15. Dagon
Chapter fifteen
Dagon
Ihad two goals.
First, keep Diablos safe.
Second, make things right with him.
Since Di was safely tucked into bed, I decided to work on my second goal.
The morning was pleasant. It was early spring in February, but there were still days that were cold. Luckily, the coffee shop I’d noticed Di eyeing yesterday was open. As I stepped inside, I was greeted by a girl with bright purple hair and an even brighter smile.
“Good morning. What would you like to order on this beautiful day?” She beamed.
I smiled back. She lit up the whole place like a walking sunshine far too energetic for this hour.
“Good morning.” I looked at the menu before ordering. “I would like one cup of black coffee, a long one, and one cup of coffee with coconut milk.”
“Coming right up. Is it takeout?”
“Yes, please.” I glanced at the pastry display and added, “Four croissants and two cupcakes, too.”
As she got to work, I checked my phone. There was a message from Andras.
Andras: You okay?
Me: Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?
His reply came almost instantly, surprising me. Andras was a night owl on the weekend, not an early riser.
Andras: Well, if you must ask. What about you being out there with the brother you supposedly can’t stand? I’m fascinated he’s still alive.
My hands tightened around the phone. Even though this was Andras, he didn’t know shit about Diablos and me. Though I knew he suspected.
Me: Still alive and whole. I have to go. ttyl
Andras: Be safe, and don’t kill our little brother. Ttyl
My gut twisted. I forced myself not to linger on it.
The girl was now humming and dancing behind the counter while making our coffee. I couldn’t help but chuckle. She turned to me with a curious look, and I quickly straightened.
“You know, you look like someone I know,” she said.
“I don’t hear that often,” I replied.
“Yeah. He is my best friend and often drives me crazy, but I love him.”
“Glad to hear that.”
"I'm happy I have him in my life, too." Her eyes went soft, and I could tell there was more to the story, but it wasn't my place to wonder. "Here you go. Your boyfriend will be thrilled. I saw the two of you yesterday when you checked in at the hotel. Coffee and croissants… mmm."
I froze, credit card halfway out.
Boyfriend?
I didn’t correct her, paid in silence, then walked out, watching her dance her way back to the espresso machine.
Shaking off the weird encounter and Andras’ words, I returned to the hotel. Diablos was still sleeping when I entered our room. I went to his bed and sat on the edge of the mattress.
“Good morning.” I said, hoping to wake him up with the smell of coffee.
He grumbled, stirred, then slowly blinked his eyes open as the smell hit him.
“Good morning.”
His voice was raspy with sleep, and his hair was messy in a cute way.
“You bought coffee?”
“Yes.” I gave him his cup. “It’s already nine. We need to leave soon, but first, we need coffee and breakfast.”
He sat up against the headboard, and I allowed myself a not-so-subtle second to admire the broad stretch of his shoulders. Fuck, I wondered what he would look like under the shirt.
“Huh?”
“What?” I snapped my gaze up, fearing I’d been caught. But there was a grin on his face, and his whole face lit up.
“There’s coconut milk in my coffee.”
"I remembered you never liked black coffee and you only drink yours with coconut milk." I paused. "Is that still true?"
He didn’t say anything at first, so I turned around. He still had that smile on his face, and it made my lips tug into a grin of their own.
“Yeah, it is. Thank you,” he said quietly.
“You’re welcome. Come eat.”
“When did you get up?”
“Twenty or so minutes ago. I went to grab coffee, and the girl working there was fascinating.” Diablos’s brows rose, and I could feel his thoughts spinning in his head.
“Not like that. Even if I’m gay, I still think every person is beautiful in their own way.
She had bright purple hair, she hummed and danced.
It was…” I struggled to find the right word.
“Interesting to see. There aren’t a lot of people like her. ”
Diablos looked even more confused, but reached for his breakfast, and I let the moment pass.
After we ate, we got ready and left the hotel.
Before heading to our car, we stopped at the coffee shop.
I was sure Di wanted to see the girl, but I didn’t taunt him.
We got more coffee, and he looked even more energized.
I realized why I liked the girl from the beginning.
She and Diablos had almost the same aura if I could describe it like that.
He was a ball of sunshine when he wasn’t trying to hide behind a mask or when the darkness didn’t envelop him.
I always thought that darkness was me, that I was the one who brought it upon him.
But I was starting to wonder if I was the only thing.
When we reached our car, we put our bags in the trunk before climbing in and continuing our journey. We would need to sleep somewhere again tonight, but I didn’t know where yet.
“You were right,” Di said.
“About what?”
“About the girl.”
“I know.”
Diablos laughed, and we spent the next few hours drinking coffee and listening to music. At least the road to hell would be spent with good music and Di by my side. I couldn’t complain about that.
***
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."
I would've missed his whispered words if not for my enhanced hearing.
Something tugged at my heart as I looked at him.
He looked truly lost, and I wanted to help, to reassure him.
I reached for him and pulled him toward me.
Di came willingly and rested his head on my chest with a sigh.
My heart was beating wildly, and I couldn’t believe I was holding Diablos in my arms. It felt right.
The constant ache inside me eased for the first time in what felt like forever.
If only I could hold on to him for the rest of my life.