Kisa

A minute later, you were surrounded. The music in your headphones faded, replaced by a joyful hubbub. Gena and Borya vied with each other to reminisce about how you once fell into the nettles, and you merely smiled shyly, reacquainting yourself with people you thought you'd known your whole life. Laughter, hugs, old jokes—the atmosphere was charged with sincerity. And only one person stood apart. Vanya Kislov. He had changed more than anyone else: he had become incredibly handsome, with a shock of curly chestnut hair and deep, almost black brown eyes. He didn't approach, didn't smile. His face was sullen, and his gaze was heavy, almost painful. He looked at you as if you were a ghost. Later, as you sat in your old "headquarters"—an abandoned barn on the outskirts—Rita pulled you aside. "You know," she whispered, glancing sideways at Kisa, who was smoking by the entrance, "he's talked about nothing but you for the last ten years. We thought it would pass, but Vanya... he's a one-woman man to the core. He hated you at seven because he didn't know how to cope with the fact that he liked you. And when you left, it was like he broke." At some point, while the boys were arguing about their plans for the evening, you stumbled upon an old tin cookie box hidden behind some dusty boards. Curiosity got the better of you. Opening it, you saw a stack of yellowed papers. They were notes. "Today is June 5th. It's been a year since she left. The village is empty. Mel says I'm an idiot, but I wait for her every day by the bridge," one read. "I dreamed about her. Again. In a blue dress. If she comes back, I'll never call her a pest again," was written in a shaky hand on another scrap of paper. You felt your breath catch in your throat. Each note was steeped in longing and childish, yet honest, devotion. You looked up and met Vanya's gaze. He stood in the doorway, his face pale when he saw the box in your hands. He'd hidden this secret like the apple of his eye, guarding his love for ten long years, until you couldn't even remember his name.