I stepped through the doorway first, the hallway was dim similar to the room. My eyes adjusted slowly, still hazy from the stale air of the old man's room. I'd barely taken three steps when her voice called out, sharp but tensed.
"Wait—"
The door was barely open, and her arm was stretched through the narrow gap, fingers gripping the frame.
"It's stuck," she said, a little out of breath.
The old man's voice rumbled from behind her,
"It seems… the door's acting up again. What luck! Guess, we will be spending some more time here."
I thought I saw something on the old man's face as my eyes adjusted — A smile? No, maybe I imagined it.
I grabbed the handle from my side, giving it a pull. Nothing.
"It's stuck pretty hard," I said, slightly surprised.
I gave it another tug, harder this time, the wood groaning faintly but refusing to budge. One more pull, my fingers tightening around the cool metal, still no movement.
Just then, her fingers softly touched my hand, slightly shaking. Probably trying her best to to do the same.
I braced my shoulder and pushed against the door.
"Not like that," the old man said loudly. "Give it a little pressure… steady… We will take care of this side."
"Ok," I replied back, slowly curling fingers at the edge of the door.
I started shoving and rocking it, but the thing barely budged.
The old man voice came through again, "Yeah… that's it… little push here, little pull there… don't rush it."
His voice... they sounded like it came from somewhere below "Hmm, Are you sitting on the floor?" I asked.
After few seconds of strange pause, my wife called out, broken up in little bursts. "He's… uh... trying to… m-move it… from the bottom."
"Oh," I muttered, feeling a bit stupid for asking. "That makes sense." I crouched as well, trying to do the same, hoping maybe this would be enough to open this damn door.
I kept pushing, my arms straining. A few seconds passed… then my ears caught something — low, quiet… like voices being smothered behind a wall.
*muffled noise* *muffled noise* *muffled noise*
My ears twitched at the sound. Hmm?
*muffled noise* *muffled noise* *muffled noise*
I slowly lifted my head up, squinting my eyes a little. Her fingers... they were no more gripping the edge of the door.
For some reason, my face leaned forward little closer, ears pressing close to the door. It wasn't those faint muffled noises anymore but my own heartbeat, pounding hard in my ears.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
The muffled noises were gone, leaving nothing but a heavy, unnatural silence that seemed to press heavy against my heart.
A sudden, dull and light bang shook the door, snapping me upright. I jerked my head back from the door, blinking in confusion, my eyes fixed on the frame as if it might give me an answer.
"H-Hey," I called out, my voice cracking. "Everything good... in there?"
"Of course," the old man answered quickly, his tone almost… cheerful? "Let's focus on opening the door."
My chest tightening for reasons I couldn't explain, something about the silence from her... made me uneasy. "Hey, You okay?" I raised my voice this time.
Her reply came back just as quickly. "Yeah… don't… worry… just… focus on the door. I'm… just taking… a break… for a minute."
She was huffing as she replied. Shit. She was probably very tensed—enough for her to speak like that. That also explains why she went complete silent. Trapped in that creepy, dim room with him. God, this situation must be scarier than a horror movie for her...
I leaned my head toward the door, raising my voice just enough. "Hang in there, okay? I'll get this damn thing open, I promise."
From inside, the old man's tone came warm, but with a weird edge. "Hear that? Look how much he cares for you. Really giving it his all out here." A faint chuckle followed. "Aren't you a lucky woman? A husband who'd push and strain himself just to get to you."
I grunted and shoved my shoulder against the wood, muttering, "You are right about that, she's lucky."
The old man kept going. "How about a word for him, hm? Something to keep him going. A little… motivation will do him good."
I chuckled at the old man's demand. But strangely enough, I wanted to hear it. Just a few words of motivation from her mouth would be enough for me to conquer a nation. This damn door is nothing. My ears waited eagerly for those words... But there was nothing. Only a few seconds of… silence.
Then finally, her voice came through, uneven, breaking into pauses like she had to catch her breath between each word. "Y-You… can… do it… keep… going… you're… doing… so… good…"
Her tone made my grip tighten unconsciously on the handle. She almost sounded like she was trying to push the words out, like something kept stopping her mid-sentence.
"That's it," the old man's voice purred from inside. "Keep telling him… let him know how much you… appreciate him."
Another pause… a faint, shaky inhale from her… then, softer, "I… believe… in you… don't… stop…"
Something about the way she said that last part had heat crawling up the back of my neck. I cleared my throat, refocusing on the door. "Alright… just a little more…" I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else.
I muttered few curses under my breath and gripped the handle harder, shoving my shoulder against the door. The frame groaned, but it didn't give. Gritting my teeth, I pushed again, putting more effort into forcing it open.
With one last shove, the door creaked open.
The dim light inside barely cut through the shadows, but I caught sight of her—sweat beading along her forehead, strands of hair sticking to her skin. The old man straightened up behind her, flashing me a grateful smile.
"You are a strong guy. Knew you'd get it," he said, patting the doorframe.
She stayed quiet, just stepping past me. I followed her out into the hall, the air outside felt quite refreshing. The old man stood by the doorway. "Come by again sometime," he said warmly.
We started walking back, and I tried to lighten the mood. "Man, his place is like something out of a horror movie. Creepy as hell."
She gave a small laugh, finally speaking.
"Yeah… I was scared for a moment, but he… calmed me down."
"Oh really?" I asked, turning my head to glance at her, but something else caught my eye.
…Did she...
Did she just smil—?
My foot clipped something on the ground, jerking my attention forward and bringing them on the dogs lying ahead. The same two I'd seen in the afternoon, curled up together, like a happy married couple.
But now… things were different. There was a third one, mounted on the female from before, its hips pumping in quick, rough bursts. The other dog, the male I'd seen earlier, just lay there a few feet away, head resting on its paws like it didn't care, eyes shut, sound asleep.
I slowed my pace, staring at the scene. "Huh…" They were mating in heat, so desperately. I felt this weird pang in my chest for the one lying there. Poor guy. She'd been rubbing all over him earlier, tail wagging, looking all sweet… and now she's letting some other mutt rail her like that right next to him.
I muttered under my breath, "What a whore, Cheating on your partner like that…" My brow furrowed. "Well… guess it's not like they've got the same rules we do."
Still, I shook my head, glancing one more time at the male lying there. "Poor dog."
We were almost at our door when a voice called out from behind us, bright and sing-song.
"Hellooo~!"
I turned and saw Lina waving, her husband trailing a step behind with that easy grin of his. Her energy was the same as always—bouncy, cheerful, like she'd just stepped out of a commercial.
"Oh, hey," I greeted, slowing to let them catch up.
"We were just talking about you two," Lina said, clasping her hands together with a little bounce. "We're having a small dinner at our place tomorrow night. Nothing too fancy, just… friends, good food, maybe a little wine." Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she said it, tilting her head toward my wife.
Her husband added, "Yeah, you guys should come. It would be a nice neighbor's get together."
"That's sweet," I said, glancing at my wife.
Lina stepped forward, her smile widening. "So… you have to promise you'll be on time. None of this sneaking in late business. Tomorrow night, okay? Eight o'clock sharp.
"It's going to be fun," she added, sing-song again, almost teasing, before glancing between us. "We'll be waiting."
Her husband chuckled. "Don't let her down—she gets scary when people are late."
"Haha, don't worry," I said with a small laugh. "We'll be on time."
"Good," Lina grinned, giving my wife a quick wink before stepping back.
"See you tomorrow," her husband added, giving a casual wave.
We exchanged goodbyes, then turned toward our place. Dinner tomorrow, huh. I hope it'll be fun.