Chapter 96: Starting Again
Dawn had arrived and, finally... it was the last day. It was just a matter of time before the two little kongs could begin their trip back. They decided to schedule it for the sunset hours, as the trip lasted more than a whole day, and it would be somewhat risky to spend the night far from Hurricane Island in case of any emergencies.
They both got up early that day and ate together with Mr. Pinky as usual. The two had decided not to talk about the topic of the previous night anymore; they just wanted to continue as usual.
Later, both went with Mr. Pinky to the animal shelter, since that day they had to make some last observations to the ship where they planned to sail, in addition to boarding more food to take on the trip. The ship was anchored by a low cliff near the shelter, so they would have no problem moving around.
After that, they stayed another while in the shelter. Mr. Pinky had returned home, while Diddy and Dixie stayed longer. Both were reunited with some of the rescued kong children, with whom they had already spoken and spent some time during that week.
"And so, you won't come back here anymore?" one of the kong children asked them.
"I don't think so now," Diddy replied. "Considering that our island is too far, too far away. Even the way we got here had been because of that hurricane storm."
"Oh, we won't see you again then," a girl in the herd added. "I thought you were going to return later... Are you going to come back someday?"
"Well, who knows," Dixie said, shrugging and smiling. "Maybe by fate we'll pass through here again... Although of course, I hope it's not again because of a storm."
"Diddy! Dixie!" a voice different to those who were gathered exclaimed.
Diddy and Dixie were the first to turn to see who was calling them; it was some of their animal friends there.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Diddy asked them.
"There was a small mishap with some pieces of the ship and we wanted to ask you if you can help us, since we cannot reach it... And you're small."
"Okay, we'll be there in a while," Diddy replied along with Dixie.
Diddy and Dixie temporarily said goodbye to the children, and then went to accompany the animals that had called them.
When they arrived, they had noticed that a part of the sails had detached from the masts and, as the animals told them, just the two of them could reach it due to their small sizes and their primate ability to climb. Diddy and Dixie were each with a group of animals, as they were two separate parts where they had to intervene.
At a time when Diddy had lowered the piece from the mast, he reunited with the animals, who were going to help him make adjustments to the parts that had broken down. Dixie was with another group of animals, fixing another piece.
Meanwhile, Diddy along with the animals that were with him, were on some rocks, trying to fix the pieces separately. At first, he was quietly concentrating on making the necessary adjustments to the piece, when suddenly, and he did not know why... his thoughts turned to Dixie. Ever since he woke up, he couldn't stop thinking about that moment they had shared the night before. He hadn't felt that way in a while; even in the previous days he had spent most of his time with Dixie and everything had been normal, even in the moments alone with her. Then, he turned to look at her for a while in the distance; he couldn't deny it at all... He still loved her.
"Hey, Diddy!" one of the animals called him, causing him a small fright and breaking the thread of his thoughts. "What's going on?" they added with a little laugh.
"Uhh, no, nothing, why?" Diddy replied with a forced smile.
"You're a little quiet and you stood as if you had been hypnotized," another of the animals said with a slight laugh. "Uhh, is something going on? We've seen you like this since you arrived."
"Are you worried about the trip?" another of the animals asked.
"Ahh, yes... Yeah, that too," Diddy replied with a forced smile, before changing his expression. "Uh, I meant... Yeah, it's because of the trip."
The animals looked at each other, and then looked at him strangely at his reaction.
"What do you mean with too?" they asked him, raising their brows. "By any chance... it's not about Dixie or is it?"
Diddy felt an instant flutter inside him after being suddenly found out.
"What are you saying? No," Diddy replied with a forced look of strangeness and trying to sound direct, but in the end, it didn't go so well, as the animals looked at him more deeply, as if noticing his forced reactions. "Ugh, well... It's nothing serious, don't worry. Why do you ask, by the way?"
"It's that... you stared at her just now," one of the animals said, raising their brows. "In fact, it's not the first time this week you've stood still like that."
"Ohh, do you still love each other?" another of the animals said playfully, giving Diddy small pushes.
"Hey, no, of course not anymore," Diddy replied with a few small laughs in the same way, before speaking more calmly. "Well, not that way; we're just still friends like before, that's all."
"And by the way, can I ask... why did you two break up?" the animals asked him with some curiosity, but at the same time, discreetly. "Uhh, if you don't mind me asking, of course... Wasn't it because of that issue with that orangutan boy and the girl you used to call Jenny, or was it?"
"No, it wasn't because of that," Diddy replied. "I mean, we had broken up for that in the beginning, but that's already obsolete; we already clarified it and apologized for misinterpreting it. We actually decided to leave it all there because... in the end our relationship was what got us on this whole journey, and it has also made us have silly conflicts that we didn't have before, and that's not what we want. Just look at that misunderstanding; those things didn't happen to us before when we were just friends."
"Really?" one of the animals exclaimed with a look of weirdness, but then changed his expression. "I mean, but then you two still love each other, don't you?... You still love her, right?"
Diddy was just silent for a few seconds, and looked away as he put his hands to his temple. Then, he adopted an expression of seriousness.
"The truth is that... yes," Diddy replied with a look of sincerity. "And yeah."
"Hey, and then why didn't you continue?" they asked him again. "I mean… do you know if she still loves you too?"
"Well, yes, too," Diddy replied without hiding this time. "In fact... we have told each other and we have talked about it. But no... I don't want us to risk it again."
"Diddy, but what are you saying? So, there's still something between the two of you?... And why don't you consider getting back together and starting things anew?"
"No, no, I don't think it's the best thing now," Diddy added, denying with his head. "I don't want us to have any more mishap like the ones we had and that makes us argue and drift apart, let alone putting us in danger. I just want... her to be well, to be happy, and so am I... For us to be well."
"Oh, I see... But don't you really consider giving each other another chance? I mean, you just said... that you two still love each other, that you still have feelings for each other... Even if you start anew, you could do much better; you'd have learned from those bad times."
"You were a lovely couple," another of the animals added. "I think that love between two ones should only end if one or both of them no longer feel anything, or if they have been disloyal, or if they have treated each other very badly. But you... you've been there for each other, always stayed together, even in those terrible situations... and even being on bad terms, you never completely abandoned each other and always knew how to take care of each other... Isn't that what couples do?"
"But it's that…" Diddy said, lowering his gaze. "I don't know... What if something happens again and we drift apart?"
"But you surely will do better, much more if both do your part and if there's still love between the two. Just look, even in the recent situations you didn't drift apart; you're still staying together... Tell me, Diddy, wouldn't you want to get back together with her again?"
"Well, I'm not going to lie to you either," Diddy replied with some shyness, "I'd love for us to get back, but... Oh, I don't know. We're not experts in this love thing."
"And why not give it a try then? Come on, your love will be stronger than before; everything will be much better, in fact... I believe no one is completely an expert in love. Even she'd be happy to start anew with you."
"Do you... believe that?" Diddy asked, smiling a little.
"Of course, if you two want, yes," one of the animals replied, looking at him with encouragement. "Diddy... this world and this life already have many awful things, why not give yourselves the opportunity to be happy if you can be happy together?"
"If you two want, of course," another of the animals added. "It's your decision after all; if there is still love and interest between the two. So... you can try to talk to her, or look for a good time when something happens and you talk about it. What do you say?"
"Well, I don't know," Diddy replied, still smiling with some confusion. "Maybe time will tell."
"Time you say?" one of the animals asked, smiling at him with a look of strangeness. "But you said it: you two still love each other; it's up to you two now. Besides, not to sound negative, but... I don't think one can just be friends with someone if there's still something between the two, or at least it's so difficult."
"I know... and it actually is," Diddy replied as he took the piece he was fixing. "But seriously, I don't know yet."
"Well, as we said: it's your decision and hers, after all," another of the animals said, smiling at him. "And if you don't end up together, well, that's okay too... At least you've managed to stay on good terms."
Diddy smiled at them too, before continuing to make adjustments to the piece along with his animal friends.
Later, Diddy and Dixie had returned to Mr. Pinky's house. He had prepared a special meal for the two of them, as that would be the last time he would share meal time with them. Both had a good time, especially because they loved the days when Mr. Pinky prepared some special dish, and this time, they were on the highest terrace of the house.
"So... this will be it, kids," Mr. Pinky said before settling into his seat with his plate. "The last moments I'll see you."
"This will be our last lunch, I guess," Diddy said with a small smile along with Dixie.
The three of them began to eat without thinking about it anymore. The moment they tasted the food was quite pleasant, which consisted of bananas. Diddy and Dixie had eaten pretty fast unlike Mr. Pinky. When they finished, they were going to get up and retreat, until they remembered another detail.
"Oh, we forgot dessert," Mr. Pinky said as he hadn't finished eating.
"It's true, and I think we hadn't even finished it," Dixie added.
"I'll go get it, okay?" Diddy said, getting up too. "Do I also bring those colorful dishes that look like trays?"
"If you can, Mr. Diddy," Mr. Pinky said.
Diddy went downstairs and went down to the house, retreating for a moment. Mr. Pinky continued to eat his lunch, while Dixie remained silent.
Suddenly, as she looked up at her dish, Dixie's mind played several thoughts, among them… about Diddy. In fact, during the time that had elapsed that day, her thoughts had not stopped reminding her... of that moment the previous night with him. And, although both had tried not to continue in that way, she well knew that the feelings were still there; they were present inside her, and it was clear that in Diddy too.
"Miss Dixie?" Mr. Pinky called her, interrupting her thoughts. "Uh, is everything okay?"
"Uhh, yes, why?" Dixie replied again, looking up and smiling.
"You were all static looking at your dish; what's wrong?" Mr. Pinky asked again with a look of strangeness. "By any chance... is everything okay with Mr. Diddy?"
Dixie inevitably opened her eyes to the fullest, but tried to be calm at the sudden question, although it had been in vain; Mr. Pinky looked at her more deeply.
"Uhh, yes, why are you asking?" Dixie said, still trying not to stutter.
"Well... just now, you stared at him until he left, and then you stared at your dish as if you were meditating," he replied, raising his brows. "Is… something wrong?"
"No, no, I don't know what you're talking about," Dixie repeated, shrugging and trying to sound natural.
"Hmm, it's that... Well, it's not that I want to get into your business, but... I have also seen that he stares at you in the same way sometimes; besides... I think I've seen you two worried; haven't you quarreled or something?"
"No, of course not, we're fine," Dixie replied with a forced smile. "I mean, it's nothing bad, just... I mean, yeah, we're fine."
Suddenly, Mr. Pinky raised his brows again and made a look of strangeness towards Dixie.
"Or maybe are you two still... in love?" he asked, deepening his gaze up.
Dixie felt a sudden flutter inside, and looked away, as she hurried to think about what to answer.
"Uh, no, that's not anymore," she replied, still with a forced smile. "Well... I don't know."
"Hmm, if you say so," the teacher said, shrugging and looking up. "And are you really just friends now?"
"Well, yes, we are," Dixie replied, holding her forced expression. But suddenly... she looked away again, and her expression changed; she felt like she couldn't fool herself anymore. Then, she glanced surreptitiously toward the stairs in case she heard Diddy return, before letting out a sigh. "Uhh, well... mister, the truth is... that I'd be lying to you... I think there's still something between the two of us," she said, rubbing her arm and staring down.
Dixie was somewhat embarrassed to have admitted it in that bout of honesty. Meanwhile, Mr. Pinky looked at her with some strangeness, but then gave a few small smiles.
"I already had thought about it," Mr. Pinky said. "And do you know if Mr. Diddy still feels the same way about you?"
"In fact... yes... He told me," Dixie replied, leaning against the table. "He even told me last night... that he still loved me, and I told him that too at that moment. But... I don't know what to do; I don't want us to have any problems because of us again; we want to be okay."
"But wait a minute, Miss Dixie," Mr. Pinky said, frowning. "You two decided to remain friends, didn't you? But… are you also telling me that you two still feel in love?"
"Oh, well, yes," Dixie replied, her gaze down. "And yeah, I am, and I can feel that he is too, but... we can no longer be like this; we were supposed to leave things at that and continue being friends as before... But it's hard... Or what would you say?"
"Well, it's that not to burst your bubble, Miss Dixie," Mr. Pinky replied, raising his brows, "but it's actually pretty unlikely that two individuals who still have feelings for each other can remain just friends; in the long run, it can even lead to terrible consequences, believe it or not."
"But…" Dixie replied, looking confused.
"And if you truly want your friendship to remain as it is... what you should do for the good of both is to distance yourselves for a long time, and meet again when you're sure that there are no romantic feelings from either of you... Uh, sorry to say it, but that's the truth."
"Are you serious?" Dixie asked, looking at him strangely and still confused.
"It's true, Miss Dixie," he replied with a shrug. "Let's see, can you answer me this question, with honesty: would you deep down like to be with Mr. Diddy again as a couple, or not?"
"Well... Actually, yes," Dixie replied again, lowering her gaze. "But it's that we fear having some conflict that would make us argue and drift apart again. We left things there for the well-being of both of us."
"Don't answer with 'but', just 'yes' or 'no'. Be honest with yourself."
"Well, yes... Yes, but it's that... Oh, well, yes," she replied earnestly, but with some shyness too.
"Well... then you must know this," Mr. Pinky said, shrugging before continuing. "Just imagine this situation: you still have feelings for Mr. Diddy, and deep down you still hope that something will resurface, and in the same way, he feels the same, but you two decide not to take things to another level for the well-being of both. Now, with that hope that you two still have, at some point that the two of you are alone, you'll get affectionate again and behave as if you still had a romance. Afterwards you'll stop to think that this is not right because actually you no longer have a romance, and you two will decide to continue as if nothing happened... and 'ah, for the well-being of both' will continue to promise not to get like that again. And that will be repeated a lot of times... Do you think that's going to make sense?"
Dixie didn't answer anything about it; she just looked at Mr. Pinky, and then looked back at her dish pensively. Inevitably, what Mr. Pinky had described, immediately reminded her of what had happened with Diddy the night before and how they two felt now.
"And that, Miss Dixie," the teacher said, raising a hand, "is not going to be good at all; you two will remain in an ambiguous relationship, and there may come a time when that causes you exhausting conflicts between the two, and is not that precisely what you two want to avoid?"
"But it's that... Oh, I don't know," Dixie replied, putting her hands to her temple and then raising her head again. "And then what? What do I do if nothing is good?... What do you think?"
"Well, in that case... only one of three choices, Miss Dixie," he replied, shrugging and shaking his head from side to side before continuing. "The first is that you remain as you are: that you remain friends and handle the situation with maturity; that implies: never again behaving like a couple and being mindful that at some point you two will go your separate ways; otherwise, that's never going to be healthy for you two... Because imagine if at some point, due to life's circumstances, Mr. Diddy has to go far away, or you do too; or imagine another scenario, where Mr. Diddy stops feeling for you and meets someone else and falls in love, or you also meet someone else; think about how it would be in such a situation if you two continue in the same half-hearted loving terms."
Dixie just became more confused and began to think much more about the situation she was having with Diddy. With Mr. Pinky's words, she began to imagine several quick scenarios that could happen to her, and that only tormented her more.
"Now, the second option," the teacher continued. "And this would indeed be something 'for the well-being of both': that you take a long time and distance themselves, obviously on good terms, of course. I know... quite difficult, since that implies not seeing each other or having contact perhaps for months or even years, until you're completely sure that you no longer feel any romantic feelings between the two. That's what you two could do if you really want well-being without the risk of ending up like two half-hearted lovers again... Difficult, isn't it?" he added with a sigh.
Dixie didn't know what else to think. Taking that second suggestion from Mr. Pinky was going to be almost impossible. Considering that her family and Diddy's family were now quite close, it was even going to be uncomfortable not to have any contact with Diddy for a long time, even considering that she would continue to see him in class and at Kong family events.
"And... what's the third?" Dixie asked, not knowing what else to do.
"I suppose that would be the easiest for both of you," the teacher replied, shrugging with a slight smile. "That you just go back to being a couple... Yes, formalizing your relationship again without further ado it's another option for you two. If you say that both of you still have feelings for each other, if you've been affectionate again, if deep down you still want to pick up where you left off, and if both of you agree and talk about it, then... do it, get back together... But just one thing: if you two choose that third option, you must approach it from your experience, with greater maturity."
"Oh, but wouldn't that also be going back to the beginning?" Dixie asked. "Or do you think it would be a good idea?"
"If you both agree, yes. But as I said: you both must start from what you have already learned. And I don't see it as a bad thing either; the two of you weren't a bad couple, you managed things well even in tough times."
"What if something happens to us again and in the same way we have any conflict like the ones we have gone through?"
"Hey, Miss Dixie... Look, I don't want to scare or discomfort you, but... certain things that happened to you both might happen again throughout your relationship, so it's pointless to worry about them so much. Or else... choose the second option, or even the first, but facing the consequences."
"Is it serious?" Dixie asked, becoming even more confused. "Oh, and then what? Why is nothing completely right? Why isn't there any alternative?"
"Miss Dixie, you see…" Mr. Pinky gave a little laugh, "in matters of love, there aren't really correct answers. I mean, there are answers that come pretty close to being right for it to work, but... it's not like everything is guaranteed; there's no perfection. Furthermore, those three options that I gave you, are not going to have those exact consequences either; they can vary quite a bit. I think you both should start by accepting that."
Dixie just dropped her head to the table, as she didn't know what else to say or think.
"Let's see, I'm going to try to help you," the teacher said before heaving a sigh. "Just for this moment don't think of any consequences and answer truthfully... Which of the three options I told you would make you happiest?... Honestly! Don't take into account the consequences for now, only what you really want."
"Well…" Dixie said, raising her head again and trying to think a little, even if she was clear about the answer. She didn't want to rush to answer what she really felt, but Mr. Pinky's staring was waiting for her to answer. Without thinking anything else, Dixie just made a sigh and lowered her gaze to answer. "Honestly... I would like Diddy and I to get back together; among those three options, I'd choose that one."
Mr. Pinky raised his brows and smiled a little after hearing Dixie's answer, while she just looked at him with some embarrassment, and then looked away.
"Then talk to him and reach an agreement so you two can pick things up again."
"What? But how?"
"That's it, just talk to him and express how you feel. If he expresses himself in the same way towards you and you both agree, go ahead, formalize your relationship again as a couple if that is what would make you both happier."
Dixie was silent for a few seconds, while thinking about many things and the idea of being able to solve the situation.
"But how do I do it?" Dixie asked with a shrug. "What if he isn't thinking like me about this?"
"You'll never know if you don't try. Talk to him and consider picking things up again," the teacher replied with a shrug as well.
"But I don't think I could do that," Dixie replied with a look of strangeness. "Wouldn't he be-"
"Miss Dixie," the teacher interrupted, raising his brows. "If by any chance you're thinking that Mr. Diddy should speak first in that conversation, even though you know that he feels the same way about you... doesn't it sound like you've been through something like this before?" he added with a few light laughs.
Dixie was silent and as if she did not know what to answer to that, at the same time she looked away with a forced smile.
"Just talk to him," Mr. Pinky said, smiling calmly. "And look, if you both get to fix it now... come back here later; I'll talk to you two, what do you say? If you both want, of course, and if you fix it. Or else, you can take as long as you want."
Mr. Pinky finished with a smile, and then continued to finish his lunch. Meanwhile, Dixie looked into nothingness again, while thinking about a lot of things.
"Here it is," Diddy was heard exclaiming on the stairs, before he appeared again on the terrace.
Diddy arrived with a tray that brought a small banana cake, along with three large colored plates. Then, he placed them on the table while looking somewhat tired, but smiling.
"Did it get too complicated, Mr. Diddy?" Mr. Pinky asked him.
"I couldn't find those toppings we were going to put on it," Diddy replied. "But I did bring them, and so did the trays."
"Well, now we'll have the banana dessert," the teacher added, smiling.
The three of them proceeded to take a piece of the dessert they were going to eat; Diddy and Dixie especially were excited about it as it was their favorite part of the special meals with Mr. Pinky. Between moments, Dixie became pensive again, but she tried to hide it at Diddy's presence, and because she did not want to lose focus from that last meal either.
During the afternoon hours, Diddy and Dixie were cleaning their room; the last cleaning too. They were a few hours away from embarking on their trip to DK Island. Between moments, both of them had a certain feeling of missing that space after they left, but even so, they still had the excitement that their stay on that island was about to end, as they had hoped so much.
"Are we not leaving anything behind, right?" Diddy asked, looking around the room.
"It's all like new," Dixie replied, gesturing affirmingly. "Now, let's rest."
Both left the room and stopped to sit on the floor of the outside porch to take a break, while smiling at having finished the task.
"Ah, it's almost time," Diddy said, smiling and leaning back against the wall. "In a few hours we'll have to set sail on the ship, Dix."
"If there's no longer a storm coming our way," Dixie said jokingly.
"There won't be anymore, or at least the hurricane is supposed to be over."
Then, the two of them kept silent as they took in the views they had from there, and then looked at each other smiling between the two.
Suddenly... Dixie thought of something she had had recently, and it was about Diddy. She didn't know if it would be the best timing, but she knew that she had to do something about it sooner or later regarding the terms she had with him. Waiting any longer was to be in vain; she had understood that what Mr. Pinky had told her was true: those loving moments with Diddy could be repeated; and she knew it, considering first of all that soon they would spend alone on that ship for more than a whole day. She just took temporary strength to speak and swallow all shame.
"Uh, hey, Diddy," she said, trying to talk seriously.
"Yeah?"
Dixie began to tremble a little when she had to answer, but she tried not to show it so much.
"It's that... I-I need to talk to you," she added without looking at him yet. "D-do you think you can?"
"Uhh, yeah? About what?" Diddy asked, looking at her a little strangely.
"Well… it's that…" Dixie was just getting nervous, but at the same time, she didn't want to let herself be dominated by that nervousness. "Diddy... I want us to restore our relationship," she said as quickly as she could.
Dixie was immediately quiet and didn't look at Diddy... while he got an expression of seriousness, at the same time he felt a small acceleration in his heartbeat at Dixie's unexpected words. Then, Dixie gave him a quick glance, but then looked away again.
"I mean... if you want too," Dixie told him, fighting her nerves and without looking at him. "I mean, obviously no if you don't want to, but... t-that is... That's what I wanted to tell you," she added with a forced smile and looking back at him shyly.
Diddy continued to look at her seriously and not knowing what to answer at first. Then, Dixie turned around again while she was regretting a little for saying that, and even wished she had turned back time a few minutes earlier so she hadn't said it. But then, she just calmed her nerves once and for all and sighed before continuing.
"Okay, Diddy... seriously though," she said without looking at him and more calmly, "I don't think I can go on like this, I... still have strong feelings for you... I'm sorry. And I just wanted to know if you... would also like us to talk about it and... if you want, you know... maybe we can pick up where we left off. Because if not... I don't think we can go on like this, if we both still love each other deep down. If not, maybe... we shouldn't even see each other for a while when we get back to DK Island."
Diddy remained pensively for a few seconds before looking away with quite a few doubts, while also remembering various things along with Dixie. Deep down, he knew the feelings he still had for her, but he kept thinking about how things would be if they gave themselves another chance. But suddenly, he thought that he should not miss that moment that was presenting to him, and decided to swallow any indecision he had. Then, he looked back at Dixie and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn to look at him. He didn't say anything to her at first, but smiled a little, before subtly holding her hand.
"Uhh, do you want us… to go somewhere else and… talk about it?" Diddy told her before smiling more confidently.
Dixie felt an acceleration in her heartbeat immediately, and looked at him with a smile as well, before nodding her head later.
They both got up and headed down the stairs. Having left the house completely, they continued walking to some other area where they could have a conversation with greater privacy. Neither of them wanted to say a word along the way, as it was obvious that they did not want to rush into saying what they needed to talk about just yet. They even tried not to keep looking at each other for so long.
They reached an area in the middle of tall vegetation and with enough space to be able to sit on the grass without interruptions, and so they did. Both of them were feeling somewhat nervous, and they still didn't want to look at each other at first. Until later, Dixie took a deep breath to gather the courage to talk about it.
"Diddy, I... Well, that," she said, looking at him quickly, and then looking away again. "I… really want to fix things with you."
Diddy kept looking at her with a little amusement at first for her reaction, but afterwards, he did not know what to tell her to begin with. Then, he also took a breath and had to abandon all nervousness, as he needed to express it well.
"Oh, well, Dixie," Diddy said before settling and looking her in the eye. "Honestly... I still have strong feelings for you too. I still want to be close to you and share happy moments together. And I know, I'm afraid that…"
"That something can happen to us again that hurts us," Dixie continued, looking at him again, but still trying to control her nerves. "I know... I fear that too. I don't want us to have any conflict between the two of us again too, much less something happening because of us."
"Uh, yes, but wait, Dixie," Diddy said, speaking to her more calmly this time and even smiling a little. "It's also true what you said... We won't be able to keep this up; I don't know what we're thinking by saying we can still be friends when... it's pretty obvious that we see each other as more than that. In fact, that another thing is also true: if we really didn't want to get back together ever again, we'd have to distance ourselves... until we truly feel nothing anymore."
"I know," Dixie said, smiling a little and looking at him somewhat shyly. "But... actually, I wouldn't want to distance myself from you. I can't find reasons to do so. In fact... if there were no consequences, I'd choose to be with you again, Diddy," she added, this time looking into his eyes more confidently. Then, she also settled to be in front of him.
Diddy couldn't help but smile a little more, and even blush. Then, he took Dixie's hands and looked at her with the same expression.
"Me too," he said, holding her hands, and then caressed her cheek. "If I had to choose among those three options too... I'd choose the third one, Dix; I'd choose to be with you again... It's the option that would make me happiest. And I know, in the end, it's also true... there's no correct answer; that can only be known by living it."
Dixie smiled more and was going to get closer to him, when suddenly, she gave him a look of strangeness after hearing those words... which had become known to her since recently.
"Wait a minute, how…" Dixie asked, looking at him strangely. "Where did you get that-"
"Yeah, yeah, from Mr. Pinky," Diddy replied with a few small laughs. "It's what he said, about the three options we had and that there's really nothing that guarantees perfection."
"How did you hear the conversation?" Dixie asked again, a little embarrassed and staring at him.
"It was unintentional; when I was going up the stairs, it was heard, and well, I heard that you named me and I couldn't help it but kept listening," Diddy replied with a shrugging and a forced smile. "It didn't actually take me long to look for those toppings and trays; I held them in my hands while I stood on the stairs for a while listening to everything."
"Ugh, Diddy," Dixie exclaimed, giving him a light push.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Diddy replied, still laughing a little, before becoming calmer again. "But yeah... It's actually true... that there's nothing that will guarantee anything... Even Donkey told me something like that a long time ago."
"Really?" Dixie said, becoming more confused.
"Yeah, and I actually think so too. Just look at what we've been through; we were never prepared and everything never went as we expected," Diddy added, before smiling again at Dixie and holding her hands. "And by the way, don't worry, our friends from the shelter also went to talk to me like Mr. Pinky talked to you and... they told me something similar to what Mr. Pinky said; that... if we could start over, we would just have to do it right, learning from what we've been through."
Dixie remained pensive for a few seconds, before looking back at Diddy and smiling at him as she held his hands more.
"So... we can do it," Dixie said as she smiled at him tenderly again. "What do you say?"
"It's what I want most right now," Diddy replied in kind. "And you know? Another thing they told me... is that this world has too many awful things... and it really does. And so, if there's an opportunity to be happy, one can take it, so... I really want being able to be with you to be one of those opportunities... in which we can be happy together."
Dixie just smiled a lot more, as they both looked into each other's eyes for a while. Then, she caressed his face before speaking to him.
"So do I, Diddy," she said, getting a little closer. "I… really love you and... I'd really love for us to give ourselves another chance; deep down, it's what I want most also right now; I still want to be so close to you."
Suddenly, as he looked at Dixie's face, Diddy began to get closer to her, until his face was less than a couple of inches away from hers. But suddenly, Dixie moved away a little and stopped him.
"Uh, wait... Have we already formalized it or haven't we yet?" Dixie said with a playful look.
"But we just said we love each other and everything," Diddy replied with a few small laughs and shrugs, but then returned the same look. "Okay, okay, here goes: Uhh... Dixie, would you like to... we would try again?" he said, taking her hand in a certain elegant way and smiling with his teeth, despite knowing that being romantic was not his thing. "Is this how it's said, or not?"
Suddenly, Diddy was paralyzed and with a face a color similar to his clothes the moment he felt Dixie's lips on his; it had been a quick little kiss, in which she then looked at him smiling.
"Take it as a yes," Dixie said, smiling playfully.
Then, Diddy came to his senses again and looked at her in the same way. Suddenly, he approached her again, and took her face to join his lips again with hers and both immerse in a sweet kiss, this time being more synchronized on the part of the two. During the moment, both of them felt several strong beats in their hearts, although this time they enjoyed it much more for the fact that they no longer had any worries about having done so. Both parted, opening their eyes, before smiling at each other.
"I missed these moments with you," Diddy said, looking into her eyes closely and caressing her cheek.
"But we kissed last night anyway," Dixie replied with a little laugh.
"Yes, but now it's formal to be able to do it again," he replied, smiling more.
Dixie returned the same expression, before they both kissed again, with all the affection they had saved and no longer worrying about anything. Later, they parted while still smiling at each other afterwards. Then, they both looked at and caressed each other's faces, before Dixie rushed to hug Diddy with all the excitement she could feel at the moment, and he reciprocated in kind. The two continued to look at each other closely as they parted a little from the embrace, but at the same time, not wanting to let go completely.
"I love you, Diddy," she said, smiling tenderly.
"And I love you too, Dix," he replied in kind. "And I hope we do everything better."
Both felt a huge and nice emotion to be close, that they wished to stay like that for a long time, as if nothing else mattered at that moment. The fact that they had completely made peace in their relationship, was something that deep down they wished for. Then, they stayed together another while longer in that place, enjoying each other's company and closeness, even more than when they had started.