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."

Mara pulled out her phone to find another route. "There's a bus to Venice in three hours," she said. Theo checked too. "And a night train to Vienna tomorrow." They both went quiet, staring at the broken board. Neither one moved to leave. "Or," Theo said slowly, "we wait and see what the board does."

They let both options pass. The bus left without Mara. The night train left without Theo. They booked two cheap rooms at a hostel by the station and agreed to wait it out together, one day at a time. "This is crazy," Mara said in the hallway. "Completely," Theo agreed, and neither of them stopped smiling.

On day twelve, the board finally blinked GREEN. Both trains were boarding. Theo and Mara stood frozen, bags in hand. "So," she whispered. "Vienna or Venice?" Theo took her hand. "Neither. I looked it up. There's one train that stops at both, leaving Thursday. Let's take that one. Together."