"You know that she's not his girlfriend, right?" asks Annie, although the tone in which she says it, isn't very convincing.

You glance outside the frosted window. It's snowing again.

"That's what I managed to deduce too," you grunt and take a small sip of tea from your cup.

Annie looks around her. It's the first time she has been in your flat, except for that one time she came to tell you that your classes were cancelled. She casts her eyes on the spotless table surface in front of her.

"What is he like?" she asks suddenly, still staring at the wooden counter.

"Who? Levi?" you peer at her, absentmindedly. She doesn't reply, so you assume she's talking about him. "He is... Nice."

Annie's eyebrows almost imperceptibly go up.

"Nice," she repeats. "I don't like that word. It's not concrete. Makes people seem good to everyone. Is Levi good to everyone?"

Your eyes widen. What kind of question is that?

"Levi is—" The sound of the keys in the door cut you off. "Here," you finish the sentence with a sigh. Actually you feel quite relieved not having to answer Annie's question. Describing people it's not your strong suit. Especially if you're supposed to characterize your flatmate, who you don't know anything about at all.

"Can you just once wipe your shoes on the rug by the door before entering the flat?" you and Annie hear Levi's cold voice a second before he peeks into the room, seeing melting snowflakes in it. He looks hauntingly at you with his black bangs sticking to his forehead. The only thing that ruins the whole impression are his furrowed brows.

You turn your head to Annie to find that she is staring at your flatmate with squinted eyes. When you glance back in the direction of Levi, he isn't there anymore. You only hear him close the bedroom door behind him.

"Can I use the toilet?" Annie asks, toneless.

You nod.

"Sure. Come on, I'll show you the way to the bath—"

"I think I know where it is," she interrupts you and walks out of the room.

You don't have to wait long. She comes back five seconds later, putting her coat on and wrapping herself up with a scarf.

"What are you doing?" you stutter.

Annie only shakes her head firmly. With one smooth move, she opens the balcony door widely and slides outside.

"Annie!" you hiss quietly, not wanting Levi to hear you.

You spring up to your feet and hurl yourself towards her. The cold air hits your bare shoulders as soon as you find yourself outside the flat, making you shiver. At that moment, you regret not having kept the sweatshirt, you were wearing earlier that day, on you. Meanwhile, Annie throws one of her legs above the balcony rail and then swings another one over it. You watch with wide open eyes how she jumps from the first floor and lands safely on soft snow.

Levi's footsteps resound in the flat behind you, so you quickly dart back to the living room, closing the balcony door behind you. You slump heavily on the chair, trying to calm yourself down. Two seconds later, your flatmate steps into the room. He doesn't say anything, just sits down on a coach and locks his blue eyes on you.

"She had to leave," you answer the unspoken question tightly and fix your eyes on Annie's still steaming cup of tea.

From the corner of your eyes, you see Levi nod. The tension in the room reaches an unbearable level. You eventually twist your head towards him.

"What?" he asks coldly.

You snort.

"Nothing, Levi." You stand up. "Nothing at all." You clench your hands into fists. "I just want you to finally tell me what on Earth is happening here."