Aka. "Destination Anywhere", "The Boy and Girl from County Bavaria"... After a very intense year in Würzburg (Germany), I'm back in Salamanca. I probably won't have that many experiences to write, but there's always an excuse to post a new entry!

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Out of all the people in the world, she had to be there. Over a year had gone by since they had decided to go separate ways and hadn’t met ever since. He hadn’t heard from her at all besides the small pieces of news he had come across by chance in the Internet or the gossip pages. And now there she was, talking to one of her crew members by her trailer without noticing him, even though he was standing a few feet away.

At first, the temptation to run away had been too big. If he had known they were performing in the same stupid festival! But it was already too late; they were professionals, after all. Yet the wounds were still hurting, and she was the last person he wanted to see. A few minutes later, however, curiosity had taken over him. He had been standing there for a while, watching her talk to that man, nodding her head and interrupting a few times. The strong midsummer sun made her use her hand to protect her eyes, those piercing green eyes that could hypnotize with a smile or kill with an icy glare. Could she recognize him from there? He wasn’t even sure whether he wanted her to see him, torn between the awkwardness of running into a friend who had turned into an enemy and the growing wish to talk to her, just to find out how she was doing.

She had always been a proud woman, and he knew. He knew that all too well. He would have to make the first move. But would it be worthwhile? Their separation had been everything but friendly; she was probably still as hurt and offended as he was. The awkwardness would be the same to both of them. As the man finished his conversation with her, he just stood frozen for an instant, wondering whether to go and say hello or just to run in the opposite direction. That was the very moment in which she looked his way. Both merely stared at each other for a second in which time seemed to stop. She then gave him an indifferent wave of her hand. He sighed; that was the sign he had been waiting for.

The woman had already turned away and was ready to go back to her trailer and relax. However, as she noticed his steps approaching her, she changed her mind. She waited for him to reach her, running a hand through her hair.

“Hey” he greeted.

“Hey” she replied inexpressively.

Physically, she hadn’t changed at all – the same intense gaze, the same carefully straightened hair, the same flawless skin. Even at that time of the day and with that weather, she already had make up on. She is the kind who needs to look her best in every situation. And even in that simple, sleeveless blouse and those dark skinny jeans, she succeeded. Sadly, understanding that she was beautiful on the outside – along with popularity, of course – had made her turn into a completely different person from the one he remembered on the inside.

“I, um, didn’t know you were here” he began, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I did. Saw it on the posters”

“Oh. It’s a small world, huh?”

A nod was all he got from her as an answer. Breaking the ice was harder than he had expected.

“So… how’s everything going?” he finally asked.

“I’m good” she said “What about you guys?”

“Pretty good, too” he swallowed before wondering “Is he here with you?”

“He couldn’t come” she shook her head “Too busy”

Instead of making one of the comments that came to his mind, which would do nothing but worsen the situation, he simply took a deep breath. To his surprise, she was the one to keep the conversation going.

“I saw your new chick”

“Oh. Right. It took us a while to find her”

“I can imagine”

“So… you guys have met then?” he questioned.

“Not really. Only from far away, if you don’t counts the time I had seen her in the media”

“Of course. What do you think of her?”

“She’s got good potential, I suppose” she shrugged.

Even he realized how ridiculous the question had sounded. He had to take another breath before saying what he was thinking, a comment he knew he would regret right after letting it out.

“She does. She’s very hard-working and a lovely girl. But she’s no you, you know?”

“No, of course not”

His remark made her smile. However, there was nothing arrogant in that smile or the tone of her voice. The softness in which she said that phrase made him think that she even sounded flattered; for a moment, he saw a glimpse of the girl he had met many years before at the music academy… the girl who had been close to a best friend to him.

“I never really wanted you to leave” he confessed “I just felt that there was no way to go on…”

She raised a hand to make him stop.

“Let’s not talk about it” she licked her lips “Let’s not stir the past; we can’t change it anymore”

He nodded. She closed her eyes, stung by the sun, and rubbed her forehead.

“I guess I’ll see you guys around” she said.

“Yeah. I wish you all the best”

“I wish you all the best, too. Good luck”

And with those words, she said goodbye before going back to her trailer. One more melancholic sigh escaped his mouth. How he wished things had been different…