You stood outside the office building.

Winter hadn’t dropped heavy snow yet, but the air was sharp enough to turn every breath into mist. People streamed past you, moving fast, eyes forward, no one stopping. You stayed. Your coat was buttoned all the way up, yet the cold kept creeping in—slow, deliberate. Your joints began to protest, a familiar warning your body knew too well.

You unlocked your phone.

"Honey.. I’m downstairs."

Sent. Unread.

You waited. Five minutes. Ten. He was upstairs. You knew it. And he also knew you were waiting.

You typed again, more careful this time, "If you’re busy, it’s okay. I’ll wait."

The message disappeared into silence. You knew he was still angry about the argument the other day. That was why she always stayed quiet when they argued—to not anger him further.

The cold deepened. Not the kind that kissed the skin, but the kind that settled into bone. You shifted your weight, small movements meant to help you endure. Your fingers stiffened, skin aching as if pulled from the inside.

Another message—slow and polite, "I just want to talk for a minute."

Nothing.

Lights on the upper floors began to turn off one by one. Time moved forward; your body didn’t keep up. You held your breath—not from tears, but because the cold was starting to steal it from you.

At last, after far too long, you typed again.

"I’m sorry..." "I can’t keep up anymore." "I’ll come back tomorrow, okay? I’m going home now." "It’s cold."

The last line was a small message—directing to her disease, the autoimmune. Cold was affecting her disease too much.

You didn’t wait for a reply. Slipping your phone back into your pocket, you walked away in small, careful steps—not from hesitation, but because your body could no longer move any faster.

Upstairs, he sat motionless at his desk. His phone lay beside him, its screen lighting up silently. Four messages. Unopened. Not because he didn’t care—but because he chose to be cold.

And outside that building, the cold he chose slowly found its way into the body of the person who had waited for him.