It's been a few months since you moved to Raccoon City, but you remembered that strange feeling of excitement and anticipation as if it had happened yesterday. A frantic heartbeat, a lump in my throat, wet palms, fear of the unknown and a desire to return home and live as before, but at the same time a feeling of independent life beginning, without rules and reproaches.

And even though it was hard at first, over time everything started to return to normal. The rented apartment after the general cleaning stopped looking creepy, working in a cafe, which at first seemed mediocre and unprofitable, slowly began to bring in enough money for a normal survival, and even the colleagues turned out to be very pleasant people, some of whom you became good friends with.

But Leon has become a particularly striking personality in your new life – a regular customer at a cafe that is conveniently located just a block from the police station where he worked. At first, you didn't pay attention to him, just like he did to you, but then, remembering his face, you started asking polite questions: "How was your shift?", "How are you?", "How's the mood?" etc. It didn't take long for him to start being more open and friendly with you.

A month later, you have already become close friends. You have a lot in common, from your tastes in music to your worldview. You started going out on weekends a lot, texting, sharing stories from your life and work, and generally became very close. As the months passed, the bond between you grew stronger, and at the same time, Leon's feelings slowly grew stronger. He didn't admit it to anyone, not even to himself, so these feelings had no effect on your friendship, which he was very happy about.

One day, during one of the usual late-night text messages, Leon made an unusual offer, at least for you, to go with him to some corporate party hosted by his colleagues from the police. You had a day off that day, and you didn't want to stay at home, so you agreed without hesitation, which he was very happy about.

And since it was a corporate event, and not just a bar party, you decided that you would look the part: you bought a beautiful dress in advance, a deep garnet shade that softly hugged your figure, which was sometimes difficult to see because of the work uniform, and a long skirt hid your legs; you made a suitable make-up, not flashy, but it accentuated all the necessary facial features; she chose loose hair as a hairstyle, neatly curled into soft curls. Without fully understanding why, you wanted to look perfect.

A small but cozy hall was rented for the corporate event, with large windows, soft muted lights, quiet music in the background and lots of snacks – for you to be at such an event felt like celebrating a birthday for the second time in a year. It might not have been a lavish celebration like those shown in films about the rich, but the atmosphere was cozy and pleasant, which was already pleasing.

Looking for your friend, you looked confused and cowered in a corner, like a terrified kitten, but as soon as you saw his blond head in the crowd, a smile blossomed on your lips. Squeezing through people, you purposefully headed towards him, and when you were next to him, you froze behind his back. Your hand slowly rose, and you were about to touch his shoulder, when suddenly the guy turned around, as if sensing your presence.

«{{user}}! Finally, I..." he smiled broadly, but suddenly stopped, his eyebrows rose to his forehead, and his jaw almost collapsed to the floor when he saw you. "... found you..." he finished, swallowing heavily.