As I approach the lobby, I wipe my cheeks, making sure there's no stain of tears on my face anymore. I don't want to appear messy in front of Maddox. For my best friend Lea, it will be fine. She's been my confidant ever since we became friends, so she knows me well; I could be vulnerable when it comes to Max.

Maddox and Lea seem to be cool with each other's company. They must have a good conversation as the two faces each other; while Maddox holds Logan's leash. "Hey, guys."

They both shift on me, and I don't have to ask them, but it seems they noticed my swollen eyes. "Let's go?" I say as I look away, avoiding any questions from them.

"Angel, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Lea repeated Maddox's question.

"Guys, not here; I want some air. Mad, can you take us somewhere, just not here?" I ask, pleading.

"Sure, but what about Max? We're supposed to visit him."

"I did, and I spoke with his Vet. I'll tell you guys everything when we are out."

Lea and Maddox's exchange looks before they nod, finally agreeing to my request. Lea taps my shoulder as we head out of the clinic; I smile in return. Her eyes show concern like she always does when I am in a mess, she knows I don't break down quickly, but now, I did.

I let Maddox take us to where he feels good to spend time away from stress. Lea sits at the back while I sit beside Maddox, silently driving to where he hasn't told us. It takes us almost 20 minutes before the car slows down and stops at a cafe beside a bay. The location is stunning with its overlooking view of the sea.

"I've never been in this place; it's beautiful." I manage to smile as I shift on Maddox.

"It is. Just like how you smile, it's beautiful. You should keep doing that."

Maddox doesn't fail to make my heartbeat spike, but I shrug my shoulder at him. My grief slightly disappears, looking at the sea from Maddox's car.

"Guys, let's go," Lea exclaims.

We waste no time, and Maddox guides us to the Cafe. The Cafe's ambiance is pleasant and relaxing; it has a minimalist interior and is surrounded by glass viewing the sea on the side.

"Guys, let's stay beside the bay." Maddox guides us. The wind blows our hair as we walk to a table near the bay. It has an umbrella to protect us from the heat, but we don't need it as the sun is not out; it seems to favor staying outdoors. Not the usual Philippine heat, which could reach as high as 40 degrees celsius.

"The place alone is such a stress reliever; I can stay here the whole day."

"We can do that; I am up for it," Mad says. Logan barks, which seems to agree with his daddy. "My boy Logan has good taste as well." We laugh in unison.

We settle on our chairs, watching the waves crashing against the sea wall and listening to the wind blowing. "Why did you choose this place?" I ask Maddox sitting opposite me.

"You mentioned recently that you love nature, so I thought you'd like to stay beside the ocean, and I'm glad you do."

It warms my heart that Maddox considered my taste when it comes to choosing a place to eat. "Thank you, Mad. How about you, Lea, do you like the place?"

"Of course, I mean, I'm not into nature, but I'm into food. I think they have great food here, so that's what I'm after."

Maddox giggles and I can't help but laugh too. Oh God, my shameless best friend. She only cares about food; she can eat 6 times a day in a man's appetite without getting a pound added to her weight. She's one of those lucky people who have a fast metabolism. So cute.

"Guys, what's funny? We're here to eat, so I'm up for good food; I'm a foodie person. We better get our stomachs full first before we talk about you and Max," says Lea.

"I agree," Mad answered. Just on time, a waiter came to hand us the menu.

As expected, they have different kinds of seafood on the menu, but I don't intend to eat heavy food as it's still too early for lunch. Though I only had cereal and milk for breakfast, my appetite wasn’t good after learning about Max's health condition. "Guys, I'll just have a salmon pizza and ice tea."

"I'll have the same; how about we get a large salmon pizza?" Mad says, closing the menu.

"Sounds good to me."

"Guys, I hope you don't mind; my appetite is too good all the days of my life, you know," Lea chimes in. Maddox and I exchange looks; we must have the same feeling. Lea doesn't fail to entertain us.

"So I'll have a Taco stuffed burger, grilled pizza, and ice tea."

"Will that be all?" The waiter asks.

"Yes, thank you," I confirm and then show a brief smile to the waiter before taking the menu one by one.

It takes us 15 minutes to wait for our food to be served, but the wait is worth it as the Cafe had exquisite food. It's one of the best so far that I didn't regret letting Maddox choose a place to stay. Maddox insists on paying for the food even if I offer to cut the bill into two. I know he could pay our bill in a heartbeat, but I don't want to sound opportunistic; that's not me at all.

"Angel, before you start talking about Max, I wanna thank Maddox for being your friend; at least I know you won't be alone in your new school. Thank you, Maddox," Lea says as she faces Maddox.

"Oh no, don't mention it. Angel is so nice to me and my other friends Luke and Sam; we're happy to have her as a friend as well."

"And Lea, please, I can take care of myself, you know that, right? You don't have to worry about me, for God's sake."

Lea and Maddox's exchange looks, shrugging their shoulders, and then Lea shifts on me, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, I get it; you're fine on your own. Now, tell us about Max's condition."

I take in a deep breath contemplating where to start, whether I start on Max's treatment response or his slim chance to live. Either way, I should let this out of my system. There's no other way to lift the burden inside me; it's killing me.

"I'm sorry if I didn't let you two see Max anymore. The vet advised me to let Max rest while on treatment. I don't even know where to start, but it's bad news. Max hasn't shown a positive response to his treatment, and the worst thing is Max has a slim chance to survive." I'm trying not to be melodramatic, but my voice broke. The thought of losing Max pains me; I don't want to linger in this kind of thought in my head.

"Oh, no, sorry, sissy," Lea says with concern in her voice. She leans close to me and gives me a tight hug, just what I need.

"Angel, don't lose hope; some Vets diagnosis is not accurate; we still have a chance; we will take care of Maddox,"
Mad says in his usual soft and comforting voice. He is right, some diagnoses may not be accurate, and I should be hoping for more years with Max, yet my instincts tell me otherwise.