Nobody ever said so beautifully that they were afraid of love."

This song was playing on the radio as a pair of friends reminisced about the old days. It didn't affect anything at the moment, but it was because of it that everything changed. Majka and Krzysiek had known each other forever, because their mothers were friends, and over the years, the same thing had rubbed off on them. She was an ordinary girl, he was an ordinary boy. They couldn't live without each other; they weren't a couple, they were just good friends who understood each other without words. Why weren't they together? They didn't really know, but they were better off without it. They were both young 18-year-olds. They went to the same school, but not the same class. One day, they went on a school trip, she, he, and the others. There, Majka met Rafał, an athletic, handsome boy, a true miracle in her eyes, but only in hers. Krzysiek couldn't stand it, and it was there, on something like a stupid school trip, that he realized that these 18 years of knowing each other weren't just friendship, it was a huge feeling that Did it grow over the years, or was it mutual? He didn't know. But he knew he had to do everything to win Majka over, he had to fight for her, because if he didn't, everything would change. Throughout the entire trip, Krzysiek was strange. He couldn't stand watching her talk to Rafał; everything about him irritated him. He decided that when he got home, he would talk to her about what he had discovered. And the day finally came. The boy was strange, and Majka saw it, knew something was bothering him.

"Hey! Hello, I'm here!! I don't know if you've noticed, because you've been staring at my carpet for an hour. What's wrong??? Tell me, I can see it!" the girl suddenly blurted out. "

Is there something wrong with me? You've got to be kidding, I was just lost in thought!" He said.

"Exactly, so something happened!! Because you never act like this!

" "What is love to you?" he said, not knowing if he was doing the right thing, he was basing everything on random questions without thinking.

"Oh, have you found someone you love?" She blurted out without hesitation to Krzysiek, but he detected a hint of irony in her voice.

"Don't make fun of me, it's serious!" He replied angrily, and that was it, as he didn't want to broach the subject any further. Making fun of others was a trait the boy didn't tolerate in anyone, not even Majka. He couldn't continue talking to her; he had to reconsider. So he left at the first excuse he found. The night was long. He pondered, but it didn't help him much. The next day they met again. He dreaded this meeting more than ever.

"Hey! I forgive my behavior yesterday; I can see it's important to you, and I always have to say something and regret it later," she announced with regret in her voice.

"But don't worry, I don't even know what's going on anymore!" He lied! He knew perfectly well, but he couldn't, couldn't, be angry with her.

"So if you want, we can talk about it." These words made him happy. He knew that maybe today, this very day, would come true what he had dreamed of for a long time.

"Are you afraid of love?" the boy asked.

"Love??? Well, people have different fears, so love can be terrifying, but it depends on what fear you have in mind." Krzysiek was hanging on her every word. "

I'm talking about the fear of rejection, failure, and discouragement?

" "I don't know, I've never been in a situation like that before, but I'd probably be a little scared." The girl glanced at him curiously, trying to figure out what he meant.

"And if you don't mind, tell me, what kind of boy would you reject?

" "I'm not sure, some bully, the rest doesn't matter." She laughed. However, Krzysiek wasn't laughing at all; he had a grave expression on his face, spoke in a serious tone, and was thinking.

"Okay, enough about me, tell me finally, what's on your mind?!

"So, I recently discovered... love?" But I'm scared! I'm scared of her. I'm scared to confess my feelings! I'm scared she'll reject me, laugh at me, and you know how much I hate that. I'm generally afraid to make any move, lest I screw up what's between us, me and her. – He continued to speak very seriously, looking at Majka. In the background, he could hear the song "Nobody Said So Beautifully That They're Afraid of Love." He didn't know if it was beautiful, but he knew he was scared.

"I see this is really important to you, but..." He interrupted her. He empathized with the situation and knew he couldn't end now.

"I'm not handsome, I don't even know if she likes me, but I feel for her something I've never felt for anyone before!!

"Calm down, listen, and remember that "it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, what you're good for or not, but everything lies in the soul, everything lies inside a person." These words calmed him down, he didn't know why, but they gave him peace.

"So, will you finally tell me who it is?" she asked with a smile.

Krzysiek felt helpless, his mind spinning. He thought, "Should I lie or tell the truth?" But what would he gain from lying? Nothing more sleepless nights, and what if he told the truth? Exactly, what would he gain from telling the truth? He thought,

"You really want to know... so... this... this... you're that person!!" He did it himself; he couldn't believe it, he was proud of himself, but was it worth it?

The girl stood frozen, unsure what to do, what to answer. Only words about his fear flashed through her mind.

"But that's impossible! I'm surprised by what you said, but it's really impossible. I fell in love with someone else," she lied. She saw Krzysiek only as a good friend, no one else; she didn't even like him. But she knew he wouldn't understand anyway.

"Why? We've known each other for so many years, we could at least try," he asked, or rather pleaded, resigned.

"But I don't like you, you're my friend and nothing more!" She announced with a scream, unable to bear it any longer, this pressure that was causing her pain. "

Oh, so that's how you are. First you say that beauty isn't important, and other bullshit that you don't really follow anyway. That's what your friendship has been all about all these years, insincere conversations. I've always been honest with you, even now, and you see I was wrong, you played with my feelings." He screamed, for the first time he was so furious, he felt so bad, betrayed by someone who was important to him. He couldn't bear it any longer, he couldn't look at her any longer. He ran out without a word.

"Wait, wait, it's not like that, it's..." He didn't hear, or didn't want to hear, he just wanted to forget everything that had happened today.

The girl felt the same way, she knew she'd hurt him, that things might never be the same between them again. The only thing that gnawed at her was that she hadn't run after him. Why hadn't she?

The

boy ran out of Majka's house. He felt only anger, wanting to find some other feeling, but he couldn't. He walked along the sidewalk, kicking every bench, trash can, everything. He sat down and thought about what he'd done and what he'd gained. After a moment, he glanced at his watch—it was already late—when he suddenly heard footsteps. A group of young people were approaching him, but different from him. He had a strange feeling.

"Hey! Dude, do you have to borrow some money?" one of them asked.

"No, I don't have any!" He replied dryly, completely indifferent.

"Er... you're not so rough with us, so you have to borrow some money," came the next question.

"No! I don't have any, leave me alone!" He shouted so loudly, he felt as if the whole street could hear him.

"And now you're going to get what you deserve for raising your voice at us, you..." That was all he heard as he fell to the ground with a thud, feeling as if he'd lost his hearing. At that moment, he realized that by screaming, he'd been playing with fate. Suddenly, he felt a searing pain shoot through him from head to toe. He couldn't even think anymore; he felt the same wave of pain several more times and lost consciousness.

xxx

Majka's phone rang. She was happy because he always called her; she thought he was over it, but unfortunately, it wasn't him. It was Krzysiek's mother, wanting him to come home. This conversation depressed her even more; she was thinking about him. She wondered where he was, since he hadn't come home yet. She pushed the worst thoughts away, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. She was simply worried about him. At one point, she ran out of the house without a second thought. Despite her mother's words, despite the late hour, she ran, feeling the need to look for him. After a while, she was tired, slowed down, and as she walked, she heard strange noises. She began to approach the bushes, the place where the strange sounds were coming from. She walked slowly, but what she saw sent her into a frenzy. She couldn't cope, tears streaming down her eyes. Krzysiek, her friend who had always been there for support, lay bleeding on the ground. She knew it was her turn, and he was the one waiting for her help. She called an ambulance. She watched him, and the more she looked at him, the more she couldn't hold back her tears. His face was covered in blood, his hair matted with blood, and there were tiny pieces of glass embedded in his face, probably because of the glasses he'd smashed on his face. The ambulance arrived and took the boy away – they hadn't told Majka to go; it was too serious. Without a word, she returned home and went to bed. She was plagued by nightmares, everywhere she heard the song "No one said so beautifully that they were afraid of love like you (...)" and was constantly plagued by this immense feeling of guilt. Why hadn't she run after him, why hadn't she stopped him at all? She couldn't answer. In the morning, she went to the hospital. She tried to stop crying, but she couldn't see that he was crying too, looking at her; it was the first time she'd seen his tears. He looked terrible; in addition to his completely mangled face, he also had broken ribs, arms, and a damaged liver; he was in a bad state. At one point, he wanted her to lean over him, grabbed her hand, squeezed it tightly with all his strength, and through cracked lips he uttered, "I love you!" After these words, he closed his eyes. And behind her, Majka heard a single, continuous beep from the hospital equipment.

"No! Don't die! Don't leave me alone! I can't cope without you!!" She screamed, tears streaming from her eyes, sobbing. People stopped and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Krzysiek had died. Majka was in a bad state. She constantly blamed herself for what had happened, went to a psychologist, failed school, couldn't live without him. She had Krzysiek's number and signature saved on her cell phone. However, she knew that number would never call her again, she would never hear his warm voice again, she would never read the morning text message, "Get up, it's a waste of time." Every such memory made her cry; the funeral was approaching. At Majka's request, he was accompanied on his final journey by the song that had changed so much in their lives. She knew some of them were talking about him, so the funeral procession was led by the song, "Nobody said so beautifully that they were afraid of love like you (…)." Majka was feeling unwell. She thought about suicide, but just as she was planning what she would do—taking pills, falling asleep, and forgetting, she found a videotape and decided to check it. It contained a recording of Krzysiek from their trip to Canada. She turned it on at the exact moment someone had set for that moment. A smiling friend looked at her from the TV screen, saying, "I hope you miss me, but remember, wherever you are, I'm always watching over you, and don't ever do anything stupid." She burst into tears because it seemed like someone had recorded it specifically to protect her from tragedy. Krzysiek's voice and words gave her pause and made her hide the box of sleeping pills, pull herself together, and think, "I'll be strong." She knew she owed him this and that he would never forgive her if she took her own life because of him. She decided she would live because he would surely want her to, and right now, he would probably be proud of her!