Through the wall

X

"No, I think it's best to leave things as they are."

Gun had spent the last five minutes staring at his phone, reading and re-reading Off's message. Things made less and less sense each day, and now he was furious. What kind of idiot couldn't spare a few minutes to talk? His sister had been right all along.

His phone started ringing. It was Sing. He had sent several messages that Gun hadn't read because he had been too busy trying to make sense of Off's words. He decided to answer; Sing probably needed something urgently.

"Hey!"

"Hi, mate. How are you? Listen, do you remember Krist from uni? Well, he's opened a bar near my place, and he said we should drop by. He'll give us a discount. I was thinking maybe you and your friend—what's her name? Camila?—could join. What do you reckon? It's been ages since we've gone for a few drinks, and the night's beautiful."

Gun wasn't in the mood to see Sing. The tension he felt around him was exhausting, but he really did want to get out and take his mind off things. Maybe if Camila joined them, the atmosphere would be more relaxed, and they could have a good time.

"Yeah, sounds good. Let me check with Cami and see if she can come along."

He quickly texted her, and she said yes, which he'd expected. Camila had been dying to meet Sing and finally see the guy Gun always talked about.

Krist's bar was called 'Cinema Bar', a laid-back spot with cosy sofas and iconic movie posters on the walls. The bar itself was spacious, and there was a small stage with a karaoke machine. The music was great too; you could tell the owner was someone from their generation.

After the introductions, they ordered a round of beers and a pizza. Sing was acting normal again, and Gun didn't feel as awkward around him anymore. Having Cami there definitely helped. Little by little, he began to relax, deciding to forget his worries and just enjoy the night with his friends. Krist's bar started to fill up, and soon the karaoke session kicked off. It was a lot of fun, and Camila and Sing even did a duet together.

When they finally decided to call it a night, they were all pretty drunk. Sing, who lived nearby, decided to leave his car in the car park and come back for it the following morning, while Gun and Camila called for a taxi.

"I looove you, all the waaay to the skyyyy, Piglet!"

They were sitting in the back of the taxi, hugging each other.

"I love you moooore, all the way past the skyyyy and the stars!"

The taxi driver chuckled at the sight of the two, clearly amused by their affectionate drunkenness. The taxi stopped at Gun's house first, as Camila lived a little further on. Just before he got out, Camila placed her hands on his shoulders and said:

"You're amazing. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Not like that! With more confidence, louder!" Camila teased as Gun stepped out onto the pavement.

"Yesss!" he shouted.

"That's more like it!" she called back as the taxi sped off towards her home.

Gun was feeling quite dizzy, his head filled with bubbles and confusion. Truth be told, he felt really good, light. The street was empty at that hour, the night was warm, and the sky was full of stars. He turned around to head back into his house and noticed his neighbour's gate. He started laughing a little, imagining someone uprooting his house and moving it to another country just so he could be happy and never have to see him again. Well... "seeing him" was a way of putting it, since he hardly ever saw him now.