Los Angeles

Brandon parked the car under the Beat headquarters. He stopped for a few moments to observe the concrete contours of the walls around him.

The newspaper hasn't existed in a long time. Steve had told him, now on the glass entrance there was a small I4ever publishing house sign.

Brandon felt the melancholy of what had been lost.

It wasn't the Times. It wasn't the Washington post. But now that he was far from that place he felt he should have given it more. He perceived the belonging of the roots. Greater gratitude. He was there when that newspaper was born. He had already left when its last issue came out.

He quickly went up the stairs.

Steve was sitting there at the desk. He wore a pair of eyeglasses that gave him a more important outfit .

Other than that, very little had changed.

A couple of collaborators were working a little further away immersed with their heads in revisions.

On the table at the entrance was a stack of first publications to be evaluated.

"Brandon!" Steve exploded with joy when he saw him "come in, come in."

"Guys," called the attention of Kenny and Jil, his collaborators, "this is Brandon!"

The two just looked at him and smiled at him.

"Really?" Steve laughed, then shot Brandon by the arm and whispered "they are two big heads, too serious. But they help me with revisions"

Brandon looked around.

He refound familiar things. He found that smell of paper and donuts.

Steve was excited to show him the place he had pulled up on his own. The Beat was an adventure of his and Brandon, but I4ever was a creature of his own.

He showed him the already published projects, the DIY section, the children section, the fantasy.

Steve looked happy. And he was. He watched his friend admire his work and felt proud.

He had had a fight with his father Rush years earlier. After the failure of the Beat, a furious fight arose.

"I'm sorry," Brandon told him.

"Come on, I wasn't born poor," he replied, "I have the funds to move on. I have a Corvette downstairs. But I wanted something of my own. Only mine" laughed and when Steve laughed he lit up the whole room.

"I have something for you"

He went to the warehouse and pulled out something Brandon didn't expect "the first and last number of the Beat" framed in a light wood

Brandon was almost moved.

He took that unexpected gift into his hands. And Steve didn't keep himself from enthusiasm.

"This newspaper was born thanks to you too."

The first number. Wow. He remembered it well. It was distributed the day Kel regained her memory. When he thought he had lost everything suddenly everything came back to him. It was a sweet kiss. SHe came back to home.

"I think I've never received a gift more beautiful than this."

Brandon passed a hand on his friend's back. A little pat. Steve's big heart. He had loved the Beat very much.

"I have new plans at any time" Steve resumed.

"What?"

" Internet," Steve said, opening his hands in the air in an invisible scenario, "is the future. No one will read the paper again in the future. Everything will be done online. The books. The news. I just want to speed up the times," he put an arm around Brandon's neck... "do you see those two great-heads Kenny and Jil!? They are working on just that. To the online formats of books. Downloadable with one click! Understand a click! I also opened a channel about a new thing .. it's called.. aspe... YouTube, I put it on demo videos. How to cook this. How do you do that. It works! A lot of sponsors are coming! This is the idea of the century"

"Let me see!"

"To the boss orders"

Steve showed him a video clip recorded by himself about the game of golf. The first shot. Location. Choice of bat. One hundred thousand views.

"One hundred thousand, you know? It's a genius"

Steve stopped for a moment. "It would be nice to have you back here. With me," he said all of a sudden.

Brandon didn't answer but felt the joy of having near Steve back.

Kenny and Jil went out for lunch and said goodbye briefly.

"I'll make you something if you want"

"Why do you know, cooking?"

"No," Steve replied.

He had made a small apartment over the warehouse. A sofa bed. A kitchen.

He made a couple of pots. He boiled water where he threw frozen asparagus. And he made two hard-boiled eggs.

"Why don't you get a real apartment or something"

"And why ever.." he replied, "I don't miss anything at all. Janet and Maddy have the house. I'm fine here"; Brandon looked at him and Steve rushed the shot pulling out the truth "I don't know. It seems to me that taking an apartment is something definitive, not coming back."

"Don't you have any chance with Janet?"

"Ehh - he did - not at the moment, but Maddy.. she always gives me a chance. The truth," Steve concluded, "is that Janet is right. It's not easy to live with me." He smiled and put the dishes at the table.

"It's ready Mr. Walsh"

They had lunch together. They laughed several times. Brandon asked a million questions about online books.

"If you then want the paper, you can request it and it is printed and sent to you at the moment, no more stocks in stock. Less expenses. I plan to hire other people."

Things were going better than Brandon thought and that made him happy.

"I never thanked you Steve"

"For what?" He asked.

"For the Beat and for all the years together"

"But come on.."

"No," Brandon stopped it, "I really say, my articles came under the right eyes thanks to the Beat. You've always been a friend to me, even when I didn't deserve it. And I didn't come to your wedding either"

"I know why you didn't come and I don't blame you. Dylan and Kelly?"

"Ehhh" he grimaced Brandon "would have been too weird and too hard"

"I know man"

"I worked, worked," chuckled Brandon, "worked, some women in some ports.. I also met Claire"

Claire. Here is another name that came out of the past.

"Claire.." Steve just said.

"In Paris. SHe works for a large research center."

"And how is she ?"

Brandon made a sign of assent. Well.

"Claire" thought Steve "great struggle and great love"

"She asked me about you, but I didn't hear from you anymore either"

Steve shook his head to send away some thoughts.

"How did we get lost like that?" He asked.

"We never really missed out," Brandon replied, smiling and adding some bread.

Steve smiled. Maybe it was true.

"Then tell me how things are going in the important L.A. location."

"Well. I proceed. I have one thing in my hands. Let's see what happens."

"Ahh burning stuff"

"Maybe"

"And how are things going here?"

Brandon stopped "what do you mean?"

"No regrets?"

"But do you know that this regrets thing has been banging in my head since I came back? I can't give an answer. This journey backwards is also a journey into what could have been and has not been. But does it make sense to talk about regrets? I mean, I did what I wanted and I realized it. Can this be a regret?"

"Yes but the price paid was high"

'Damn' laughed Brandon 'very high'

They laughed together and Steve thought about how much he had missed his friend. That chatter. Those laughs alone.

Brandon looked fast at the watch "I have to go back to the office, I have things to do."

He put on his jacket and Steve stopped the movement with a single sentence.

"I know you're going to Kelly's for dinner tonight"

"Don't make movies in your head"

Steve leaned on the back of the chair "I don't care, but I hope you have a nice evening. Kelly didn't have an easy time. Sometimes it seems to me that he chases happiness but can't find it. It always seemed like this to me"

"Kelly is a different person from the one I left. She is a mother. She is the principal of a school. Kelly when she believes in something she believes it strong even at the cost of making mistakes" Brandon settled his collar and gave the answer Steve was waiting for "I'm not going to hurt her. But, I missed it too, and unfortunately for too long I let my pride keep me away. I once promised her that I would always be there for her."

"You did a great job I would say," Steve ironically pointed out. Brandon laughed.

"He loved another one, first that Matt, then Dylan and I couldn't bare it. I told myself another truth and went ahead. In the only possible direction, beyond. Can you blame me?"

"No," Steve replied, "no,"

"Now I have three months to spare for I don't know, to smile at you, every day, to have you back with me. You were my family when my family was too far away. And I'm going to be with you all. What comes out of it is fine. Without projects and without delusions of control. I'm so tired of having to keep everything up. So I'm going to Kelly's for dinner, I'll meet her son, because I should have done it years ago. I should have planted it with my pride and selfishness and shake hands with Dylan and congratulate him. Then hug her and tell her I was happy for her. I missed everything. And for what?" Brandon stopped, then armó the ironic tone "Okay enough this speech is getting too serious" he laughed "then" he reoffed with a clap of hands "Let's run to the parking lot and see who comes first?"

"Really?" Steve asked.

"Very much. Three, two, one..." Brandon went out and Steve followed.