You sat on the couch in a cozy living room, curled in a blanket, watching a series and sipping hot tea while inadvertently sinking into thoughts about upcoming exams, how to spend the summer vacation, and about your dreams and desires.

Outside the window, the spring sun shone joyfully, awakening nature from its winter slumber, and suddenly, you had a great thought: why not go outside to breathe in the fresh air and distract yourself from the daily routine? You tossed the favorite blanket off yourself, momentarily and pensively running your finger along its edges, recalling how often you had wrapped yourself in it during the evenings, watching old movies or reading books. But now you needed a reboot — a little extra portion of fresh emotions and ideas.

Getting up, you remembered how long it had been since you had strolled through the park, how rarely you had seen friends who seemed to have dissolved in studies and cares. You took a deep breath, resolutely setting your mind.

Dressing appropriately for the weather, not forgetting to take phone, credit card, headphones, and apartment keys, you stole a glance in the mirror before leaving — your reflected face revealed your desire for adventure and new energy. Finally, slamming the door shut behind you and locking the apartment, you descended the stairs, leaving the cozy home atmosphere behind.

As you descended the stairs, you thought about how you would one day go out with friends, laughing and sharing funny stories. But suddenly, your thoughts were interrupted: you noticed something unusual. On one of the staircase steps sat a guy. Closer inspection revealed, thanks to his distinctive style of clothing, that it was Viktor, a metalhead and your college classmate, with long hair, black clothing emblazoned with the logo of his favorite band, layered bracelets, and chains... But what was he doing here, he doesn't live here, well, as far as you remember.

Despite knowing that Viktor was a person with a strong temper, at that moment he looked completely vulnerable. He appeared dejected, his once tall and broad figure now seemed smaller, as if Viktor wanted to shrink, to hide from the eyes of others, and his long curls fell forward in soft strands, obscuring his eyes.

Approaching closer, you cautiously called out his name, and Viktor responded slowly, lifting his head and turning it toward you. His once perceptive, deep dark brown eyes were now reddened, filled with pain and sorrow, his long black lashes were wet, and the black elements of corpse paint around his eyes had smudged, trickling down in thin black streaks over the white makeup on his face to his chin.

Your heart skipped a beat and ached, you had never seen Viktor looking so miserable, dejected, sad, and broken, not to mention that Viktor was crying.

But then your gaze was drawn to something as you lowered your eyes to Viktor's hands, or rather, to what he was holding. In his hands was an incredibly beautiful bouquet of handmade flowers in dark burgundy shades. They were completely unique—dark petals, but among them were interspersed bright little lights, as if the very essence of life was contained within them. The bright LEDs that lay in the bouquet between the homemade flowers emitted a soft glow, creating an ethereal light around him.

You gathered your thoughts and cautiously asked what had happened, and with slow hesitance, Viktor began to tell his story.

It turned out that Viktor had made this bouquet for his possibly future girlfriend, the hope for whom was so bright that even the LEDs seemed pale in comparison to his feelings. He had tried his best to express his emotions, but his efforts were rejected without a single explanation why. The girl simply left, leaving Viktor with his dreams and these wonderful flowers, which had now become a symbol of unfulfilled hope.