His phone was still open with several tabs running, though only one of them was being scrolled through beneath his fingers.

"Maybe it isn't..." the dark-haired young man murmured, scrolling further down and reading each article.

A knock sounded at his door.

He immediately closed the tab, leaving it saved.

"Have ye died in there or somethin'?" Yuri called from the other side of the room.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as he stared at the door, his eyes fixed on the handle.

The moment he recognised Yuri's voice, he let out a heavy sigh and pressed a hand against his chest.

"Ah! Ye can't nearly give me a heart attack and then laugh about it!" he complained with a slight growl before glancing back at his phone and turning the screen off.

"I'm not even laughin'. And shouldn't ye have come out ages ago? Weren't ye always complainin' to the lads that girls take forever to get ready?" she teased, letting out a short laugh.

Liuk's eyes remained on the dark screen.

He slipped the phone into his pocket and picked up another pencil, opening the old, badly worn notebook once again.

"Hm..."

He muttered to himself while tracing over the words already written on the pages.

Then he stopped.

Crossed out a sentence.

Closed the notebook with the pencil tucked inside.

"That'll be useful later."

He glanced at the door again, took a deep breath, and finally left the room.

"Well... I've seen people change before, and today definitely wasn't one of those times." Yuri folded her arms and waited.

"That's because I'm not completely ready yet. Give me... five more minutes in the bathroom!"

He hurried toward it, shutting the door behind him.

Standing in front of the mirror, he splashed water on his face and fixed his hair a little.

Then, while running a hand across his own face, he stopped.

His gaze locked onto his reflection.

His fingers slowly brushed along his cheek.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Eventually, he lowered his hand and swallowed hard.

"There is no 'maybe', ye idiot. There's only certainty. And I'm certain... about what I saw."

---

The silence between them was almost tangible as they walked.

Liuk looked up at the sky while Yuri watched his raised face.

"Ye've got nothin' to tell me?" she finally asked, her gaze sharpening.

Liuk stared ahead before slowly turning toward her.

"About what?"

"Ye've got an impressive talent for playin' dumb."

She looked forward again as he met her eyes.

"Ye know exactly what I wanna know."

"Do I?"

He followed the street with his gaze.

"Ye should."

"Then ask."

"An orange... a lemon... piranhas..." Her voice became firmer. "Is somethin' wrong with ye? Not literally with ye. Is there somethin' around ye that's suffocatin' ye?"

"There's no connection between any of those words. I must've been drunk."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know the days ye usually drink. And that wasn't one of them."

She suddenly stopped walking.

"What does that boy... have to do with any of this?"

Liuk stopped and looked at her.

The wind pushed against his hair.

He slowly opened his mouth to answer.

Then closed it again.

"Right. Maybe ye need a drink before ye've got enough energy to tell me."

She resumed walking, passing him.

"Come on. Before I start pullin' yer ear."

Liuk stared after her with a slightly stunned expression.

Then he sighed and followed, though his steps were slower.

"I'm not planning to drag this out, but I'll warn ye now. Yer sister's really worried about ye."

Her voice carried loudly enough for him to hear from behind.

No answer came.

She glanced back and saw him walking normally, staring straight ahead before eventually catching up beside her.

Yuri clicked her tongue at the continued silence.

Then both of them looked forward until they reached a quieter pub.

---

Even while drinking, Liuk remained silent.

Around them came laughter.

Comments.

Conversations.

The steady noise of people enjoying themselves.

Yuri simply watched him with her face resting against one hand.

"Liuk."

He looked up.

"Ye can start now."

Slowly, he lowered the glass from his lips and looked at her.

"I already told ye. None of that has anything to do with anythin'. I don't even know what it means."

He took another sip.

"Now that ye've got yer answer, how about changin' the subject?"

"Hm... fair enough."

She laughed softly.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

She smiled.

"I want ye to talk about that lad now."

The smile shrank but remained visible.

Liuk gripped the strap across his chest tightly.

"And... what exactly d'ye want to know about him?"

"Ye told me ye're not friends. So followin' that logic, there must've been a pretty good reason for ye to follow him to the park, wasn't there?"

She ran a hand across the table.

"I... uh... no..."

He stumbled over the words.

"A classmate, then? Someone from yer course?"

Liuk clenched his jaw and closed his fists.

He looked at her more seriously before shutting his eyes and letting out a calmer breath.

"A colleague. Met him recently. Not at university."

"Oh, so ye finally decided to talk. How adorable."

She stopped smiling and straightened her posture in the chair.

"Can I know his name?"

Liuk slowly opened his eyes.

Not all the way.

"No."

"Why not? Or d'ye not know it either? Because he seemed to know yours."

"Where are ye going with this?"

"I dunno. Maybe it'll help me figure somethin' out."

She leaned back further in her chair.

"If ye don't mind... I've already had too much to drink."

Liuk stood up and left money on the table.

Yuri stood as well, staring directly at him.

"Ye think ye've had too much to drink?"

"I have had too much to drink."

He corrected her.

Without replying, she stepped away from the table and straightened the chair for the next customer before leaving the pub ahead of him.

---

Liuk followed her outside.

The two stopped in front of the pub.

The street remained busy, and the evening had already begun settling in.

"I need to go," Yuri said.

He looked at her.

"But ye always walk with me at least as far as the avenue..."

She cut him off.

"I said I... need to leave."

She paused.

"Sorry, Liuk. I'll see ye tomorrow. Or whenever ye're available."

Then she headed in the opposite direction.

Liuk watched her back for a moment before continuing along his own route.

He pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt and lowered his gaze toward the pavement.

---

A phone screen glowed in the darkness of the street.

Fingers moved rapidly across it as messages were typed.

"Already tired of drinking..."

Yuri murmured.

She stopped walking and looked back.

Liuk was already far away.

"When have ye ever said that to anyone, my friend?"

The wind stirred her hair as she saved the notes she'd written on her phone.