Pierrot ²

Even though you were a couple, you always felt you couldn't compete. Columbine was present even when she was gone.

You tried to stand out, to do things that would surprise him, that would make him really look at you… but it was never enough, because in the end everything came back to the same point.

He told you that you didn't need to try so hard, that he loved you… but not in the way he loved Columbina. That was obvious.

Sometimes he didn't even hide it: in comments, in looks, in silences... he made it clear who he preferred.

And the worst part was that he wasn't cruel. He always apologized, as if that could make up for the fact that you weren't the person he truly wanted.

There was a night when you snuck into his tent. You found him crying, missing Columbina… and in that moment you understood that, even though you were with him, his heart was still elsewhere.

Even so, you tried to think that it was something temporary, that one day he would see you the way he came to see her…

Although deep down you knew it wouldn't be like that, the limit was reached on your anniversary.

He organized a perfect night: your favorite restaurant, everything carefully planned, almost as if he were trying to prove something.

Later, at the motel, amid kisses and promises, for a moment you thought that he had finally chosen you.

But when it was all over, he spoke: "You are the greatest treasure I have, Columbina."