An Unexpected Visit

Later that day, as they prepared to leave for the park, the doorbell rang. Javier opened the door to find a fellow neighbor on the porch—Tom, a friendly figure with a penchant for cheeky small talk.

“Hey, Javier! Good to see you! Is Maria around? I wanted to drop by for a moment,” Tom said, smiling broadly.

“Uh, yeah. She’s just inside,” Javier replied, feeling the tension coil in his stomach. The last thing he needed was another neighbor prying into their lives.

“Oh good. I wanted to discuss that community event coming up. I heard some families talking, and, well, some interesting things have been mentioned,” Tom said, casually leaning against the doorframe, like he owned the place.

“Interesting things? What do you mean?” Javier asked, his heart thudding in his chest.

“Just... the typical neighbor gossip. You know how it is!” Tom chuckled, but there was an unintended weight to the playful banter, and it stirred a thread of anxiety in Javier.

“Right, yes. The usual,” Javier played along, doing his best to appear unfazed.

Tom continued, “Anyway, I wanted to see if you'd be joining us for the festival next week. They're featuring some great activities, and it would be good to have some familiar faces around.”

“Of course, we’d love to!” Javier replied, forcing enthusiasm while trying to avoid revealing the tightening knot of apprehension at the pit of his stomach. He could already sense the walls closing in; every word spoken felt like a layer peeling off the façade they had carefully crafted.

After a few more moments of idle chatter, Tom left, and Javier stood at the door, watching him go, the sense of dread suffocating him once more.