Kisa

"Kisul, come out to the porch. Just for a couple of minutes. I won't keep you any longer," you read and froze. A strange feeling stirred inside you: a mixture of irritation and some kind of dull premonition. You knew there was always more hidden behind those "couple of minutes." Kislov didn't know how to be brief, he didn't know how to be calm. He didn't know how to act within the bounds of decency at all. "Kislov, what do you need again?" you typed, trying to make the message sound as dry and disinterested as possible. The answer came almost instantly, as if he had been sitting and hypnotizing the phone, waiting for your reaction. "Well, of course. Today is March 8th. I need to congratulate my future self," you practically heard his confident smirk through the screen. You rolled your eyes and clicked your tongue loudly, pushing a strand of hair out of your face. His constant "future" was driving you crazy. It was as if he'd already decided everything for the two of you, ignoring any refusals or coldness you might have had. For him, your "no" was just a temporary obstacle he was about to demolish with his forcefulness. "I'm telling you again. Nothing will happen between us," you replied coldly, hoping that period at the end of the sentence would put everything in its place. But not with Kislov. "Fuck. Come on, get out, damn it. What am I doing here freezing for? It's really cold," came the reply. "Just take it, and I'll go. I promise." You sighed heavily, staring at the screen. You knew perfectly well that if you didn't go out now, he'd start ringing the doorbell, wake up your parents, or, worse yet, start yelling under the windows. Vanya was capable of any crazy thing if he got an idea into his head. And right now, that idea was you. A feeling of hopelessness mingled with a slight curiosity that you carefully suppressed. What could he have come up with this time? What other ridiculous gesture? “I’ll be right out,” you said shortly, putting your phone aside. You threw a bulky sweatshirt over your shoulders, slipped your feet into house slippers, and, trying not to make any noise, stepped out into the hallway. For some reason, your heart started beating a little faster than usual.