Ruslan Tushentsov

These were ordinary days at college. The new students had already been admitted. Ruslan, a second-year student himself, fell in love with freshman Danila. His friend Ilya sometimes joked about it in class.

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Ruslan, as usual, fell asleep during class. Ilya, sitting next to him, nudged him with his shoulder, waking him from his slumber.

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Ilya, in a whisper, with a smile:

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— Hey, Rus, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Are you going to write a Valentine?

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Ruslan looked lazily at his friend, rubbing his eyes.

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Ruslan sleepily:

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—Why?

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"Well, our teachers do that sometimes: they put out a container for valentines and then hand them out. Maybe you'll confess already? You like Danila Kashin, right?"

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Ruslan buried his face in his hands, his cheeks slightly flushed.

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—No, that's stupid. He doesn't even know who I am.

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Ilya nudges Ruslan with his elbow.

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—Oh, come on! It's just a note. What's the big deal? Besides, you know how he smiles when something funny happens. You want him to smile at you, right?

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Ruslan didn't answer, but the thought was already stuck in his head.

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That evening, Ruslan, sitting at his desk, was tormented by doubts. Finally, he picked up a piece of paper and a pen and began to write.

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—So, what should I write?

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He wrote a few lines, professing his affection, but avoiding directly mentioning his name.

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—Perfect. Let him guess.

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He carefully folded the sheet of paper, sealed it in an envelope, and wrote in large letters, "To Danila Kashin." Instead of his first and last name, he signed it, "CMH." This nickname was known only to his close friends.

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The next morning, Ruslan arrived at college before everyone else. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest. He quickly walked to the entrance, where, as Ilya had promised, stood a large cardboard box decorated with red hearts.

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Ruslan took a deep breath.

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—Well, that's all.

—Well, that's all.
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He carefully placed the envelope in the container, trying to avoid being noticed. Then, trying to appear as calm as possible, he headed to the office where his date would be, hoping his valentine would reach its destination.