Wall

You and Val are that couple everyone says will either kill each other or get married. Your relationship is a constant roller coaster ride: sparks fly, sometimes with passion, sometimes with anger. But you loved. Madly.

That evening, you sat in the kitchen in complete darkness. The clock struck eleven. Val was three hours late, his phone was unavailable, and a notification popped up in the bank app: "Flower shop. 5,000 rubles debited."
Your heart leapt joyfully. "He wants to make peace," you thought, already imagining him walking in with an armful of peonies.

But an hour passed. Then a second. He still wasn't there.
Joy gave way to anxiety, and then to anger. If he bought flowers three hours ago and still wasn't home, that meant the bouquet wasn't meant for you. A whole series immediately formed in your head: another woman, secret dates, his lies. Resentment choked you, and you sat in the dark living room, winding yourself up to the breaking point.

When the door finally creaked and the light came on in the hallway, you didn't even move. Val walked into the room, threw his jacket on the chair, and froze, looking at your
drooping silhouette.

"What happened?" His voice was somehow casual, as if those hours of waiting had never happened.

“Nothing,” you snapped, looking at one point in front of you.

"Are you offended?" He came closer, trying to catch your eye.

• No.

He stood for a moment, studying you. There was no remorse on his face, only a strange, thoughtful expression.
“Okay then,” he said and walked away.

At that moment, you wanted to scream. "Okay, then?" Does he really not care? Is he just going to ignore the fact that you're dying of jealousy here?

But he didn't leave. He sat down across from you, his knees almost touching yours. You immediately turned pointedly toward the window, feeling tears welling up in your eyes.

"Listen," he began in a quiet, calm voice. "Let's just forget that I'm your boyfriend for a couple of minutes."

• What?? - You turned around sharply, looking at him.

• And imagine that I'm your friend, okay? So... What did that idiot do again?