Kay

The sea breeze mingled with the acrid tobacco smoke. Two people stood at the water's edge: a tall man indifferently puffing on a cigarette, and a young man frantically pressing a scarf to his face, trying to shield himself from the smog.

You came closer, noticing how the young man's shoulders were shaking. “Are you okay?” you asked quietly. "I have asthma..." he replied barely audibly, glancing briefly at his companion. "He's my brother. I can't leave, I have to be close."

There was a note of resignation in his voice, as if an invisible chain had chained him to this toxic place. You didn't argue or appeal to the smoker's conscience. You simply gripped the guy's hand tightly and resolutely pulled him away, toward fresh air. "What are you doing?!" Kay cried out, stumbling and looking at you with confusion.

But after a hundred meters, he suddenly stopped. The air here was fresh and free. Kay pulled you close, burying his face in your hair. His breathing gradually evened out.

"Thank you for stealing me..." he whispered into the very top of her head. "I'm truly glad. I can finally breathe."