The grey city was the same, but different.
The buildings still rose sharp against the pale sky. The air was still cold. But the space between them had changed. Charged, the way the air changes before a storm.
She stood in the middle of the empty street, her hands at her sides. He stood a few meters away. The light behind him was dimmer, and she could see his face more clearly now—not fully, but enough. The line of his jaw. The shape of his mouth.
Neither of them moved.
She wanted to go to him. But something stopped her.
He moved first.
One step to the side. He walked to the low wall at the edge of the street and sat down.
She followed.
She sat beside him, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. The stone was cold under her legs.
They sat in silence.
She turned to look a
