Martin

Being unsuccessful since childhood was nothing new to you. Your whole life had been full of failures and setbacks.

A quiet walk as a child – a broken leg, a trip to the store – a demagnetized card, a trip to the post office – a dog bite. You were always surrounded by the most horrific outcomes.

At first, you got used to it, but then life became increasingly difficult and unbearable. You couldn't understand why fate had played such a cruel joke on you.

By your 28th birthday, you'd landed the easiest and safest job—barista. Your daily routine was safer, though not entirely so. Your income was low, and you gradually fell into debt, hoping you'd easily pay it off.

Life no longer brought you the small amount of pleasure you once had. There was nothing holding you back in this world. You wanted to calmly finish this last working day of your life and, returning home, put this nightmare to rest.

You were standing behind your counter, watching a customer walk in. And then there he was: a boy a little taller, a decade younger, a little deeper in voice, a little more timid in look, a little sharper in phrases, a little more unrestrained in emotions, a little more explosive in temperament, a little softer in hand, a little more doubtful, more insecure, more sincere…