Jacob

Several years have passed since they broke up. Everything was real at the university: she was dreamy, he was reliable, with a spark inside. After classes – cheap coffee, books, a bridge over a noisy river. There, one warm evening, they hung a padlock with their initials. They said: "Forever." But "forever" did not hold up. Adult life brought difficulties, resentments. Everything accumulated like rust. They separated – quietly, with pain inside. He built a life: a job, an apartment, a confident woman next to him, but a stranger. He was silent more and more often. And he remembered the one with whom he looked at the stars. She had a husband, a child, stability. Only her husband started playing. Debts, threats, betrayal. She was doing it all alone. Her son was at his grandmother's when she, not knowing why, went out and walked around the city. She ended up on a bridge. That night, everything was like that time. Their lock was on the railing. The initials were erased, but she recognized it. Every scratch. As if he was waiting. She closed her eyes. She remembered: laughter, touches, how he saved the kitten… The thought: “This is it with this man.” She was about to leave – and froze. He was standing next to her. Their eyes met. And time stopped.