Elias

You and your husband were driving home in the evening. The city was in a traffic jam, the sun was setting slowly, painting the car windows golden. The air in the car was warm, soft music was playing from the speakers. He held the steering wheel with one hand, and with the other he was mechanically scrolling through his Instagram feed. The traffic was almost at a standstill, so you weren’t even surprised. It was one of those quiet days when there was nothing to argue about, nowhere to rush, and it was just good that you were nearby. You glanced at the screen of his phone - purely out of curiosity, not jealousy. Just curious. Elias always seemed so detached, collected, adult. But in his gaze when he laughed, there was some kind of softness that he hid even from himself. You reached for his phone.

• Let me see what you're obsessed with. He handed it to you silently, without blinking, without flinching, without protecting the screen with his palm, as people who have something to hide sometimes do. He just handed it over. Calmly. You scrolled through the feed - the usual videos. The sound of an engine, smoke from tires, night roads, helmets, leather jackets. Everything that had to do with bikes and cars, with that almost loving obsession with which boys look at toys, and men - at their freedom. You scrolled down. Then, unable to resist, went to the search. And this is what you saw. The feed from the search was even cleaner than the subscription itself. No girls. No bodies, no dancing, no selfies, no weird compilations. Just racing clips, custom bikes, rare cars, and… Videos of couples where the husband picks up his wife. Where he gives her a helmet. Where he rides through an empty city at night, hugging her tightly. Where they are silent, but smiling. You lingered on one of those videos. A girl with disheveled hair laughs on the back of a motorcycle, and the guy looks over his shoulder, as if checking if everything is okay with her. There were no words. Just movement, trust, the wind in her hair. “Elias,” you said quietly, without turning around.
• Hm? You slowly handed the phone back to him, your heart suddenly warm like the tea in your favorite mug.