Inching Closer To You

Distance

Two weeks have passed and Mew and Gulf have not seen each other ever since the incident. Mew, who is afraid of getting hurt once again, has gradually begun to close up his heart. Gulf, on the other hand, is still a confused boy like always...

[Saturday, 1:00 pm]

"Yes, that is correct, ma'am."

Gulf continues to nod his head while talking on the phone to one of his players' parents.

"Yes, it will take place at the school at 2 o'clock afternoon... Oh, yes of course you can."

"Okay, yes. Thank you! See you next weekend, ma'am."

Gulf ends the tenth call he's made that day and decides to take a short break to stretch his back. He is currently sitting in his living room making calls to his football team's families about an upcoming match that will happen next Sunday. After months of hard work, Gulf has finally decided to hold a football match for fun against another team from a different school.

After standing for a few seconds to stretch his back, Gulf sits back down on the couch to call the next person. Seeing the next name on the list, Gulf pauses a little.

P' Mew... I still haven't forgiven myself for acting so strangely last time. I wonder if he has forgotten about it..

Gulf tries to calm himself down and boldly presses the call button.

Mew, who is currently washing dishes in the kitchen, turns off the running faucet to dry his hands before answering his ringing phone. He stops in his tracks after seeing the contact name.

..I wonder what's he calling for...

Mew musters up his courage and answers the phone. "Hello?"

Gulf clears his throat. "Uhm.. hello? P' Mew?"

Mew tries to keep his voice calm. "Yes, Gulf. What's the matter?"

"Oh.. I'm just calling to let you know that there will be a football match at the school coming up next Sunday at 2 in the afternoon. Please plan to come early because the boys need to warm-up beforehand..."

Gulf internally slaps himself after saying all of that in one breath.

Darn, I talked too fast. Did he catch it all...?

Mew blinks. "Oh. Thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure to bring Sing there on time."

Gulf wants to dig a hole somewhere deep and just bury himself inside it. "Okay..."

The two of them stay in silence for a while before Mew speaks up again. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Gulf, who is sitting on the couch with a perfectly straight posture and both hands becoming sweaty through each passing second, clears his throat again. "Nothing, P' Mew! That's all!"

"Alright, I gotta go then."

"Okay, sure! See you..."

Mew puts down his phone and goes back to the kitchen sink to continue washing the dishes.

Gulf drops his phone onto a spot beside him and leans his head back against the couch as he stares at the ceiling.

That was really awkward.. Is he mad? His voice did not sound like his usual self at all...

[Next Sunday, 1:10 pm]

Mew turns at an intersection and drives straight to enter the school's parking lot. He looks up at his rearview mirror to see his son rocking back and forth energetically in his car seat.