Narrator's P.O.V.
The music could already be heard outside the hall when Kael finished checking, one last time, if everything was ready. The colored lights reflected off the pool's surface, casting vibrant hues across the space, while the hall's illumination kept the atmosphere immersed in a pleasant dimness. It was night, and the party was coming to life. Bit by bit, his friends were arriving, all lively and mixing their own drinks.
Months had passed since that night in the kitchen. A gray, grueling interval in which emptiness seemed to have carved out a home in Kael's chest. The void was, by that point, immeasurable.
After that encounter, Samuel's distance had become almost final. Conversations dwindled into rare echoes, messages vanished, and casual run-ins ceased to exist. Samuel had drawn his own escape line, diving headfirst into his youth, his school, and his new world, while Kael remained anchored to the margins of routine and exhaustion.
But, at least for tonight, Kael needed to shatter the heavy atmosphere that had settled over his life. That was why he had thrown a party. He would gather his friends, turn on the music, and bring enough drinks and people into that hall to inject a little color and movement into those months of inertia. Everything was prepared. The drinks were set up, the sound system worked, and the pool, lit by surrounding lights, reflected the party's colors.
Kael took a deep breath.
He needed to enjoy this.
He needed, if only for a few hours, to forget.
And when the first guests from outside their group began to arrive, that was exactly what he tried to do. Slowly, the hall was taken over by overlapping voices, loud laughter, and the vibrating bass coming from the large speaker. People arrived in small groups, bringing drinks, expectations, and a chaotic energy that quickly claimed the room.
Kael circulated among everyone, greeting friends, joking, dancing, and making sure no one felt left out. For the first time in a long while, he seemed genuinely light. When the party reached its peak, he didn't hesitate to jump into the pool. The cold water drew an exclamation from him before making him laugh. Kael splashed his friends, dived, surfaced, and kept playing as if there were no tomorrow. The music filled the hall, lights danced on the water, and for a few precious hours, that sense of emptiness that had nearly consumed him in recent months retreated to some dark corner of his mind.
He was having fun.
He really was.
At one point, out of the pool and still wet, Kael grabbed the microphone connected to the speaker and began emceeing the party. He made exaggerated announcements, teased couples, poked fun at friends, and ensured no one stayed still for long.
"Guys, hold on, pause the music," he spoke, slurring his words slightly from the alcohol. "Our friend Dani lost her Mari Maria lip gloss, so if anyone finds it, you better hand it over, or things are gonna get crazy!"
Everyone laughed. Kael laughed too and dropped the mic, but before heading back into the party, a drunk spark hit his brain. He picked up the mic once more.
"Guys, and for those who don't know, Mari Maria in English is Mary Mary," he dropped the joke and burst into laughter, with everyone following suit.
He was satisfied. This party was his, and tonight, Kael seemed to be its beating heart.
But even he needed to catch his breath.
Still panting, a wide smile on his face, he handed the microphone to Pedro and walked over to the bar area. He grabbed a towel to dry off lightly and began preparing drinks.
Because he had set up an open-bar arrangement, every five minutes there was a line of people waiting to refill their cups. Kael grabbed bottles from the cooler, put ice in cups, mixed drinks, and chatted with whoever approached. He was comfortable there, shielded by his role as host, the counter acting almost like a small barrier between him and the rest of the party. The frantic rhythm immersed the man in a sort of ecstasy.
Until the entrance gate opened again.
Kael looked up.
And the world seemed to stop.
Samuel had just walked in.
The hand holding the bottle of gin froze. For a few seconds, Kael no longer heard the music. The laughter around him seemed to recede, as if someone had submerged his head underwater. His stomach dropped, and his heart beat violently against his ribs.
Months.
Months trying to get used to the absence.
Months trying to accept the distance.
And it took just one glance.
Samuel was accompanied by his sister and a few friends. He was smiling, chatting, and greeting people with the ease of someone who had arrived simply to have fun.
Kael swallowed hard.
He couldn't freeze up.
Not tonight.
He clenched his jaw, adjusted his posture, and went back to preparing the drink he had left half-finished. His fingers trembled subtly, but he kept working.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched.
Samuel looked good.
Very good.
And that hurt more than Kael cared to admit.
After greeting some friends, Samuel walked toward the bar. He stopped on the other side of the counter and rested his hands on the surface, locking his eyes on Kael. He said nothing. Just waited.
Kael felt the back of his neck warm under that gaze, but he didn't give in immediately. He intentionally kept working. He finished cutting a lime wheel, garnished the rim of a glass, and handed the drink to another guest.
Only then did he wipe his hands on a towel and look up.
"Hey..." his voice came out a bit raspier than intended.
Samuel flashed that warm, disarming smile Kael knew so well.
"Oh, okay. Thought you weren't gonna talk to me," he teased, stepping closer to Kael.
The tone was casual. Far too intimate for someone Kael had spent months trying, almost uselessly, to forget.
Before he could answer, Samuel reached out his arms and pulled him into a hug. Kael remained still for an instant. And then he hugged back.
And that was it.
A hug.
Brief.
Yet enough to make something inside him shift again. Samuel pulled away shortly after, as if it meant nothing special, and returned to his friends.
Kael stood there, static, staring at the ground.
His heart was still racing.
The night went on.
And as the hours passed, Kael realized he had become a mere spectator at his own party. Leaning on the counter or against one of the pillars surrounding the hall area, he observed Samuel. The younger boy had gotten into the pool. He was drinking, dancing, and laughing with a vivacity that seemed to magnetize everything around him. The colored lights reflected off the water and his wet body, while the music filled the room.
For Kael, however, it went beyond simple attraction. Samuel looked almost unreal. He wore a red shirt he insisted on not taking off, so it was completely soaked, clinging to his body, emphasizing every small curve. His dark, wet hair fell over his eyes. His skin glistened under the party lights. His features had changed over those months. His shoulders were broader, his posture more commanding, and his face carried a definition it hadn't possessed before.
He was absurdly attractive. Kael absorbed every detail against his own will. And the love he had tried to keep locked inside surfaced with a force that nearly suffocated him. His eyes welled up. A sad, almost imperceptible smile curved his lips.
Samuel threw his head back in a laugh and kept dancing, completely surrendered to the night. Kael just watched. It was beautiful to see him like that.
Whole.
Free.
Happy.
Back when they were together, Samuel had seemed more constrained, bound by ties Kael himself had witnessed. Now, though, he seemed to allow himself to live in a way he couldn't before. Knowing Samuel was doing well brought relief. But it also brought a painful conclusion. Perhaps his absence had done him good, and that was a silent torture.
Having the person he loved most in the world breathing the same air, swimming in his pool, laughing in the same hall, and yet being so terribly distant.
So close.
And so unreachable.
Every now and then, Kael gave in to the need to be a little closer. He would leave the bar, approach the pool, try to join a conversation, or offer a drink.
Samuel, however, always found a way to pull back. Sometimes he turned his face away. Sometimes he walked to the other side of the pool. Sometimes he simply started talking to someone else, leaving Kael out. There were no harsh words. No argument.
It was just distance.
A silent distance that made Kael's place in his life crystal clear: that of someone who no longer belonged to that part of his story.
The hours wore on. The night deepened until it turned into the early morning hours. The music, once deafening, gradually softened. Some people had already left. Others lingered scattered around the hall, tired, chatting in small groups.
The pool, once packed with people, was now practically empty. The air had cooled. Euphoria had given way to fatigue.
Kael remained leaning against one of the pillars near the exit, watching Samuel and his friends gather their things. It was late. Very late.
The sky was slowly losing the deepest darkness of dawn, signaling that morning wasn't far off. Kael knew this moment.
It was the end.
He accepted that Samuel would probably just wave from afar, drop a casual "thanks," and leave. It made sense. It was what the entire night had pointed toward.
But the script broke.
Samuel detached himself from the group.
He walked calmly toward Kael.
His dark eyes were fixed on his.
Kael held his breath.
Every step seemed to close the distance between them in an almost cruel way.
When Samuel finally stopped in front of him, he said nothing.
He simply opened his arms.
And hugged him.
This time, it wasn't a casual hug. Samuel pressed Kael against himself tightly, enveloping him completely. The warmth of his body contrasted with the chill of the morning air. The smell of the pool, drinks, and party still clung to him.
And Kael collapsed.
All the control he had maintained throughout those hours vanished at once. His body yielded to the embrace, as if it had waited months for this single moment. Driven by a longing that physically hurt, Kael buried his face in the crook of Samuel's neck and kissed his cheek. A long, trembling kiss loaded with everything he hadn't managed to say. Samuel didn't pull back. On the contrary. He let out a low, raspy laugh that vibrated against Kael's chest. Then he leaned in close to his ear.
"Thank you for everything."
Kael closed his eyes.
Those words pierced his chest like a sharp knife slicing through tough meat, slowly and forcefully.
It wasn't a "see you later."
It wasn't a "we'll see each other."
It was just a thank-you.
Samuel loosened his arms.
Broke the hug.
And walked away.
Kael remained motionless as he watched him rejoin his friends. Shortly after, Samuel crossed the gate and disappeared down the street with them.
Kael stood there still.
The hall, which hours earlier felt full of life, was now silent.
The party was over.
But inside him, something had ended too.
The difference between the distance Samuel had kept all night and that final embrace was too cruel to ignore. Kael felt the emptiness return. Only this time, he couldn't push it into some corner of his mind. Reality had failed him. There was no ignoring it!
He had tried to be rational.
Tried to move on.
Tried to accept it.
And he couldn't anymore.
Amidst the ruins of that night, a certainty formed inside him.
He was left with only one way out.
He needed magic.
(...)
The key turned in the lock with a metallic sound that seemed to echo through the entire apartment. Kael pushed the door and walked in without ceremony, swallowed by the hostile silence hanging in the air. There was no light, no sound... nothing beyond his own ragged breathing from the tears fighting to break free, while he struggled with all his strength to contain them.
The man closed the door behind him and rested his back against the wood, sliding slowly down until he hit the cold floor. The smell of the party still clung to his clothes, damp from the pool. He smelled of sweat, alcohol, and smoke. For some reason, that smell didn't bother him—after all, he was used to the nightlife. All that bothered him were his visual memories that, every time he blinked, even for a fraction of a second, flooded his mind with his image: Samuel.
Images of Samuel laughing, dancing, or of his wet clothes clinging to his body after the pool. Beyond that, the image of Samuel with glowing eyes, delivering the full intensity that, until a few months ago, belonged exclusively to him. Images that simultaneously brought him happiness, longing, and above all, pain.
Kael pulled in air forcefully, fighting desperately to stay in control. He didn't want his mind to collapse right then, but he had no strength left to fight. His chest hurt as if a blade were slowly twisting between his ribs. Oxygen simply didn't seem to reach his lungs. The pain he felt was excruciating, raw, humiliating. The pain of someone who tried to use logic to fix life and ended up empty-handed, alone, with a rotting heart in his chest.
"I can't... I can't take it anymore..." he whispered to himself, almost like a hollow justification.
In his mind, echoes remained of how hard he had tried to do the right thing. Months had passed, and he had tried to be rational, tried to be "the adult," but every single remnant of reason had died that night. He felt pathetic. The sound of his crying finally resounded through the darkness of the living room as thick tears streamed down his face. Everything that had accumulated finally surfaced, choking him with a deep sadness overflowing with nowhere to go. A pain that consumed him mercilessly, in a cruel way.
Kael stood up suddenly, in a rush, his eyes burning as if his tears were embers scorching his face as they rolled down. He walked quickly to the kitchen, frantically opening drawers and cabinet doors. His hands trembled as he grabbed herbs, candles, salt... a sharp knife would be the key to what he was about to do. The man was no master of the occult, but he knew enough to let his pain guide him, completely blind and willing to pay whatever price was necessary!
Returning to his apartment's living room, Kael took a handful of coarse salt and traced an imperfect circle around himself. In the center, he placed a clay bowl. The honey poured inside it would serve to sweeten everything that had now turned bitter between them. The red rose petals, to connect with the love he had lost. Cinnamon, as it attracts and reignites what has gone out. The red ribbon with knots was his feelings tied to someone who was no longer his, and the hope of tying that person back to him. Kael wept. That spell wasn't cast out of hatred, anger, nor was it revenge. That spell was his corrupted rationality taking over, giving in to his selfish, distorted desire to make Samuel return. He loved him, he desired him, he couldn't stand the pain that Samuel's absence in his life caused him anymore.
Kael struck a match. The black candle flames burned high, illuminating his face ominously. Tears glinted in the faint light. On a piece of paper, he crudely wrote the name of the man he wanted, at all costs, to bring back to himself. A few more ingredients were needed. Peppers, dried dumb cane leaves... simple ingredients, but with all the faith inside him, he hoped they would bend his grim reality. He needed something to alter that damned reality!
"By the flame that burns and consumes..." Kael struck another match, tossing it into the bowl, making all his ingredients burn intensely. "The same fire that destroys is the fire that creates. Bring back the one who should have never left my life!"
The man then picked up the knife, tracing a deep cut across his left hand. Blood began to flow abundantly. The physical pain of that act was nothing compared to the pain he felt within. Kael showed no reaction; he simply let his crying consume him. He held his hand over the spell, letting his blood drop, naively binding himself to his karma.
"Bring back what was once mine. Bring back who once belonged to me. Bring my love back, my goddess! I beg you!"
Kael threw the paper onto the fire, which crackled with a loud spark, illuminating the living room walls and casting twisted, frightening shadows. In that moment, something shifted. He felt the exact second the apartment's atmosphere seemed to grow heavy. Kael closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his chest, feeling a tightness that suffocated him. A sudden chill ran up his spine, raising the hairs on his arms. Deep down, he knew that magic was no longer the natural, light magic he was used to. He knew that magic would charge him a price far too high, a price he didn't even know if he could pay...
Yet, as he watched the last flame devour Samuel's name in the dark, consuming the paper until nothing remained but ashes, he smiled. A broken, exhausted smile.
"Bring him back to me..." he whispered to whoever might be listening.
An unusual wind swept through the room, abruptly extinguishing the candle flames. The spell died out. Kael felt his head spin. Without time to react, his body gave way to the pressure, causing him to pass out.
That was it.
It was done...