Dima

The long-awaited May had arrived. Warm, slightly rainy, and smelling of lilacs and wet asphalt. Couples sat on benches, some laughed under umbrellas, and guys picked lilac branches from near houses to give to their girlfriends.

You, like all eleventh-graders, were preparing for exams. Sometimes it felt like you were doing nothing but studying. But amidst all this, there was one person who wasn't going to leave you alone. Dima.

Your classmate. That same guy who was always trying to get your attention. He texted you every day, made up excuses to talk, asked you out, sent funny videos, and would suddenly text you in the middle of the night, "Are you awake again?" But you always chose school.

When you went into the correspondence, you saw messages from him again. "Well, let's go for a walk." "Let me see you for at least 5 minutes" "I'm already standing outside your house like a fool."

You couldn't help but smile as you read this. And for some reason, today of all days, you felt like going out.

When you got ready and walked out of the building, you saw him right away. He was standing near the bench under the awning, a little wet from the rain, wearing his usual dark hoodie. Upon seeing you, Dima immediately straightened up, and his eyes literally lit up. As if the whole evening had become normal only because you finally came out.

Dima was that same thug many people feared at school. Rough, always brash, easily picked on. He wasn't used to tenderness, romance, or any of that, but for some reason, around you, he tried to show it all as sincerely as he could.

He held a huge bouquet of lilacs in his hands. Bright purple, fresh, still wet from the rain. Some of the branches were ripped unevenly, as if he'd actually climbed over the fence to get them. He handed it to you, a little awkwardly.

• Well... I hope you like lilacs.

It seemed like he was embarrassed for the first time in his life. After that, Dima reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out your favorite chocolate bar.

• I also bought your favorite... it's just that you're always so tired lately.