HASALYNX PRESS
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There was a certain allure in the familiar. I had read once that seeing familiar faces improved mood, and that rang true for me.

When my parents came to visit, I was overcome with happiness; especially that we haven’t seen each other for almost a year!

But as quickly as they had arrived, they were gone again, leaving me with a bittersweet feeling. I retreated to my room, to finally test my new headphones and listen to my favorite composer, Jean Sibelius.

But fate seemed determined to disrupt the classical sacredness of that moment. Just when I began getting into the powerful mood set by those fantastic electric guitars, in walked Elmo, my eternal nemesis.

Thinking of it, certain faces only had the power to ruin one’s mood.

No; it wasn’t about physical ugliness. Elmo was far from ugly. On the contrary; most people would likely label him ‘handsome as hell.’ With his tousled black hair, chiseled jawline, and a fit, athletic build, he definitely attracted attention… Even when chilling at home in his comfy t-shirt, lounge pants, and those old-school slippers, he still managed to look damn good.

I often found myself pondering how someone so good-looking could be so despicable. It was a perplexing reality that truly left me puzzled. But also, a stark reminder that there was more to a person than just a nice body. His sight repulsed me completely, a constant reminder that appearances could be deceiving.

“What's wrong with the washing machine, Lasse?” He asked now, with his infuriating smugness. “It's not functioning properly!”

Oh, no, I sighed to myself, cursing it all. We had this washing machine for so long and there were never any problems – why did it have to break now? It felt as if the whole world was conspiring to make us argue even more than we already had, this week...

“I didn't do anything, okay?!” I informed Elmo, summoning all the calm that I could muster. “I don’t understand why you are here, blaming me...”

At that point, his face contorted into a mocking grin. “Because, you were the one who used it the last time, and, I found a bunch of coins inside the machine! I think that maybe, one got stuck in the internal mechanism somehow, and it's causing the issues!”

“Yeah, as usual, everything’s my fault,” I couldn’t help but retort, feeling the rage within me intensifying, and threatening to consume me whole... It was hard not to let Elmo’s provocations irk me. I hated him, and everything that he did, rubbed me the wrong way.

“Not everything, but this thing in particular, yes,” Elmo spoke.

“Well, I’m sorry. I didn't realize there were coins in my pockets,” I explained, my voice trembling with suppressed anger. “It was an honest mistake, Elmo.”

Elmo narrowed his eyes. “A mistake? This goes beyond that, Lasse. You should have checked your pockets before putting your clothes in the machine! Now we have to call a technician because of your oversight!”