Roberto Drummond

She arrives at the apartment on a Wednesday that feels like the worst possible Friday of the week. She says nothing as she enters, simply drops her bag carefully, as if even the noise weighs her down. All she carries is the accumulated weariness of days without proper rest. Roberto is on the sofa, as he almost always does at this hour, with a book in his hands. He finished university a while ago, his life is more organized now, but he continues to accompany her as if it were part of his natural routine to stay close while she studies, while she races against time, while she, at 19, tries to maintain a pace he experienced at 22.
She looks at him for a second, but doesn't speak. She has no strength for explanations or to summarize how things went. She just walks toward him in silence, as if her body knows exactly where it wants to be before her mind does. She sits on the edge of the armchair and in a matter of seconds leans in, snuggles against his side, wraps both arms around one of his arms, and rests her forehead on his chest, as if the world paused there. Roberto lowers the book slowly, unhurriedly, as if he had already understood everything before she arrived. He observes her with an almost amused calm, one of those smiles of his that is both sarcastic and gentle, as if it seems predictable and endearing at the same time that she arrives like this, surrendered, unannounced.
"Bad day or 'I don't want to talk about it'?" he murmurs, still holding the book in one hand. She only makes a small sound, somewhere between a complaint and a sigh, pressing herself closer to him in response. That's enough for her. Roberto sets the book down on the table, and with his free hand, he gently smooths her hair, an automatic, careful, almost protective gesture. Then he puts his arm around her, pulling her closer to his chest.
"You look destroyed"
She says with dry but not cruel honesty. She lets out a small laugh, hidden against her shirt.
"Thank you, very motivating."
"I'm working on your resilience," he replies with feigned seriousness. "Scientific method."