could not fall asleep again. Her head was flooded with images relating to the last five days, though to be frank, specifically the day of the visit to CERN. The enthusiasm which she had come with, it had only grown since she had seen Adrian. No doubt they were two very fortunate people. They had achieved what they had proposed as children and had truly successful careers. She had no idea what would have happened to the rest of the friends and classmates who went to class with them in Spain. What would have been of their lives? She had no idea. At certain times in our lives, there are people who are there and it seems to you that you will never be able to dispense with their presence because they are fundamental for you. And suddenly, without even realizing it, our life has taken a turn and there are no longer any of those that seemed essential. The raw and pure reality is that, sometimes, it is so easy to break the bonds that bind you to others that almost gives vertigo.
Boring to spin in bed, she got up early and went earlier than usual to the University. She had left work pending and she wanted to catch the rhythm as soon as possible. Later, she had arranged to meet with Lisa in the cafeteria for breakfast together, as usual. They had met at an interdepartmental party several years ago, and they had easily become acquainted. Lisa was from Wisconsin and she belonged to the geology department. She was three years younger than Sofia and was a very cheerful and extroverted person. They used to see each other daily for breakfast and lunch together and on weekends they used to make plans, along with other colleagues who also worked at the University. They had a group of friends that included a lot of cultural diversity, since there was an Egyptian boy, a Japanese girl, Sofia who was Spanish, two Dutch and three other Americans, apart from Lisa. However, although with all had very good relation and considered them truly her friends, the geologist was who had a closer friendship with.
On the other hand, the relationship with her colleagues in the department was also very good, so they used to frequently organize some food or dinner to see after work and enjoy together. Life in Pasadena had generally been simple and pleasant since she had landed there at sixteen to live with a family that had been willing to take her in through an exchange program. They had treated her very well and still had a relationship with them. In fact, she was not missing in their house for dates as marked as Thanksgiving or Christmas when she did not travel to Spain to visit her own family, to give a couple of examples. Even though she felt as comfortable and welcoming as if she were in her own home, as soon as she could, she became independent and went to a student residence until, at last, her financial situation allowed her to go one step further and she went to a shared rental apartment. From that it seemed like an eternity had passed. However, only a few years had elapsed. At this point in her life in which we have stopped to tell her story, her salary as a senior teacher allowed her greater luxuries and had been living on her own for several years.
As soon as Lisa saw her in the cafeteria, she threw her arms around her. Sophia was still surprising by this kind of reaction, since she was much more reserved and measured. Besides, this kind of situation bothered her in a certain way, although she knew perfectly how affectionate her friend was and did not try to change her because those things were just some of the things that made her so special to her.
- It's only been five days since we've seen each other, this seems excessive, don’t you think so?
- Sofia, you are so stretched! Relax a little, okay? I missed you and, although I know you're not going to tell me, I guess you know me too.
- You know that - the young astronomer said.
- Great! Tell me, how did it go?
- Despite the exhaustion I have, I must say that it has been incredible, even better than I expected. For so many years I had wanted to go there that I can not believe that it has already happened. It is a very rare sensation. Besides, something funny happened because I was there with a friend from school, don’t you think it's amazing?
- Yes very good. And what happened?
- What do you mean, what happened? Does not that sound pretty incredible?
- Yeah right! But you did not quite understand me: I told you to tell me "what happened" - Lisa said with a roguish gesture, as she quoted her last words with her fingers.
- Nothing I suppose you're imagining. We simply went out to dinner and talked to each other. That was it. He was my best friend from childhood and we had planned a thousand times to go together to see the CERN particle accelerator and we have met there for the first time in many years, is not that enough?
- The truth is that it's amazing. But, you know, I'm a romantic and I thought there would have been something else. You know, this sort of stuff. I mean, the kind of "two old friends meet and an uncontrollable passion leads them to a state of ecstasy and debauchery.
- You're incorrigible.
- I know.
- And I think you watch too much television, by the way.
Although she tried to deny the evidence, the conversation with Lisa made her think. What had she felt? She had indeed had very intense, almost indescribable emotions. To meet someone who had been so special in her life, after so many years apart and in such an unexpected way, had truly almost shocked her. Then the feeling of comfort beside him, that confidence from the first moment, made it seem like they had not really spent a single day apart. There are people with whom that type of connection is established, one so special and with such close ties that it does not matter if they are hours, months or years, once you are back at your side, the friendship continues exactly at the point you had left it.
And then there was the fact that Adrian was still that charming, funny, and adorable kid who had grown up with her. And, why deny it? He was also an attractive man with a look that made him very interesting. She would never have imagined that this young man who always complained because the girls would not care about him was a man with that attraction. It was undeniable that the passage of the years had suited him very well. Maybe was she confusing her feelings? Well, there was no doubt that there was a deep love between them, although it was never romantic love, not even when they were teenagers. At least, she did not know, since Adrian had never insinuated anything about it and, on the contrary, always used to tell her about the girls he liked. Had she felt any kind of attraction to him? She hardly dared think about it. It was as if she betrayed a pure and innocent memory of her childhood. However, it did not matter that she tried to convince herself otherwise because, since the first moment in which she saw him in Switzerland, when she thought of him, she not only thought of his innocent friend. There was something else.
She tried to convince herself that it did not matter and that it was not necessary to spend another second to think about it. Thousands of miles separated them and she had too much work to do.
CAPÍTULO 5: ADRIAN
Meanwhile, when Adrian returned to his hotel in Geneva, it took a long time to fall asleep, despite the accumulated tiredness, that it was already quite late and that his flight was leaving early. He thought that life can be really disconcerting at times. In recent years, he had had several opportunities to visit CERN, and each and every one of them had dismissed them for one reason or another. Until that time. For some reason unrelated to his conscience, he had thought that he should not postpone it any longer, that it was a dream he longed to fulfill. Why wait, then? Why is not there anything so urgent that I can not do it? That was no reason. Perhaps, unconsciously, he had rejected those opportunities thinking that someday he could go with Sofia. And fate had wanted it so.
It had really been incredible. From the first moment, he had recognized her without any doubt that it was her. Her hair was blond and curly at shoulder height, her brown eyes framed by thin eyebrows. He would have recognized her anywhere in the world, it did not matter if they were in the middle of a crowd. She was just as he remembered. Until that moment, he had not been aware of how much he missed her. Maybe that would have been the real reason that his relationships would never get anywhere. He was looking for his friend fr
om childhood, who was thousands of miles away, in his girlfriends.
It saddened him to know that she had gone through a bad experience with that jerk who left her almost on the altar. He felt his blood boiling at the thought of it. Sophia did not deserve anything like that. Although they had not been in contact in the last few years, he knew that she was still the same sensitive person as she had always been and imagined how much she would have suffered with that. He lamented that he had not been around to comfort her.
The next morning, he discovered that Herbert, one of the colleagues with whom he had visited and who had also been a classmate at University, had sent him some messages the night before. He supposed that he would have taken a few more drinks because he did not quite understand what he was trying to say, and since he was waiting at the airport, he decided that it would be best to call him.
- What’s up, heartbreaker? How did it go last night?
- Well, it was a very pleasant evening.
- I can imagine that.
- I do not follow you, Herbert.
- Come on! I say it was a complete trip for you. You see your University colleagues, you visit CERN and you're hooking up with a pretty blonde.
- I think it was clear