New directions. Diego Uribe

      He got my message on the next day. I explained to him that I had no service when I got home and he told me it was okay, he didn't have a problem with that. He told me that he had had a great time last night and asked me if I also had had a great time despite the fact that he had talked too much. I told him that I did, in spite of that I did have a great time with him. I didn't want to bother him so we didn't talk after that. I let a few days pass by, waiting for him to text me and, if he wanted to, ask me out on a second date, but that didn't happen. In fact, we didn't talk for a week. During that time, Fran told me he had been too busy between the institute and his job, and now we also had to work on the annual showcase, which meant rehearsals and extracurricular work. It would be complicated to meet or see each other, but he promised to stay in touch and not to ghost me. By the end of November, he told me he had quit his job because he was planning to spend the summer holidays with his family in Rosario. I assumed it was a good thing because maybe it also meant that he would have more free time and maybe we would get to see each other, but the truth is that the annual showcase kept both of us pretty busy. Our conversations went back to the way they were before, they were just to check that the other was fine and, if we had any updates, we would tell each other. He told me that his singing professor had recommended him for an audition, and he was very happy about that, and I was happy for him too.

      Then December arrived, with stage rehearsals in which I got to see him again, but we were distant because we were focused on doing things right for the showcase and, besides, every professor and student was there, so we would never find a moment to be alone. The showcase was an amazing experience, it was the cherry on top of a beautiful year. It was at the El Nacional theatre, a huge and very picturesque theatre on Calle Corrientes, right in the heart of downtown. We had two performances in which you could almost feel the art, and also a lot of energy and adrenaline, where each of us got to shine and give our best, and share what we had learnt and worked on throughout the year. The truth is I really enjoyed it... even though we only participated in two numbers; I think that made it even more enjoyable. Fran also stood out, he was gorgeous. When the curtain closed right after the second performance, everyone started congratulating one another, jumping, cheering, clapping and hugging. Fran appeared in the middle of the crowd. His eyes glowed when he saw me, and he broke through people to get to me. He took me by the hands and then gave me a tight hug.

      “I love you” he said.

      “I love you too” I replied very excited.

      The two of us kept greeting people and I lost him again in the crowd. I was very satisfied with my work and how I progressed during the year. I felt accomplished and, at the same time, I felt this huge void because everything was over now and another year had gone by, my chronophobia striking again. We only had one week left at the institute, during which we would mostly say goodbye to our professors, and they would give us some feedback on everyone's progress over the year. I always hated goodbyes, and I didn't want Fran and I to say goodbye, I didn't want him to leave to Rosario, as selfish as that may sound...