Albert

You'd lived here for a year. In a five-story building where the walls were paper-thin, and other people's quarrels and children's cries had become part of your daily life. Heating and hot water were a gamble—they were always turned off unexpectedly, as if at the whim of the city. A cocktail of dust and cheap tobacco lingered in the entryway; you'd long since resigned yourself to the fact that this wouldn't change.

But the new tenant has transformed the usual chaos.

That evening, you were sitting in the living room—the TV was silent, the lights were off, and only your phone screen illuminated your face. You heard rustling sounds behind the door, footsteps, and a strange voice. You glanced through the crack: the very new tenant the neighbors had been whispering about. "Oh well," you thought indifferently, sinking into the sagging gray sofa. "It happens to everyone." You didn't even move.

And the next morning, leaving for work, you ran into him nose to nose. A sharp, masculine cologne suddenly filled the entryway—so thick it overpowered even centuries of dust. He was standing by the railing, this Albert. He was nearly two meters tall, his shoulders square, his blond hair almost white in the sun. His whole demeanor radiated friendliness, as if he were about to embrace the entire building. But next to him—no, you recognized her immediately—was that same girl, always seeking attention and ready to cling to anyone who waved her hand. And he, the fool, seemed oblivious to this falseness, beaming smiles left and right.

Your eyes met. Albert didn't look away—in fact, something warm, almost curious, lit up them. He didn't flinch, didn't hesitate, didn't even straighten his collar. This calm insolence infuriated you more than her cloying laughter.

And you couldn't take it anymore. Right in front of them, without hiding your anger, you spat on the dirty tiles and barked so loudly as to drown out her chatter:
— It's laughable! A "good guy" was found, and a girl to match—it's a circus, and nothing more! Get out of here, the whole building is croaking!

The voice pounded the walls, waking up echoes in the hallways. You turned and walked toward the exit, feeling the heavy, attentive, adoring gaze on your back, unwavering and unwavering.