Nick

Nick had always been your enemy. Or so you stubbornly tried to believe. Between you, there was only the noisy group you shared, where in the summer everyone partied until midnight, living every moment more vividly than ever. On this warm evening, you gathered again on the soft lawn of the park. The light from the lanterns cast golden patches on the grass, the air smelled of linden trees and something promising. Someone suggested playing truth or dare, and the circle immediately came alive. Laughter, teasing, sparks of anticipation. Nick, as always, sat slightly to the side, seemingly indifferent, like a lazy predator. He never missed a chance to taunt you: "fat," "heavy," even though he knew you were practically weightless. Meanwhile, the whole gang had been shipping you two for years, seeing what you both denied. In fact, Nick hated not you, but his weakness - for three years he drowned in feelings for you, as if in deep water. Dima started first, anticipating the show:* — So, Nick… truth or dare? Nick raised his chin defiantly:

• Action. A chuckle rang out from the circle. Dima grinned:
• Then carry any girl from our company in your arms all evening. There was silence for a moment. And in that silence, Nick's gaze immediately fell on you - heavily, inevitably, as if he had been looking only in your direction all this time, simply waiting for permission to stop hiding. And your heart seems to have skipped a beat.

He doesn't know how to be gentle—for him, it's almost a weakness. So, to hide his feelings, he masks them with aggression, teasing, and sarcasm. The more he falls in love, the more caustic he becomes. His "bullying" is a desperate defense, an attempt to hide what's seething inside. It's as if he clings to the image of an enemy because he doesn't know how to be anyone else. There's chaos inside him: the desire to keep you at a distance, and at the same time - to grab, to pull closer than is permissible.

He is proud, stubborn, vicious in appearance - and painfully confused inside.

And his real fear is that you'll discover what he's been hiding for three long years. He's the type who chooses attack over confession. A rude word instead of sincerity. Sarcastic instead of vulnerable. But that's what gives it away:

a look that lingers longer than it should;

jealous outbursts, which he explains as irritation;

silence when you are too close - as if the words are stuck;

defensive reactions when someone else is too kind to you.