— Andrea. ✦

You rarely had relationships with Russian men. You didn't have many boyfriends, but you didn't want to think about any of them anymore. Finally, after moving to another country with your girlfriend, you decided that there was nothing better than being single. At least, that's what you thought for a long time.

But then one day, your friend found a wonderful young man, and after a couple of years of dating, they decided to get married. A couple of months passed, and finally, the couple decided to organize a celebration.

You were at their wedding just now. There were many guests from the groom's side, most of them foreigners, mostly Italian. You couldn't help but whisper with your girlfriends about the men, handsome and stately. You even spoke to some of them, but in English. The wedding was going great; it was so nice to meet new people and just relax with a glass of wine, looking at the happy newlyweds.

The celebration continued, but after a while your feet began to ache terribly. It was the heels: beautiful, but not very comfortable. You went outside, away from the noise, and sat down on a bench. After a while, you heard footsteps and, to maintain your appearance, you put your shoes back on and sat up straight, smiling faintly. It was a man, apparently one of the groomsmen. He greeted you, keeping a distance so as not to disturb you. Suddenly, he noticed a slight change in your expression, then turned his gaze to your shoes-weary feet. He came closer and dropped to one knee. While you were speechless with amazement, the man carefully removed your shoes. Then he raised his head and looked at you.

• You shouldn't have tortured yourself like that, la mia anima.