One Door Away

Chapter 18

'You okay there?' He checked up on me. 'Why don't we go to a doctor?'

'It's probably some cold,' I dismissed his suggestion. 'Don't worry.'

'Fine. But,' he paused. 'Can I talk to you about something?'

'Sure,' I said as I rest my body on the couch.

Owen grabbed the pillow next to him and signaled me to give some room for sitting. I sat up straight, my back supported by the back pillow. He jumped into the couch and quickly put his head on my lap. I look at his deep blue eyes, his lashes, and his hard-angled eyebrows; they were amazingly beautiful.

I caressed his hair, while I hummed some tune before saying, 'Owen?'

He looked at me, like he peered into the very depths of my soul. For a moment, I had grasped what emotion I was feeling, but it was lost after I retracted my gaze. My heart felt a sudden pang – a short, quick burst of pain – that I tried to remedy. From that moment on, I knew something had been missing inside me.

'Right,' he giggled. 'You see, I've been pulling all-nighters just to perfect my exams and assignments, and I'm really really tired from everything.'

'You have been? But, why? We literally have so much time since we're already studying a lot,' I said. 'You don't have to pressure yourself in doing this. It's unhealthy for you.'

'I know,' he consoled. 'It's not me who's pressuring myself, but rather my parents. When I didn't get into the med program for undergrads last year, they were mad and although it subsided, the disappointment is still there.'

'Now, I understand,' I muttered in recognition. 'I'm sorry for the tough things I said to you. You know I never meant those.'

'I do, Peter,' he said. 'I do. Now, my parents are pressuring me to get perfect grades as an assurance to them that I would get into med school.'

'Get up,' I said as I stood up from my place, leaving his head on the couch. 'Get. Up.'

'Why? I'm having a moment here,' he said.

'I know,' I replied. 'And that's why we need to go outside. I know exactly the place we need to go to help you, and no, it's not a therapist.'

'Fine,' he grunted. 'It's Friday anyway.'

'Come on! Let's get to your car,' I shouted while I took my room key. 'Hurry before we miss it! Oh, take two towels from my bathroom, please.'

We went to the parking lot where Owen had left his car. There were a lot of vehicles occupying the slots, but we soon found his car and went in it. I put on the seatbelt while Owen started the engine. I looked at his face before I put my head on the side window and looked at the windshield.

'So where are we going?' He asked.

'To the local beach, thirty minutes away from here,' I said. 'You know where it is, just drive.'

'That's why you asked me to bring towels,' he said as he started driving. 'Why the beach?'

'Just trust me. By the way, what time is it already?'

'Four,' he answered.

'Good.'

We were already at Bay Drive, a scenic town that boasts of its palm trees and warm winds and home of twenty thousand residents. What really makes their economy boom are tourists, who would either go to the well-sought Castellana Beach or restaurants. Its natives are welcoming, but things will become disastrous if you break any laws such as littering.