The morning of the move was cold, especially for Alyx after her argument with Lily. Still, she ignored the looks Ted and Robin gave her as they came out of the bedroom. Ted's awkward greeting, his looks as if he wanted to give his lectures on the search for love and forgiveness, and Robin's clear inner conflict—whether to get involved to support her or mediate for Lily—all of this only made Alyx get ready faster to leave the apartment without having to talk about her problems.
To her surprise, although Marshall came out of his room with red eyes and a look of pained sorrow directed at her, he was understanding enough not to bring up the topic when Alyx's wound was so freshly reopened and exposed.
So, after breakfast, all that was left was to call a taxi (Marshall wanted to drive her, but his car was in the shop) for the few remaining items. The heavier and bulkier things had already been taken to her new apartment the previous afternoon. All that was left were some sentimental items and keepsakes she had packed into two boxes and a backpack the night before.
Ted and Robin, who had returned late the night before, found out about the move and farewell that same day, having been awakened by the argument between Lily and Alyx. Like Marshall, they were unable to step in and mediate, understanding it was Alyx's moment to express her pain to Lily. Still, filled with remorse for not being there for her the day before, they quietly helped, each carrying a box down to the waiting taxi. The atmosphere was thick with silence and discomfort. The rock they could rely on for strength with her constant, calming presence was leaving. And they realized too late how much they had depended on the calm she provided.
Barney appeared at the building's entrance early, still unaware of the argument between Lily and Alyx. He started with his line of the day.
"So the house ghost materializes and moves out? What a plot twist I didn't see coming. I thought you were already a spectral part of the salt shaker. So, this new apartment is near good bars for picking up in your single state? It's vital information."
"No, Barney," Alyx said patiently, unable to suppress the small smile tugging at her lips at his comments.
"What a shame. But if you need lessons on being a single woman who enjoys hunting and taking her prey to bed, I have my hourly rate. Of course, it can be discounted if..." he continued with a more perverted smile for his clear insinuation.
"Barney," Marshall interrupted with a warning tone.
Barney raised his hands. "Just saying, it's the season of singleness and all..." he said, raising his eyebrows. "Well, we'll miss that mysterious, measured touch you gave the place."
It was the closest thing to "I'm going to miss you" that would ever come out of his mouth. Alyx understood and shared the sentiment, acknowledging him with a slight nod in his direction.
When the moment came, with her things in Ted's and Robin's arms and her backpack held by Marshall, she went back inside the apartment. She briefly looked from the living room toward Marshall's bedroom (which she had shared with him and Lily for several years), now devoid of her clothes, shoes, accessories, or Lily's. The bathroom without her toiletries. The kitchen missing a few pots and utensils. And the living room without her folded blanket on the sofa, without her desk and computer. But beyond all those objects, she remembered what she carried in the backpack Marshall was holding: that old sketchbook that was Lily's, now hers, every page filled; Lily's silver earring; and the Polaroid of the three of them together, which she had kept with an old scarf of Lily's.
With everything inventoried in her mind, she left the living room and the apartment. Back outside the building, Ted, Robin, and Barney were there, forming an awkward group.
"I'll be a phone call away," said Alyx. "And the bar is still our bar. It's just... I'll go less often."
"This is weird," said Robin honestly. "But... I wish you the best, Alyx. Really."
Ted nodded at his girlfriend's words. "Yeah, and if the new building is haunted or something, you know, we're here," he said, trying to give Alyx an excuse to come back, however absurd.
Alyx understood Ted's clear suggestion but didn't say anything. She just approached each of them and hugged them briefly—a quick squeeze for Barney, a stronger, silent, and heartfelt hug with Robin (between two people who aren't great at expressing their emotions), and with Ted, it was strong but more melancholic, filled with the passage of shared time.
Finally, she stood in front of Marshall, who was tightly gripping the straps of her backpack.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready."
Barney, Ted, and Robin gave them symbolic space, heading back into the building, leaving the two of them alone. In silence, they placed the boxes in the taxi's trunk, and Alyx put the backpack on the back seat. She turned to say goodbye and saw Marshall had tears in his eyes.
"Don't do that," Alyx said, her own voice thick. "You're going to make me cry, and I have to arrive at the new place with some dignity."
"Sorry," he said with a choked laugh. "It's just... it's the end of everything." He used the same phrase she had said to Lily.
"It ended a long time ago. We were just prolonging it. But it can be the beginning of something else, maybe even better... hopefully," she corrected him, hugging him one last time. "Take care of yourself, Marshmallow."
"You too, A.L."
She got into the taxi, and when it pulled away, she didn't look back. She couldn't. Because she knew if she saw Marshall standing there, watching her leave, her heart would break even more at leaving him, just as Lily had left them three months ago. She felt emptiness, fear, but also a spark of freedom to be herself without having to hold back so the people she loves wouldn't leave.
That night in her new apartment, even though she had clothes to unpack, her two new boxes, and her backpack—which she *had* unpacked immediately upon arrival to arrange what mattered most—she decided this time not to turn on her trusty coffee maker. Instead, she just stepped out onto her balcony, lit a cigarette, and felt that new air, full of possibilities, lightly tousling her hair.
Then, from her jacket pocket, she pulled out an envelope. She contemplated the silver earring and the finished sketchbook. With a decisive movement, she went to the kitchen cupboard and deposited them in a dark corner. It wasn't throwing them away. It was archiving them.
Tomorrow, she would buy a new sketchbook. Blank. For herself. To fill from scratch, just like her new life.
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