Through the wall

VI

Gun could hear his heart pounding in his ears; he'd never felt this nervous.

"Looks like he's not alone," Camila whispered to Gun. "Is there a woman with him?"

"Yes, it's a couple of girls. I saw them arrive earlier. They always come on his birthday and a few other times too. Maybe they're family," Gun replied in the same hushed tone.

"Well, that's even better. The more, the merrier," Camila said, still holding Gun's arm as they walked towards the gate.

"What if we just don't open? They sound drunk," he said, hoping she'd agree with his plan.

She gave him a disapproving look.

"Yes, they do sound drunk, which makes it even better. Gun, trust me, it's never as bad as you think. Sometimes you just have to let things happen. And besides, nothing could be worse than it already is. I'm tired of this Romeo and Juliet thing, staring at each other from across the street, and I'm not even in the starring role. Don't you want to see what could happen?" She took his hand and started walking towards the gate.

"But, Cami... I don't know what to do..." Gun said, feeling even more nervous.

"Ami, trust me. The only one who's going to embarrass himself is him. You're not drunk," she said with a wink. That gave Gun a small boost of courage, just enough to follow her lead.

As they reached the gate, Gun took a deep breath and looked at her. She gave him a look back, asking if he was ready. He nodded.

"Hi!" Camila said as the gate opened.

"Hello!" Cecilia responded, eyeing them curiously.

Silence.

Just as the moment was about to become awkward, Off stepped forward and said, "How's it going? My friends came to visit, we're doing karaoke and having a few drinks. We were outside and saw you, so we thought maybe you'd like to join us." He was clearly tipsy but hid it well enough.

"We'd love to!" Camila jumped in to break the silence. "If you don't mind, we'll just grab our stuff and follow. Do you need us to bring anything?"

At that moment, Paula chimed in. "No need, unless you have something specific to drink. We'll wait... come on, guys," she said, turning to Off and Ceci.

"Don't take too long!" added Ceci before heading back towards the house.

─── *.☽ .* ───

Off sat quietly on the sofa.

"You alright, darling?" Paula asked, standing by Ceci and watching him from across the room.

"Yeah... no, well..." Then the doorbell rang.

"Well, I guess we won't have much time to talk. I'll get it," Cecilia said, thrilled by the whole situation.

"No, I'll go," Off said, getting up and heading to the door.

He opened it and looked at Gun.

"Hello again," Camila said cheerfully. "I'm Camila, Phi. Thanks for inviting us."

"Hello, Nong," he replied. "I'm Off. Come on in."

They walked quietly into the garden. Off was much more sober now, though he still felt a bit looser than usual. He was thinking of how to start a conversation when Camila asked where the bathroom was and if she could go. With permission granted, she disappeared.