When Tomás arrived at work, he found Jenn at the back of the restaurant, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. Her carefree face was illuminated by the dim light of a sunset that only intensified the feeling that the day was dying, like so many other things in his life.
"Just in time, as always," Jenn said as she saw him approach, exhaling smoke wearily as she watched him sit beside her. "I heard you're only staying until the end of the month. Aren't you going to tell your superior the real reason?"
Tomás chuckled softly, though there was no joy in his laugh, only a faint resignation.
"If I knew the reason, I'd certainly say it."
Jenn raised an eyebrow and looked at him with that mix of sarcasm and tenderness she usually reserved for him.
"You're lying, you know that well. But if you don't want to tell me, no problem." She gestured towards the truck parked next to them. "You arrived just in time to unload that thing. There's everything inside."
Tomás nodded calmly. "Alright, I'll change and help you. Who's in the dining room?"
Jenn rolled her eyes as she stubbed out her cigarette against the sole of her shoe. "The witch, who else? Better not even look at her. Lately, she thinks she owns the restaurant. I don't know what's wrong with that idiot's ego."
Tomás merely nodded and went inside to change and clock in. He emerged shortly after, ready to unload the truck. Jenn had already opened the tailgate and was waiting with her arms crossed.
Jenn was, in a way, like an older sister he never wanted to have: sharp-tongued, unpredictable, but always kind in her own way. Although she often exasperated him with her carefree nature, Tomás knew he had learned a lot from her in those two years.
"This place is going to feel different without you," Jenn said as he carried a sack of potatoes and set it down next to others.
Tomás paused for a moment, wiping his hands on his apron, and gave her a grateful look. "I didn't want to leave, but that's how things are." He paused, searching for the right words. "Anyway, we'll see each other at university next year. We should be in the same faculty."
Jenn burst out laughing, her laughter echoing against the walls. "You're quite confident, brat. Despite what you think, I'm a good student. You'll have to work very hard if you want to see me there."
Tomás smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I've always had good grades. I'm sure we'll see each other there."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you, but be prepared to see me far above you," Jenn replied, placing a box of tomatoes in the storage room before turning towards the door. "Now take care of the rest, my hands hurt." She gave him a half-hearted laugh, as if shedding an invisible weight.
Tomás finished unloading the truck alone and, when he was done, calmly washed his hands, mentally preparing himself to go into the kitchen and help Bella. He knew that lately she had been behaving differently, more distant, as if something was eating away at her from within. Perhaps it was because of his departure, or perhaps because she had discovered the truth behind his dismissal: the secret relationship between Henrick and Amelia.
He entered the kitchen, and as always, Bella greeted him with a wide smile, though this time it was laden with the sadness that had become constant in recent days.
"I'm going to wash the dishes first," Tomás said, trying to ease the tension.
As he began to wash, Bella approached from behind, as she usually did, though this time her steps were heavier, as if she carried an enormous guilt.
"I haven't been good to you these past few days, and you don't even get angry with me. Are you never going to scold me?"
"I couldn't get angry with you."
"Sometimes I wish you would, that you would show me more of yourself... just a little." Before he could reply, Bella intertwined her arms around his torso, resting her chin against his shoulder. "Why did you come into my life so late?"
Tomás stopped washing, closing his eyes for an instant as he felt the weight of those words.
"Bella... someone might come into the kitchen."
"Do you think at this point I care what happens? You know my life is ruined." Her voice broke slightly. "Why didn't you tell me? I thought you at least saw me as a friend. I hated you a little... for a few hours."
"I tried to stop it, but I didn't have any proof either." His voice sounded low, almost a whisper. "Besides, would you have believed me? I'm sure it would have seemed like a child's tantrum. Isn't that what you always tell me? That I'm a child to you."
Bella tightened her grip, and Tomás felt his chest compress with the force of her embrace.
"Perhaps you're right. I didn't want to realize the truth. But what I want now is to apologize to you." Her voice was barely a thread. "I don't want to be separated from you. Could you allow me to be selfish... despite everything?"
Tomás felt a pang of pain in his chest. He knew he deserved nothing, that he had never won anything, and yet, Bella's words shattered him.
"If that's what you want, then it's fine. You know I care about you too much."
Bella let out a choked sob and tightened her embrace even more.
"I care about you very much too... more than I should."
And in that moment, as Bella's sadness mixed with his own, Tomás knew that whatever they had, whatever it was, it no longer had a future. It was a bond condemned to break, like so many other things in his life.