We reached a lake retreat with cottages at dusk and decided to check the place out. It looked peaceful, and we both needed that right now. Luckily, there were several free cottages. We rented one for the night, and when we reached it, Diablos started laughing.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It looks like something out of a book.”
“You and your books.” I smiled, hoping to reassure him that I wasn’t making fun of him.
He shrugged and headed to the door. The cottage was cozy and warm. A fireplace stood ready if we wanted to start it, and oversize cushions were laid in front of it. They were bigger than I'd ever seen and thought existed. A fluffy, sizable rug lay beneath them. To the left was the kitchen, and upstairs were the bedrooms. The guy said there were two.
“Those are some pretty big cushions,” I said.
Di giggled, “I’m almost certain they're called bean bags.”
“They have beans inside?”
“Beans or pellets, or whatever.” He shrugged, still giggling. I didn’t mind. I loved it.
Still, everything felt awkward. I couldn’t expect us to act like best friends after my apology, but at the same time, being together felt like a blessing.
“Do you want to start the fireplace? It would be a shame not to use it.” Diablos’s voice was hopeful, and I nodded.
“Let’s do it.”
I started the fire, then returned to the kitchen, and grabbed a beer from the fridge.
“You want one?"
He was unsure for a second, but then agreed.
“We can take our drinks and dinner over there.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
We brought everything over and sat on the same cushion (excuse me,bean bag). It was enormous, with plenty of space between us. Even with the space, my whole body buzzed, and I was focused on his every move.
The quiet never bothered me, but I could sense Di was uncomfortable, so I played my playlist and did something I didn't typically do with him. Talking.
“How are your studies?”
He looked taken aback by my question, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer.
“Hard,” he sighed. “It is hard. I wanted to study this. It was my biggest dream, but now everything seems upside down.”
He looked tired. I knew he'd been excited to major in Literature. It had been his biggest dream, but that spark was nowhere to be found now.
“It happens, you know.”
“What?”
“Sometimes our dreams change, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I’m not giving up my dream. I’ll graduate, but…” He hesitated only for a second. “I don’t feel the same way about it anymore. It doesn’t bring me joy. The worst part is that I don’t know what to do after graduation.”
“Dreams change. We change. It’s okay not to know what to do. The important part is not to let it bring you down.”
He looked at me strangely and shook his head.
“Too late for that."
