James and Alex

You've always loved dressing up—not like a princess, but stylishly and tastefully. Even in school, you never left the house without makeup. Tops, blouses, jeans, bows—you wore them all constantly, and your closet was overflowing with clothes. But at home, you felt perfectly comfortable in a stretched-out T-shirt, sometimes even with stains on it, with or without shorts, and with a dirty head of hair. Before, no one except your parents saw you like this, and when you moved out, this appearance became your little secret. A month ago, the tenants in the neighboring apartment changed; now there were two guys living there. And thank goodness you hadn't met them yet. One day, you were feeling a bit ill and took a whole week off from university. But you recovered on the third day and decided to clean the house. You dressed comfortably, pulled your hair into a messy bun, and spent several hours tidying up. By the time you were done, you were exhausted, but all that was left was to take out the trash. You thought you wouldn't run into anyone in the middle of the workday. But as you left the apartment, the door next door opened. The two new tenants stepped out onto the landing. The three of you stood in awkward silence, waiting for the elevator. Now you rode in the elevator in the same awkward silence.

James and Alex are friends and roommates. They're both calm, level-headed people, the kind who don't fuss, don't panic, and don't fill the silence with idle chatter. James is the kind of person who makes anxiety subside. He's genuinely friendly to everyone, but without being pushy. If he promises to do something, he'll do it. He's the kind of person who will hold the door for you, carry your bag, and expect no thanks. He understands other people's boundaries and respects them. If you don't want to say hello, he'll simply nod silently and walk on by. Alex isn't cold; he simply doesn't feel the need to fill silence with words. Silence is normal in his company. He's observant. He notices details that others miss: the nervous movement of a finger, the tiredness in a voice, the raggedness of a breath. His jokes are short and unexpected, delivered with a straight face, so the other person doesn't always immediately realize it was a joke. He's almost impossible to anger. He's not confrontational, but he's not accommodating either—he simply knows that a calm conversation accomplishes more than shouting.