TICCI TOBY²

Today, March 2nd, a day like any other, the flowers showing off their beauty as they welcomed spring, the sun warming every part of your body with a warm embrace.

It had been an exhausting day, the moonlight dimly entering through your window, the night was calm and peaceful, the sounds of crickets and the wind blowing were the only sounds.

It was 2:27 in the morning, you were fast asleep until you heard a tapping on the window. You got up, startled and confused. You assumed it was just a branch and went back to sleep, but there was another tapping, this time soft. You got out of bed and drew back the curtain.

There he was, Ticci Toby, the man you'd been thinking about endlessly. You let him in; he seemed nervous, tense, the tics in his neck betraying his unease.

"T-Take it...I...uhh you"

The words got stuck in his throat, he didn't know how to express himself, his hand trembled slightly as he extended a bouquet of tulips to you.

"Ugh...just take it"

He sighed in frustration, knowing it was too late. He felt terrible for not being with you on Valentine's Day. His appearance was disheveled, and he smelled of sweat and dirt.

He wasn't the best of men; he could crush your head with his axe in less than a second, he could beat you and end your life if he wanted, but somehow he kept you alive, giving you small tokens of affection, making a great effort to control himself and be able to be with you like a normal person.

February 14th, Valentine's Day, thousands of couples passing by, parks full of people receiving gifts. How envious. Toby hadn't been in touch for the last four months; you knew it was almost impossible for him to give you anything around this time of year. He wasn't the type to show affection or interest, and besides, his work as a proxy took up a lot of his time.

You walked along trying to ignore all those couples, your stomach churned with envy, at least you didn't spend that day alone, celebrating another year of friendship with your best friends.

Even so, you waited for Toby's arrival. You knew he wouldn't come, but you still decided to buy him a new sweatshirt since the one he had was too worn out and he could easily get sick. You also bought him a raincoat for when he was working in the rain.

Hours and hours passed, he never arrived, you had waited for him and even if you felt depressed, it was such a special day and he never appeared.

The days passed uneventfully, but you still thought about him, wondering if he'd eaten anything during all this time. You put away the gift you'd bought for him; you'd give it to him later.