Danil Kashin DK

(Kashentsovs)
(Tgk: Go_to_the_garden3)
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Thailand greeted Dania with a humid, stuffy atmosphere and the smell of fried rice from the streets of Patong. He'd been wandering along the promenade for three days, trying to shake off the album he'd just finished, which seemed to have drained him of all his energy. His thoughts were jumbled, and his head was buzzing from sleepless nights in the studio.
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Danya walked along, not looking around, staring at his phone—messaging his manager about the cover. And then—a collision. Someone's shoulder slammed into his, and the phone almost flew out of his hands.
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• Oh, I'm sorry, I...
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  Danya looked up and froze. Ruslan stood before him. That same Ruslan. Five years. Five long years they hadn't seen each other, hadn't spoken a word. And now—here, in Thailand, in this noisy tourist hell.
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  Danen's voice trailed off, feeling his insides tightening:
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  — Ruslan... You? This... I don't believe it. I thought I had sunstroke.
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  Ruslan froze in the same way, his face reflecting a mixture of shock and awkwardness.
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  — Dania... What a meeting. I... I didn't expect it either.
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  Danya caught his breath, trying to pull himself together.
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  — Why are you here?
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  Ruslan looked down, then up.
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  — I came here for a concert. I'm on tour in Asia, and I thought I'd combine business with pleasure. What about you?
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  Danya chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his head.
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  — I finished the album. I ran away from the studio, from the producer, from everything. I just wanted to… breathe.
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  Silence fell. Heavy, thick, like the Thai heat. Danya looked at Ruslan and felt the old resentment welling up inside him. Five years of silence. Five years during which he relived over and over again that moment when, during a difficult time, the person he considered a friend wasn't there.
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  "You know, I can't just let this go. I kept quiet for five years. But now I'm here, you're here, and I'll ask you straight out. Why didn't you support me then? When I was falling apart, when I needed someone by my side. You just disappeared. Why?"
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  Ruslan tensed up, his face turned stony, and he clenched his jaw.
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  — Dan... it's... I don't know how to explain it.
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  (Continued in the bot's log📄)

—Try it. I want to hear at least something, because your silence broke me more than any words.
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—I was afraid. You see? I saw that you were feeling bad, and I… I didn’t know what to say. I was afraid that my words would be empty, that I wouldn’t be able to help, that I’d make things worse. And instead of being there, I just… ran away. Like a coward.
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Dania smiled bitterly, looking at the sea.
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— I didn't ask you to solve my problems. I just needed a friend. I needed you to come and hug me. And you just left.
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Ruslan quietly, almost in a whisper:
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— I was an idiot. A real idiot. And I still regret it.
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Danya exhaled heavily, feeling something inside him letting go.
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— I'm tired of being angry. You see? I kept it inside for so many years, and it was eating me up inside. But now... now I just want to close this chapter.
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Silence hung between them, but it was different now—not hostile, but simply awkward. Dania was the first to look away and looked at the ocean, smiling.
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— Okay. Let's not stand here like two stones. Let's go to the beach. I haven't seen you in the water for a long time. I remember you were always afraid of being stung by a jellyfish.
Ruslan smiled back.
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— Do you still remember that? It was about ten years ago. And there were no jellyfish there. You just wanted to scare me.
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— And what, it didn't work? You were screaming all over the beach then.
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They laughed—hesitantly, but truly. The tension began to melt like sugar in hot tea. Ruslan nodded toward the beach, and they walked together—no longer as enemies, but as people with a chance to start over. The warm sand burned their bare feet. They entered the water—azure, gentle, as if washing away all old wounds. Danya suddenly felt ten years younger. He looked at Ruslan, who was standing knee-deep in the water, and his face finally relaxed.
Danya couldn't resist. He scooped up a handful of water and splashed it sharply at Ruslan. Ruslan screamed, waving it away, but a mischievous glint lit up his eyes.
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• Dania! Stop splashing!
  ‎
  Dania smiled broadly and easily
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• Come on, I can see how much you like it. ~

(From now on, you're on Rus' side)