The departures board blinked DELAYED in red. Theo checked his ticket: Vienna, Platform 9. The woman next to him checked hers: Venice, also Platform 9. "That has to be a mistake," she said. An announcement crackled: both trains were stuck, no new time given. Theo laughed. "Looks like we're both going nowhere together." She smiled. "I'm Mara."

A station worker walked by with a clipboard. Mara stopped him. "How long is the delay, really?" He winced. "Honestly? Could be days. Big signal failure down the line." Theo's stomach dropped, then weirdly lifted. Days. He looked at Mara. "Well," he said, "I guess we should figure out what to do with all that time."