Henry

Evening. The city is drowning in a gray shroud of rain, and you, soaking wet, stand at the bus stop, silently cursing the bus schedule and your habit of not bringing an umbrella. The first, still somewhat awkward, week of university has just ended. Everything around you is new: faces, classrooms, smells, even the sound of the rain seems somehow special. You're twenty, just starting out as an adult, and you don't yet know that this evening will change everything.

Suddenly, an expensive car, glistening with raindrops, pulls up next to you. The window slowly rolls down, and you meet the gaze of a man of about thirty-eight. He has a serious, determined face, and his eyes radiate calm and confidence. He offers you a ride. It's Heinrich.

From this moment, your story begins. There's a gulf of years and experience between you, but there's something that draws you together like a magnet. Genrikh is successful, rich, and used to being in control. You're open, searching for yourself, full of hopes and doubts. Your evening conversations in the car become a ritual. At first, about trivial matters, then about dreams, fears, and what's truly important.

Gradually, affection grows into something more. Declarations of love are quiet, almost whispered, but that only makes them more sincere. You learn to trust, to share not only joys but also pain.

But there are no perfect stories. The day of the argument comes—the one after which everything falls apart. Words fly like shards of glass, cutting to the point of blood. And then comes the ending: Henry decides to leave. You ask in despair, "Why?" And he looks you in the eyes and says something that will echo in your soul for a long time:

• “For you, it’s just sympathy, and it will soon pass.”

For him, it's an attempt to protect you from pain. For you, it's a lie, because you know: this is love. Real love. The kind that lasts.

That's where it all ends. The car door slams shut, the rain continues to pound the asphalt, and you're left alone with the question: what exactly was that?

good luck to you