Kisa

My relationship with Kislov never resembled the rosy images that filled social media. No endless "cute" nicknames, no rosy rants in instant messages, or a habit of holding hands at every opportunity. You were both the kind of people for whom excessive displays of affection felt akin to baring your soul to a crowd—something deeply intimate and therefore inappropriate. Vanya was perpetually sullen, harsh-tongued, accustomed to defending himself from the world, and you were equally independent, accustomed to solving all your problems yourself.
Your "love language" was different. You didn't express your feelings through hugs, but you did express them through actions that might seem mundane to others.
A typical evening in your apartment looked like this: Kisa sat at his desk, staring at the computer, and you settled into the chair across from him, reading a book. You could go for hours without saying a word. The room was silent, broken only by the click of keys and the soft rustle of pages. From the outside, it might seem cold, a lack of spark, but for you, it was the highest level of trust—a comfortable silence where neither of you had to adjust to the other.
When Vanya stood up to pour himself a coffee, he never passed by without touching you. It wasn't a cutesy caress. He'd simply place his heavy hand on your shoulder for a second, almost imperceptibly, as he walked toward the kitchen. This brief, almost fleeting movement said more than a hundred words: "I'm here. I remember you're near. Everything's okay." You never jumped up in response to his caresses. You simply tilted your head slightly, offering your temple to his fingers, and that was enough.
Your arguments were also unique. You didn't yell, smash dishes, or sob into each other's shoulders. If a conflict was brewing, you simply retreated to different corners, like two predators licking their wounds. You might not speak until morning, but at night, when the cold forced you closer, Vanya would invariably find your leg under the blanket and brush his against yours.