Relationship

"I love you." She looked at me with her eyes filled with tears.

I put my house keys on the bench beside her, then strode towards my black Ranger. When I sat inside the car, tears showed up on my cheeks. I was glad I didn't tell her to pack her stuff as I planned. She had no money, job, place to stay, and absolutely nothing to support herself. The last thing I could do for her was to give her at least a roof over her head. I hoped she would do better without me.

I was going to see my best friend. It took five hours up north. I had plenty of time to think, but I didn't want to think; after all, I had been thinking this whole time. Still, there I was, without the only person in the entire world I wanted to be with the most.

Soon, I parked at Andy's address. The place didn't change a bit. It had an empty road with no streetlamps. The only sounds I heard were from owls and the wind in the nearby woods. It was almost nine o'clock. Knowing Andy well, I knew he was sitting on the porch with a book, sipping his favourite cold whiskey. I walked around the house; eventually, I reached the rusted gate. It loudly creaked as I opened it. I slowly closed it behind me, trying to avoid as much noise as possible. There was a weak light over Andy's head; I was sure he hadn't seen me yet. Firstly, he was blind as a bat. Secondly, it was really dark.

"What a surprise."

"My friend-"

"Get yourself a glass. Sit down. And shut up. I want to finish this chapter." Andy didn't let me finish my sentence. He didn't even look at me when I walked up the four rotten steps.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" His nose was still in the book.

"Sorry, man. I forgot." I removed my shoes, put them below the porch bench, and headed inside the kitchen. Once I had my glass, I asked, "Ice?"

"Yes. And shut up."

I put two glasses on the table, took two cubes from the one filled with ice, placed each inside our glasses, and poured some whiskey. I looked at the stars. The clear sky at night with countless shiny stars was marvellous. I wondered how many people were looking at the same stars worldwide at that precise moment as I was. I was tired but happy. I was finally with my friend.

Andy finally put the book on the table. "It's an amazing book; you should read it."

"I'll have some time from now on, so I probably will."

He raised his glass. "Nice to have you back, Cooper." We clinked our glasses.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm tired; let's leave it for tomorrow." I took another sip. "Now we can enjoy the clear sky. Tell me, is it always like this around here?"

"Yes. However, the sky is exceptionally clear tonight."

The weather was warm; therefore, we stayed on the deck for almost two hours. Neither of us talked much. We barely exchanged comments about the alcohol and garden.

Andy was the first to go to sleep. Before he went, he ordered me to wake up at eight o'clock. He didn't have to tell me where I would sleep or where things were; I knew the house as well as he did. I stayed outside for another ten minutes to clear my head. I thought of everything I had left behind and questioned my judgment. I knew I did the right thing, but I wasn't sure if I did it correctly. Afterwards, I went to the bathroom to wash my face and straight upstairs to my bedroom. Nothing had changed since I last slept in the room. There was a queen-sized bed, a nightstand I bought from a local garage sale, and one motivational picture with the quote, 'Think Positive, Stay Positive.' I took my clothes off, set the alarm clock for 7:30 AM, and went to sleep.