I bet all on blue

A viral video

It had gone viral.

That fragment should never have seen the light of day, but there it was. There it was and the worst part: I couldn't and wouldn't stop seeing it.

They had been going back and forth for months, one place and another, days and days seeing each other, almost living together. After sharing so many years of 'corten', so many confidences and experiences... something had changed in the atmosphere... hadn't it? Actually, I constantly avoided answering that question because there were only two options:

A. Yes, things had changed between them, giving way to... to what?

B. Her feelings for him were indeed in the blooming stage and they were blooming... a lot and very fast.

She drowned in her thoughts when the idea that yes, she had feelings for Luke and of course he was her best friend, of course what she said in that interview was totally true: the relationship between them was special and unique. She had never had the complicity she had with him, nor had she ever cared for someone as much as she cared for him. However, the worst part was not that part, no. The worst part was that no one had ever loved, protected, cared for, pampered and cared for her as much as he did. No one. Ever. And in a world like ours where appearances, ego and competitiveness are in the top 3, having Luke around was and is a complete and true blessing.

He snorted as he replayed those seconds of clip where she could be seen touching his hair and he...oh my mother, he almost trembled when she brushed against him, closed his eyes and smiled. She could almost hear him sigh.

She smiled helplessly.

Would he have seen it? Would he have said something to her if he had?

And she hit play again.

The way he reached for her touch....

She leaned the cell phone on the side of the table, determined to leave it alone. Determined to never again think about the idea of having Luke always by her side.... At her bedside because their friendship she would always have. She trusted them completely.

Again, another question popped into her mind: what were Luke's feelings? Would he have feelings for her? She knew he was a good actor and she was glad of it but in this situation she wished she wasn't playing anything. There was no script, there was no director, there was nothing but cameras. Cameras and the beginning of a story.

- A shower will do me good - he said to the air. He liked to speak out loud, to express himself even if no one was there to tell him anything. It cleared his mind and he felt better once it was all said and done. - Maybe that's what I should do with Luke, be honest - she shook her head several times - no way. Stop it.

She could overcome almost anything, she was a strong woman and over the years of course she had broken up (she was not proud of it) and had had her heart broken several times. She had recovered successfully but she wasn't sure what would happen this time, she couldn't imagine her life without him and she didn't under any circumstances want that possibility to be considered.

- The shower - she said to herself again.

Half an hour later she was feeling much better. Ready for anything.

She had let her hair down, removed her make-up, put on a simple and beautiful blue dress that looked like her eyes and comfortable slippers. No heels, her feet needed a big break.

Knock, knock

Silence

Knock, knock

It was him. She recognized even the music his knuckles made when he knocked. In fact, I recognized everything about him even at this point, his mouth.

Okay yes, none of that was supposed to have been real.Stop it.

- Nic? - was heard from behind the door.

Oh, shit.

- Sorry Luke, what's up?

- Are you coming downstairs? Let's have a drink - I hadn't thought about it but a cold beer would do him good.

- Come on," he replied, grabbing his key and cell phone, and then locked the door.

One of the many good parts about Luke is that he was always trying to make you feel good and he was doing just that: he told me that he would soon start reading a new book, that he had talked to his family, that he had never been in such a bright hotel, that he felt better in every interview despite his ADHD and dyslexia.... We told each other endless anecdotes and between us, there was always a bit of vulnerability.

- I know you," Luke said in mid-sentence.

- I know," I answered immediately. What was that about?

- No, wait, I know you and I know there's something wrong with you, Nic - I noticed how the heat that the beers had established in my cheeks went down to my heart.

I wasn't going to lie to him. Not to Luke.