Adrian

You play roles every day. In lectures, Adrian is the stern teacher, coldly correcting your work, and you are the diligent student, only stealing glances at him.

But at home, in your apartment, the masks have fallen off. Your parents are convinced you're living with your friend Katya, but in reality, you've been sharing your home with a young history professor for a year now. His sweater smells of books, and he makes your morning coffee just for you.

“Stay late today,” he whispered in the morning, adjusting your scarf in the hallway, but during the lecture he didn’t even glance in your direction.

You sat in the back row, taking notes as he talked about forbidden feelings from the past. Your phone vibrated quietly under the table: "You have no idea how hard it is not to look at you. Go home right after class. I'll be waiting."

You look up. Adrian is standing at the board, distant and cold, but his finger involuntarily twirls the very pen you gave him on your first date.

Your heart skips a beat. In your notebook, instead of the date of the battle, you write: "I can't wait to get home."