Day Three

Stefano woke to the sound of Diego's footsteps on gravel before the sun had properly cleared the treeline. The trailer door groaned open, and Diego stood silhouetted against the grey dawn, already dressed, already moving.

"Time to pack up," he said, not to anyone in particular. "Long drive ahead."

Alessia stirred in her sleeping bag, a muffled protest escaping her. Stefano was already sitting as he sat up to watch Diego disappear back outside. Mere seconds passed before the sound of the cooler being dragged across the ground began to ring out.

"Does he always wake up angry?" Stefano asked.

Alessia emerged from her cocoon, hair a disaster. "He's not angry. He's particular about a lot of things. Like traffic."

"Same thing, really."

She shot him a look of mild annoyance before she began rolling up her sleeping bag. She clearly wasn't in the mood for any of it today.

Stefano stood and stretched his silent joints before he followed her out into the morning air.

The campsite looked different in the daylight. Smaller. More ordinary. The fire ring was cold and grey, the chairs still scattered around it like the remnants of a party no one remembered attending. Diego was already breaking down the awning, his movements sharp and methodical.

"Want coffee?" Alessia asked him.

"There's no time." He didn't look up from the pole he was unscrewing. "We need to be on the road before traffic hits."

"You always say that."

"Because it's always true."

Stefano wandered to the edge of the water. The lake was flat and unremarkable, a sheet of grey glass reflecting the sky. "What happened to swimming?"

"Guessing he's in too much of a bad mood to swim." Stefano jabbed, earning another annoyed glare from Alessia. "Sorry."

Diego stopped disassembling the awning and looked over at Alessia, his face a portrait of irritation and exhaustion. "Do you want to swim?"

Alessia sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "I mean you brought it up–"

"You shut it down."

"Because I'm scared! There, is that what you want?"

Stefano looked at her, and his expression was sad and tired and knowing. Diego in comparison was completely unreadable. His posture straightened, but he didn't look tense. His face flattened but didn't look cold or angry. He braced but couldn't bring himself to move.

Instead Diego watched with a sorrowful gaze as she walked to the fire pit and began gathering crumpled napkins and empty cans. Stefano followed her, his footsteps silent on the pine needles.

"Al," he whispered, a low gentle sound only she could hear. "Talk to him. We can't just leave it there, I'm sure he'll–"

"Don't." Her voice was tight, controlled. "Not now. I don't need your pitying looks or gentle comfort, I'm not ready. I'm just not ready."

"When, then? Three more years? Five? You can't keep carrying me around like this. It's not good for you."

She stuffed a handful of wrappers into the bag. She stuffed them haphazardly in the bag and froze for a second. Then silence followed.

Then a hesitant step forward, toward her, cautious but awkwardly trying to help.

"Here," Diego said quietly. He crouched beside her and reached for a crumpled napkin she'd missed. His fingers brushed hers, and she pulled back with a flinch before a guilty look crossed her face.

"I'm... I'm such a mess. I'm sorry." she murmured, fresh tears welling in her eyes even as she refused to let them fall.

"It's alright." He didn't look at her. He just gathered the scattered trash. He moved slower now, and it was as if the rush to escape traffic was no longer a concern for the man. "I shouldn't have pushed. About the swimming. About any of it."

She watched him for a long moment, watched the way his shoulders curved forward, the way he seemed smaller than he had all weekend. "You weren't pushing," she said finally. "You were just... asking."

"Same thing, apparently."

She almost smiled at that. Almost. "It's not Diego. It's never been. I'm sorry for treating it that way."

Diego nudged Alessia a bit then gently shook his head. "I don't need to know everything." He straightened up, letting the trash bag dangle from his fingers. "I just need to know you're okay. Or that you will be. Eventually."

Stefano stood a few feet away, watching them both. He caught Alessia's eye and gave a small nod. He mouthed a gentle 'Say something' and she shyly looked away.

"I will be," she said, the words coming out quieter than she'd intended. "I think I'm getting there."

Diego narrowed his eyes for a moment, expecting to catch a tell that she might be lying. He saw nothing and it made him relax a bit more than he had been the entire trip. "Good," he said. "That's good."

He turned back to the trailer, and Alessia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

They finished packing in relative silence. Only the sound of nature and their collective efforts filled the empty space.

Diego worked with his back to them both, and Alessia moved slower but less tense than before. Her eyes always darted toward Stefano, who found a spot on the stump and watched them both. Diego's eyes always darted toward her, making sure she didn't need a moment to compose herself.

Finally, the trailer was hitched, the car was loaded, and Diego stood by the driver's door with his hand on the handle. "You ready?" he asked Alessia.

She looked at Stefano almost seeking some kind of approval. He smiled at her. It was soft and encouraging, the way he'd always smiled at her. She looked away again, unsure what to now that she felt so vulnerable.

"Yeah," she nodded, the small gesture putting a smile on Diego's face. "I'm ready."

She climbed into the passenger seat. Diego got behind the wheel. Stefano followed suit, settling onto the back seat like always.

"Everything okay?" Diego asked.

Alessia glanced in the rearview mirror. Stefano caught her eye, smiled, and shook his head. The tiny gesture was meant just for her.

"Everything's fine. Better than fine." she whispered, earning a nod of approval from Diego this time.

Diego pulled out of the campsite. The trailer rattled behind them, blending with the low hum of daytime radio.

Stefano sat in the back seat, watching the world move around him. He saw Alessia's hand resting on the center console. He saw Diego's fingers twitch toward it, hesitating for a minute or two before finally reaching out to take it. She didn't pull away for once.

Stefano let out a gentle smile and closed his eyes.

The gravel road gave way to a dirt path, and the dirt gave way to pavement. The trees grew more dense ahead of them as the lake shrank behind them. Eventually the camp park disappeared from sight entirely and they were well on their way back to the city.

Alessia looked in the rearview mirror one last time. The back seat was empty. No shape, no face, no familiar smile.

She kept looking anyway.

"Al?" Diego glanced at her. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." She squeezed his hand and faced forward. "Just the road."

They drove for a while in comfortable silence. The radio hummed low, some station Diego had found that was playing old rock songs. Alessia watched the trees blur past, and slowly her eyes began to fall shut as well.

She didn't look in the rearview mirror again to check.

She didn't need to anymore.