Mika began to recount his relationship with Chris and the reasons for their breakup. He spoke about going through a career change and then working full-time as a developer while spending countless hours each day preparing for job interviews, driven by his dream. He confessed his doubts about his skills and abilities to become a good software engineer.

He described the exhaustion from the entire relocation process, leaving everything behind. He shared how much he missed his family and friends and how lonely he felt in this new city.

Mika tried to convey his efforts to be happy, to appreciate that he had passed the interviews and was now working with amazing people at one of the biggest tech companies. He mentioned how much he liked the project and how grateful he was that Aleksandr was his mentor, and they were working together.

He admitted to ending up at a gay club, having a one-night stand, and starting to drink to forget. He confessed that he felt lost and couldn’t find a way out. For the first time in his life, he didn’t know what to do.

Aleksandr didn’t move an inch while Mika was opening up to him. He sat there, listening intently to every word. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t make a single comment.

The more Mika talked, the more tears streamed down his cheeks. By the end of his long monologue, his face was a complete mess: eyes red and swollen, tears streaking down his face. He tried to wipe them away with the back of his hand, but it only made his cheeks puffier and his eyes more irritated.

Taking a deep sigh, Mika finally locked his eyes with Aleksandr. “I guess that was too much. I’m sorry if I offended you in any way by telling you all this. I understand if you want to leave right away. I’m also okay with the fact that you might not be willing to continue working with me after everything you have heard just now.”

Mika felt his heart race as he prepared to bear the consequences of his own words. He had told Aleksandr that he could leave if he wanted, that he would understand if he had to look for a new project or even a new team.

Mika was ready to pay the price for his honesty. He didn’t expect any comment or answer from Aleksandr; he was sure Aleksandr would stand up and leave the moment Mika finished his story.

After a brief moment, Aleksandr abruptly rose from the couch and headed to the entrance doors.

That’s it. He is leaving. I knew that was too much to handle. Did I really expect something else to happen?

But instead of the sound of doors opening and closing, Mika saw Aleksandr return to the living room with a pack of tissues. He sat down on the couch next to Mika, opened the pack, and took out one of the tissues.

“Don’t rub your face like that, it will only make it worse. It’s better to use this."

Mika's eyes widened in bewilderment. “You didn’t leave. You stayed,” were the only words he managed to blurt out.

“Why would I leave?” he asked, turning to Mika, his hand moved up while holding a tissue. It stopped just before Mika’s face, “Can I?”

Lowering his gaze, Mika nodded in agreement. Aleksandr gently pressed a tissue against Mika’s skin, making sure not to irritate it anymore. He carefully wiped tears from Mika’s eyes, cheeks, and chin, changing the tissue to a new one as needed. He then took care of his forehead and neck.

This was one of those very few moments when Mika was glad his face was too red to show any signs of embarrassment he was feeling now. He tried to calm himself down and breathe as slowly as possible to hide the emotions boiling inside him.

Mika had been in a few relationships, but none of his boyfriends were ever as considerate or showed him as much sympathy.




He started dating when he was a teenager, and his first boyfriend was his classmate. It wasn’t love at first sight, more like a “friends to lovers” situation. Although “lovers” was an exaggeration, they didn’t move beyond the kissing and some touching stage.

They just happened to spend a lot of time together and at some point decided to give it a try. Mika was the first to confess his feelings. It was great in the beginning, but soon Mika’s boyfriend decided to end their relationship.

“I don’t think it makes sense, let’s just end it here,” were the words he constantly repeated.

Despite hearing this, Mika didn’t want to give up easily and tried to convince him to continue being together. He was the one coming up with ideas for their dates. He was the one paying whenever they went out together.

At some point, Mika’s boyfriend started borrowing money from him. “I just need to buy something, and my parents aren’t giving me any money.” Mika never questioned why he needed it, believing he shouldn’t ask. If the person he loved needed help, Mika felt he had to do what he could. He even paused his true passion, dancing, to support his boyfriend financially.

At first, the amounts were small, but as time went on, he began asking for more. “I want to try these cooking classes” or “I’m thinking of becoming a photographer.”

Their love ended when Mika said he had used all his savings and couldn’t help him anymore. He reassured him that he just needed more time to collect some money.

Asking his parents was out of the question – he knew they would give him the needed amount easily, but Mika saw how hard they both worked. His internal voice told him not to ask for more.

“You have never truly loved me,” were the last words Mika heard from his boyfriend after being together for a few years.

Mika spent a few months crying and isolating himself from others. With the help of his friends and family, he was able to recover from his pain. But he needed more time. Only when the next love came did he start feeling better.