Raymond noticed the shift and also noticed the growing attention around them, yet instead of stopping the situation he continued playing along with it. He said casually, “You can walk away, but that might look interesting on camera,” which caused June’s fingers to tremble slightly.
She looked at the phones, then at the open hood, and finally back at him before speaking again with a steadier tone that carried more resolve than before. “If I look at it, you stop talking, no jokes, and no filming in my face,” she said, holding her ground despite the attention.
The laughter faded slightly as people realized she was serious, and Raymond raised his eyebrows with mild amusement while replying, “Fine, you have one minute.” The crowd quieted just enough to watch more closely, uncertain how the situation would unfold.
June stepped forward slowly and approached the open hood, but she was too short to see properly and quickly looked around for something to stand on. She spotted a small wooden stool beside a newspaper stand, dragged it across the sidewalk, and climbed up with careful movements.