepped through the door. The familiar warmth of the apartment wrapped around her, grounding her after the draining day. She dropped her bag by the door, kicking off her shoes, and followed the sound of light chatter into the kitchen.

There, standing by the stove, was her mãe, Vera Tosin, stirring a pot while Zaine sat on the counter next to her, legs swinging. His face was a mix of concentration and excitement as Vera coached him in Portuguese.

"Agora, fala comigo, ursinho," Vera said with a warm smile. "Como você está?"

Zaine scrunched up his nose, focusing hard. "Com...o voo-say... tá?"

Mars leaned against the doorway, a grin spreading across her face as she watched them. "That's close, ursinho," she said, announcing her presence.

Zaine's face lit up when he saw Mars, and he immediately scrambled off the counter. "Dada!" he squealed, running to her. Mars scooped him up with ease, spinning him around once before planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, Z bear," Mars murmured, holding him close.

"You're late!" Zaine said, poking her cheek like he was scolding her. "We've been waiting for hours!"

"Traffic, kid," Mars teased, setting him down gently. "What's for dinner?"

"Feijoada!" Vera called from the stove, glancing over her shoulder with a smile. "Just like you used to love, filha."

Mars's stomach growled at the thought of the traditional Brazilian stew. It had been a long day, and nothing sounded better than her mother's cooking. She walked over to the stove and gave Vera a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for helping out, mãe," Mars said softly.

Vera gave her a knowing smile. "Always, ursinho. Zaine was an angel today-aren't you, meu amor?"

Zaine puffed out his chest proudly. "I helped! I said some Portuguese words too!"

Mars ruffled his curls affectionately. "Yeah? What did you learn?"

"Como...você tá!" Zaine announced proudly, though his accent was still adorably clumsy.

Mars grinned. "Not bad, Z bear. You'll be fluent in no time."

They all sat down at the table a little later, the conversation flowing easily over the meal. Mars felt a rare sense of peace, surrounded by two of the most important people in her life. Vera regaled Zaine with stories of Mars's childhood-ones Mars half-heartedly protested but secretly enjoyed hearing.

"And when Mars was about your age," Vera said, chuckling, "she used to demand we play the same song on repeat, over and over-what was it called?" She tapped her chin theatrically. "Ah, yes-'Aquarela.' She'd dance around the house like a little tornado."

Mars groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Mãe, please."

Zaine giggled. "I wanna hear that song! Can I see Dada dance?"

"Nope, absolutely not," Mars said firmly, though she was grinning.

Vera winked at Zaine. "Maybe another time, ursinho."

Later that night, after Zaine was tucked into bed and the apartment was quiet, Mars finally allowed herself to exhale. She slipped into more comfortable clothes-baggy sweats and an oversized hoodie-and sat down on the couch with her phone.

Her fingers hovered over Billie's contact for a moment before she pressed the call button. Billie answered almost immediately, her face appearing on the screen, glowing under the dim lighting of her hotel room.

"Hey, baby," Billie greeted, her voice soft.

"Hey," Mars murmured, her heart easing at the sight of her. "How's the road?"

"Same old," Billie said with a small smile. "I miss you, though."

"Miss you too." Mars leaned back into the cushions. "I told the team I'm blocking off Z's birthday week."

Billie's expression softened. "Good. He'll love that."

"I just want it to be special," Mars admitted. "He's been through a lot. We both have."

"You're doing great, babe," Billie said gently. "Zaine's lucky to have you."

Mars's chest tightened at the sincerity in Billie's voice. "Thanks, love."