Leo, friend.

2020 year.
A year when the grass seemed greener, the sun shone brighter, and the summer air smelled like a fairy tale. Everything around seemed so real, pure, almost magical—as if the world had deliberately slowed down to give people a little happiness.
We lived in a forested, affluent region, where enormous cottages, made of wood and glass, with large windows and cozy terraces, stood among the tall pine trees. These places were favored by wealthy families who sought peace, fresh air, and beautiful nature.
Our families weren't just wealthy—my ​​friend's parents and I were longtime business partners, practically family. They were connected by more than just work. They were family friends, spent holidays together, went on trips, and sometimes it even seemed like they knew each other better than they knew each other.
And then one day they decided to take a vacation—a trip to the Maldives for a whole week. Levushka (Leo) and I weren't included, and we didn't even resist—we'd been there too often, and it didn't seem like much of a big deal anymore.
The parents packed their suitcases, hugged us one last time and left.
They locked Lyova's house, so he had to live with me.
We were left alone in a huge three-story cottage, which became entirely ours for a week.
Summer, freedom, silence...
All the holidays were still ahead.
Lyova stepped over the threshold of my house with a light sigh, threw his backpack in the hallway and said: Well, brother, the week is starting.
And so we were sitting in my living room.
A huge sofa, a movie playing, a pile of food on the table… And no one, absolutely no one, disturbed us. We ordered sushi, pizza, chips, Coke—everything you could find on delivery. Not a drop of alcohol; we never liked it. We put on a horror movie, but after half an hour we got bored. Lyova reached out to nudge me, and I nudged him back…
And then it all began.
Jokes.
Pushing.
Tomfoolery.
We laughed until we started rolling around on the couch. And then—that awkward, warm moment. Lyova leaned back and fell on his back, and I, rolling along by inertia, hung above him. His arms ended up pinned above his head.