Capítulo sin título 1
It was late afternoon and spring. The rain was falling incessantly and there was a beautiful sound to enjoy.
It was a beautiful day to contemplate this wonder of nature.
But for him it was a day to say goodbye.
On the sidewalk, a young man in his 25s stood, motionless and with a haggard face. In his left hand he was unwillingly holding his umbrella, and in his right hand he was shakily holding a letter that held his full attention.
The sadness he felt was such that he forgot what the umbrella was for at that moment. So that the drops of water smeared the ink on the letter.
But he had already read it all.
“May our memories keep alive the love that spring brought to us. It’s not goodbye, just goodbye.”
That was the end of the letter.
As he reread it, silent tears began to stream down his face. He was unable to digest what he was reading.
With a shaky voice, he could only mutter to himself: “What am I going to do without you?”
Longing began to manifest itself and it seemed that his fragile heart couldn’t take it…
5 years ago
With the sunrise, a new day began in Boston. It was one of the most beautiful times of the year, the city was more vibrant and colorful: it was spring.
The flowers were starting to bloom and the trees were turning green. The city took on pleasant colors and scents.
For Hannah Greene, every sunrise was an opportunity to try again and do better. At just 18 years old, she already looked responsible, as she was the older sister of her only brother, 16-year-old Edward.
Wherever she went, Hannah always attracted attention, thanks to her cheerful smile and the beautiful blue eyes and wavy red hair she had inherited from her mother.
And something she had that made her beauty even more unique were the freckles that were concentrated in the area below her eyes, on her cheekbones.
Her family owned a small business in the neighborhood where they lived, Jamaica Plain. It was a small coffee shop with a cozy atmosphere, conducive to great conversation.
Hannah, thanks to a scholarship, was about to start higher education at one of Boston’s most prestigious universities.
She really wanted to be able to expand her family’s business.
The first day of classes arrived...
Crown Hill University, located in a high-society neighborhood, exuded charm and tradition. And it had academic excellence and a renowned faculty in all areas.
Hannah was entering a prestigious and certainly very demanding academic environment, but she was not alone. She was going to study business management with her best friend Stephanie Sinclair (a young woman of average height, with short straight dark hair, brown eyes and a model’s body).
During the vacations they only talked virtually, because Stephanie had traveled to visit her grandmother.
As Stephanie was always late for class, Hannah thought she would only hug her after the first lesson. But that’s not what happened.
Hannah sat on one of the benches in the garden, watching the leaves gently swaying in the wind and the variety of flowers and well-kept bushes around her.
Suddenly, she felt a soft, unexpected touch on her back. Before she could turn around, two delicate hands covered her eyes, enveloping her in a momentary darkness.
Hannah: (smiling) Who are you?
Stephanie: You really don’t know? (smiling)
Hannah soon realized that the perfume and the voice were familiar; it was Stephanie, her dear friend.
Hannah: How could I not know?
Then Sthephanie lowered her hands and they hugged, sharing the joy of true friendship.
Then they walked inside the institution, past groups of well-dressed students and animated conversations.
In the locker room
Hannah and Steph decided to put some personal belongings in their lockers.
Stephanie: look Hannah, I need to go to the bathroom. I need to change something (smiling and taking a pink lipstick out of her bag).
Hannah: Go on, I know your obsession with lipsticks.
Stephanie: (Laughing). You know me so well.
And she’s gone.
Hannah was struggling to open her locker, which she tried to force open with the key.
This didn’t go unnoticed by a student who had just entered the locker room. A very pretty student, handsome, I don’t know. What other qualities should I attribute to him?
It was Brian Reynolds, a young man in his twenties, dark, tall and robust, with dark hair and brown eyes.
He approached me and offered to help.
Brian: can I help you? (holding out his hand).
Looking at him without saying anything, Hannah handed him the key.
He kindly took the key and deftly unlocked the locker.
He then handed the keys back to her.
Brian: If you force your way in again, you could damage the key or the locker itself. (Looking at her).
Hannah: Okay, thanks!
Brian: you’re welcome!
And he left.
At that moment, Steph was just coming out of the bathroom and noticed that Hannah had been talking to a colleague (Brian).
Stephanie: what happened? Was he teasing you? (Pointing at Brian)
Hannah: Of course not, Steph. He helped me open my locker.
Stephanie: oh, that handsome guy helped you?! That’s it?
Hannah: What else would it be? Stop insinuating things.
In the middle of the conversation, a sharp sound echoed through the air, announcing the start of classes, suddenly interrupting their conversation.
Hannah: We’d better get to class (closing her locker).
Steph: come on! (putting her arm around Hannah’s neck)
And together they walked up the stairs, chatting, and headed for room no. 6.
The room was rectangular and bright, with natural light coming from the large windows on the right-hand wall.
Murmurs could be heard, students talking to each other, sharing laughter and stories.
Upon entering the room, the two friends noticed that the colleague who had helped Hannah not long ago was sitting at one of the tables, near the window and to the right of the room’s entrance.
Steph: (whispering in Hannah’s ear) the handsome guy is in our class!
Hannah: Shh, stop it! (speaking quietly). And Steph shut up.
They sat in different rows but next to each other. And they continued talking.
A few minutes later, the teacher entered the room. She greeted the class, welcomed them and asked each of them to introduce themselves briefly. In this way, everyone got to know the names of their classmates.
After the lesson, the teacher decided to send them off to do a short assignment, so she divided the class into small groups of two.
Hannah was selected with the classmate sitting in front of her; he was Andrew Winchester, a young man in his 20s, mixed race, with light brown eyes, medium curly hair and an athletic build.
A few minutes later, the teacher left the room and the students began to disperse. Some began to tidy up their materials, while others remained in groups arguing animatedly about their work.
Andrew, visibly annoyed, got up from his chair ready to leave the room when Hannah, his classmate, called out to him with an urgent tone in her voice.
Hannah: Andrew, wait! We need to talk about work.
He turned around briefly.
Andrew: Meet me in the library.
She picked up her backpack and followed his instructions.
In the library, Andrew went to a table near the window, put his backpack on the chair and instructed his colleague to do the same.
They then went to the book stand to pick up what they needed for their work.
While they were focused on selecting the books, a library worker was passing by with a trolley full of books and decided to leave it next to Hannah while he organized other stands.
After a few minutes, Hannah finally found one of the books they needed.
Hannah: Look Andrew, I found it! (excitedly holding up the book).
However, as she turned to show the book to Andrew, she bumped into the trolley. At that moment, the books started tumbling towards her.
In an instant, Andrew reacted quickly, bracing his hands on the book stand and positioning himself between Hannah and the collapsing pile. The books fell onto his back with a muffled sound, as Hannah crouched down, impulsively shielding her face with her hands.
Noticing that something was stopping the books from hurting her, Hannah looked up and saw Andrew standing there, breathing heavily. At that moment, their gazes met.
It seemed as if time had frozen at that moment.
