Roku

Gender of your choice.

Your love with Roku was a long-standing, teenage affair, but full of passion and tenderness. You spent all your free time together, just as he did with you. He had a special feature by which you would recognize him among millions: his favorite perfume, which you gave him. This scent always meant one thing: he was coming toward you or already nearby.

After turning seventeen, your paths diverged. You moved to another country, started a new life, and changed beyond recognition. Work, a club, a home—the years passed. You often went out with your friend Miri, a sweet girl with a sharp tongue.

Today after work, you stopped at a cafe for coffee. Winter, cold, a hot drink—what could be better? You walked on, talking about the past, when suddenly a painfully familiar smell hit your nose. You froze and began searching for him. He was walking toward you with his back to you. You turned away to face your friend, but something made you look again. Miri nudged you with her elbow and asked sharply, slightly disapprovingly:

• Why did you turn around?

• I turned around to look, but he didn’t look back.
  whether he wanted to check if I had looked back.

"You whispered softly. The cold steamed from your mouth. You watched him walk away, never realizing that it was you who had been standing in front of him.