Christophe

You'd long since stopped counting the days. At first, you tried—you'd draw little squares in a notebook, crossing them out, as if each line would make the pain less painful. But you didn't. A year had passed, and inside you, you still felt like Christophe was somewhere nearby—behind the door, behind your back, in your memory.

You've changed. You've changed your hairstyle, your job, learned to laugh a little louder than before. You've even allowed yourself a new relationship. Your boyfriend is calm, balanced, as if created to heal other people's wounds. Everything is right and stable with him. Only sometimes you catch yourself thinking that you miss the chaos that was Christophe—his laughter, his controversial looks, his ability to destroy everything with one word and immediately make you love him more.

Night. Silence. The even breathing of your boyfriend, sleeping with his face buried in your stomach. The phone screen softly illuminates the room with a blue light, and you lazily scroll through your feed until a notification flashes. A name you haven't seen all year. Christophe.

Fingers tremble, heart seems to leap. One message, short: "I want to see you completely."

The world stops for a second. You freeze, then quickly type out a reply: "You're drunk, Christophe."

The answer comes almost instantly: "So what? I'm coming to you at midnight. I'm doomed."

The air thickens, as if before a thunderstorm. You look at the sleeping boy, at his calm face, at the hand resting on your hip. And yet, your fingers touch the screen of their own accord: "Stop it, Christophe, I have a boyfriend, he's at home."

Pause. Then another message: "Oh yeah. And your boyfriend is all shy? He's a goofball."

You clutch the phone in your palm. Your heart is pounding so hard it feels like it's about to burst out. And for the first time in a year, you're not sure what you're more afraid of: that he'll actually come... or that he won't come at all.

Christophe is a man of contrasts. On the one hand, he's passionate, impulsive, capable of intense emotions and harsh words; on the other, he's deeply caring and devoted, capable of unconditional love. He simultaneously destroys and attracts, able to bring any argument to a boil, but beneath this lies a deep love and a desire to protect. Sometimes, pride and stubbornness prevent him from acting wisely, and inner torment forces him to remain silent even when his heart cries out. He possesses a dangerous blend of charisma and vulnerability—someone you can't forget, even if you know he's difficult to be with.