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."

Theo offered to grab coffee while they waited. Mara hesitated, then nodded. They found a little cafe across from the platform. Over two terrible cappuccinos, they swapped stories. He was an architect heading to a job interview. She was a violinist chasing a festival audition. Both trips, suddenly, on hold.

Mara noticed Theo kept sketching the station ceiling on a napkin. "You really love buildings," she said. "I love anything well-made," he answered, then turned red. To cover it, she pulled out her violin and played a few quiet notes. A small crowd gathered. The delay didn't feel so bad anymore.

A man in the crowd turned out to be a festival scout. He heard Mara play and offered her an audition slot, right here, no Venice trip needed. She froze. "That's everything I wanted." Then she looked at Theo. "But I'd be on a train tomorrow." The choice she'd dreamed of suddenly felt complicated.