1

Chapter One"It is only in retrospect that I wonder how this had never come up before."Pedro Henrique glanced around the dimly lit bar. His gaze settled on an older man sitting alone at the end of a table, his back towards them as he fiddled with a half empty bottle. It was a familiar profile - one that had haunted him ever since the young man had left town without a word. He could feel the ache in his chest growing each time he thought about the young man, and now it seemed like that pain had been transferred to the old bartender.His heart clenched painfully as a flash of golden hair flew past his vision. The pain became worse at the sight of the young man's broad shoulders blocking out his view.Pedro's hands curled into fists at his sides. Why couldn't he just leave him alone? Pedro knew why, but every time he tried to push those thoughts away he found himself remembering again what they used to talk about when they were young, what their friendship used to mean to them. They were friends, weren't they? Even if that was all they ever would be, Pedro still hoped that maybe they could get back to the way things used to be... But no, that was not possible. Their friendship was over, long ago.They had both agreed that it would be better that way - after all, that was what was best for both of them. It wasn't fair for either of them, so instead they just let their lives go on without each other. But it had taken Pedro longer than it should have to realize that that was exactly what it felt like. It had been three years since they'd seen each other. And now, Pedro was trying to convince himself that everything was okay, that nothing had changed since then, because deep down he had known all along.And yet, here he was.Waiting at the bar with a glass of whiskey in hand and a sad look plastered on his face because he couldn't take anymore pain from the memories. He had been there almost fifteen minutes already and had made absolutely zero progress in convincing himself otherwise."Hey," A voice said, and Pedro jumped, nearly spilling his drink. He looked up and saw another man standing next to his bar table. "You're looking pretty lonely over there.Mind if I join you?"The bartender gave him a wry grin before gesturing to the bar stool opposite him."Please," He said and sat down. He didn't even bother hiding his disdain as he eyed the old man across from him. He looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks - which wouldn't have been too difficult since he hardly wore clothes outside of work.The old man looked between them and frowned as he took in Pedro's dishevelled appearance.He was dressed in baggy jeans and a faded t shirt, with a pair of worn shoes that had probably belonged to whoever had owned the room in which they stood now.The old man looked back and forth between Pedro and the stranger. "So..." he finally said, drawing out the syllable. "...what can I do for you gentlemen? Or rather, whom can I do anything for.""Nothing," Pedro muttered under his breath before turning to the old man and plastering on his usual smile. "I'm waiting for someone.""Oh?" The old man looked confused, and turned to glance behind him, before returning his attention to Pedro and leaning forward slightly. "Does she live in this city?"Pedro shook his head."No, she doesn't.""Well then, may I ask who is it?"The bartender chuckled darkly. "If I told you who her friend is, do you think you could help him get home?"He watched carefully as the man's face fell, but the old man did not betray any sign of recognition."I am afraid not.""Well then," the man sighed and reached into his pocket before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, "you will have to excuse me-"The bartender moved faster than lightning, his palm crashing against the stranger's cheek. The force sent the two men stumbling backwards, and in seconds the whole room went silent as everyone held their breaths.Pedro watched numbly, his mind reeling at the action as tears sprang into his eyes. His jaw was tense as he waited for a reaction, hoping that his friend could tell him what was going on, where he had gone wrong, but none came."Oops," The stranger said sheepishly and rubbed his cheek. "My bad. Must've gotten my drink mixed up. Sorry about that.""That's not very nice," Pedro snapped and pushed himself to stand, ignoring the pain that shot through his shoulder. He didn't want to cause a scene and draw unnecessary attention, but he was too angry at being treated like a common thief."Yeah, well...sorry."The bartender narrowed his eyes and slowly pulled himself onto his feet, keeping a wary eye on Pedro as the bartender's hands curled into tight fists."You know, if you try something like that again, you'll regret it."Pedro nodded curtly and brushed off his pants, watching as the stranger slunk away from the bar. Once he was sure the man was out of earshot, Pedro lowered his guard enough to speak quietly."What the hell was that?""You know perfectly well what that was," the bartender replied calmly and walked towards the exit of the bar."Yeah, you broke his nose. I thought you wanted to kill him," Pedro growled. "Is that really necessary?""This isn't about that."The bartender grabbed his arm and started guiding him through the darkened street. Pedro tried to shake him off, but it proved fruitless. Finally, he stopped in front of his apartment building. "Get out. You're fired.""What are you talking about? I've worked here for four months now, don't you think you owe me something?"Pedro stared up at him incredulously. Four months? Since the night that his best friend and he had broken up because of his inability to admit he liked another guy? That had been three months ago. Three months since the boy had decided that he had done the right thing by breaking their friendship apart.Three months since his best friend had run away, leaving his brother alone and destitute, and Pedro himself had been forced into a life of constant poverty thanks to the generosity of the old bartender, who had somehow managed to pay for Pedro's schooling when he was unable to.Three months of feeling lost and unsure of his place in the world."Look," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I appreciate your concern, but you've got to understand.