Caitlyn didn't take Hayden's departure to New York very well. I didn't tell him anything about this until the date was near, Hayden himself thought about never telling him, lying to him if necessary, the news might have been intended to hurt him without giving him an explanation. Lies were a reliable solution. What would happen if one day she found out the truth? It would be worse? He sat one day in front of the lake, his gaze was lost watching how the air pushed the water and how his ducks came down to drink a little of that fresh water. The wind blew leaving the musty smell of the night before, the sun was barely rising and Hayden didn't know what words to choose, what to do, his head was spinning, the pressure in his chest, just sitting in the middle of nowhere looking at the lake. It gave him a certain peace of mind until he heard how the branches broke, revealing Adriana who came walking with a cup of coffee, she was not that far from the house, everyone knew that this was her place to think when no one could find her.

—A long night?—Adriana stretches out her arm giving her the cup, Hayden turns around taking it in her hand to see that Adriana came with a bun, along with a thin white coat, apparently it's the only thing she's wearing on her torso besides a tank top, seems not to be cold despite the breeze that hit everywhere, dragging the poor leaves everywhere.

—Every night is like this—

—Is it for Caitlyn or for Victoria?—She sits next to her, resting her head on her legs, facing the same side as Hayden.

—For Caitlyn, Victoria, I hope, take this more calmly, we both know that we are no longer in a relationship, for years—

—It doesn't seem like that, more like how you and she talk to each other—

—Pfff, she and I made that clear, there is only a deep friendship between the two of us, there is nothing else between the two of us—Is that true? Hayden knows very well the conflict that exists within him, however he lies to himself trying to make sure to hide deep down his feelings towards Victoria who still spark something in him.

—Hayden, please, how much more are you going to pretend?— Adriana, as you know, doesn't hold anything back, she likes things clear and she doesn't like how Hayden lies to herself and lies to others, pretending to forget her relationship with Victoria. Adriana takes the initiative to talk and be clear with her best friend.

—What are you talking about? Victoria and I left everything of ours behind, there is no "we"—

—Hayden, you can fool anyone you want, even you I don't know what it is, Caitlyn. But not me, I know you perfectly, I know when you lie, when you are scared or confused, there is always something in you that gives you away. You still have feelings for Victoria, even though you love Caitlyn, there is something in you, something that still loves Victoria, and hopes to get back with her. Have you ever wondered why I can't stand Caitlyn? Is for you—

—For me? I don't understand you. What do I have to do with your hatred towards her?

—I tried to push her away, Hayden for God's sake! I didn't want you to hurt her, no more than they have already done to her— Adriana seems to be confused too, she had never thought about anyone but herself and from time to time about her boyfriend and Hayden, but worrying about a woman you barely know?.

—Do you care about others now? Or do you just want to make me feel bad like you did before we were friends? Why are you so interested in what happens between Caitlyn and me?—

Adriana lowered her head, putting it between her legs, wanting to see her red eyes, there is something in her, something to hide and she doesn't want to say it. Her figure as an empowered woman, a strong woman who can overcome anything, would be affected but it is something that she keeps, something that she kept for a long time and that is that in Caitlyn she is reflected in a certain way, she feels her pain, she feels their anxiety, their depression, something that they both share but only one of them could share through their actions or words.

—It's not that Hayden, there are more reasons but... You wouldn't understand them...—

—Then explain to me so I can understand you—

—Things happened when you went to New York, things that I thought I would leave in the past, but when I saw Caitlyn again they came back to me, they made me understand that the pain inside me still doesn't go away, things take time to heal. and seeing her made me angry, it made me live everything again and at the same time it makes me angry to see how you lie to her day after day. And I don't want to hear you say the same old thing, I don't want your sermons. If you're going to go to New York it's to make things clear with Victoria, you're going to have to choose—

Hayden remains silent, he sees Adriana, he sees her red, she is not the woman he knows, he understands her pain, there is something he doesn't know but he doesn't care, just as she knows him perfectly, he also feels that there is something in him. Adriana, who makes her express herself in that way, makes her strong and weak at the same time, takes a slight breath to wrap her in her arm. There are no words with which he can refute, Adriana is right, he must solve her life, he must solve her past to be able to be calm, maybe then that pain in her chest will disappear, maybe then he can sleep peacefully.

—I will, but you have to promise me something— he says, hugging her best friend, —I'll fix things with Victoria and Caitlyn and you'll tell me what happened while I was gone. Deal?— He sighed, taking a breath of air.

While Adriana accepts, shaking her head, holding back her tears, letting at least that morning go peacefully for both of them, Andrew is not there, he went to deliver some furniture to Portland, he would not arrive until the afternoon to say goodbye to his friend who That night he left Oregon City to go to his beloved city New York.

That same night Hayden prepares the last things in his suitcase, he checks carefully that he doesn't forget anything, he does it not two, not three, but five times until he is satisfied with his luggage, he leaves for two weeks and doesn't plan to leave anything aside. Call for the last time at your work where you requested your vacation, answer the last calls, leave instructions and specify about not being disturbed during your trip, everything is written down in a notebook so that the projection of the movies is online and if there is a failure The solution is noted there.

There is nothing else to check. He sees the time on her phone, it's still on time, he sighs seeing that there are no messages from Caitlyn, he wants to talk to her on the phone, however he thinks that this would only make things worse with her. He takes his suitcases, begins to go down the stairs until he reaches where Andrew, Adriana and Avril are waiting for him in the living room, he hears their murmurs, they are talking about something but he doesn't hear what. He arrives with them putting their suitcases on the floor, Avril doesn't seem upset as he thought she would react because of the problem with Caitlyn, but no, she is calm with her legs crossed with a big smile on her face, with one of her hands she is holding a glass of wine, is the only one who still continues to consume said drink.

Hayden looks at them, Adriana and Andrew are standing, Avril finds it a little difficult, Hayden suspects her, he knows why she is not upset and instead she is very happy, smiling, just as if nothing was happening.

—Give my regards to Victoria— Adriana comments, giving Hayden a hug. —Tell her that she should come next time, it's not just you—

—I give her your greetings and calm down, don't be jealous, at Christmas you can have her—

—And tell him that you already have someone else in your life, right? Let me stop bothering you, and leave you alone once and for all— Avril leaves the glass on the table, her breath reeks of fermented grapes, it seems as if she has been drinking for a few hours.

—It's one of the topics to be discussed—He behaves, even the spirits are tense, there is not much to do and he doesn't want to make things worse —Please, stop drinking, we had discussed it before——You are not my father—She smiles mockingly moving around the room, she can barely stand up. She laughs when she was about to fall, she didn't do it but this makes her laugh, she doesn't contain it, she doesn't hide the happiness that alcohol gives her.

—It's better that you leave now, I'll take care of Jack Sparrow— Adriana fussyly kisses her Hayden on the cheek.

—Looking at her closely, they look similar in the way she walks, only, well, she's addicted to wine and not rum, thank goodness—Andrew speaks, opening the door of the house. He gives Adriana a kiss on her lips, promises to drive carefully —Don't wait up for me—

—Okay love and Hayden, be careful, remember that we talked in the morning—

On the trip to the airport, Andrew and Hayden only talked about other topics, they avoided the topic of Caitlyn, instead they talked about sports, like Formula One of which Andrew is a fan, Hayden only keeps up with him because he knows about cars. It's not that it's his favorite sport, the only time he pays much attention to it is when he's going to spend the twenty-four hours of Le Mans, it's the race that interests him the most, where he can sit all day watching it until he falls asleep. Both friends talk between the music, the night and a long trip to the airport, both of them, as always, remember old times, old experiences accumulated over time. It's incredible how the two have gone through everything together, they both consider themselves brothers.

Camaraderie between men is always very important, it seems like it is something very simple but men always manage to connect with each other, there is a trust that is gained from the first minute. They live a happier life far from being able to criticize anyone. They are not like us, they do not go to bars to talk about their problems or to a cafe to say that their partner is distant, not with just a pat on the back or playing a video game they give themselves therapy, they understand each other without saying A lot, their life is based on that, on complete trust, on their way of expressing things and how this brings them friends who truly connect with them.

Their lives are curious, I stopped once to observe this behavior with them, Hayden and Andrew, before that night happened. Caitlyn had left me next to them and next to Taylor, then you will know who she is, you will meet her in due time. Well, the point is that we both stayed in the country house with them, they both sat down to have a beer, they didn't talk much at first, they both understood each other with just a look, as if they knew what they were thinking, even I remember Andrew asked him a question about Caitlyn and Victoria, he just shook his shoulders and Andrew understood everything. A long conversation was not necessary, it was not necessary to talk about a solution, and if they did it was during a board game or playing a video game, my experience with the two of them was curious but you understand that men try to lead a simple life, a calm life about its problems about its complicated situations.

Andrew accompanies his best friend until his flight is announced, the two played on their phones for a while, in silence the two waited until the time came, Hayden shakes his hand and then gives him a hug, the latter wishes him luck and asks him, as always, to bring him the chocolates that he and Adriana love.

—Don't forget the chocolates, otherwise Adriana will kill us both—Andrew says.

—I won't do it. I almost forgot. Can you give this to Caitlyn? In case they see her or if not Avril, she sees her more— Hayden takes out a sheet of paper with many folds from his pocket, it didn't come with an envelope or anything, it was just the sheet, as you know he doesn't have much creativity for things. crafts and in the small details he makes his effort.

—Are you sure of this? She may take it the wrong way, you know how sensitive she is—

—I wanted to see her today, but she only forwarded my calls, she didn't answer my messages, so I prefer to leave this to her and let her know that she is my priority, in the letter I explain everything in detail—

Andrew takes the letter, putting it in the pocket of his black jacket, accepts his friend's request and the latter says goodbye with his greeting, one that they invented literally a month after they met. That greeting was preserved for a long time, it means a lot to both of them and they did it only when they both felt that it was an important moment for one of them.

Hayden walks with different feelings, on the one hand he is excited to see Victoria and Carolina after a while, on the other hand, he thinks about Caitlyn, he did everything possible to be with her this day, he feels worried, he doesn't want to leave her like this, but He must also attend to his duties in New York, he is terrified of returning to the city where he touched the sky and where he fell into his greatest misfortune, they are combined feelings, all his memories accumulate in him causing the nerves that turn his stomach, they do not let him in peace and even then there is no turning back.