Exiting the building I found I'd been right. It was a large red barn, with a sign that read 'Z's Carpentry' hanging from it. Outside was littered with several wooden statues of various wild animals. The most prominent being a large wolf with its head raised in a howl.

"Wow..." left my lips in awe, Adrien smiled as he walked towards a red car.

"You said that the first time I brought you here too." There was that look of sadness that passed over him again. As we approached the car I stopped just shy of getting in.

"We're not going anywhere until you tell me who I am to you." I was firm with my words. Adrien looked surprised for only a moment. Our eyes locked and there was that pain in them again, the looking for someone who wasn't here anymore.

"This is an inevitable conversation, isn't it?"

I raised my brow and stared at him, what did he think?

"Alright, alright... I'll tell you as we drive." He did his best to give me a reassuring smile, but it just didn't cut it. I stood firm.

"Look, you have the upper hand here. You know me." I said, leaning on the top of the car. "I'm not getting in until I feel like we're on even ground."

Adrien's smile faltered, his brow furrowed in frustration. You could really see the resemblance between him and Zephira, especially as his forehead creased.

"You were... are... my best friend." He started, his words chosen very carefully. "We knew each other as kids, I have pictures still, but your family moved and I hadn't seen you for 13 years." his hand raised to rub the back of his neck, suddenly he couldn't look me in the eye.

"I saw you in the city 7 years ago... but you didn't recognize me." My heart started to beat quickly again, he looked back at me and the sadness was there on his face. "We actually reconnected about 5 years ago, and I promise I'll tell you more... if you get in the car."

My head felt heavy, hand gripping at the metal frame. Did we know each other for that long? How could five years of my life disappear? How could any of it just vanish? Clearly not by my own choosing... And if I wanted to know more going with Adrien was my best option.

My movements felt sluggish as I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. The car smelled like the forest, of pine and wood chips. It felt familiar and it relieved some of the aches that had filled my chest.

"None of this makes any sense, you know that right?" slipped out of my mouth as Adrien closed his own door. I slumped in my seat, head rolling so I could look at Adrien better.

"I know," His voice sounded so small, the bravado from before seeming to disappear. He looked as tired as Zephira had when we'd left. How did I not notice the bags under his eyes before? How long had he been awake before this?

What was I supposed to say to him? He didn't return my glance as he pulled away from the farm. He was a stranger to me, though I was someone important to him. How do you console someone when the person they're mourning is you?

"Can we... can we start over?" I spoke hesitantly, watching him as he glanced towards me then back at the road. He chuckled, though there was no humour in his voice.

"Start over?" His brow raised as he took his eyes off the road to momentarily look my way.

"I mean, I obviously don't have a choice but... you know, just start from the beginning again." as I spoke he ran a hand through his odd coloured hair, disbelief on his face.

"I don't know if I can." He wouldn't look at me as he said it, his eyes trained on the long road ahead of him.

"It'll be easy, trust me." He had no reason to, but I hoped he did. Some part of me wanted him to.

There was a long pause. Forestry turned into farmland, wooden fences zoomed by as horses grazed and still Adrien said nothing. Maybe it had been a mistake to suggest it. Maybe I was asking far too much from him.

A thousand more maybes came to mind, though all were cut off as he finally broke the silence.

"I trust you." There was another pause, "How do you want to...?" He trailed off

There was another pause, though this one was far less heavy.

"Uh, you know... I didn't think I'd get this far." I admitted, laughing a bit. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? There was yet another pause before Adrien himself started to laugh... and it devolved from there. The tension that had been slowly building released in an instant.

"Tell me more about you," I began, once the laughter had subsided. "If we're gonna start over you should at least tell me your last name."

He seemed to be more relaxed than when we got in the car, maybe he'd even open up a bit.

"Del Bosque." He started, "It's Spanish, I hardly ever use it. Adrien is fine."

"Spanish?" I could see it, though it wasn't what I pegged him for.

"Mhm, Zephira used to have the same surname, but when she married Otto she took his name. Now she's a Kosmatka." He chuckled, a joke he knew but that flew right over my head.

"And she's your sister...?" it was an educated guess. She could have very well been his mother, though she looked far too young for it.

"Yeah, people usually think she's my mom because of the grey and my youthful appearance." He winked at me, I couldn't help but laugh. Adrien was incredibly charming, was that what had attracted me to him?

We carried on what was probably the most normal conversation I'd had that day. I learned that Adrien was a freelance photographer, specializing in wilderness shots as well as pet photography. He just turned twenty-eight and, apparently, had gotten so drunk he'd streaked downtown.

I felt closer to him, and the more he spoke the more it felt like I had a part of my life back.

The car ride almost felt too short as he pulled into a driveway. Sometime during the drive we'd made it into the city... or at least the borders of it. He led to me what looked like a modern duplex. The building itself was very square but had a spacious yard. Curtains covered the windows so strangers couldn't peek inside and it appeared to have a balcony as well as roof access. It hardly looked like a studio... until I noticed the sign in the driveway.

Did I livehere? I couldn't really believe it. Adrien opened the car door for me, though I was still a bit awestruck by my surroundings.

"The first floor has all your basic amenities. Bathroom, kitchen, living and dining area," He led me into the house which was just as spectacular as I expected it to be.

"The second floor has my room and my studio, you can get to either by stairs or elevator." I felt tense in my new surroundings. I felt I was young, too young to be able to afford all this even if I watched pets for the wealthy.

"Third floor is all yours, you can get to the roof from your room." We walked up the stairs, to what I assumed was my living space.

"You used to climb from the roof onto my balcony and scare the shit out of me." the fondness of the memory was displayed all over his face. My heart panged again, was I really just his friend?

"I'll let you rest, today has probably been overwhelming for you," Adrien added, leaving me in front of a door.

"Thank you," I started "I know this probably sucks for you too." I rubbed the back of my neck, part of me didn't want to go through that door just yet.

"I'm a floor away if you need anything..." There was hesitation, did he have something else to say?

It went unsaid as he turned to go, leaving me in front of a door that I wasn't sure should be opened.