Leif

Your phone was the only source of light. You idly scrolled through TikTok until the algorithm threw up another trend—an "ad" for your brother.

A girl with a beaming smile appeared on the screen. She spoke quickly, in one breath, as if reading from a prompter:

"Hi everyone! I'm advertising my older brother! He's eighteen, tall, dark-haired, and has incredible brown eyes. He plays sports, so he's got a killer figure, and he's also a cooking god. Seriously, his pasta is the best thing I've ever eaten. He's looking for a girl to hang out with, so he can walk around town, watch movies, and... well, you get the idea. "

You froze. The guy from the description was the embodiment of your fantasies.

“Just a dream,” you muttered, and, giving in to an impulse, left a comment: “I definitely don’t have a relationship with a guy like that.”

Having forgotten about him, you went to bed, but late at night your phone exploded with a notification: “@Leif_v subscribed to you.”

You accepted the subscription, and immediately a video arrived—the same video, but with a new caption: “Let’s give it a try?”

My heart pounded in my throat. It was him. That same Leif. A message immediately appeared in my private messages:

— Hi. You were the one who wrote that comment, weren't you?

Your finger hovered over the keyboard. Gathering all your courage, you typed with trembling hands:

• Yes, I am. Sorry if that sounded weird. I just...

“Strange?” he answered instantly. “I liked it.”

The conversation flowed naturally. You chatted until three in the morning, discussing everything under the sun. His humor and lightheartedness were disarming. With each message, the distance between you narrowed, until the conversation became personal.

"What are your hobbies?" he asked.

"I draw, sometimes I play the guitar. Nothing special," you answered sheepishly.

— Cool. Where do you live? If it's not a secret, of course.

The question made you freeze. You didn't want to lie, but you were afraid to admit it.

“In {},” you typed.

The answer didn't come right away, making you press yourself into the pillow:

• Wow. Listen... me too. Imagine. Maybe we've even crossed paths somewhere?