Three Months

Frustrations

You should tell her before it's too late. What if something were to happen and you never got that chance? It's better to risk rejection now than to never risk it at all, correct?

That's what Dimentio told Luigi a few months ago. He wasn't sure why the thoughts had re-arisen now, but they did.

"I like you." 

He wasn't sure what provoked him into saying that, but what was done was done. He couldn't take the words back now. It was too late. He didn't even know what he was saying until after it was said. 

He didn't even realize those words were true until they were spoken.

Luigi frowned in confusion, then turned and looked back at Dimentio. 

"Huh?" Was all he could manage as a response, acting as if he misheard or didn't hear at all.

But he did hear, and he knew exactly what the words meant.

"I like you," Dimentio repeated, slightly louder this time. 

Luigi didn't smile his usual smile, which essentially gave Dimentio his response before the words did. 

Not that he didn't expect rejection, but it still stung. He honestly wasn't sure what he was expecting. 

He very well knew that Luigi had feelings for Daisy. 

"You don't have to reply," Dimentio said, looking down to his side. "I don't need you to like me back. I don't expect you to. I suppose I just... I wanted to tell you before I left." 

Luigi remained silent, almost looking as if he saw a ghost. Dimentio didn't like the fact that he made this pleasant, tranquil scene so uncomfortable and cold, but he tried ignoring the rejected feeling by lying back and looking at the stars. It was quite easy to get lost in them, even through the trees. 

Luigi continued looking at Dimentio almost as if he was hit by a ball of ice and frozen in that spot. He wasn't sure if he was even blinking. There was quite a bit to process from what he just heard. He decided to try to get the easiest topic out of the way.

I just wanted to tell you before I left, a reminder that Dimentio was leaving. Luigi had to admit that he almost forgot. Dimentio did say he'd be staying for three months, and summer was almost over, meaning those three months were nearly up. But still, for some reason, the mention of leaving was like being shocked away by cold water. The reminder that soon Dimentio would be gone, and life would return to the old normal.

If he was being honest, he knew he was going to miss Dimentio. Mario would probably miss him too, though he'd never admit it. The fact that Dimentio pointed out that he was leaving almost saddened Luigi.

Luigi wasn't sure how to process the other piece of information. The phrase, I like you. It could be taken in many different ways, but he knew what Dimentio meant immediately. He wasn't quite sure what to do with that new information. He wasn't sure how to react, what to say, or how to even look. Should he have looked happy, should he have looked sorrowful, how does one react to a statement like that?

"I..." Luigi said, swallowing and looking forward at the waterfall. "I don't know what to say."

"That's alright," Dimentio breathed, still looking up at the sky. "You don't have to. I wouldn't either."

Dimentio waited in the awkward silence for a while, trying to count the stars he could see, only to lose track and have to start over. How did the people who wrote those astronomy books Luigi has accurately count, name, and map all of these?? There were so many!

"Do you know where you're heading? After you leave, I mean. Do you have a place to stay?" Luigi asked. Dimentio noted that he was trying to change the subject to a less awkward one, but somehow talking about this made him feel even worse. Not that Luigi would know that.