"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...
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The day I met Rafel was another of those memories impressed into my mind. How could I ever forget it? From that fateful day to the day he drew his last breath he was the most important person in my life. Those three years we had together were short but will forever mean the world to me. My only regret was taking the time I had with him for granted.
Our little boarding school was located just two miles out from central Carcassonne, surrounded by vineyards and bordered by tall cypress trees. Between the gaps one you could see the walls of the old city, majestically crowning the hill, foregrounded by rows and rows of grape vines. It was truly majestic in the evenings, when the sun setting in the west caused the ancient walls and towers to cast long shadows over the fields. To the south lay even more vineyards, dotted with occasional clumps of shrublands nestling small villas, inns and estates. Juniper, lavender and kermes oak lined the winding lanes, and telephone wires criss-crossed against the backdrop of the blue sky.
We had met on the first day, when we were moving into our rooms. I had arrived from Perpignan, lugging a bag full of my belongings – things that I thought were important as a fifteen year old: my clothes, my books and a few photographs of my cat.
I was late, as I had missed the bus from Perpignan and had to wait for the next one. The lonely bus ride through the Occitan countryside was one of the first few times I've ever left my hometown alone. The route stopped through all the major towns, and in between them I could see nothing but lush green fields, endless vineyards and forested mountains.
Alighting at the main bus station at Carcassonne, I had to hire a taxi to get to the grounds of the boarding school. I cursed myself for missing the bus, I would've been able to catch the bus the school had chartered for arriving students if I had not been late. Now, I had to spend a sizeable chunk of my allowance on the taxi fare.
I was rushing off to the taxi station when I heard someone call out.
"Hey!" a man's voice came from behind me. "Wait a moment!"
I turned around and saw a boy stumbling down the bus with a large canvas sports bag hanging from his shoulder. He had dark hair and wore a tight-fitting knitted navy sweater, similar to the one that I had worn.
"I guess we're headed to the same place, huh?" he remarked, when he had closed the distance between us. He pointed to the school crest knitted onto his breast.
I nodded.
"That's great!" he replied, the excitement in his voice rising. "I saw you on the bus from Perpignan and I thought of sitting beside you, but you didn't seem like you wanted to be disturbed."
I only smiled curtly, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"You're not too much of a talker, are you?" he chuckled, raising his eyebrow. "That's alright."
"I could," I replied. "I just don't have the energy to."
"You're funny," he smirked. "I'm sure we'll get along well."
