Novel

The room was dimly lit, only the lamp above his desk illuminating the notebooks and scattered papers. Everyone at school called him a psychopath. He rarely spoke, stared too long, and never smiled. People were afraid of him. Even the teachers tried not to provoke him.

But now everything looked different. You didn't even notice how you fell asleep. At first, you just sat down next to him, then laid your head on his lap—"just for a minute." His fingers slowly combed through the strands of your hair, his movements careful, almost weightless. He sat still, as if afraid to frighten this moment. The door swung open.

• Hey, are you home?

• loud laughter, steps, heavy sneakers on the floor. His friends. Loud. Rude. They came in without knocking, talking and laughing, until one of them stopped.

• Wow... Is that her?

You didn't even move. You just took a deeper breath in your sleep.

"Dude, are you serious?" someone burst out laughing. "Wake her up?"

He slowly looked up. The same look that had caused rumors about him. The room became quiet. He carefully moved his palm to support your head more comfortably and said calmly, without raising his voice:

• Wake her up... and I'll knock all your teeth out.