"What is love in this temporal life, if not just a distraction from the pain that doesn't seem to end."
After losing his best friend to an unexplained suicide, Mateu finds himself left to pick up the pieces with his best friend's younger brother, Fe...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I stood there in the hallway, taking a deep breath. It had certainly been a long while. After much hesitation, I finally rang the doorbell. Then I stood there and simply waited.
I couldn't help but think about the tears in Momo's eyes, the pain in his cracking voice. But I had to do this. I had to settle things once and for all, or I would never know peace.
But no answer came. I rang the doorbell once more, yet the door remained unopened. I waited for a while, before I just gave up. Perhaps he was outside, I did come here unannounced anyway, without checking whether he was home or not. I was about to leave, when finally there was a buzz coming from the intercom.
"Why are you here?" his soft, familiar voice breaking the silence.
I stopped in my tracks, turning slowly towards the small metallic panel by the door. I closed the distance between us, my lips hovering near the microphone.
"I came to talk to you," I said.
There was a brief silence, but I could still feel his presence lingering. I felt like it was those familiar silences that grounded him to the earth, lest he float away carried by the ethereal winds.
"You can talk to me right here," he muttered.
"Ferran. . ." I replied. "Please."
I was met with more silence.
"I just wanted to see you again."
When that too was met without a word, I closed my eyes, resting my forehead on my arm pressed against the wall. I let my shoulders fall as I let out a deep sigh. Well, what was I to do if the dear prince did not want to see me – yet at the same time my feet were heavy, refusing to leave. I didn't know how long I waited there, but eventually I heard the heavy door slowly open.
Ferran appeared before me in his usual outfit - his favourite white linen shirt, his silver crucifix resting on his chest. With a slight nod of his head, he gestured for me to come in.
Walking up to him, I wrapped my arms around him. I felt his soft hair brush against my cheeks, engulfed in the scent of his sweet perfume. When I finally let him go, I found myself looking into those familiar blue eyes of his. There was a tinge of sadness in his eyes, his lips parting slightly as he searched for the words he needed.
"I thought I'd never see you again," Ferran finally spoke, his soft voice wisping through the air.
"You thought I'd just leave you?" I asked. "How could I?"
We ended up seated at the balcony, just like we always did, facing the marina and the old port. The peonies, camelias and oleanders were in full bloom, surrounding us in an orchestra of pink – each blossom singing a melody of melancholy in a different shade.
I had told him that I couldn't spend too long, that I needed to be with Momo to see his grandmother. But as usual Ferran didn't even seem to respond, so I couldn't tell whether he even heard me.
