"I have all my papers officially in order!" Jenna exclaims, stepping into the apartment.

I glance at her smiling, turning off the TV since I wasn't really watching the Austrian soap opera anyway. "You ready to move to America?" I ask.

"I am very excited. You've got to show me New York City." I smile at her, seeing the excitement on her face. She sets her briefcase down on the coffee table and then glances at me. "Are you ready to leave Austria?" she asks.

I stifle a laugh. "No," I end up saying. "I love it here so much. It's so beautiful and the food is amazing and the people are so friendly and kind. It feels like every day, I'm on vacation. But at the same time, it is what it is and it'll be nice to be back home I guess."

Jenna sets her bag on the table and sits down on the couch. "You still have time, Frank. It's technically not even spring break."

I nod along, glancing at the clock. "Speaking of time, I should probably go to class," I say. "Don't want to miss my midterm."

Jenna looks at the clock. "You still have an hour," she points out.

I grab my bag from my room and then throw on a jacket. "I know but I didn't make coffee this morning so I want to grab some before I head over."

"Right, right," she says. "I forgot you're obsessed with that one particular cafe that you always insist on going to. You know, you don't have to leave so early as there's a Starbucks a block from your classes." I crack a smile as I grab my keys out of the dish and slip on my shoes. Jenna leans on the arm of the couch and tilts her head. "I thought American's love Starbucks."

"They do, but I like this one cafe more," I say. I open the door and shoot her a glance. "Besides, it's not nearly as expensive." Jenna shakes her head laughing and I head out. There is a Starbucks on the way and I used to go to that one. But it really is expensive compared to the cafe and the cafe does taste better. However, I know I'm omitting the real reason I still go there.

I walk over and head in. The barista behind the counter recognizes me and waves. I smile back at her and stand in the short line, taking out the money. "Hallo, Frank. The usual?" she asks as I step up.

"Yeah," I say, handing her the amount.

She takes it and swiftly hands me the change. "Be done in just a minute."

"Thanks," I tell her, stepping over to the side as the next person goes. Only a few more days left of this. I'm really not ready to go. But this doesn't mean I can't come back to Austria at some point. One thing's for sure, I'm excited to see what the future holds.

I glance to my left and freeze. Gerard. It's been months since I've seen or even talked to Gerard. The days to my departure are getting closer and he still hasn't called. I was worried he forgot about me. I don't know where he's staying at now since they moved hotels after the terrorist attack but I was hoping it's still in Salzburg and by the cafe we always would go to. I was hoping I'd run into him here again.

He doesn't look the same. I mean, he's still dressed very formally like a model ready for their walk. But he looks a bit frazzled now. His eyes are dark like he hasn't been sleeping and it's the first time I've seen his hair unkempt. The barista hands him his coffee and he gives a weak smile, taking a sip and heading out the side door.

He didn't notice me. I start running over to him and I catch the door before it closes. "Gerard?" I call out, stepping onto the sidewalk. He whips around, the bottom of his coat swishing at his legs and he looks at me warily. A smile forms on my face as I look at him. "Hey."

"Frank," he whispers in awe, stepping closer to me and easing up. "Hi."

I run my hand through my hair and smile awkwardly. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has-just been busy," he says, clearing his throat a bit.

"Yeah, I figured that," I say, "which is why I also figured you hadn't called yet." He nods his head, his eyes trailing to the ground. "I was hoping you would soon though."

"I know, I've been meaning to," he says. He holds his coffee in both of his hands, the grip shaking slightly. "But I'm glad you caught me just now."

"Me too," I say. Something's wrong and it's worrying me. "How've you been?"

Gerard loses his breath for a moment. "I'm okay," he says.

I narrow my eyes at him. "That didn't sound convincing," I say. "You don't look too good." I step closer to him and reach up to touch his cheek. He turns his head away before I do, looking down at the ground. "Gerard?"

"Don't," he groans. He starts taking deep breaths. "I need to go soon."

"Why?" I ask. It came out whinier than I wanted it to. "What's going on?"

"I have work soon, I need to-I need to go," he whispers. "So I can't talk about...otherwise-" He cuts himself off, clearing his throat again. I stare at him worried. I've never seen him like this. Something is really wrong but I don't know what to do. I don't even know if there's anything I can do. "You-um," his voice is very raspy, "When do you leave?"

"Just over a week," I say. "Next Friday."

He nods his head. "I need to see you again before you leave, at least, one more time...or I'm going to go crazy."

I bite my lip, looking at him worried. "You look sick," I whisper. He starts laughing but it comes out really weird, frazzled and distressed. "Gerard, whatever's going on, it'll be okay."

He shakes his head and sighs. "I've always been able to look at a situation, no matter how bad, and find a way to reassure myself things will work out. This, however, this feels like the end of the world." I try putting a hand on his shoulder but he steps back, nearly tripping over himself. I try to catch him but he just scurries back. "Please don't touch me," he whispers, standing himself back up.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Everything is going wrong and I'm only doing my job," he says. "Mistakes have been made and I keep telling myself...I should have done it differently, should have trusted my instincts but I wasn't allowed to." He looks at me longingly, sad and hurting eyes. "I really need to go now. Can I see you again before you leave?"

"Yes, I'd like that," I tell him. He nods his head, staring at his coffee but he doesn't take a sip. "When?"

"Um...tomorrow?"

I wince. "Uh, I have my last class then but Saturday I'm..." he starts shaking his head, "no?"

"Saturday is...I'm booked with meetings til very late. But Sunday...afternoon? Yeah, I should be free by then. Is that good?"

"Yeah, totally," I say. He smiles back at me. "So you want to meet here then?"

"Yeah, that'd be good."

The side door opens and the barista looks at me with a polite smile. "Frank, you left without the drink you bought," she says.

"Oh, I forgot," I say, awkwardly laughing. "Thank you." She hands it to me and I take it.

"Yep," she says, stepping back in.

I look back at Gerard and his face falls. "Before you go, just tell me that you'll be okay."

He pauses for a moment, shifting his stance. "I really wish I could."

It pains me seeing him this way. "He takes a step back, readying to leave. "Can I hug you?"

He hesitates on answering, unsure of what to do. His eyes glaze over before he flicks his gaze at me. "I'll see you Sunday." He forces himself to turn around and he starts walking back. I hold my coffee in both of my hands, the warmth of the steam tickling my face. I watch him walk down the sidewalk until he's out of my line of sight. Slowly, I turn and head in the other direction to get to class. He's going to be okay. He always is. I can't imagine what's troubling him at work. I can see him on Sunday though and hopefully, it'll be okay.