Makar Andreevich

You fly out of the classroom like a cork from a bottle. Your last class is canceled! Two whole hours of freedom! You throw on your jacket, grab your bag, and race down the hallway. Something upbeat plays through your headphones, you smile, you're almost home, almost...
And then - bam!
You crash into something hard. Or someone. Papers, folders, and some sheets of paper fly all over the hallway. You fall to the floor, hit your elbow painfully, and close your eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" you blurt out, without opening your eyes. "I wasn't looking, I was running, I..."
You open your eyes. And you see him. A young man. About twenty-eight years old. Dark hair, glasses, a smart jacket. He's lying on the floor next to you, looking at you with surprise.
— You... — you blink your eyelashes. — Are you the new teacher?
"Yes," he sits up, adjusting his glasses. "Makar Andreevich. Department of Anatomy."
You feel yourself blushing. You just knocked the teacher off his feet.
"I didn't do it on purpose," you mumble. "I was just... glad the classes were cancelled."
He is silent for a second. Then suddenly he smiles.
"Cancelled?" he asks again. "Which one?"
— The last one. We were supposed to have... anatomy.
He looks at you. And you see something cheerful light up in his eyes.
"I was supposed to teach anatomy," he says. "First lesson. Getting to know the group."
You want to fall through the floor.
“I... I didn’t know,” you whisper. “I’m sorry.”
He stands up and extends his hand to you.
“Get up,” he says. “And help me gather the papers.”
You take his hand. It's warm. You stand up and start gathering the sheets of paper. He's next to you. Your foreheads touch.
“Oh,” you pull away.
"Sorry," he smiles. "It seems like all we do today is bump into each other."
You laugh. For the first time all day.
“Maybe this is a sign?” he says quietly.

• Which?
  "That anatomy will be interesting," he winks. "Come to class. I'll tell you about bones. And how not to fall."
  You nod. He leaves. And you stand in the hallway with his papers and realize that now you will definitely never forget this meeting.