Through the wall

I

The morning sun shone directly on Gun's face, waking him up. He slowly opened his eyes and shielded his face with his forearm. He turned his head and looked around; for a moment, he had forgotten where he was. The gentle swaying of the vehicle and the box beside him reminded him that he was travelling in a moving lorry. He lifted his head and saw the back of his sister Jennie's neck. Clearing his throat, he asked:

"Where are we? Are we close?"

His sister turned around and smiled at him, and he returned the smile. He loved her so much! His sister was the kindest person on the planet.

"Did you rest, piglet? We're about half an hour away. I'm so excited for you to see our new home!"

Gun thought that was fine; he would have time to finish waking up. He took his mobile phone out of his pocket and used the camera to check his face and hair. He looked out the window and closed his eyes to enjoy the warmth on his face. He thought the weather was a good omen, a beautiful day to start a new chapter in life.

They had waited for him to finish secondary school before selling their parents' house. Their parents had passed away 10 years ago, and their family had been reduced to just the two of them. They decided to move to another city, to a smaller house that would allow them to be closer to Gun's university and afford the tuition without any issues. Jennie had also found a job in her field, so everything was going smoothly. The most important thing was that they were together.

The lorry stopped in front of a beautiful two-storey house. He didn't like that it had a surrounding wall, but he understood that buildings were different in larger cities.

"Welcome home, piglet! I'll open the doors and windows so the movers carry everything in. I'll be waiting inside," his sister said as she got off the lorry.

Gun stretched and opened the lorry door. His sister was opening the driveway gate, so he hurried to get down with his box before the lorry moved inside. He wanted to see the façade and walk in for the first time.

The box was large but light, which didn't allow him to see very well. He stepped down from the lorry, and as he stepped off, he tripped on uneven ground and fell. He felt a bit embarrassed and hoped no one had seen him. He still felt clumsy from the long journey. He reached out to steady himself when someone took the box, set it aside, and offered him a hand to help him. He thought it was just one of the movers and thanked them as he dusted off his trousers. When the person responded, Gun looked up and saw him.

He had seen on TV shows and read in books that sometimes time stopped. It seemed quite dramatic and clichéd to him—until it happened to him. Humans are just a bundle of tissues, not much of a mystery, but... what was happening to him, and why did it make him feel like he was looking at the most beautiful person in the universe? The guy was fair-skinned, probably five or six years older than him, with messy hair and the cutest nerdy look Gun had ever seen. He didn't think he liked him, but he couldn't stop staring, and no words came out of his mouth. It was a strange moment, but strange in a good way... the guy didn't say anything either and just kept staring back at him.

"Little brother, are you all right?" Jennie's voice snapped him out of his trance. He turned to nod at her when a beautiful and visibly pregnant woman came out of the house next door. She walked up to the nerdy guy, took his arm, and said:

"How are you? You must be the new neighbours! I'm Nat, and this is Off, my husband. We live next door. I hope we can get along." She smiled, and he looked noticeably uncomfortable.

"Lovely to meet you, gorgeous! I'm Jennie, and this is my little brother Gun. It will be a pleasure to spend time with you once we settle in." She was all smiles, though she was a bit puzzled by her brother's expression. He looked confused and hadn't said a word.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, we'll continue with the move. See you later!" Waving goodbye, she took Gun by the arm and led him inside.

Gun didn't understand what was happening, but he knew the news about the wife and baby didn't sit well with him. He felt a twist in his chest and a bitter taste in his mouth as he followed his sister into the house.

"Piglet! Are you there? Are you still asleep?" He shook his head and looked at his sister. He thought he was going mad; now wasn't the time to dwell on this... especially since he didn't even know what this was.

"Yes, but I'm awake now. I love the house, sis. Show me my room!"

─── *.☽ .* ───

Off and his wife entered their house. He picked up the hose he had left on the ground. Nat was staring at him intently; he knew she wanted to ask him something. She always gave him that intense and rather obvious look when she knew something was bothering him and wanted to talk about it. He decided to ignore her; he was angry with her and knew he had no reason to be so he couldn't speak right now. His frustration would show in his voice. He needed time to process what had just happened before he could talk normally.

What had just happened? He was watering the plants as he did every day, thinking about work and enjoying his plants, when he saw the lorry. He already knew new neighbours were moving in, so he lowered his head a little because he wasn't in the mood for introductions. He wasn't antisocial, but he didn't enjoy socialising without reason. Suddenly, he heard a noise and saw a boy had fallen on the pavement. He thought he might have hurt himself and seemed to be alone, so he went out to help him.

"This is going to be a problem. A problem. A problem. A problem." That was all that kept repeating in his head. Why? Well, basically, he had just met the most beautiful being on the planet, the cutest and most adorable person his eyes had ever seen: a boy with golden skin, kissable lips, and eyes that shone like little lights in the darkness... and he was married and expecting a baby. He shook his head. Suddenly, he felt like he had lost his mind! No, he was fine. He was an adult and had made a decision. He needed to be rational and stop panicking over something that lasted five minutes with someone he probably wouldn't interact with again.

Nat kept giving him that "tell me what's wrong" look, so he turned to her and said:

"Nothing at all. I'm hot and just spilled a load of water, so the garden will be muddy for a while. Everything's fine. What do you fancy for lunch?" She wasn't convinced at all, but she let it go.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───