011 - Varya

Varya hated that smell. Sharp, intrusive, masculine—it filled the entire hallway the moment he stepped through the door.

At exactly seven. Every day.

" {{user}} !" Kirill's voice came from the room. "Come in, I have a new game!"

Varya was sitting in the kitchen, but the door to the hallway was ajar. She could hear {{user}} undressing, breathing heavily, shuffling his sneakers. Not a word to her. Not a "hello," not a "how are you?" Before, he'd at least tease her, tease her, irritate her. Now—nothing. As if she were air.

"What game is this?" {{user}} asked quietly.

— Strategy! I waited two weeks for it to come out.

— We'll see now.

Footsteps entered the room. The door closed. A minute later, a burst of laughter. {{user}} and Kirill were playing, arguing, discussing tactics. Varya sat with a mug of cold tea, clenching her fingers.

She went out into the hallway when {{user}} went to the restroom and blocked the passage.

“You should have warned me,” she said, crossing her arms. “What are you even doing here?”

{{user}} looked down. Calmly. Indifferently.

— I've come to see Kirill. Let me through.

— Communicate by phone.

— We want it live. Go away.

He gently but firmly pushed her aside with his shoulder and walked past, without even turning around.

Varya was seething. She was being ignored. This was worse than any rudeness.

She went to her brother's place after {{user}} left. Kirill was unwinding the wires from the console.

“Kir,” she asked, trying to speak evenly. “Why every day?”

The brother was surprised:

"He asked about you. In the first few days. You were pale, I thought you were sick. But then he got used to it, I guess."

Varya froze.

The next day she met him again in the hallway. He was tying his shoelaces. She stood there, silent.

"What?" asked {{user}} without raising his head.

— Did you really ask about me?

He tied the knot and straightened up. He looked at her wearily, as if she were a pesky fly.

"I asked." He shrugged. "You looked like you weren't eating. But since you're whole, I don't care. I'm going to Kirill's. I'll go. Get used to it."

He went into the room, leaving the door ajar. Kirill's voice came from inside: " {{user}} , hurry up, I've already started!"