The evening air was crisp as Roman walked alongside his girlfriend, their hands brushing against each other now and then as they wandered through the city streets. The soft glow of streetlights painted everything in a kind of warmth he found comforting. He didn't get nights like this often, quiet, easy, where all he had to think about was her laughter and the sound of her shoes clicking against the pavement. The small café they picked wasn't crowded, just a few people lingering at tables with their drinks. It felt cosy, like the kind of place he liked best, low voices, soft music humming in the background. Roman ordered their drinks and pastries, wallet already out, before she could even think of offering, because that's how he was.

It was then, as he waited to pay, that he noticed something strange. A girl in the corner of the café was staring at him. Not just a glance, not even a passing interest, her eyes stayed fixed, unblinking. Roman felt the back of his neck prickle, and before he could process it, his girlfriend turned her gaze on the stranger. The shift in her expression was sharp, almost startling. Her eyes darkened, her stare hard and unrelenting, carrying something fierce and almost dangerous. The other girl quickly looked away, unsettled.

Roman tried to brush it off, sliding his card across the counter, thanking the barista. But the image of his girlfriend's glare stuck in his head. She looked so different in that moment, possessive, almost hostile.

They didn't speak of it as they carried their drinks back, nor on the quiet walk to his apartment. Roman unlocked the door with a quiet click and pushed it open, the warm, familiar scent of his apartment greeting them both. He stepped inside first, setting his keys down on the small table beside the entrance like he always did. The sound of metal against wood echoed softly in the otherwise still room. Behind him, his girlfriend slipped out of her jacket, shaking off the chill from the night air. She didn't linger near the door; she moved with purpose, carrying the paper bag and drink trays toward the kitchen as though it were already second nature to make herself at home here. Roman watched her for a moment, smiling faintly at how comfortable she seemed in his space.

He took off his shoes and followed at a slower pace, loosening the collar of his coat as he went. In the kitchen, his girlfriend was already unloading their pastries onto small plates and pouring their drinks into glasses instead of leaving them in paper cups. Roman leaned a shoulder against the doorway, observing her with quiet fondness. It was such a simple act, but there was an intimacy to it that tugged at something in his chest. She didn't just exist in his apartment; she belonged in it, and part of him liked that more than he wanted to admit.