As time passed, Aaron didn't show up at home. His things were still in their place, and I didn't know what to do. The feeling of anxiety didn't want to leave me at all, because, despite what had happened, I knew that I still loved him. Ideally, I should have packed up and moved somewhere else, changed my room and study place, but instead, I decided to wait and try to talk to him again. It's hard to realize that, no matter how much of a jerk someone turns out to be, you can still forgive and accept them. I decided not to tell anyone about it so as not to cause too much fuss around me, but Wilman kept calling me without any breaks for lunch or weekends. Every day of the week, my phone was full of his calls and messages asking where his son was and why he wasn't available. I stubbornly ignored them; I didn't have time to discuss what happened with his parents. Right now! I'm running away and falling!The only person who knew everything was a college girl who I met by chance in the bathroom. It turned out that I was overwhelmed with depression, longing and hatred, and burst into tears. Lesya supported me at that moment. At that time, I was convinced twice that it was easier to talk to a stranger about your feelings than someone close to you.It turned out she had also experienced similar things in the past and she understood me easily. We talked, cried and felt each other's support. We exchanged contact details and began to see each other more often. Even though it had always seemed difficult to me to make new friends and build warm relationships, it turned out extremely easy and relaxing with her. "Good morning, can we meet for coffee before class?"I grabbed the phone so quickly that I almost fell out of bed. After reading the message, I typed "OK" and ran to the shower. During this week, I lost a few pounds from stress and looked at myself in the mirror, whose bones were beginning to bulge slightly and bruises under my eyes didn't allow my face to look fresh. Hot water ran down my naked body and I imagined all my problems and longing for the person I loved were going away with it. My muscles relaxed slowly and I felt relief. I wanted to stand there for hours just under the hot water, not thinking about anything or anyone but it was worth getting up, so I washed my hair quickly and forced myself out of the shower while throwing on a robe and wrapping my hair with a towel.In order not to scare everyone around with my huge bruises under my eyes, I started covering them up. So my face looked a bit more rested, but even the thickest concealer was slightly translucent. Then, according to the classic, mascara and eyebrow styling, and I felt human again. I wondered if a monument had already been erected for the person who invented makeup. If not, add that to your goals for life list.I quickly put on jeans and a hoodie and ran out the door. "I'm leaving, where are you?" Damn, I had been waiting a long time. I needed to text her that I would pick her up in five minutes. I hoped she wouldn't be mad. "I will come get you, don't move." I got my daughter and, without letting her warm up, immediately left the yard. Raven would probably slap me later if he found out how I rode her. And he would know for sure. He would have to listen to her complaining about being broken.I was unlucky today at the traffic lights and caught all the red lights. As a result, I arrived late but still came to pick up the girl. She was standing at the bus stop waving at me. I told her not to move.Jump in - It's been a long time; I thought I'd grow old waiting for you. The laughter filled my car and I smiled. I didn't think I would die of longing. Sorry, we weren't lucky getting there fast. Who came up with those damn traffic lights? I pouted but inside I felt indignant because I was late from going for too long.The girl interrupted the music in my car for 10 minutes while we were driving to the coffee shop near the college. I need to remind her to bring something to plug her ears with because my psyche can't handle all that rap about girls and millions of euros.– By the way, look what I made for myself in the evening! Lesya held out her hand to me, and I looked at her in disbelief, not understanding what had changed. – Well, the manicure is new, isn't it noticeable? – You had a handsome one before that. I really didn't notice, sorry. In fact, I was infinitely grateful to her for this. All these simple and distant conversations greatly distracted me from thoughts about Aaron. It was like Lesya took all my longing and multiplied it by zero. The coffee shop was a 3-minute walk from our academic building, so I decided to leave my car there this time. There were only 4 tables inside the small building decorated with light wood and full of living plants inside and out. A sweet barista greeted us as soon as we walked in. She was around our age, maybe she even studied with us. – Would you like a double cappuccino with caramel syrup and Ness?Her words pulled me out of my thoughts about how beautiful everything was here, but I didn't hear what exactly she asked. - What? – Coffee, Ness. What kind of coffee would you like? – Oh yes, a medium americano with mint, please. Lesya immediately took out a card, deciding to pay for both of us. I suddenly felt uneasy, but pushed these thoughts aside and sat down at a table by the window. A couple of minutes later, a girl brought our order and we thanked her together. The taste of hot coffee seemed to bring me back to reality. – Nessa, you're totally breaking apart. I called to distract you and you're always in your head. Has Aaron come? – No, but his dad... As soon as I said that, my phone buzzed and Wilman's name appeared on it – Remember the devil!We laughed and I declined the call. During the rest of our time at the coffee shop with Lesya, we talked about the boys on our course without even noticing that we were starting to be late. "Damn, how could I have been so stupid to not keep track of time!" the girl said as we rushed through the college grounds. As always, our pairs are very different, so I bid her goodbye and went up to the third floor to find the classroom where my psychology group was currently studying. "Vanessa Allister! This is your second tardiness in a week and you're talking without considering the other subjects!" "I'm sorry Mr. Rivard, it won't happen again." I lowered my eyes and quickly moved to an empty seat.Psychology classes were the most interesting for me. May Miss Bridget forgive me for my love of literature. He always had an informal teaching style, despite his age. Despite his young appearance, he found great common ground with students. A person who uses psychological skills so skilfully in life involuntarily makes you trust their management of the subject, like you feel you really understand their subject. Mr. Rivand is a tall man. In the first class, he told us he was 33 years old, but he did not look it at all. It seemed he was younger. The most surprising thing for all of us was when he introduced himself. In addition to his age, Mr. Rivard told everyone he was a Leo according to the Zodiac sign. This was the first time an adult had told us this about himself. Short but stylish hair, athletic build, he seemed to be the best teacher of physical education.– So, I repeat for the latecomers, today's lesson topic is the influence that people have on each other. Please raise your hand if you know who Dale Carnegie is. Five students, including myself, raised our hands, and the teacher shook his head in disappointment.– It's a shame that so few young people know about him now. You could avoid a lot of difficulties in communicating with others... My phone vibrated and I took it out of my pocket. "I'm home," said the message. Such a short message but it knocked me off my feet. My heart started beating faster and I spent the rest of the day thinking about our conversation. I felt like there was no point continuing. Doubt consumed me every second. Hatred for myself and for him grew like weeds in the garden. Questions have been bothering me all week. Why did they do that to me? What's wrong with me? Am I not beautiful enough? Maybe I'm not caring enough.Mr. Rivand gave us homework to read five chapters from any book by Carnegie of our choice and then tell him what we remembered and learned. After a few psychology sessions, I rushed out of the building for some fresh air. Lin was standing outside the campus talking to a group of guys, but when he saw me, he turned around casually and spread his arms. "Nessie!" he said. I fell into his arms immediately. They are so close but at the same time, so unfamiliar, like I could get rid of them in a couple of months, although that probably won't happen. We haven't seen each other much since he moved away, just texting. I stayed with his company, which helped me unload my thoughts and postponed the meeting with Aaron until later in the day instead of rushing home.