A Mess of a Life

A few moments later, Nico took a deep breath, as if trying to calm the storm raging inside him. After a pause that felt longer than usual, he finally spoke. "I'm not sure you want to hear this story," he said heavily, his eyes staring blankly at the cup in his hands. "But if you're really curious… my life before this, honestly, it was a mess."

He fell silent for a moment, his hands gripping the cup tightly. The dark liquid inside moved slowly, reflecting the small ripples that might also be within him. His voice grew steadier, though each word still carried a slight tremor. "I was born in Yokohama, Japan. My family was simple. We weren't rich, but we were happy. Our house was small, but it was full of warmth. I was the eldest child, so yeah, you could say all my parents' hopes and dreams rested on my shoulders. They always said I was special."

A small smile appeared on his face, but it was full of bitterness. "Maybe because of that, I was spoiled. They trusted too much that I would succeed. But I..." He took a deep breath, staring blankly at his cup before continuing. "I ended up becoming a stubborn kid. I don't know why. I felt like nothing was ever enough for me. I was never satisfied, never really tried."

Nico ran a hand over his face, as if trying to wipe away the bad memories surfacing in his mind. "High school… just passed me by. My friends? They were busy building their futures. Some were training to be athletes, others honing their singing talents, and some preparing for top universities. But me? I was just busy fooling around. They had goals, while I..."

He stopped, staring at the star-studded night sky as if searching for answers among its glimmers. "I was like standing still, not knowing where to go. I just wasted time, not caring about what really mattered."

Silence enveloped them, giving Nico the space to face the memories he had long buried. Arga stayed quiet, not interrupting, giving Nico the time he needed to continue. The night breeze blew gently, carrying the scent of damp grass and the faint sounds of nocturnal insects.

Nico took another deep breath, deeper than before, before closing his story with a voice that was almost a whisper. "And now… here I am. Somehow, some way. I can only hope there's still a chance to make things right."

The night wind blew again, carrying a meaningful silence. Arga looked at Nico, realizing that behind his calm demeanor, the man carried an unseen burden. But he said nothing. Sometimes, silence is the best form of support.

The night sky seemed to stretch endlessly, as if it, too, was listening to every word pouring out of Nico's heart. Beneath the ever-twinkling stars, they found solace in a shared silence—a moment where words were no longer necessary to show they were not alone.

Nico lifted his cup and sipped the last of his drink slowly, as if trying to swallow the bitterness of memories that continued to haunt him. For a moment, his eyes were fixed on the trembling surface of the liquid, like the shadows of the past that never truly faded.

"I never realized how time keeps moving forward," he said quietly, his voice heavy with regret. "I only barely graduated high school. My friends started moving ahead—some got into prestigious universities, others jumped straight into careers. And me? I was stuck in an endless confusion."

He lowered his gaze, absentmindedly rolling the cup in his hands. Silence wrapped around them, broken only by the soft whisper of the night wind accompanying Nico's every word. "After high school, I tried working. I thought maybe having a job would give me direction. But I got bored quickly. The pressure, the routine, the lack of freedom... it all made me give up. I quit without a second thought, and once again, I found myself in a meaningless loop. The days felt empty, like treading water without a destination."

Nico took a deep breath before continuing, his tone softer yet heavy with emotion. "Eventually, I thought college might be the way out. My parents used our family savings to support both me and my younger sibling. My sibling even took on part-time jobs and postponed their own education for me. I enrolled in university prep courses, thinking it was my chance to fix everything. And yes, I did get into college, though it was just a second-tier university. But you know what, Arga?" Nico gave a bitter smile, his gaze fixed somewhere far away. "I ended up making the same mistakes."

His eyes returned to the night sky, filled with shadows of a past that refused to let go. "During college, I wasted my time again. I got into a relationship, partied, and ignored my responsibilities. At first, I thought I was happy, but that happiness was... hollow. The emptiness slowly ate away at me until I realized everything was wrong. I decided to leave that lifestyle behind, broke up with my girlfriend, and tried to focus on my studies."

Nico let out a small laugh, but it was tinged with bitterness. "Sounds heroic, doesn't it? But the melancholy never truly left. I was still lost. I missed my girlfriend; I missed the good times we had. For days, she was all I could think about. Eventually, I decided to try getting back together. 'Why not?' I thought. Plenty of people juggle relationships and college. But my friends tried to warn me. They said, 'Focus on your studies and leave everything else behind, just for a few years. After that, do whatever you want. If you quit now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.' But I didn't listen. I was too caught up in my own thoughts, too busy chasing the shadow of a girlfriend who had already moved on."

The silence around them felt heavy, broken only by the soft rustling of leaves in the night breeze. Arga remained silent, not interrupting. He knew Nico needed the space to unload everything he'd been carrying alone. Nico drew another deep breath, as if bracing himself to continue with an even heavier part of his story.