Chapter 6

Meirise Lake was one of the three sacred lakes in Dordor, sitting at an altitude of over 15,400 feet.

I hadn't planned on going. The altitude sickness had left me feeling completely drained.

But John said, "You can't just come here and not see it. There are places you just have to check out once you're here, or you'll regret it."

I looked into his sparkling eyes, and before I knew it, I found myself saying yes.

The car rattled along the twisting mountain roads for four hours, and I was so dizzy I could barely think straight.

John let me rest my head on his shoulder the whole way.

"We're here," the driver said.

I opened my eyes and was left speechless.

The sky was a deep blue, the water was blue too, and the distant snow mountains gleamed in pure white.

The lake was so still it looked like a giant mirror, perfectly reflecting the clouds above and the far-off mountains.

The wind was fierce, whipping the prayer flags so hard they snapped and fluttered in the air.

Standing by the lake, I suddenly felt like I'd found a place so beautiful, it almost didn't seem real.

I almost never got to see this, all because of someone who didn't deserve me.

John stood behind me, holding up his phone. "Smile."

I turned around, the wind blowing my hair and the sunlight making me squint.

He checked the photo and grinned. "You look great."

I said, "Let me see."

"No way."

"Why?"

"I'm keeping this one for myself."

I reached for his phone, but he just held it up high. At over six feet tall, there was no way I could reach it.

I said, "John!"

He said, "Ask me nicely."

I said, "Don't push me!"

"Then at least say please."

Out of frustration, I kicked at him, but he just laughed, dodged easily, and ran a few steps away before turning back to look at me. "You're smiling."

I froze for a second.

I was smiling.

It was the first time I'd smiled since coming to Dordor.

That night, we stayed in a tent by the lake.

The wind was howling outside, but inside the tent, it was warm and cozy.

John lit a campfire and fished two cans of beer out of his bag.

"Wanna drink?" he said.

"Sure," I said.

We sat at the entrance of the tent, gazing up at the endless sea of stars.

The night sky in Dordor was the most breathtaking I'd ever seen.

The stars were so thick it was like someone had sprinkled the sky with shattered diamonds, and the Milky Way stretched clear as day from one end of the horizon to the other.

He said, "Hey."

"Yeah?" I replied.

"So, what are you gonna do next?"

I took a sip of my beer. "Get a divorce, then start over."

"Start over with what?"

"I don't really know." I gazed up at the stars. "Maybe start my own business again. I used to be in business.

"I started a company with... him. The company's in his name now, but I know this industry inside out. I can totally do it myself."

"Do you need any help?"

"No, I'm good."

He said, turning to look at me, "I don't mean just helping. I mean, let's do it together."

I laughed. "What can a twenty-three-year-old boy like you possibly do?"

"Boy?" He arched his eyebrow. "You sure didn't call me that last night."

I blushed. "John!"

"Alright, I'll stop." John's laugh sounded especially nice under the starry sky.

"I'm serious. I studied business, just graduated, and I'm still trying to find a place to get some real experience. If you start your own company, I'll be your first employee."

"So, where'd you graduate from?"

"Liadicia University."

I almost choked on my beer. "Wait, what?"

He said again, totally unfazed, "Liadicia University Business School."

I stared at him for three seconds.

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"So why were you at that bar in Port City?"

John said, taking a sip of his beer, "Waiting for a friend. My buddy was starting a business there, so I went to see him.

"I'd barely arrived and you just went ahead and kissed me."

I was stunned.

"You know, after you left that night, my friend laughed his head off. He said you totally treated me like a male escort."

I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"Sorry..."

He said, looking at me, dead serious, "You don't have to apologize. I remember everything you said that night, word for word."

I was frozen, completely caught off guard.

He said, "You told me you fell out with your family over him, gave him every cent you had to help him start his business.

"You said you gave him the best years of your life. And you said he wasn't worth it."

His voice was gentle, but every word landed right in my heart.

"You deserve someone who truly cares about you."

Inside the tent, silence lingered for a long time.

The wind made the tent fabric rustle softly.

"John," I said.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Why are you so nice to me?"