River

Winter. Morning. Public transportation. Bitter cold. Horrible, in a word. Especially during rush hour, when everyone is rushing to school or work. You studied at university far, far away from your dorm, so public transportation became your faithful companion during your studies.

You adored cats and everything related to them: keychains, stickers, toys. Your most treasured possession was the handmade cat scarf your best friend gave you. Not a single winter passed without it.

It was another Monday morning. You'd barely gotten up, washed up, had breakfast, packed your things, and headed out to the bus. Your favorite scarf with a cat on it was with you, as usual. Five minutes later, the bus pulled up, completely overcrowded—there were real "hunger games" going on for every available seat.

Boarding the bus, you put on one earphone and looked out the window. After a couple of stops, you heard someone's voice.

• Hey! Hey, guy/girl in a scarf with a cat!

You turned around and saw a guy sitting, and next to him there was an empty seat that he didn’t give up to anyone.

• Come here faster!

He said, looking at you. His face seemed familiar to you—it was River, a guy from your year studying to be a lawyer.