The new year arrived quietly.
A little after seven in the morning, Milicic glanced at Farooq, whose snores were shaking the room, grabbed his backpack, and headed out.
Downstairs, the security guard sitting behind the front desk in the lobby immediately raised a hand in greeting.
"Dako, keep it up! We almost won last night."
Milicic smiled, nodded in response, and walked out of the apartment building.
A heavy snow had fallen during the night, but it had stopped now. As far as the eye could see, everything was a vast expanse of white.
"Dako, over here!"
Just as he stepped outside, Milicic heard someone call his name.
He turned his head and saw Alex waving at him from across the street.
She was wearing a brown woolen trench coat and tall boots, wrapped in a gray scarf that left only the lower half of her face visible.
Milicic hurried over to her and asked why she hadn't come up.
