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It's been two hours since Rachel left my apartment, and I'm still lying on the couch, watching a battle between my anxiety and the promise I made.

A party—the kind that normal people go to every day—full of booze, loud music, people bumping into each other, and sweating. A real nightmare, a place I wouldn't go willingly, even if it were a paid job.

Although if the pay was good...

But no. Not even that.

I made a promise to the bat, and now I have to go to a ridiculous place full of people I don't know. The day is bound to end worse than it started.

No point in crying, I guess.

With a burst of atypical will, I get up and go to the bathroom. I urgently need a shower and perhaps a little more encouragement.

The hot water runs down my muzzle, shoulders, back, and tail, relaxing my muscles and my anxiety. I usually take shorter baths, but today I decided to stay much longer than necessary.

The process for getting out of the shower is always the same: towels, then a blow dryer, the large brush, the fine brush, moisturizing cream, and another round of brushing. From the moment I entered the bathroom until the last brush, more than two hours had passed. The sun has long gone, and the night continues to invite me on a terrible adventure.

I get out of bed and look at the figure reflected in the closet mirror: tall but with slumped shoulders, thick light brown fur on his chest, ears, legs, and arms, and dark brown fur on his hands, feet, face, and muzzle. Big, tired yellow eyes stare back at me, and the brown fur does nothing to hide the annoyance I feel.

Come on, you promised. Blame Gabe from the past for making that stupid promise, and hopefully Gabe from the future won't make the same mistake.

I chose a normal outfit for the party: blue jeans, a white shirt, and black boots. The name of the event is "Groc's Dance Party," and, supposedly, the attendees have to go in an unfashionable or ridiculous outfit. Although I have many items of clothing that would easily pass for "ridiculous," I chose a small plaid beret, a gift from a dear friend who is no longer on this earth.

I assess myself again in the mirror, with the beret resting on my right ear, almost falling off.

Complete shit. I'll fit in easily.

The mirror stared back at me, beret and all, until another wave of panic tightened my chest. I paced the apartment, tail flicking, debating whether this was really worth it or not, but the promise loomed over me. With a shaky breath, I grabbed my phone, ordered a cab, and forced myself out the door before I could change my mind.

The cab dropped me off a few blocks away, and as the door slammed shut, the night air bit at my ears. I trudged forward, paws stuffed in my pockets, the distant thump of music growing louder with every step. Three blocks out, it was already rattling my skull—a warning of the chaos waiting inside. My tail stiffened, but I kept moving, too late to turn back now. I feel a shiver run down my spine.

If it's loud here, how will it be inside?

Not wanting to suffer any more than I have to, I take two earplugs out of my pocket and put them in my ears. The music becomes muffled and bearable.

The entrance to the party is as basic as you'd expect, all managed by apps. The security guard at the door scans a code from my cell phone (Rachel transferred me her invitation), they register my device on the party's internal network, and for the whole night, I can enter or leave without any problems. Oh, and I can buy whatever I want directly from my cell phone and just pick it up at the bar.

Once I'm through the gate, I'm finally in. I have to admit that the venue is very appropriate: a large stage on the south side of the property, with a lawn of over 1000 square meters. To the right of the stage, there is a booth selling drinks, or rather, delivering drinks. To the left, an enclosed and soundproofed area plays what sounds like techno or something similar.

And what I think is the best part is the entrance area. There are lots of chairs and bean bags scattered around the lawn; plenty of places to sit and not be disturbed.

If I'm lucky, I can sit in that far corner and just wait until it's time to leave.

A good thought. I only have to wait a little more than two hours.

But before I go to my refuge, Black's words ring in my ears again. You need to get out more, Red.

Really? I came here believing I was being forced, but what if, deep down, I wanted to come? Nothing made me promise to Rachel, and I have literally hundreds of excuses I could have made. Even with the anxiety attacks, I got ready, I came, and now I'm showing off this ridiculous beret to everyone.

Maybe I should; I don't know. Try to enjoy it a bit.

I look at the party app and the ten beers I got for free.

Ah, fuck this.

I head for the drinks booth, determined to try out the party at least a little. I still don't really understand the relationship between beer and partying, but I'll at least try.

But my hope was short-lived.

The next thing I know, the queue for drinks is almost circling the whole place, with people coming in and out without a care in the world. I can only sigh angrily, already wanting to go home.

Come on, I've come this far; let's see this through.

The line for drinks stretched on forever, a sweaty tangle of fur and laughter that made my skin itch. I’d been standing there maybe fifteen minutes, shifting my weight and muttering to myself until I felt a small bump on my arm. I turn my head a bit and see this person saying something, smiling, and pointing to the bar. I couldn't hear very well because of the earplugs, but I made space so they could pass me and reach the corner.

But the person insisted and shook my arm a bit more forcefully, clearly amused by my behavior.

When I turned around, I was faced with a male leopard with orange and black fur, smaller than myself by a head. He was wearing a yellow shirt under a black leather jacket, black jeans, and heavy, polished biker boots. His youthful face showed two huge green eyes, white fangs, and a debauched smile. Several earrings dangled in both ears, and a gold nose ring.

"Yes?" I said, removing my earplugs.

He put a paw on his head and sighed. "I asked if I could buy you a drink."

I heard the words, and they were processed by my brain, but for some reason I couldn't understand the meaning of the sentence. "Huh?"

The leopard sniffed and laughed a bit, clearly enjoying himself. When I finally understood the meaning of the sentence, a spark of panic rose in the pit of my stomach.

What's going on?

After more embarrassing seconds, I could muster the courage to speak again. "Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else?"

The leopard stopped laughing and squeezed his beautiful green eyes, like he was measuring me. "The bat already told me about you."

The bat? Rachel?!

Of course, it all makes sense now. I've fallen for yet another amorous scheme by the self-proclaimed Cupid bat.

Gods, how could I have been so stupid not to notice the set-up?

I threw my hands to the air and gripped my burning ears. "I can't believe she did that! I'm going to rip the wings off that... that..." The anger and shame were so intense that I could barely talk.

"Calm down, wolf," he said, placing his paw over mine, "I'm the one who asked her to introduce us."

I could only stare at him with a blank expression, still holding my ears. He continued, "She told me you were coming to the party and that it would be a great opportunity to see you outside of the university."

The leopard keeps smiling, almost enjoying my anxiety and embarrassment. But I also can't stop thinking that it's a beautiful smile.

"Did you ask?" I couldn't believe what he said. Who would like to meet me? "Look, I don't know what Rachel told you, but it's not true at all. She fooled us both."

"So she fooled me..." He walks by, circling me, deep in thought. "It's all right; no harm is done. But we're already here, aren't we? What do you say we enjoy ourselves a bit?"

The leopard put his paw softly on my shoulder and smiles again. I can feel its warmth, even through my clothes. My paws start to sweat, and my tongue seems to have doubled in size. I can't see, but I'm sure my ears are as red as blood.

"Well, why not?" The words tumbled out of my mouth. "Ha ha ha."

"That's the spirit!" He taps me on the shoulder and moves away a little. "The name is Eddy."

He extends his open right paw towards me, with a smile more infectious than before.

"Gabe. Pleased to meet you."

"It's my pleasure, Gabe." Eddy gives me a light bump in the shoulder, his grin cutting through the din like a lifeline. "This noise is brutal," he says, tilting his head toward the gate where shadows lounged away from the speakers. "Come on, let's escape—I need a smoke anyway."

I follow Eddy's gaze and, from what I could see, he wants to go to a particularly darker, more "private" place.

I could feel the panic rising in my gut. "I… I… I'm going to get a beer; do you want one?"

I spoke faster than normal, on a high-pitched note, and I seem to have lost complete control of my arms.

What's going on?

He placed both paws on his waist, delighted. "And here I thought that I was going to buy you a drink... You beat me here, wolf. I accept."

My ears feel like they're going to fall. I've never felt so embarrassed in my life, but this time it's different. My heart was pounding; I could feel the sweat dripping off my paws, and a soft, insistent buzz was ringing in my ears. On any other occasion, all I would be thinking about is running away and getting out as fast as I could.

And, despite everything, I wanted to stay.

I finally manage to pick up the cans of beer and follow the leopard to the far corner of the place. I sat on one of the beanbags, leaning against the wall, while Eddy kept standing. He expertly lights a cigarette and takes a long drag, looking up at the sky. After a steady pause, he looks back at me, holding out the pack of smokes. "Would you like some?"

"No, thanks. I have a very serious problem with rhinitis." I place my paw over my muzzle. "I think that if I smoke, my snout will explode and fall to the ground."

Eddy widens his eyes, visibly worried. He raises his hand with the cigarette, trying to find the direction of the wind, and places himself so that the smoke doesn't come towards me.

"I'll try not to blow smoke at you." He smiles again, almost embarrassed. "So, tell me a bit about yourself. What do you study?"

"Computer science;" I say, a bit embarrassed, "I'm in my seventh semester. You?"

"Computer science?" Another long drag. "So, you're one of the internet wizards? Have you hacked a lot?"

The leopard approaches again, having finished smoking, and sits down in the closest bean bag, practically leaning against me. I can feel the warmth of his leg.

"Not at all, haha!" I say, still conscious of our closeness, "That kind of thing happens only in movies. The classes are nice, but I think it's too boring for other people..." My voice goes down a little, almost like a whisper. "It's math with computers."

"That still sounds pretty interesting." I could sense the excitement in his voice. "Tell me more."

I try to summarize what I study. "Computer science is the study of how to use computers to solve problems," I say, trying to put a bit of enthusiasm on it. "It’s about understanding how computers function and writing code, which is like giving them precise instructions, and designing systems that can tackle complex tasks efficiently. It's..." My voice trails a little. I've always had a hard time explaining the classes to 'outsiders,' especially since most people think we play with computers all day.

"The way you say it, it sounds almost like you don't like it," he says, with a bit of concern in his eyes.

"I like it... I just find it a bit boring, you know?" I keep playing with the can in my paws without noticing, "There's nothing much going on."

We sat in silence for a few moments. My mind was working fast, trying to find something to talk about. I couldn't let the conversation die there; I had to think of something, anything.

Then, a hyena in a ninja costume passed in front of us. With a closer look, there is a whole group of people in costumes, as if they were going to an anime convention. Some of the costumes bordered on sloppy, but the hyena's was great—something that, elsewhere, would attract dozens of people to take photos.

Eddy points his finger at the cosplayer, amused. "That Toruko costume is almost perfect, don't you think?"

"Yeah, he must have spent a lot of money on it," I said, pondering about the accessories. And then it hit me. "Wait, do you know this anime?"

"Of course I know!" He threw his arms open, exasperated. "I don't watch it much these days, but I used to watch it a lot when I was a kid. Heck, I still have some figurines at my parents' house."

My jaw dropped open. "But... you don't look like, you know, someone who likes this kind of thing. Not by a long shot."

With a mischievous grin, Eddy leans closer to me. I can see the tips of his canines, his half-serrated eyes, and his slightly lowered ears. His tail sways happily from side to side. "And why do you think that?"

The words came out fumbled. "Well, usually the pretty guys... I mean, the cool ones don't like anime and stuff."

After a moment of silence, he threw himself back in the bag, laughing hard. "Hahahaha!"

"Don't laugh." I nudge the leopard with my elbow. "I'm embarrassed enough as it is."

"Okay, okay." He wipes the tears from the corner of his eyes. "You seem to like anime too, I guess. Tell me what you're watching. It's been a while since I've caught up; maybe I'll find time to watch something worthwhile."

From that moment on, we started talking about different subjects. Anime, fantasy novels, movies, books, travel, pop culture...

I never imagined that I could have such a nice and relaxed conversation with someone I'd just met. It may be that the beers (at this point, I must have drunk 8 cans) were helping, but I hadn't felt this free and happy for a long time.

Eddy only had his father; his mother died shortly after his younger sister was born. Like me, he grew up in an "academic house," surrounded by books and intellectual individuals. And, like me, he was exposed to different cultures and environments. But our tastes in other things couldn't be more opposite.

"You're the first person I've met who likes medieval fantasy but doesn't like rock music." I said, opening the ninth beer can. "I always thought there was a direct correlation between the two."

"It's not that I don't like it," he said, downing his beer, "it's just that the other styles are so much more enjoyable. You don't really like dancing, do you?"

"No," I said, in a serious tone, "even if my life depended on it."

Eddy was back on his feet, smoking, and walking gracefully from side to side to the rhythm of the music playing in the background, almost dancing. I could only stare at the scene, savoring every moment and following the leopard's gait with my eyes.

Laughter spilled out of me—actual laughter—as Eddy recounted some ridiculous anime plot twist. The party faded to a distant buzz, my tenth beer loosening the knot in my chest.

Then a shadow lurched into our bubble—a capybara in boots and a jacket twinning Eddy's, swaying like he'd danced too close to the stage. "Edddyyyyyy!! There you are," he slurred, grinning wide. He turns to me, and an expression of understanding settles on his face very slowly. "Ah, that's the wolf.

"Yes, this is the wolf." Eddy says, offering his paw to help me stand up.

I try to do it quickly, but only then do I realize that, perhaps, the alcohol was finally taking effect. My legs stagger and almost knock me face down on the floor if it weren't for the leopard's quick action. "Calm down, wolf. You're not used to drinking, are you? Take it easy."

I lean more on Eddy's shoulders and manage to stand up. "I was just a little dizzy."

The leopard nods and faces the capybara. "Simas, this is Gabe. Gabe, this is Simas. We study in the same class."

"Wow, you're really tall, aren't you, wolf?" The capybara extends its paw toward me. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

Simas slowly turns to Eddy, who continues to support me. "Bro, the guys are leaving," then points to the exit gate, "are you going with us? I just came to pick you up."

Eddy seems to be thinking with one paw on his chin, but, after a few seconds, he raises his eyes towards Simas. "I'm coming; the night has only just begun." He lifts his head towards me, looking directly into my eyes. "Want to come with me?"

Still leaning on the leopard's shoulders, I see myself reflected in his eyes—so close, so clear. My snout is practically touching his ear, and I can smell the perfume and tobacco emanating from his body.

Something inside me desperately wants to go with Eddy, but the wiser, more cowardly part of me always speaks up. "I'd love to, Eddy, but I've got so much to do tomorrow."

"No worries, wolf," he smiles back at me, a bit disappointed. "I'll see you another day. Can you stand on your own?"

He moves around and stands in front of me, still holding my chest and supporting me. I was already okay, but I was enjoying being so close to the leopard. "Yes, I can, thank you."

And, as if by magic, something happened.

Eddy's paws, which had been holding me up, lightly came up to my face, gently pulling them towards him. Before I could understand, the feline's lips touched mine.

Electricity. It was as if an electric shock had gone through my entire body, from the tip of my ear to the bottom of my heel. I felt the force leave my arms, and my stomach sank into my back. I feel his tongue dancing with mine, our breaths ragged and the gentle touch of his paws.

"Call me," he whispers, releasing our kiss and giving a short lick on my cheek, "I'll be waiting."

I can't tell how much time passed, but the next thing I knew, Eddy was already walking alongside Simas, towards the exit.

Still in a daze, I followed the leopard with my eyes as he walked away with an almost cheeky grin. Before he left through the gate, he blew me a kiss, winking and laughing.

All the strength in my body seemed to vanish, and I crumpled to the ground.

What the hell just happened?

I lay on the grass, covering my eyes with my paws, consumed by shame, but with something else, something overwhelming.

Happiness.

I never thought I could smile so much, and every time I remembered the kiss, the smile grew even wider. Until reality attacked me with all its crushing power.

"I don't have his phone number..."

Noooo.