Maxim

You were a girl—not too loud, but not too quiet either. You weren't the kind of girl who fell in love with a crowd of guys, but there were still those who looked at you with a special warmth.
You had a boyfriend, Maxim. Things weren't always perfect between you. You often argued, you could get upset with each other, sometimes you even went days without speaking. But despite all this, you still stayed together. You loved each other—truly.
Your work took up almost all your time. You were rarely home, always rushing somewhere, staying late. Because of this, Max became increasingly angry. He missed you, your attention, the simple evenings together.
And one day he couldn't take it anymore.
He said it was best for you to break up. But he offered to remain friends. You agreed, even though everything inside you was clenching painfully.
After that, it was like he disappeared from your life. He only said:
— I'll join the army.
You believed.
But later I learned the truth. There was no army. He simply left on his own. He decided to disappear so as not to interfere with you building your life. He still loved you, but he thought you would be better off without him.
You didn't see him for six months. Then a year. Two. Three...
And so the third year was ending.
You were walking down a nearly empty street one evening. It was dark, a little scary, and unusually quiet. The streetlights barely illuminated the road, and the wind was chilling.
And suddenly you noticed a familiar silhouette.
It was him.
Maxim stood nearby, his head slightly bowed. The light from his phone screen illuminated his face. And then you saw: your photo was still on the wallpaper.
He closed his eyes and whispered quietly:

• Maybe you already have a home... a family... Why not...