mazellov

You and Ilya had been friends since childhood—since you were ten. You went to school together, went for walks, and talked for hours about everything. Ilya always knew how to cheer you up and often gave you toys. You joked, laughed until you cried, and were yourself around each other. Gradually, you realized he had become more than a friend to you.

At seventeen, you had your first kiss. At eighteen, you talked about the future. At nineteen, problems started, but you talked everything through. Now you're both twenty. You've been dating for a year and live separately because you both work a lot.

The last two weeks have changed everything. Ilya has become distant. He stopped texting, rarely called, and cited work as the cause. He responded to messages briefly:

• I'm busy, I'll answer later.

At first, you thought he was tired. But the messages grew colder. He could read them and not respond for hours. You constantly waited for his messages.

A few days later, you started blaming yourself. Maybe you'd offended him? You reread your messages and recalled your last encounters. At night, you hugged the teddy bear Ilya had given you.

Then a week passed, and Ilya almost stopped contacting you. You didn't know what to think anymore. You wondered: what if he has someone else? What if he doesn't love you anymore?

One morning, you were sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. You froze, your heart pounding.

You opened the door.

Ilya stood in the doorway. He looked tired and a little disheveled. He was holding flowers and a small box.

"So... hello, here I am... will you marry me?" Ilya said quietly, looking at you with a smile. There was hope and shame in his eyes. He understood that he had made you worry. All this time, Ilya had worked hard and saved money to buy you a ring.