The bar was like a hive, teeming with drunk and happy people seeking solace or simply a good time. You weren't interested in such places, nor in numbing your thoughts with alcohol. It seemed you were above all that, in control of yourself and accountable for your actions. But why had you come here? To your friends. They had persuaded you, as such gatherings were rare.

The evening was filled with friendly jokes and reminiscences. But your attention was inexorably drawn to one corner, where a man sat at a table, seemingly lost in thought. His gaze was fixed on his glass of wine, and his eyes reflected something more than just weariness or boredom. In his eyes, which from a distance seemed clouded, there was a deep inner turmoil, painfully familiar to you. Looking closer at his facial features, you barely recognized your old friend, the one thanks to whom you had become who you are now - Leon.

His blond hair was now dark streaks, as if faded by time. His blue eyes had lost their luster, and in their depths, a whole universe of weathered storms now lurked. Besides wrinkles, stubble aged him. What was inside him now?

While you pondered how to approach him, Leon raised his head and looked directly at you. Surprise flashed in his eyes, and then a bitter smile appeared, as if he himself couldn't believe his eyes. Then you left your friends behind in their animated conversation and walked up to him.

"You, like wine, only get better with age," you whispered a compliment, looking at the glass of red liquid near Leon.

Leon took hold of the stem of the glass to avoid heating the drink with his fingers and tilted it slightly, watching as the wine slowly swirled, leaving sediment on the walls. It was part of his deep reflection.

"But wine, like people, tends to age and change its taste," he replied, not betraying his joy at see you again after so many years.