Standing in the rain, waiting. Joey didn’t mind the rain, although it was pouring quite hard for the last thirty minutes or so. But he didn’t care. The sound of big drops pounding on the concrete, on top of cars moving along the road, on Joey’s half-broken umbrella. That noise was overshadowed by the voice inside his head. She will turn up. She will. She has to.

With his clothes totally soaked, he just stood still, only his dark blue eyes scanning any movement around him. Shoes, socks, jeans. Luckily he put his raincoat on in the very last minute, just before he left his place. That tiny apartment, where he last saw Nicole, exactly a year ago. Where they last made love. He could still feel the touch of her lips on his skin, the warmth of her body next to his. Three hundred and sixty five days ago. She said she needs some space, she has to go, but promised to be back, whatever it takes. “Meet me at the corner of George and Mary Street, just in front of the coffee shop where we had our very first date”. She sighed. “Wait for me there, no matter what. In any weather. I will be there, I promise”.

Joey obeyed. He had no choice. He never stopped loving her, although the pain of being left behind by the love of his life was hard to bear. Too hard. Sometimes it felt like there’s a scar across his broken heart. From time to time he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He felt it again now, as the rain became even heavier. Some would say it’s a torture, but not him. This is the price of being in love. He looked at his watch and released a heavy sigh. That’s it for today, he thought. Until tomorrow.