Our living room is full of balloons. We have some cake, champagne, and fruit. It's nobody's birthday, but the occasion isn't less important — Mackenzie is coming home after almost three months in rehab.

"Do I look okay?" Annie walks out of her bedroom and stands in front of me. Her slim body is clad in a short, red dress, and she took ages straightening her long, blond hair. She looks pretty, but the real beauty is in her eyes —they shine for the first time since the accident.

"Sexy." I smile. "Your guy will lose his mind."

Annie lets out a soft giggle. "God, I hope so. It's been so long I am ridiculously nervous."

"It will be amazing, you'll see. We'll eat the cake, and then I'll leave you two alone so that you can give your boyfriend his welcome home present."

"Leah, I feel bad about it." Annie groans. "It's your place, too. You don't have to go anywhere."

"It's a small place, Annie, and the two of you need some privacy. I told you I have things to do. I'll be back in the evening. Don't make a big deal out of it, okay?"

Annie squeals and wraps her arms around me. "Thank you. You're the best."

I kiss her cheek and return the hug. "Go pick up your guy. I'll be waiting for the two of you with some cold champagne."

"Deal." Annie grins. She shoves her feet in a pair of high heels and puts on her coat before blowing me a kiss and exiting the apartment.

I am alone once again. Leaning against the back of the couch, I close my eyes. 

I've been tired for a while. My degree is demanding. I love it, and my classes, but not getting enough sleep starts to take its toll on me. 

I'm doing my best. It's my first year, but I refuse to be an average student. I didn't move all the way here to waste the opportunity I'd been given. 

The grants cover my tuition, and Dad insisted on helping me with my expenses, paying for the apartment. He said I had to focus on my schoolwork and wanted to give me even more money, but I didn't accept it and got a job at the college library instead.

Finding my dad and bonding with him is one of the very few good things about the last three months of my life. It feels good to have him think and worry about me. We meet for lunch at least once a week and text almost daily. He's doing everything he can to be in my life, and I know that he cares. 

I struggle to stay awake for the next half an hour. The sound of Annie's key turning in the lock makes me jolt upright and jump off the couch. I rush to the hallway and smile at the sight of Mackenzie with his arm around his flustered but happy girlfriend.

Mac lets go of Annie and hugs me tightly. He kisses my cheek and smiles at me. "Thanks for taking care of Annie for me."

"Anytime, but make sure you don't have to be apart anymore."

We laugh. I watch my friends as they walk into the living room and make themselves comfortable. Mac's movements are still a bit stiff and unsure. I know he has to keep on receiving physiotherapy sessions, but that's very little compared to what he's been through.

"Leah, come here," Annie calls me.

I saunter to the coffee table where my friend is cutting the cake. Annie grabs a plate and hands it to me. Before taking a bite of the dessert, we fill our glasses with champagne and drink as we congratulate Mac on being home.

When we finish eating, Mac looks at me. I know what he's going to ask me about. More accurately, my heart knows, and it squeezes even before Mackenzie says, "Have you heard from him?"

"I would've told you," I reply and take a sip from my flute to conceal the trembling of my jaw. Both Annie and Mac send looks full of sympathy my way.

"Well, guys, I'll leave you to it," I say. "Enjoy your time together. I will be back at around ten."

"Are you sure?" Annie asks again, making me roll my eyes. 

"I'm sure. I'll grab my stuff, and then I'm out."

Annie nods. I dash to my room, grab my purse and my wallet, and put on a jacket, ready to leave.

When I exit my bedroom, I see Annie in Mac's arms. He is stroking a hand down her back and whispering what must be sweet nothings in her ear. They look in love, and I know the love they share is the real kind, the one where you stay together in sickness and in health, and say you love each other openly and without any doubts.

In person. Not in a note. Not before leaving the person they love when they need them the most.

I clear my throat, hating that I have to break my friends' moment and give them a small wave.

"See you later! I'll text you when I'm on my way back."

"Thank you," says Annie before redirecting her attention to her guy. They have lots of things to talk about and love to make.

As I get into the elevator and wait for it to finish the descent, I'm giving myself another pep talk to avoid breaking down in the most pathetic and stupid of ways.

The air outside is chilly. I zip up my jacket and get on my Harley, regretting having parked it on the street and not in the garage. The seat is cold, and I can't wait to begin moving.

I start the bike and tear into traffic, weaving between lanes when I lose patience, eager to arrive at my destination. Half an hour later, I'm at the garage—Dakota's. 

We ran into each other at a mall three weeks after I moved to the city. I was miserable and lonely. We had a cup of coffee and talked. When it was time to say goodbye, D and I exchanged numbers. 

Dakota texted me the following day, and we met again. When my dad gave me my bike, it was Dakota who taught me how to ride it. Much to my surprise, riding my Harley felt natural to me. Probably, Eric's genes have something to do.

"Hey," I greet Dakota as soon as I spot her blond head, hidden behind the bike she's fixing.

"Hey, baby girl. You didn't tell me you were coming."

"I wasn't planning to, but Mackenzie is back. He and Annie need some alone time. I would have felt weird if I stayed. Are you super busy?"

Dakota bites her lip and nods. "That's why you should have told me sooner. I need to fix the bike  I'm working on, and then I have a date."

"A date?" I gasp.

D shrugs and smiles at me. "Yeah. I don't want to get my hopes up, but we met at a club last week, and she seems nice and interested."

"I hope it goes well. Okay, then. I'm not going to take up more of your time. Talk to you later?"

Dakota nods. Then, she gives me the look I'm already accustomed to, the one full of pity.

"Have you heard from that little dick?" Dakota asks.

"You know I haven't."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Absolutely. See you, D. Good luck with your date."

Dakota gives me a thumbs up. I know she worries just like Annie does. She surely doesn't take my fake, cheerful facade seriously.

We say our goodbyes. It's still early. The weather is just as cool as it was an hour ago. I decide to ride back to campus and take a walk around it. Annie and I live close to my college. I save tons of time and money, not having to spend an hour in the dense morning traffic every day.

It wouldn't bother me to spend more time on the road now. I get to the college area way too fast. Having parked my bike, I hop off it and shove my cold hands in the pockets of my jacket as I start walking without a specific destination in mind. 

I'm not alone. I see couples. Happy, smiling couples, holding hands, and chatting. I hate the jealousy that fills my insides. It's an ugly feeling I am not proud of, but I can't help it, just like I can't stop the traitorous tears from rolling down my cold cheeks.

I cry for him yet again despite promising myself I wouldn't do it. I have my dignity, after all. I know I deserve better — better than being left behind during one of the most vulnerable moments in my life.

I wish he'd told me he was leaving. We would have dealt with it, and I would have gotten the closure I deserved. But the outspoken and fearless guy wasn't brave with me. He acted like a coward, taking an easy way out, running from the problems. Knowing he loved me didn't fix anything, but it taught me something.

It taught me to guard my heart and not to trust easily. It taught me to rely on myself and look for the strength within me.

It's what Brian wanted. He wanted me to be free and live my life. He didn't see his future with me. I wasn't his person. I wasn't worth fighting for.

I wipe the tears with the sleeve of my jacket, too harshly. Then, I take a deep, shaky breath and quicken my step when I see an open cafe farther down the street.

Hot drinks don't mend broken hearts, but unlike people, they never hurt anyone.

I enter the cramped space and sit at one of the tables. My eyes flick over to the huge flat screen on one of the walls. They show pictures from a remote place hit by a natural disaster. My heart squeezes at the sight of ruined buildings and dead people.

"Awful, isn't it?"

The voice that snapped me out of my thoughts belongs to a tall, handsome guy. His light brown hair is curly, and his eyes are blue. It's not the first time I've seen him. I know we have some lectures together, but we never exchanged words until today.

"It is," I agree.

"May I?" the guy asks, pointing at the free chair next to me.

"Sure. I'm Leah. We have some classes together."

The guy gives me a dimpled smile. "I know we do. I'm Nash."

He extends his hand, and I shake it, blushing for some weird reason.

Maybe it's because he's the first guy who approached me in a very long time. 

Maybe it's because he's good-looking, and his smile is genuine.

Maybe it's because he has tattoos and wears a Nirvana shirt under his leather jacket. Yet, he's very different from the person who broke my heart.

That alone is enough for me to want to get to know him better.