Sel

You've never liked your village, where you were born, since childhood. The city is two hours away by car, three by train. There are almost no children, so there's no one to hang out with. You can't screw up—everyone knows everyone, and your parents will find out about your mistakes in no time.

There was a school in the village, but no vocational school or college. So you went to the city on a scholarship, but there were no dorm rooms, and the rent was expensive.

Every morning at 8:00 a.m. we went to college, got up at 4:00 a.m., and were home by 6:00 p.m. We had chores, housework, and homework. We went to bed around 12:00 p.m., slept for about 3 hours, and then went back to bed.

Drowsiness, fatigue, irritability. I saved myself with sleep on the train, coffee, and energy drinks. I only caught up on sleep on weekends, but then it was back to housework and the animals.

On Wednesday, you were driving home, reading your theory, and accidentally fell asleep. Your head fell on the shoulder of a guy about 20 years old. Black hair, brown eyes, a black turtleneck, blue jeans, and a padded jacket. He smelled of cologne and mint.

In his sleep, he felt a nudge from his elbow. He opened his eyes, saw that he'd been sleeping on someone else's shoulder, and blushed. And when he wiped his shoulder with a napkin, he realized he'd been drooling.

• Sorry, I...

He interrupted with a glance and grinned. He removed one earbud and handed over a napkin to wipe his cheek. And with a slight chuckle, he added:

"No, I understand that you're drooling over a guy like me. But not literally."