The song ended, the final notes of its melody left lingering in the air like the aftertaste of vintage wine. After a moment's pause, the patrons of the restaurant burst out in applause and whistles, cheering on the brave customer who had impressed them with his wonderful piano playing and melancholic vocals.

Alex turned towards the entrance, hoping and praying that Eunri was still there.

It was as if time stopped. Frozen along with the snow that lined the pavements outside.

She was by the doorway, her scarf hanging half-wrapped around her neck and a slight glistening reflecting off her left cheek. She was looking at him—through him—at something else. A memory perhaps. A memory that he had intentionally tried to pull back to the surface.

"That was not bad," a voice interrupted, and time began to flow again.

A waiter clapped him on the back and started babbling excitedly in Russian, but all Alex could focus on was Eunri. He got up from the piano bench and walked towards her, ignoring the comments and praises coming from customers and staff along the way. When he came up to her, he suddenly became tongue-tied.

A moment passed, and they merely looked upon each other, reliving a memory that had long passed.

"That was... quite astonishing," Eunri said, breaking the silence between them. Her lips tilted upwards in a stiff smile. "I didn't realise you played the piano so well."

"I don't play the piano, by the way. Or sing, for that matter."

"Saw that beautiful grand piano over there and couldn't resist," Alex replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose that particular song?"

"Someone I lost loved that song, but I hardly ever played it for her when she was around. This place reminded me of her, so I just went with it."

He wanted nothing more than to scream that she was the one he was playing for, to pull her into his arms and tell her never to leave him again, but he held back. This time he didn't need Daehyun's reminders for that.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," Eunri said apologetically. "And I'm sorry for bringing back any sad memories."

"Not at all!" Alex shook his head. "Don't misunderstand. She's not gone gone—she's just, temporarily away. She left me, basically. I was a complete fool and she left, but I'm sure I'll be able to get her back one day. Soon, hopefully." He took a step closer to Eunri, and his heart sank a notch when he saw her take a step back. Trying to hide his disappointment, he squeezed out a crooked smile. "Shall I walk you back to your hotel? It's late, and it might not be so safe for you to be wandering around a foreign place on your own."

"Oh and she'll be safe with you? You're the creepiest person in St. Petersburg right now," a snarky voice remarked.

"It's alright, I wouldn't want to trouble you. My hotel's not far from here. It's only a five minute walk."

"It's not any trouble. I've nothing much to do now anyway. Let me just grab my coat..." Alex rushed back to his seat and slid his jacket on, then grabbed his luggage and hurried back to Eunri's side. "Let's go!" he declared.

"Um, are you sure about that?" Eunri asked, taking a glance at the Samsonite that Alex had dragged with him. "You should probably check in at your own hotel since it's already late."

"A five minute detour won't make much of a difference." Alex pushed open the door of the restaurant and stepped out, receiving a huge blast of frigid wind straight in his face. He shuddered, putting his coat collar upright so that it would give his neck a little more coverage. The sun had long disappeared and the temperatures outside seemed to have dipped by at least twenty degrees.

"I'm going to get frostbite and lose my fingers, toes and maybe my nose, all because some idiot wants to play Prince Charming instead of going back to the hotel. Brilliant," Daehyun groaned.

"You're not going to lose any part of you," Alex hissed. "Now shut up and be quiet."

"Excuse me?"

Alex immediately switched tack and flashed a megawatt smile. "I was just asking which hotel you're staying at," he lied.

"The Pushka Inn. It's this way," Eunri replied, pointing towards the right.

They shuffled down the pavement in the cold, turning a corner before following the path along the river. A light snowfall was still drifting down from the heavy clouds above, leaving a thin layer of frosting on their heads and shoulders.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Alex asked when he realised that Eunri was looking his way. He swiped at his left cheek, trying to remove anything that was causing him potential embarrassment.

"Oh no, I'm sorry. Someone I knew also had a habit of doing that thing—" she pointed at his upturned coat collar that was hiding half his chin, "—with his collars. That reminded me of him for a moment."

"Don't lots of people do this?"

"I don't," Daehyun replied with a yawn. "It's a style that ran out of fashion once you hit eighteen. Then again, you haven't."

"You're right, plenty of people do. I was just... Never mind." Eunri tugged at her own scarf and picked up the pace.

Trotting along one step behind, Alex felt the slightest hint of warmth shining through amidst this harsh Russian winter. She was thinking about him! He was almost certain of it. He didn't recall anyone else in Eunri's social circle that had a habit of turning their collars up when it got cold. Most people wore scarves; he was plain lazy. Also, he could never find his scarves amidst the mess that was his wardrobe.

"If you don't mind me asking, who's that person it reminded you of? Someone important?"

He could almost hear his heart thumping in his chest as he waited for Eunri to respond, but when he heard the answer, the frost immediately set in.

"No," she said, "no one important. Just someone from my past."

Alex's fingers clenched by his side, and for once he was glad that it was this cold, because it helped to numb the pain.

They carried on walking, but it wasn't long before the white façade of the Pushka Inn appeared ahead. Alex grumbled inwardly at how short the distance was between the restaurant and the hotel. He was only just beginning to bask in the simple joy of strolling quietly along the river with Eunri, something he couldn't even remember doing with her when they were back in Seoul. Life (and the uncontrollable urge to sleep) always seemed to get in the way.

"Here's my stop," Eunri said, pointing at the hotel's signboard. "Thank you, for sending me back. You really didn't have to."

"Don't worry about it. It's what I should have done, as a fellow Korean and all," Alex replied, trying to disguise his disappointment at having to part ways. "How long will you be staying in St. Petersburg for?"

"Only three days. It's a short layover. I'm actually headed to Europe after this."

"Europe!" Daehyun squeaked inside Alex's head. Alarm bells were going off in all directions.

"Europe? You mean you're still going to continue travelling? You're not intending to head back to Seoul?"

Eunri shook her head. "I have until the new year before term starts again, so I'm actually thinking of taking this time to explore as much of the world as I can. I... I need the time away from Seoul to clear my head. Forget some things. And some people."

"Some people. She's obviously referring to you, so it's time you shake those silly ideas out of your head and go home," Daehyun quipped.

If Daehyun was standing next to him right now, Alex would have socked it to him in the gut.

"Maybe you'll find that it's not that easy to let some things go," he said softly. He would know, because he tried. He couldn't let her go—and he wasn't planning to. His lips tilted upwards in a sad smile. "It's late, you should head in. Goodnight, Eunri."

"Goodnight, and thank you again," Eunri said. She turned and headed towards the front doors of the hotel. Just as she reached for the handlebars, she stopped and looked back. "Hey Daehyun? Do you want to grab breakfast or lunch tomorrow? There's a good local café that a friend of mine recommended that's not too far from here. I mean, only if you're free. I know you're here on business."

Alex's eyes lit up. "Definitely! Breakfast sounds great. How about eight tomorrow?" he asked.

"Okay, eight it is then. I'll meet you here?"

"See you tomorrow," Alex replied, waving her off and into the hotel. When Eunri disappeared through the doors, he immediately leapt into the air and howled in delight. Eight in the morning. That meant that he would get to see Eunri again in less than twelve hours.

"First you actually have to wake up before eight," Daehyun reminded. "And you can forget about depending on me as your alarm clock."

"Daehyun."

"What?"

Alex held his fist up in front of his eyes, then out popped his middle finger. Chortling to himself, he ignored the latter's swearing and skipped down the stone pavement in the direction of the nearest bus station.

Tomorrow was going to be a beautiful day.

#