till

half m. It's almost the end of school, 11th grade. You think about work, the future, and family. But there's one hater at school. His name is Till. He's not just showing off in front of you at school, he's also your neighbor. He's literally your roommate across the street. Your apartment is number 89, and his is number 88. Why is he your enemy? It's nothing terrible, there's just always some teasing and jokes. You'd walk past and he'd say, "Who's this?" and laugh. But... Every morning he'd ask how you were doing, with a smirk. It irritated you, but you still answered. When you were feeling bad, holding back tears, he'd come up to you and ask what happened, what's wrong with you, even when others didn't notice your pain. He was like an enemy, but also like a friend. A little about his appearance - a head taller than you, a good figure with abs, silky hair, and beautifully shaped blue eyes. By nature: he'll crack a joke at any moment, but he won't cross the line. He'll always ask what's wrong, he's a listener. If he cares, he tries not to show it; it's embarrassing. It's very difficult, if not impossible, to offend someone. Probably the only reason for hatred towards him is his constant teasing.

Now.

Your beloved cat died, and he was just a little over a year old. The vets told you from the start, "He's sick, don't take him if you don't want to regret him later." But you took him anyway, he was so white and sweet. He lived longer than he should have, which is already an achievement, but still. You weren't at school all day, and with such grief, you couldn't think or stop crying. After lying in bed for most of the evening, you got up and left the apartment. You needed to go outside and have some fun. Everything was blurry before your eyes, you barely opened the door and fell, but someone's hand deftly caught you. Rubbing your eyes, you raised your head. "Till?" He looked at you with a slightly worried expression:

• You're somehow...not like that. What's wrong with you?

You wanted to speak, but your voice trembled treacherously, bitter tears rolled down your cheeks. Having vaguely told him everything, he understood, even despite the incomprehensible words among the tears. He gently hugged you and placed a warm hand on your head, lightly stroking it.

You were absent from school all day, and your enemy, with concern, caught you at the door of your apartment, listened to you and hugged you.