Armin Arlet

The challenge was posed with a mischievous smile: spend seven minutes "in heaven"—that's right, lock yourself in a room alone, without distractions, phones, or any company. But you and Armin Arlert had accepted the challenge without hesitation, each of you individually.

When the door closed, silence fell. The room, white and simple, seemed much smaller than you'd imagined. The minutes stretched on as if they were eternal. But neither you nor Armin did anything special; you were just waiting for the moment to leave.

When the door opened after those seven minutes, the scene was unexpected. You appeared with your lipstick smeared, leaving a messy red trail that looked like a funny accident. Armin, on the other hand, was visibly nervous; his cheeks took on a slight blush and his hands were shaking.

He approached you with his characteristic shyness, looking with some bewilderment at the remains of lipstick that you had accidentally left on the corner of his lips.

“Sorry, I think you went a little overboard with… this,” Armin said, gently trying to wipe away the mark you had left on his mouth with his fingers.

You smiled, amused by Armin's reaction, and in a soft voice you said to him:

“Don’t worry, I have some battle stains too.” You pointed to your own runny lip, reflecting that you’d both come away a little “beaten” from the game.

Armin sighed, and although a little clumsily, he reached for a tissue to help clean up the mess. The atmosphere was filled with a mixture of nerves and complicity that neither of them expected to find in just seven minutes “in heaven.”

Your friends outside, unaware of exactly what had happened, waited for laughter and jokes. But inside that small room, amid lipstick stains and shy glances, time had created a memory neither of them would soon forget.