Tess had told him that she wanted to embody the heroine, but the blonde was the heroine, whether she had noticed it or not, just like he was the android. Everyone knew anyway, since that stupid, catastrophic declaration on the night of Tess’s thirtieth birthday. Like watching a bloody train wreck, but he hadn’t been able to hush it any longer. The burning words “I love you like a man loves a woman” had burst out of his mouth like an atom bomb.

He exited the building of the publishing house and wondered if he should phone Tess – it was something he would have done before without giving it a second thought: call Tess, anytime, anywhere, and head over to the nearest pub for a drink. Now… he just didn’t know if it was his place to do that. Also, Tess had now a girlfriend and he, better than anyone, knew the way she usually acted in that circumstance; the “first flush” thing was an understatement. She breathed and lived for that other person… actually, it was as if she had relinquished oxygen altogether for that other, more necessary thing. He knew because he had lived every fling, liaison and pseudo-relationship alongside Tess – Lou being the latest disaster and Fin being the latest and most promising success. He knew perfectly well how Tess loved, the way she gave herself to the other person. She flung her complete being into it, no walls, no limits, and that was why breakups were so absolutely devastating for her. He considered it his main tragedy, because he wanted it so much, to be that kind of person for Tess. But he couldn’t be, and every day he had to swallow that knowledge and bottle it up.

At the end of the day, all he really wanted was for Tess to be happy –in fact, he needed it for his own well-being-, but the present situation was a drawback: the fact of standing there, phone in hand, not knowing what to do. The other existing option -to go drink by himself- was somehow less appealing… Pressing his lips together with resolve, he allowed his thumb to descend over the key. There was no way to make things go back to normal if he didn’t accept the situation and make an effort.

Placing the phone over his ear, he turned to walk towards his car, but then stopped when he recognized the two people who were walking on the other side of the street.

Dark hair, dark coat. Blonde hair, leather jacket, black beanie.

Cat and Frankie. He froze, and his blood seemed to freeze with him. This means nothing. But they were laughing and never losing eye contact, and he had a bad feeling straight away. They stopped in front of some massive building, and Cat seemed to be explaining something to the other woman, gesturing upwards, towards the wide windows.

“Hey!”

He flinched away from the strange sound, the sudden appearance of Tess’s voice in his ear. The phone call! God, he had forgotten all about it.

“Tess… Yeah, I… Listen, I’m freaking out, I think I’m seeing things.”

“Things? You mean like ghosts and dead people?” she giggled.

“Something like that, yes.” he was serious. “I’m actually seeing Frankie and my sister, side by side. What do you-?”

“Oh, fuck, fuck!” Tess’s voice faded away on the second “fuck”, as if she had moved the phone away from her.

“What? Tess, Tess, what’s going on? What do you know?”

“Me? No, no, no, I don’t…”

“Just tell me, all right? What is going on with Frankie and my sister?”

“Please, Ed, don’t make me tell you.”

“I don’t think… I don’t think it’s necessary.” he said, as he watched Cat and Frankie entering the building.