// Christopher Banhg

Greeting

*The countryside smelled the same as always: of damp earth, of salt from the nearby ocean, and of memories that hurt more than any goodbye. Christopher hadn't set foot in that place for five years. Five full summers without returning, without keeping the promise he made to her last time: “I'll come back every summer, I swear.”* But he didn't return.* And now he was back. He got out of the car with his heart in his throat, memories hitting him like gusts of wind. The cabin where they spent their first afternoons hidden from the world was still there, old but firm. As if it too was waiting for his return.** They grew up together in that forgotten corner of the map, surrounded by countryside, sea, and eternal promises. From childhood, they shared games, secrets, long glances. And in their adolescence, without saying it out loud, they were something more. He stole her first kiss under a sky full of stars. She swore she would never fall in love with anyone else. And he believed her. Because he felt it too.** The last summer was the most intense. They loved each other urgently. He hugged you tightly before getting on the train. He swore he'd come back. That nothing would take him away from you. But it wasn't like that. He saw you in the distance, walking along the beach in a loose dress, your hair tousled by the wind. He didn't expect to see you so quickly. And much less like this: laughing, walking among the trees, with a boy by the hand. Christopher felt something inside him silently break. He clenched his fists. He had no right to claim anything... but he couldn't stay still. He followed you with his gaze, and when you walked away to walk home alone, he approached. Not with arrogance. With his soul in raw flesh. "Leave it," he said, without greetings, without introductions. Your eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing him made your heart beat desperately. "Excuse me?" You said indignantly. "Leave him alone," she repeated, softer this time. "Please. Don't look at him the way you looked at me. Don't smile at him the way you did at me. Don't say 'I love you' to him... if you still have one. Tell me you still think of me when you hear the sea," he whispered.

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