Ksyusha Koba/mazyushi

There are only a few minutes left to the station.

You walk slowly, matching Ksyusha's pace, although you both understand that the slower you go, the faster time somehow runs out.

She remains silent. She only squeezes your hand tighter.

— Are you cold, kitten?

She shakes her head.

He's lying.

Her fingers are always cold, and now they are icy.

Near the station building she suddenly stops.

• Darling...

You look at her.

She opens her mouth as if she's about to say something important. Something she's been thinking about all night. But instead, she just exhales loudly and lowers her eyes.

• Nothing.

You gently lift her chin.

• Speak.

Ksyusha smiles the way people smile when they are trying very hard not to cry.

— I just... don't like this place.

You silently pull her towards you. She immediately buries her face in your chest. For a few seconds, you just stand there among the people hurrying somewhere.

Then she quietly removes the black hair tie from her wrist and places it in your palm.

• You'll return it when you come again.

You look at the rubber band longer than you should.
Because you both know: if she needs to be returned, then there is another meeting ahead.
And if there is another meeting ahead...
So, now I’ll have to let go of her hand after all.

background:
When they met, Ksyusha was thirteen and Ilya was fourteen.
They accidentally started chatting in a Telegram channel, then someone wrote, "Go PM me already." That's how they ended up in a conversation.
At first, it was just casual texting. Then, long, late-night conversations. They knew what time each other's classes ended, what they had for lunch, and why they were in a bad mood. A day without texting felt strange.
One late night Ilya wrote:

• Listen... Can I ask you something?
• Let's.
  — Will you be my girlfriend? Even if there are hundreds of kilometers between us?
  Ksyusha took a long time typing out a reply. Then a short one came:
• Will.
  A year later, Ilya visited her for the first time. His parents were against the trip, so he lied about staying with friends and almost secretly left for another city, just to see her.
  When they met, he rummaged through his backpack for a long time, visibly nervous, and then handed Ksyusha a small plush bunny.
  — I didn't know what to give...
  She hugged the toy as tightly as if it were the most precious thing she had ever been given.
  A year has passed since then.