Los Angeles

Steve didn't say a word for the entire return trip. The divorce documents fluttered in the back seat, heavy as boulders.

Bran knew his friend. He knew when he had no strength.

"I'll look for an apartment as soon as I can, maybe I'll go back to sleep at the Beat in the background I liked it"

"You can stay as long as you want. It's not a problem," Brandon replied, "you need time. Take your time."

Steve hinted at a smile that didn't come out.

"If nothing else I can see Maddy when I want" he said melancholy "I mean did you see her? She looked like Janet the ice queen."

Brandon didn't answer and he didn't go any further. If it had been for Steve, he would have wanted to drive all summer. Don't stop. Don't think. Don't do anything.

They turned into Kelly's street.

"You're invited to dinner," Brandon revealed to him.

"God guys , you don't have to babysittering me."

"No, it's true we don't have" Brandon replied, "but it happens that I love the woman who is in there, and that she loves you and is worried about you, and if I don't let you into that house, she won't be happy, and if she's not happy, I'm not happy," Bran replied in an ironic tone "

Steve dragged himself behind Brandon and let Kelly hug him.

"How are you?" She asked him.

"I would like to bury myself."

"Then you're fine," Brandon laughed.

"Stop..," Steve mimited.

"You'll be fine," Kelly smiled, "and so will Janet."

Kelly approached Brandon and kissed him a little longer "Hello Babe"

"Could you finish it? There's a man suffering here," Steve said.

"Sorry," Brandon said, running a finger around his lips and winking at Kelly.

Sammy rushed from the bottom, ready to challenge the two in basketball.

"Start warming up. Uncle Steve really needs to play," Brandon suggested to him.

Steve followed him leaving Brandon and Kelly alone.

"How is he doing?"

"'Really bad, Janet?"

"Well"

"It's always like that, you women have a special gift, react better," Brandon said, blowing a peanut in his mouth

"No, not always," Kelly suggested.

He looked at her, he wasn't sure what she was referring to exactly, whether to the two of them or something else.

"I told him he could come and stay with me"

"Seriously?"

"For some time, as long as it will take."

"Yes," she said, wiping her hands and approaching him, "just that I liked your apartment," she suggested, biting his ear lobe and causing him a state of excitement that made him press against her

"god, I love you" he whispered.

"I love you too"

Steve looked out right at that moment with the basketball in his hand "do you both want to stop please?"

Brandon and Kelly stopped the carousel smiling "I'm going.." he whispered.

"Yes," she sighed.

London

"Where are we going?" Brenda asked.

"I told you it's a surprise, you're too slow JT is waiting for us."

"Another restaurant?'

"Maybe ."

Dylan suggested the surname to the maître and he showed them the way.

They turned into a private room. A large table with flowers and shiny cutlery.

"But how many are we?" Brenda asked.

"A lot," suggested Xavier behind him.

Brenda exploded in immense joy at the sight of Xavier, Isabel and the boys.

"But how..?"

Isabel took a quick look at Dylan indicating the answer Brenda was looking for.

She ran to hug him. SHe threw herself around his neck.

They had talked about it a thousand times, at night, after making love, Brenda would have liked to have her friends at the premiere, her parents, and also Xavier and Isabel. Every two months they went to Ecuador to them. They hadn't had any other problems. Brenda had found and understood Dylan's size. After that they went to Los Angeles to Sammy and returned to London. It had become easy. It had become their world.

They sat at the table and a fantastic dinner was served, above all, for the happiness that rose with every smile.

Brenda asked about the guys who couldn't come. She chuckled with Isabel on Xavier and Dylan. JT joined them shortly after with the usual crowd of waiters ready to sell themselves for a good review.

What was happiness basically, Brenda thought, if not This heart-shaped table that was beating and keeping it afloat. Were all those black days really over?

Brenda was suddenly assailed by the anxiety of losing everything. A strange feeling that was not connected at the time. It had nothing to do with it.

SHe shook her head and forced herself to go further. The dark would not win, fear challenged her with courage.

Dylan watched her and she smiled at him. He shook her hand.

"Thank you," she said.

"Thanks to you," he smiled.

They took Xavier, Isabel and the others back to the hotel which was within walking distance. JT took leave almost immediately. He had shaken hands and was friendly. The extraordinary thing about JT was precisely this he could talk to Queen Elizabeth or to Xavier with the same kindness, the same smile, the same way of kidnapping with words.

JT lacked her moments with Brenda. Of course he saw her every day. They talked every day. But he was just missing the moment between the two of them. Without Dylan. He was jealous. It is useless to hide it but at the same time he was happy for her. He knew how precarious the balance of happiness was. Made by crystal. Ready to break at any time. All he could promise was that he would be there if it ever happened. JT would have been there exactly as it had been since day one. From that broken girl who emigrated to London to oblivious an obvious pain.

And anyway Dylan was Dylan he had to admit it. Beautiful. Damned. Full of secrets. Full of things he wrote silent and focused.

Mostly when Brenda wasn't there.

He really wanted to know more about him. He would have loved to have a love like that. Yet it seemed like it wasn't possible for him or he was convinced that maybe if he stopped looking for that love would come to him.

How Dylan was back to Brenda