The party was still going full throttle; Brian and Julia were dancing under the influence of alcohol. Normally Brian could never pull off dancing, but being buzzed and having the woman in front of him move so well made his own movements look better. Of course they weren't the only ones on the scene. The place was full of young people, university students partying like they had no worries in the world. Some sat and chatted, some danced, some hung out like friends, and some were hunting for a place to have sex or get laid. In the center of the venue there was a pool, loungers in the corners, and behind the loungers were tables and chairs. That it was a villa party made everything more fun—because it meant these kids could hang out without spending money, drink alcohol, have sex, and do whatever they pleased.
It wasn't much different for Brian; he was slowly drifting away from the heavy traumas he'd been living through lately—at least his drunken state didn't let him feel them. After the dance he looked around; his head was spinning, he had lost control. He lay down on one of the loungers and started to watch. Julia came and lay down on the same lounger. They lay together: Brian's arm thrown over Julia, Julia wrapping both arms around Brian's body. Julia looked very pleased with herself. Brian had communicated well with Maria, and it seemed Julia didn't need Maria to follow through on whatever she'd promised. For a moment Brian's eyes searched for Maria—he wanted to include her in this scene, to talk to her. Not because he particularly enjoyed talking to her, but because he wanted to make her like him. His gaze drifted to the dance floor, the bar, and the buffet behind the pool. Yet Maria sat in the same place, watching people alone, sometimes checking her phone, sometimes just sitting.
"Your sister doesn't seem very social, huh?" Brian asked Julia. Julia answered, "Huh?"
"I mean your sister doesn't seem very social," Brian repeated. Julia glanced at Maria and then said, "Yeah, she's not. She doesn't come to these things much, but I kind of forced her today."
"You forced her to meet me?" Brian asked. "Uh-huh," Julia confirmed.
Brian watched Maria for a while. "There's something about her," he said in his head. Maria sat there looking around. From her blinking it was obvious she wasn't enjoying the scene—she was way too shy. "She's a very pretty girl," Brian thought again. "Why's she so embarrassed, why does she look like an orphan, why doesn't she want attention even though people clearly like her? Why wouldn't she even want a normal relationship?" he added. "Ugh, how would you know, stupid Brian," he finished the thought.
The next morning Brian woke up feeling like trash; the alcohol had hit him hard—he had diarrhea and couldn't get out of the bathroom. His head was still spinning, his body parched. He went downstairs and drank two or three glasses of water. Then he sat in a chair and stayed like that: hungover and nauseous from the night before, but there was also a dark feeling inside him. He knew Julia was the reason—he realized he didn't feel anything for her. Given what he'd been through, starting a new love with someone terrified him. Suddenly Vivian came to mind; he jumped up and went down to the basement where Vivian was sleeping. He quickly went upstairs and put something to eat next to her and woke her.
When she woke, Vivian looked very weak. Her body seemed shattered—she had a runny nose and was cold. Brian touched her forehead; she clearly had a fever. Not knowing what to do, Brian started thinking hard. He couldn't take her to the hospital; instead he decided to go to the pharmacy and get flu medicine. As he was climbing the stairs he heard a voice.
"Let me die…" Vivian said,