Kata realized how much simpler it was to have a lover than to be in a relationship, with all its complications. The rules were entirely different with a casual partner—clearer, more understandable.

She walked out of the hair salon feeling satisfied. She patted her freshly cut fringe. Now it would be just right. From today, it wouldn’t be so obvious that her nose was big. The side-swept fringe even looked cool, not childish at all.

Éva had never used a matchmaker to meet someone before. She only agreed this time because her friend Tímea insisted she and the guy would be a perfect match. The newly graduated guy worked at the same school as Éva's friend.

Anna was startled when the alarm went off. She hated waking up with a jolt and a racing heart. Sometimes, she managed to program herself to wake up before the loud, blaring melody of her phone. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

When she heard her name, she was both overwhelmed with joy and pride. The boy that everyone at camp admired had dedicated a song to her, Greta, through the camp radio. And not just any song—a love song.

She stared indifferently at the blonde, silky curls, the baby face, the well-formed lips. She had never had such a handsome boyfriend. Dénes laughed again and, as usual, snorted a few times. What once seemed so cute now annoyed Aliz to no end.

John could hardly wait to introduce his new girlfriend, Gitta, to his friends. He was curious to see what they would think of the reserved girl. They were used to him bringing loud, provocatively dressed women into the group, who would drift away from him after just a few weeks.

The night before the big event, Gitta couldn’t sleep. It was the first time, after a few months of dating, that John was introducing her to his friends. The rest of the group had been together with their partners for years, and some were even married. The girls had already known each other for a long time, while Gitta would be the outsider.

Bianca hurriedly entered August 28th into her calendar. 5:40 PM. She quickly calculated how much time she had until then: ten days. That wasn’t too bad after all, plenty of time for many things.

She couldn’t take it any longer. She couldn’t carry it anymore. She had to do it, even if he thought she was stupid for it. She wouldn’t even know. She’d send the message, and that would be it. This was about her; she didn’t want to dwell on it anymore.