The next day, Liz woke up early and noticed that Penne hadn't spent the night at home. After having her coffee, she went to the office. Penne sent a message saying she would arrive later. Liz replied that everything was calm at the office and that she could rest a bit more.
Piter called Liz and invited her to lunch. She accepted and said she would meet him at the restaurant, but he insisted on picking her up in half an hour, to which she agreed.
At the restaurant, while they were ordering, they talked. Piter declared his feelings for Liz, who said she wasn't ready for a new relationship at the moment and that she would now focus solely on work. She warned that if he was inviting her to lunch with ulterior motives, she would start refusing. "Either friends, or nothing."
"No, Liz. I know your story with Henry is recent. I can wait. Maybe one day you'll give me a chance."
"It's better not to have hope. You have many admirers, just choose the ideal one. Because I... I don't want to get involved with anyone for a long time."
"I'm patient," he said, looking into her eyes.
After lunch, Piter took her back to the office. Liz thanked him and said goodbye with a kiss on the cheek.
Entering her office, she sat down and thought about Henry's call the previous night. She decided that to endure being away from him, she needed to leave. She had to be far from him to try to forget him. At that moment, Penne entered the room, radiant with happiness. The friends hugged, and then Liz told Penne about her decision. Penne was sad but understood and said she would support her in everything.
"You handle the small issues here in the office, and I'll travel to oversee everything closely. But, whenever possible, I'll come to visit you. And I hope you'll visit me there too."
"Liz, when are you planning to go?"
"As soon as I resolve the pending matters here, the rest is up to you."
They hugged and said they would miss each other very much.
Two weeks passed, and Liz told Penne she would travel on Sunday. The following week she would already be far from home. "How am I going to stay in this house alone?"
"Nick will answer that for you quickly," and they both smiled. Penne suggested a farewell party with their group of friends. Liz agreed but said they wouldn't tell anyone it was a farewell, otherwise, Henry wouldn't leave. They planned to go out on Saturday. Liz called Henry and invited him, saying it was very important that he come, which filled him with hope.
All the friends gathered at the bar, their meeting point. They talked loudly because of the music, sang, danced, and had a lot of fun. When they sat down, Liz announced that this was her last week with them. She wanted to be with her closest friends to say goodbye to everyone at once because she didn't like farewells. Little did they know she was leaving the next day. Only Penne and Nick knew that detail. Everyone hugged her and felt sad. Piter asked why.
"I want to be closer to the project that needs frequent inspection."
Henry couldn't say anything but the sadness was evident in his eyes.
"When you want to visit me, you'll be welcome." The night passed quickly. Everyone said goodbye to Liz, thinking there were still a few days left, and they would go out again before her trip. Liz just smiled at everyone.
At the table remained Liz, Penne, Nick, and Henry, who waited for everyone to leave to talk to Liz. Penne called Nick to leave, but Liz said she would go with them. Henry asked her to stay a bit longer, and then he would take her home. The friends exchanged looks, and Liz agreed with a nod.
"Now let's talk. Liz, you don't need to leave. I don't understand why you want to go far away."
"Henry, I need to give meaning to my life again. I want a fresh start for myself and for you too. Our friends are the same, we keep bumping into each other and hurting each other. That's why I need to leave. If we're meant to be together again, it will happen naturally. But for that to happen, we need to truly separate, and I don't see another solution."
Henry asked her to spend the night together, just to talk. "I just want to be a bit close to you. Don't deny me this, Liz."
She hesitated but eventually agreed. (But she thought, why did I say okay? I should be running far away from him and here I am giving in, agreeing to stay close and alone, what am I doing...) Henry interrupted her thoughts, took her hand, and led her to his house, where they had beautiful moments together.