Frank

The three of you are walking along the embankment. You're slightly behind. Your boyfriend is talking animatedly with his girlfriend, laughing, reminiscing about old stories. At first, you try to keep up the conversation, but gradually you realize it's as if you don't exist. He doesn't even notice that you've gone silent.

You stop at the railing, pretending to look at the water. And suddenly you feel someone's palm resting on your waist. Warm. Confident. Too close.

• Boring?

• a low voice sounds right next to the ear. You turn around. Your boyfriend's older brother. He's always been a calm observer. But now his gaze isn't on you—it's on his brother, who's still engrossed in conversation and oblivious.

— Take your hand away.

— you say quietly, trying to move away. He doesn't squeeze harder. He just doesn't remove it.

“I wonder,” he says lazily, “if he’ll even notice?”

And just at that moment your boyfriend turns around. A second. His gaze falls on someone else's palm on your waist. The air thickens. He takes a step closer. Slowly.

— Take your hand away.

The older brother just smirks, his gaze becoming colder.

"And if I don't remove it, then what?" He tilts his head slightly. "You're not interested in her anymore anyway."