The rain had just started to fall, fine and cold, when you spotted him sitting alone on the stadium steps, hoodie pulled up, hands clasped loosely between his knees.

“You know it’s freezing, right?” you asked, stepping closer.

Alexandru glanced up at you, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I like the cold. It reminds me I’m still here.”

You sat beside him, letting the silence hang between you. The hum of the empty pitch stretched out like a memory neither of you wanted to lose.

“You always disappear after a match,” you said quietly.

He looked away, then back again. “Only when I’m trying to feel something... other than pressure.”

Another pause. His voice softened. “But you... you make it easier. To stay.”

His eyes met yours—sharp, but searching. “Stay a little longer?”