The lake at night is suggestive. Little waves lull you. It’s peaceful, it’s serene.

Likewise, it’s also dark and empty.

It would be the perfect scene for a horror zombie apocalypse.

Apocalypse apart, this massive body of water sits quiet and still, and it’s pervasive. The dark is not scary is revealing. The stars pop from the sky and lead an incredibly orchestrated show. It feels almost shameful to enjoy the show for free.

Sitting on the beach will make you experience all of the above. But there is a way to enhance the whole experience. On the piers, everything feels more intense. You are in the middle of the lake, surrounded by water. You are further away from street lights so you can appreciate the stars. You are further away from people walking by so there is less noise pollution. It’s the sweetest spot to observe the sky and enjoy the lake. Completely isolated and immersed.

I was not alone yesterday when walking by the lake. A short blonde enthusiastically agreed to come with me.

I intended to enjoy the peace. Everything went downhill.

The first pier we met had a couple at the end, and it was not big enough for other people to sit. So I continued walking, not downhearted. I hoped to find a seat on the next pier. We walked toward the next. The next had a couple and was a rickety wood pier. It was not an eligible pier. Hope is the last to die, forward to the next pier. It was closed because of work. Adelante, next will be the right one. I saw one more pier up there. We tried to reach it. Again, a couple kissing at the end of it. This time, the couple was even more in love than the first two, on the brink of doing something more than kissing.

I was starting to notice a pattern. I get it. It’s summer. People are in love. The lake is suggestive. But come on. The blonde didn’t seem as surprised as I was.

There were no more piers in sight. We walked back to the car. The night was ending.

Luckily enough, the first pier was now empty. I rushed to the end of it. I was already anticipating everything I was saying before. The wooden planks were cricking when I ran over them.

The blonde didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm.

She didn’t step on the pier. I don’t know why.

My intentions were clear. We were not a couple. I left no room for doubt. I was talking about problems and making rational discourses. Someone in love doesn’t just reason all night with a blonde. It’s boring and requires the logical part of the brain to be active. Love requires the opposite. It’s a feeling. Love requires the emotional part of the brain to be engaged.

I sat at the end of the pier, soaking the stars. I was the only exception to the pier’s rule that night.