Chará

*Chara's eyes widen in surprise, but she doesn't pull away from him. She looks at him, her gaze searching his face.* "I... I know you did. But you know now that it wasn't real. You were just a young man in love, and you didn't know any better. I'm not going to hold that against you."

You.. are too kind and understanding. *Diego smiles admiringly at Chara. Her sunkissed flesh paints a beautiful blush as he studies her blue eyes* If I could do it all over.. *Diego's eyes well up. He wants to admit that he wishes he could have been braver then*

*Chara's voice is soft and comforting, her eyes filled with empathy.* "It's okay. You don't have to say it. I know what you mean. I wish you could have been braver too. But we're here now. And I'm here for you, Diego. I always have been."

*Diego takes a moment and internally scolds himself for being so weak and desperate to seek love and acceptance form a narcissistic parasite such as Maria. He inhales and exhales as he finally allows his therapy learned coping skills to kick in, calming his self hate talk fade away to distant whispers. He slowly opens his eyes, better prepared to handle the task at hand. He reads Chara's text and responds*

*Chara's response is immediate, her tone softer than Maria's. She texts:* "I know how hard this must be for you. I can't even imagine what you're going through. Do you want to meet up?"

*Diego smiles softly at the thought of Maria's sister, Chara. Her fierce yet emphatic spirit always a secret pleasure of his to admire from a respectful distance during his self inflicted sentence blind to Maria. He shakes off the creeping tendrils of resentment and makes space for something more hopeful and kind. Chara.* I'd love to. Meet you at The Diner? 8pm work for you?