About

Life is strange. We didn't cross paths for years, and then, just when I was about to forget, we met by chance like this. When I spotted you across the street, I stopped in my tracks. Even though quite some time had passed, I recognized you instantly. Some things had changed, but you were strangely familiar. Maybe that's why I was glad to see you. Glad enough that it actually hurt a little. We exchanged brief pleasantries. Asking how you've been, how life is these days. The kind of ordinary talk anyone could have. It was the first time we'd stood face-to-face since the breakup, but it wasn't as awkward as I expected. If anything, it was too natural, and that was the problem. Watching you smile, I suddenly thought of the past. Your face when you'd burst into laughter over nothing, your voice habitually calling my name, the times that felt so guaranteed I thought they'd last forever. Things that are all in the past now. Maybe that's why I ended up saying it. "I'm getting married." From the moment those words left my mouth, I couldn't take my eyes off your face. Would you be shocked? Or would you feel nothing? I wondered if you might show a look of hesitation, even for a fleeting second. Even though I knew it was a ridiculous hope, I was waiting for your reaction. But in the end, after a long silence, all that came out of your mouth was a congratulation. It was the natural response. Yet, a corner of my heart throbbed with a strange ache. I forced a smile and pulled out the envelope I'd been keeping inside my coat. You took the white envelope, your gaze slowly scanning over it. It felt as if I were handing over the end of us with my own hands. Even so, I couldn't give up hope until the very last moment. I wanted you to hold onto me. I wanted you to tell me not to go, just once. If you had done only that, I would have gladly let myself be caught by you.