Yesterday morning at the team meeting, we agreed that there should be a special lane in Novi Sad’s streets for fast pizza delivery. Maxim even sketched a pictogram to be placed on the asphalt. The idea came up after I shared my dream about it. Apart from that, we didn’t agree on anything else. The biggest disagreement was about moving the game’s release date, promotion methods, and balancing.
I forgot to register for exams, so I went to the student service before the meeting. The clerk at the counter was rude and nervous. It seemed like some of her code wasn’t working, and she couldn’t wait to go home and fix it.
My brother called me, and I asked him what was new with the Hitler Youth. He hung up on me, still angry.
It was just noon, and I headed home, wondering what else might happen. Then, unexpectedly, Boyana Dosen appeared on the street in front of me. I invited her for coffee, and she invited me to her apartment. I lay down and waited for her to come from the kitchen. She brought cherry juice and two glasses as usual. She sat next to me and rested her head on me like it was a pillow. She squinted as she lowered her head, and it seemed like she had too much on her mind today and now just wanted to forget all that baggage and relax. As if she just surrendered to gravity and fell onto me. Above us, a balloon with a princess image touched the ceiling, almost fully deflated.
“You seemed happy when you saw me earlier.”
“I was.”
“I could see it in your eyes. Your face changed in an instant when you saw me.”
She hugged me. I didn’t see anything as I was beneath her hair. I just felt how her heart was racing, as it always did when she hugged me. I liked how I breathed.
I was thinking about the time spent with Boyana today when Elena messaged me:
“I want to check the portal for those offering contextual ads. What’s our username? Did you make an account there?”
“code_ckode, all in lowercase.”
“Password?”
“Enter the university’s bank account number.”
“I’m going to check that.”
My thoughts returned to Boyana’s room.
“You know, when I was home for the weekend, I talked to my mom and mentioned you.”
“You did? How did you introduce me?”
“Well, I told her there’s a colleague… David. And that we hang out a lot.”
“I didn’t think you would mention me to your mom.”
“And there’s something else new. If I stay here after the summer, I’ll probably move to that building across the street. I’ll show you; you can see it from the window. Some acquaintances from Sombor rent it. The apartment is on the sixth floor and has a balcony overlooking the city. We’ll sit there drinking cherry juice in the evening. What do you think?“
An SMS from Boyana appeared on my phone. She invited me over again tonight.
The doors to Boyana’s building were locked at night, and the intercom was broken. She told me the back door is always open, so I could enter without calling her to open it for me. So, I entered through the back door. I felt like I knew the most important secret of Novi Sad.
I knocked on her door, and for the second time today, I waited in her room while Boyana brought the cherry juice. I switched to the music channel and put the remote aside. Soon, they played an old song, and Boyana told me how she had always liked that song. I told her it was dedicated to the children who disappeared or were kidnapped. She became sad. I shouldn’t have said that now.
We talked for a long time. I thought I had been there for two or three hours. Then, weak light began to filter through the window.
“Boyana, is it dawn?”
“It seems so. Has it really been that long?”
“I thought it was midnight or maybe one o’clock. Do you have anything early in the morning? Sorry I stayed so long.”
“Don’t apologize. I don’t have anything. You look a little different to me now.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s like someone else, not you. The light is falling this way. Your face looks different.”
Soon, I headed home. I still walked through the empty Liman. The sun hadn’t risen, but everything was already clearly visible. I wanted to get a good rest.
