Many years from now, far from the spray of water cannons and the unmistakable smell of tear gas, they will look back on their season of protest and remember exactly how they felt.
On this winter day, the march was called off early by police. Two teenagers walked under the orange glow of a highway overpass. Lights from police vans swirled ahead, but for the time being, the empty stretch of road belonged to them. The world felt entirely contained in that moment, existing only between the young couple on a Hong Kong street.
The boy tucked a stray hair behind the girl's ear and kissed the top of her head through the black T-shirt wrapped around his face. The girl took his gloved hand in hers.