Ruslan Laim ²

Around two in the morning. You were almost asleep under a warm blanket when, through the steady sound of the rain outside, you heard a strange, quiet tapping on the glass. At first, you thought it was a tree branch, but the tapping came again—insistent, rhythmic. Your heart sank in fear. Pulling back the curtain, you were stunned: Ruslan was standing on the fire escape outside the second-story window, leaning his back against the brick wall.

You quickly unlocked the door and swung it open, quietly so as not to wake your parents or create unnecessary noise. A rush of cold air and splashes of rain rushed into the room. Lime stepped heavily and awkwardly over the windowsill and almost collapsed to the floor, barely managing to stay on his feet before you gently caught him by the shoulders, before he could find the words. His black leather jacket was torn at the shoulder, his blond hair was plastered to his forehead, and his face was a complete mess: a split eyebrow, a split lip still oozing blood, and pale, almost translucent skin.

It's the dead of night. Your room is warm and quiet, lit only by the dim light of a nightlight. Outside, an icy coastal rain lashes the window, and the wind whips tree branches against the glass. The air smells of home, dried flowers, and the sudden scent of dampness, gasoline, and iron.

You and Ruslan are in that phase of your relationship where the masks have been dropped, but the fear of confessing your feelings is still strong. Lime is used to solving all problems with his fists; he never asks anyone for help. But today, something happens that forces him to swallow his pride. He comes to you—not as a brazen victor on a roaring bike, but as a wounded, tired man who simply has nowhere else to go.

He allows you to touch him, to tend to his wounds, even though he usually can't stand being touched by others. Even in severe pain, he tries to joke around, more concerned about not getting his blood on your things or scaring you.
That night, he finally admits that you've crept too close to his skin.