“But we’ll see out the night with your head on my chest, me and you; there’s only me and you.”

https://open.spotify.com/track/0QPdjsMOUhwouq1NS3HwfQ?si=17198a3d618d4050

cw: sexual activity (implied) Beginning of March 2025, somewhere in Bromo.

“It’s so quiet here.”

The book Alexa was reading just reached the good part, but Atlas’ commentary had her looked up. She put a bookmark on the current page before she put the book away.

“I thought you could use some stillness, away from the honking cars and noisy clients.”

Atlas shifted his focus from the evergreen trees in the front, to the lady beside him. “Thank you for taking me here.”

“Anytime,” she answered with a smile.

For the life of him, Atlas had never really went on a proper vacation with the intention to rest. The only one he could remember was a trip to Universal Studios in Singapore with Kai, Puspa, and his sister, and it was his first time boarding a plane. Other than that, he didn’t really do leisure trip. It’s always for business, or for a heartbreak, as he recalled his last one.

After Puspa passed away, Alexa made the decision to postpone their Europe trip so Atlas could take his time to take care of few things regarding Puspa’s last will. Apparently, Puspa gave a generous portion of her remaining assets for Atlas and the administration process was quite a hassle—not to mention that most of the matter involved Kai as Puspa’s only son as well.

Somehow, it only dawned on Kai few days after his mother cremation that his mother had truly gone. Grief was weird, every tidal waves felt as raw as it was the first time—if not worse. Before Kai could digest this new realm properly, his father suddenly appeared in the front door; and resentment didn’t get along really well with grief, if anything, it worsened it.

As much as Atlas tried not to be involved in the most of it, he couldn’t—in his good conscience—leave Kai to deal with everything alone. Like he said, he was a friend before he was a lover; and Kai was there when life dumped Atlas in the deepest pit. It seemed like time had finally given Atlas a chance to give it back to Kai, while he was fighting his own demon inside.

Alexa saw that grief, resentment, and the pain of holding himself back started to eat Atlas from the inside. He was getting thinner by day, his dark circle was unmistakeable, and he couldn’t focus at work. Every time Alexa asked him, it’s not that he didn’t want to tell her, but he didn’t have the energy to relive the emotion. However, the root was always the same: Kai.

It’s kind of heartbreaking to see that someone who used to be his source of life, turned into a person who took away his spirit little by little.

So Alexa made an impulsive yet much-needed decision: she took him on a short getaway. There they were, in one of Alexa’s favorite hotel near Bromo National Park. Maybe it’s not Europe yet, but it’s away, tucked in between the hills, no one knew who they were. Away from all the pressure, from the suffocating air, from someone who slowly diminished the fire in him.

Along the way Alexa kept asking herself—why went on such length for someone who was still pretty much caught up in his past? She didn’t know either. Maybe she truly cared for him. Or maybe, she saw herself in him, a version no one saved back then.

So Atlas was right the whole time. Saving him would save her.

“How are you feeling?”

Atlas rubbed his thumb on Alexa’s skin; she was cold from the wind, but she still stayed with him in the balcony for hours now. They didn’t do anything in this trip; Alexa just let Atlas slept as long as he wanted. They would order in-room dining for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; and if they were not too lazy they would walk around the hills and pine trees.