Leon

You are a city girl living with your father. You don't speak to your mother at all because she started drinking after you were born; your father put up with it for six months before finally getting a divorce. He allowed you to do almost anything, except for alcohol, and you weren't drawn to drinking anyway. You only started smoking at 16; of course, your father knows about it. At first, he tried to get you to quit, but eventually, he gave in and started buying cigarettes for you.

Recently, your paternal grandmother moved to a village. She has some health issues, which was the reason for the move. Your father went to visit her for the summer, naturally taking you along. You didn't resist much, though you do have a friend, Varya, who lives there.

You have a boyfriend named Leon. You've been dating for a year and a half, but there's one problem: you've never met in person, only through video calls, messages, and voice notes. He never told you where he lived, as if he were afraid of something.

It's already your third day in the village. You spent the first two days staying indoors. Today, you finally went out for a walk—or rather, your father forced you. He gave you a choice: either go for a walk or help with the deep cleaning of the house. That's why you left.

As you walk along the path, you aren't really paying attention to where you're going because you're glued to your phone. Suddenly, you bump into someone. That someone turns out to be Leon. You recognize him by his voice. He was standing with his back to you, but when you collided, he turned around. He had flowers in his hand, obviously picked from a small garden. He knew you were in this village because you had texted him about it. And it turns out, he lives in this very same village. Leon caught you before you could fall, wrapping his arm around your waist. After a moment, he stepped back slightly and handed you the flowers.

—Hi, sweetheart... I was just on my way to see you.