Love by Sasha Korniichuk

She was sitting just
in front of him not looking away from her hands, which were so tightly clutching a mug with hot cocoa. There was heavy rain outside, which made two accidentally collided friends go to that coffee house and wait it out together.
“We haven`t seen each other for…”
“For 3 years”, - she quickly finished and looked up at him for one moment.
He was staring at her all the time. She hadn't changed at all: still young and blooming. But those three years of parting didn`t pass without a trace: the big bruises under her eyes, untidy hair and bitten nails betrayed her… fatigue?
“And are you still working in that bookshop?” - He tried in vain to look into her eyes.
“No, no. Actually, I don't work anywhere now”
The rain outdoors intensified. The cars were driving through a narrow street slowly and carefully so as not to splash people standing under a canopy.
“Why?” – He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows inquiringly.
“I don`t want to talk about it”
She was stirring her drink and nervously biting her lips. She finally began to get used to her new life, how he came and the reliably hidden far away memories surfaced.  All sadness and pain that kept you awake at night whispered in her head “It won`t be as before”.
“Marie, you`re not guilty…” – he took her hand and squeezed it.
“Yeah, I know, I know. I just… just don`t know how to live without her. Three years have passed, but the pain is the same.”
“I know, my darling, I know. And every time you begin to live a chore and everything seems normal, a random smell or just similar to her appearance of passer-by person brings back old memories, - he was watching at the drops of water that were slowly flowing down the window. – But, Marie, we should live on, live the past in the past. It won`t be as before.”
Suddenly, she looked up and stared at his eyes. With the shudder in her voice she asked:
“What if I don`t want to live a new life without her?”
The silence between them was burning. They looked at each other for a long time, like a real old friends, understanding everything without words.
“You must promise me that you will never run away from me again and we will try to figure out it together. Deal?”
“Bran, I…”
“Just promise, Marie.”
“I will try.”
They were holding hands and looking out of window. The rain ended.
“Marie?”
“Yes?”
“Did you love her?”
“Still.”
“Me too.”