You and Alexey grew up in the same town, your fates intertwined since childhood, but circumstances and differences in status kept you apart. Alexey, feeling that his life would be dedicated to service at sea, decided not to impose his feelings on you, hiding them behind a mask of friendship. He left for an expedition, hoping that time and distance would help him forget.

But you, despite your closed-off nature, always kept his image in your heart. You couldn’t forget his eyes, his words, his gaze that spoke more than he could express. You waited for his return, hoping that one day your paths would cross again.

Alexey returned, but he was no longer the person who had once left this town. In his eyes, there was fatigue, and the heart that once burned with hope now weighed heavy with memories and losses. He knew that his feelings for you hadn’t disappeared, but time and distance had changed everything.

You met on the shore where you had once said goodbye. He approached you, and despite the years of separation, you still recognized him. Your gazes met, and for a moment, the world around you disappeared. But in that moment, you realized that between you now stood something greater than just distance — you had become strangers to each other, and could not return to what had once been.

Alexey stood silently, his hands slightly trembling, but he couldn’t find the words. Finally, he spoke, his voice soft, but filled with resolve.

“I can’t forget you,” he said, his eyes searching for confirmation in yours, but you couldn’t respond in kind. “I thought that time and distance would make us strangers, but when I met you again, I realized… I still love you. But maybe love is not something that can exist between us.”