Adrian took a bus and as he was paying noticed 700 hundred more euros in his wallet. The bet master didn't forget.

  He arrived and rushed to floor 4. 401,492,403,4,5,6,7,8 and 9. He stopped before the door not knowing what to expect.

  Would she be angry at him? It's likely, although not with Katie.

  She'd be disappointed that's for sure, he thought. He didn't want to face her. Didn't want her to look at him like that... It was too much.

  At last, he knocked on the door and waited. Each second passing was a gruelling etch into his being. He didn't know how to face her, he didn't know how to face himself. Each time he looked in the mirror he wasn't searching for his reflection but the system window.

  The door came open.

  "I-" The words go stuck in his throat, the resolution he set out to say them with shattered. "...You must be April."

  "And you Adrian. I see that Kathrin has mentioned me."

  "Yes a few times."

  "Is she in?"

  "Why? Are you going out with her? I suggest another time. She's not feeling good right now."

  "What happened?"

  April looked uneasy, unwilling to answer that question alas she relented. "She has seen."

  Adrian didn't listen anymore and pushed on trying to reach Kathrin and see what can be done. But April held him with one hand while she was leaning in the doorway. She was straining her strength, but was holding on.

  "Let me go see her."

  "Not right now."

  He looked at her questioningly and stopped pushing. She stepped forward and closed the door.

  "I see that you were out. Fighting."

  His stare hardened.

  "It's evident in your walk, your shifting movements as you avoid using what's hurt. But that's not important." She crossed her arms and looked right in his eyes, unbudging. "I can't let you see her before you answer me this. Will you leave with her?"

  Leave. That word, it seemed so easy. But then what? Live how he lived, everything with the same old cadence. Trying to become someone important and banking it on luck. No, no longer. He can fight for it and has the means to do so. To rise, to get revenge and taste the blood once more. Yes, he feels it, doesn't want to admit it, but he felt alive when he was in that fight.

  He can't give it up.

  "It's a no as I expected." She closed her eyes as a frown appeared.

  "Yes. I'll stay here."

  "Okay." She said and looked at him. "Then for the real question. Will- "

  "No, I will not force her to be here with myself. This isn't for her. I'm not the man she once loved, I changed through this night."

  Her frown eased, her mouth opened in surprise at the ease, her plan worked. "Then how will we go about it?"

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  The answer came in the door opening a slit. "Why won't you, Adrian?"

  He heard it, it came to him accusatory of what had their time together meant if he's just going to take it all and throw it away like none of it ever happened. Like none of it ever happened, he clutched his fists. It came back to him and it wasn't her face. But how he wished...

  "I like it here." He couldn't believe himself but these were the words he said.

  Kathrin opened the door. She wasn't anything how he imagined her to be, instead she was as he remembers her. Flowy hair, a breezy smile and she was smiling, his Kathrin was smiling, her eyes closed and, in her hand, she was holding her luggage. “Will you text me once in a while?"

  "…I will."

  "Good, then I guess this is a goodbye."

  "I guess so too."

  "Has anyone told you?" She stepped forward got on her toes and in his awe kissed him. A virgin kiss without a hint of lust hidden in it. She opened her eyes and let the tears spill out. "You'd be much prettier if you just shut up sometimes, dummy."

  She stepped back, but was right away hugged.

  "I won't forget you. I never will Katie."

  "I know my dummy. I know." She whispered into his ear. "I must go now. If I remain here any longer, I think I'll stay."

  He stopped the hug and pulled away. No more words were necessary. They looked at each other and she was gone.

  "Goodbye." She said with finality and never turned back.

  He didn't respond, barring the words behind his teeth. If it weren't for this city, this tar pit of a city. This…

  He heard her press the elevator button.

  "You're a good man, Adrian." April said from behind him.

  "I'm a bad man."

  "It takes a man that knows his mistakes and shortcomings to do a good thing." She said and walked away the elevator arrived and was waiting for them.

  But it takes a good man to try to change them.

  He numbly watched her for the last time as the elevator door closed.

  ---

  The elevator ride down was spent in silence. It wasn't that there weren't things to be said, both of them knew that they will be said. For now, they enjoyed the ride.

  .

  .

  .

  .

  The elevator opened and they were out.

  "I'm sorry, but I thought that was the right thing to do." April finally said.

  "And it was."

  April looked at her, but couldn't see anything as Kathrin took a step forward and all she could see was her back.

  "You know I've been thinking about it. I'm not strong, I hate violence. I fear blood. Those are the facts. All I have is that I'm a bit smart and can memorize things."

  "Kathrin don't take it that way..."

  "How else am I supposed to take it? It's the reality." She turned around revealing her pristine face, there were silky trails left from her tears, but her expression was sombre.

  "Yeah..."

  "Then it's alright. I'll wait a bit and join the next semester. I'm thinking Greenford University. What do you think? It's close enough from home to get there by car."

  "I think It's good. You'll be valedictorian there's no doubt."

  Kathrin smiled. "I hope."

  "You will." April smiled back and opened her arms. "Come here Cat."

  "Of course, Ape."

  They laughed and hugged.

  Soon they released that hug and Kathrin went away, down her path shielded by shades from crowns of trees from the summer heat.

  At the end, at the edge of the pavement she turned around, tears in her eyes and shouted: "Thanks for everything!"

  Then she ran and disappeared as she caught a bus.

  "It's okay… scaredy cat." April smiled.

  ---

  April walked back to the fourth floor. Adrian was still there, frozen before the door. She nudged him in the shoulder.

  "Do you want to come in?"

  "No, no..." He said and turned to her, woken up from his stasis. "I should get going."

  "Come in." April said, unlocked the door and let him in.

  He followed.

  "You drink?" She asked.

  "No."

  "Me neither. Do you want a drink?"

  "Yes."

  He sat down behind the table while April took out a well-hidden bottle from one of the multitude of drawers.

  "You know this isn't how I imagined meeting a friend of my..." He didn't know what they were as they never talked it through.

  "Ex girlfriend." She uncorked the bottle. It was a rum. An expensive brand considering the packaging.

  "Ex." He let the word roll of his tongue by itself. It stuck, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste mixed with some of that unresolved sweetness.

  "I didn't expect this to happen this way either, but here we are."

  "But here we are…"

  It lingered.

  April placed two cups on the table, poured the rum and settled down into her chair with a sigh, her legs lay sprawled like they wanted.

  "You look like an old lumberjack after a day's work." Adrian remarked.

  "Yeah, thanks for the support." She smiled and drank from her cup.

  "What are you going to do now?"

  "I'm going to become stronger to meet someone." She said.

  "Someone important to you?"

  "Very much so." She poured herself another cup. "What about you? What are you going to do after this?"

  Adrian looked down at his cup. He was watching as the liquid sloshed about. It was reflecting back himself and something more.

  "Fight."