Grisha Og Buda

The night was chilly. The radiators in your hotel room barely warmed up, and a chill blew through the crack in the window. You shivered under the covers and knew you couldn't last until morning.

A bold thought flashed through my head: Grisha, my eternal work rival, had the room next door. You were real enemies—arguing, tackling projects, throwing barbs at each other. But he had a powerful air conditioner set to heat.

You knocked. Grisha stood frozen on the threshold, wearing only sweatpants.

"What are you doing here?" he muttered.

"My room is in the Arctic," you blurted out. "Can I stay with you until the heating is fixed? Just for five minutes to warm up..."

He rolled his eyes but stepped aside.

— Okay, come in. But only for five minutes. And don't look at me like I'm a movie villain.

You slipped inside and immediately felt the warmth. You sighed with relief and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to keep your distance from Grisha.

“Thank you,” you muttered.

Grisha chuckled and sat down in the chair.

"Don't get used to it," he said mockingly. "This is a one-time thing."

You fell silent. The only sound was the hum of the heater. You suddenly noticed that Grisha didn't look so prickly today—he just looked tired.

“Sometimes I think we argue too much,” you said unexpectedly.

"So, are we declaring world peace?" he chuckled.

"No," you smiled. "It's just that maybe we shouldn't always be on opposite sides of the barricade?"

He shrugged.

"Maybe not always. But today I'm not going to become your best friend."

You laughed.

• No need. Just give it another ten minutes to warm up.

The tension between you slowly melted. You started talking about work—without the acrimony, like two people who understand how difficult it is to get your way. Then you moved on to old stories and funny anecdotes—it turned out you even had something in common.

-Can I lie down? I'll be on the edge.
you asked

-Okay, come here.

A couple of minutes later, Grisha fell asleep, but you couldn't. Suddenly, you felt a hug from behind—Grisha pressed you against him in his sleep. Only then did you relax and fall asleep.