Rachel


    I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the anxiety that was still weighing on my chest since Vincenzo''s messages. He had rekindled a jumble of feelings and fears that I could barely sort out in my head. But today, I decided that I wouldn''t let it paralyze me. Nancy was here, and I knew she couldn''t wait to see my hometown. Maybe that was what I needed right now-a light, carefree day with my friend by my side.Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nancy, what do you think about taking a walk around the city?" I asked, forcing a smile as she finished getting ready.


    She looked at me with renewed enthusiasm, that sparkle in her eyes that made me feel a little lighter.


    "Yes! Finally!" she eximed, practically jumping off the couch. "I want to see every corner of this ce and hear all the stories of Rachel as a child."


    Iughed, and a part of me was happy to see her so excited. Having someone who valued the little things that were part of my daily life so much always made me see everything from a new perspective.


    After a few minutes, we were ready. We left the house and headed to the city center, where everything was busier and full of life. Walking alongside Nancy, I felt a certain pride, even though the city was smallpared to so many ces I had already visited. The streets were busy, the shops were full of people and the atmosphere was light, the kind of day that brought back so many childhood memories.


    First stop: the main square. It was the heart of the city and seemed almost untouched by time, with the same trees, the same candy and popcorn stands, and the fountain in the center, which now seemed tinypared to how I remembered it as a child.


    Nancy ran towards the fountain, already pulling out her cell phone to take some photos and saying excitedly:


    "This looks like a movie set! Just look at these trees, this architecture...!" she said, enchanted, as she took photos of every detail.


    That''s because you haven''t seen the oldest café in town yet, I replied,ughing. It always seemed grand to me when I was a kid. The café is just a few steps away.


    Nancy looked at me, her eyebrows raised.


    -An old café? I can''t wait! It must have that small town charm, with a secret history behind it and everything. Rachel, you''re taking me back in time!


    As we walked, I tried to focus on the exnations about the ces and the stories that Nancy asked, but my mind kept going back to Vincenzo''s messages. "What if he really confronts Veronica?" The thought of that made my stomach turn. Still, I kept walking and guiding Nancy, smiling at every exaggeratedment she made about every detail of the city.


    We arrived at the café, a charming building with wooden windows painted in light blue and little tables outside. We went inside, and the smell of fresh coffee enveloped us. Nancy pulled out her cell phone again and took a panoramic video. This is awesome! I can''t believe you used to go to a ce that''s so... vintage. I can just picture Rachel sitting there as a teenager, dreaming of traveling the world.


    Iughed, shaking my head.


    "Actually, I used toe here with my parents. They loved this ce and always ordered the same thing: atte and carrot cake."


    We sat at a table near the window, and I ordered thette and carrot cake. Nancy, of course, ordered the same thing, just to "taste the nostalgia," as she put it. As we ate and drank coffee, we talked about all sorts of things. She told me about the people in her neighborhood, about her ns for the future, and even about her crazy idea of opening a themed store with "different" artifacts.


    "It would be somethingpletely unique," she said, gesturing excitedly. "Just imagine: a store where no one knows if it''s for adults or children, with toys, handcuffs... in short, a whole mix of curiosities. A ce where everyone interprets it as they wish."


    Iughed, imagining how the people of my city would react to something like that.


    "I don''t know if these people would know what to think, Nancy."


    She grimaced, feigning disappointment, and said, "Oh, but they need to expand their horizons. Just imagine, Rachel, revolutionizing the city!" andughed along with me.


    We finished our coffee and headed to our next stop, the park. It was a simple but charming ce, with wooden benches scattered among the trees and a smallke where ducks swamzily. We walked through the park, watching the families, the children running around, and the couples sitting on the benches, and it all brought me a peace I hadn''t felt in a long time.


    Nancy ran around like a child, pointing at every detail and dragging me to take pictures. I let myself go,ughing at the exaggerated poses she made and getting into herid-back spirit.


    "Hey, Rachel, have you ever swam?" in thiske? - she asked, pointing to the water while a duck quacked, almost as if it were answering her.


    Iughed and shook my head.


    "No! I''ve never been that brave."


    "Oh, that''s too bad. I''d swim in there right now. You know, I''m a rebel!" - she joked, pretending to consider the idea of actually jumping in theke.


    After a while in the park, we decided to walk to the town market. It was a vibrant ce, full of colorful stalls selling local fruits, vegetables, and crafts. As we walked among the stalls, Nancy looked at everything curiously, asking about the produce and chatting with the vendors as if she were a local.


    "This is amazing," she said, holding a jar of jam and looking at me with a smile. "How did you have the courage to leave here?"


    "Sometimes we need to leave to understand what we left behind," I replied, a little thoughtfully. The words came out without me really thinking about them, but there was truth in them.


    Nancy, always so perceptive, noticed the tone in my voice and put her hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer.


    "Hey, let''s not think about the past today. Today is the day to discover every corner of this city and enjoy it!"


    I nodded and forced a smile, determined to follow her advice. We spent the rest of the day exploring the market, trying typical foods, andughing at the stories Nancy told about her own childhood adventures.


    Ourst stop was the city''s viewpoint, where we could see the entire city and, in the background, the mountains that seemed to protect this small ce. We sat in silence, enjoying the view as the sun began to set, tinting the sky with shades of orange and pink. It was such a familiar scene, but at the same time, it seemed new to me, perhaps because I was seeing everything with a new perspective, thanks to Nancy''spany.


    She sighed beside me and said, almost in a whisper:


    "This ce really has a special energy, Rachel. Now I understand why you are the way you are." You have all this peace inside you, even if you sometimes forget it.


    I smiled, feeling immensely grateful for her friendship. Nancy really was one of those people who made a difference just by being by our side. And maybe she was right. Maybe I had let the chaos of all the recent situations make me forget who I really was.


    "Thank you, Nancy. For being here, for making meugh, and for reminding me of things that I myself forget."


    She hugged me, squeezing me tightly, and said in her yful way:


    "Oh, you sentimental fool! Don''t do that, or I''ll cry right here and you''ll have tofort me! And I cry out loud, huh?"


    We bothughed, and at that moment, I knew that, no matter what happened, I would always have a friend by my side.


    The sun had already hidden behind the mountains, and the first stars were beginning to appear in the sky when we decided to go home. I knew that once we got back, the weight of decisions and worries woulde back to haunt me, but at least for today, I had managed to find some peace. And even though my heart was still torn between my love for Vincenzo and the need to protect my own peace, I knew that that day with Nancy would be a memory that I would carry with me forever.