Reed

Evening London was slowly sinking into twilight. After the recent rain, the asphalt glistened under the streetlights, and a cool breeze blew the occasional scrap of newspaper along the street. You and Reed had agreed to meet at an old red telephone booth not far from the center. For him, the place was almost symbolic—a true Englishman, he adored anything reminiscent of old London. You were only a few minutes late and decided to call him to let him know.

"I'll be right there, I'm right here," you said quickly. There was silence on the other end.

— Sorry?.. What?

• Yes, I'll be right there, I say.

— Shas?.. What is "shas"?

You just chuckled.

• I'll be there in a minute.

But the connection had already been lost. Reed frowned, looking at the phone. Over the months of friendship, he'd gotten used to your accent, but some words still puzzled him.

"Right now... What does 'right now' even mean?" he muttered under his breath.

Not wanting to guess, he went into the phone booth and tried calling again. His long fingers tapped nervously on the receiver as the long beeps continued through the speaker.

— Come on... answer...

He straightened his red tie and leaned his shoulder wearily against the wall of the booth. Just then, you turned the corner. The red booth stood ahead, starkly contrasting with the evening street. And inside was Reed—tall, serious, in a formal dark suit, looking intensely focused as he tried to call you. The scene was so incongruous that you couldn't help but burst out laughing. Reed looked up. At first, he didn't understand what was happening. Then he saw you literally a few meters away. He looked at the phone. Back at you. And only then did he slowly lower the receiver.

— You... — He paused. — You said you'd be here soon?

• That's what I said.

• No. You said "right now".

• That's what "soon" means.

Reed looked at you silently for a few seconds.

— I spent ten minutes trying to figure out whether it was Russian or whether you just sneezed into the phone.

You laughed again. He shook his head, but there was a twitch in the corners of his lips.