THE destination | the Rebel & the Seeker

Chapter 5

And you start to think

About settling down...

After several weeks spent travelling the rainy England, windy northern France and then cold central Europe, the ending spring in Corfu was something so wonderful that Dian realized he is enjoying the nature and the nice weather for the first time in his life. 

Fresh air smelling like the sea everytime the wind turned its interest in the arch-shaped island.
Blinding sunbeams warming his skin each time Dian turned his face to the sky.
Occasional soft rains that made him hide in a café and calm his mind.
All the colours of a rainbow imprinted in the handful of flowers giving away their perfumes on balconies and in windows, in flowerpots on the streets, thanking for the nourishing drops and caressing sunlight.  
Everybody anticipating the summer that could already be smelled in the air.

And Dian feeling his soul and body finally warming up...

Is this what he was needing? To stop for a while, to calm down and to breath deeply?
So that he can turn the page.
Have clear mind and free time to set new goals, new direction.

So that he can return home.

Dian sensed the definition of time in this part of the world was different from what he was used to. The best word probably would be...flowing.

One was not noticing it, not regretting to be one day older...or a week...

"A month..." Dian sighed. He could not believe it's already more than 30 days that he arrived to Corfu. He just paid down the rent for the next month for the apartment that Thanos recommended  him. How is it possible that the time went by in a blink of an eye?
But as said, he did not regret it. He was never bored in that period and when he had some free time, he sat down in a taverna or καφενείο to write something on his travel blog, draw a design or upload photos.

Surprisingly, his readers from Thailand appreciated his articles about the everyday discoveries in this little unknown paradise more than they did the trips to the famous monuments of London or Prague.
And having more time to enjoy the present, he was getting better in making the reality freeze in a picture, catching the essence of his journeys so authentically that even people in the other half of the world were dreaming to see this far away eden.

And most of all, he was not alone.

When the locals noted that he comes to their café or shop for several days in a row, they started to take him for a local.
The elderly couple in groceries near his apartment, the guy in the pastry shop that Dian went for breakfast often, the sweet girl in the ice cream shop where he made a habit to take a shake almost every afternoon. Nobody seemed to have any problem with a foreigner settling down in their neighbourhood. In contrary, they were eager to find out more about him.

And then... there was Thanos.

He was calling or texting him almost every day, but Dian did not found him intrusive. Indeed, he had to admit he enjoyed the trips with Thanos a way more than he would alone.
Not to mention that some of the places he would not be able to find without someone that knows where to take the right turn and how far to go. He could see more of the island in two weeks than he would alone in two months.

Dian took a sip of water from the bottle and looked at the cozy ice cream shop across the street. It's white vintage decor was shining like a lighthouse in the night street. As soon as they passed by, Thanos could not be hold back and so Dian is now waiting while he is queueing for the cold delight.

Same place, same scene. A déjà vu made a chill run down Dian's spine. But before he could recall the unpleasant event from ten days ago, the smiling eyes of his friend caught his and reassured him that everything is alright now...