**A Hurdle for Love**
Yana had finally broken up with Max, her long-term boyfriend—the one she’d even moved in with. Dating was one thing, but living together? A whole different ballgame. She just couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Turns out we’re completely incompatible. And here I thought love would conquer all,” she mused on her way back from work.
“Right. I’ll walk in, find the flat in chaos—dirty dishes piled high, crumbs everywhere, and him sprawled on the sofa, glued to his phone. I’ve had enough. Today’s the day I end this,” she decided firmly.
Sure enough, Max was right where she expected him—lounging, jobless for two months, though Yana was now certain that was just an excuse. He’d grown far too comfortable living off her.
“Max, this is the same rubbish every day. The mess, the laziness—I’m done. Pack your things and go,” she said, her voice sharp and final.
“You’ve lost the plot, love! What’s got into you? Things were fine before!” Max sat up, bewildered.
“This wasn’t sudden. I’ve thought about it, and we’re not right for each other. Just go.”
“You’ll regret this! Where am I supposed to go at this hour?”
“Try your parents’ place. Now, out.”
As she clattered dishes in the sink, scrubbing away the mess, she glimpsed Max stuffing his few belongings into a bag. With a final glare, he slammed the door behind him.
*”Every closed door is a new chance to find the right one,”* someone’s words drifted into her mind. Smiling, she flipped the latch shut and sank onto the sofa. “New life, sorted. Should’ve done this ages ago.”
Her parents, who’d always loathed Max, were thrilled.
“Finally ditched that freeloader! Did you really enjoy bankrolling him? ‘Job hunting’—please, he just couldn’t be bothered,” her mum, Irene, scolded. “And honestly, love, you’re twenty-seven. Time to settle down with a proper bloke.”
Yana knew. She worked as a nurse at a busy city hospital—no quiet shifts scrolling her phone or sneaking naps. Just non-stop emergencies, often leaving her exhausted and starving.
Living alone now, she grabbed kebabs from the corner shop, too drained to cook.
Four months later, fate intervened. One evening, Denis brought his injured mate to A&E—and the moment he spotted Yana on duty, he was smitten.
“Those eyes—I *have* to talk to her,” he thought, though introductions proved tricky amid the chaos.
“You’re still here?” she blinked, spotting him outside the next morning.
“Couldn’t let you walk home after a night shift. I’d crack under that pressure,” he joked.
Over coffee, then walks by the Thames, their romance sparked—fast and fierce.
Irene grilled her: “Bring this mystery man round, then!”
The meetup was… awkward. Irene paled at the sight of Denis, answering in clipped tones while her husband made stiff small talk.
Perplexed, Yana pressed later: “Mum, what’s your problem with him?”
Turns out, Denis’s mum, Alice, was Irene’s old nemesis—a feud dating back to a stolen boyfriend in their youth.
“It’s like *Romeo and Juliet* with less poison,” Yana groaned.
“Choose: him or me,” Irene snapped.
Denis, undeterred, shrugged. “We’re not our parents. Marry me, and she’ll come round.”
Alice, surprisingly, was gracious. “Old grudges shouldn’t ruin your happiness.”
They married—parents civil but distant. Irene sulked through the wedding.
“Maybe a grandkid’ll thaw her,” Denis said.
For now, they wait, hopeful. And with a little secret of their own—one they’ve yet to share.
