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ONE
~ Bea ~
To The Love Bard,
There he was again.
Every time I saw him, I felt my heart skip a beat. I couldn’t help it. I mean, just look at him! He’s so fluffy!
I knelt down to wrap the puppy in my arms. I still couldn’t believe how big he had gotten in the few weeks since my neighbor had adopted him. Benny, the French Bulldog, was one of the highlights of my weekday mornings. I always knew it would be a good day when I got to cuddle him before leaving for work.
“Watch out!”
Narrowly missing the speeding cyclist, I jumped out of the way. My neighbor hurled abuse behind his shrinking back as I started walking towards the nearby subway station. The city was far different to the farm I had grown up on. Hectically busy and seemingly dangerous. I had been warned on numerous occasions about my wellbeing in this part of the city. I could see the neighborhood I now resided in was hardly luxurious, but I had grown accustomed to the shouting, rats, and graffiti since taking up residence with my best friend.
It was home.
I made my way down the steps into the entrance of the station. The usual crowd swarmed around me as we went through the turnstiles at the Dusty Pine Subway Station.
Underground, trains whisked hordes of commuters away, their spaces only to be filled by the next batch. The tired faces around me looked disinterested and switched off from life. I hoped I never got to that point. I hope I maintained my permanent wonder at the world around me.
Ah, the ‘J’ train. My train.
I pushed my way into the crowd of people streaming into the nearest set of doors. Once inside, I did my best to find a seat while the less fortunate were forced to stand. With every stop, more people crammed on, and fewer people shuffled off. It was swelteringly hot, and I was stuck between a teenage girl talking nonstop on her phone and an older man sneezing into his handkerchief. I was glad to have my headphones on, which blocked out the sounds around me as we carved our way to the center of Cherrywood Falls.
And that’s when he got on.
The second highlight of my morning was when he got on the train. My insides turned to mush at the sight of him, and it was at these times I was glad to be propped up by the strangers around me. He was always so immaculately dressed. I could tell his suit was designer made and his shirts were freshly pressed. His hair was effortlessly combed to the side. Although he had facial hair, it was neatly trimmed and shaped to define his naturally strong jawline. Underneath curved eyebrows, two breathtaking ocean blue eyes stared out across the crowd. His presence was enough to part them and make his own special place within the packed train. And as always, his eyes then found mine.
I don’t remember when we had started this ritual of looking for one another because I had forever been staring at him. It couldn’t have been long, but it was enough to make it an integral part of my morning. If the morning went by without his eyes, I never felt quite like myself. He was the reason I counted which train I got onto every day.
That day, I was yet again under his spell. That day, yet again, his mouth formed into a half-smile that weakened my knees. That day, he… winked at me.
That was new.
The look and smile I was accustomed to. The wink was not. It must have meant something? Right? I had to find out. If I was brave enough to leave my life at the farm behind and start a new life in the city, then I sure as hell was brave enough to face this man.
The incredibly drop-dead handsome man that had just winked at me.
It was our stop, and I knew it was a make or break moment. I tried to push past the older man next to me, but his shoulder forced me back. Hopelessly, I watched as the businessman got off the train. I wasn’t going to let him get away that easy. Quickly, I ducked underneath the man’s arm before sliding around another person. Pushing and weaving around various body limbs, I popped out into the subway station just before the doors closed behind me. I could feel sweat lining the top of my brow from the exertion. At least, I hoped it was my sweat. With a swipe of my sleeve, I cleaned it up before scanning the crowd to find the winking man. Panicking, I had almost given up my search when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Whipping around, my mouth dropped open.
“Looking for someone?” he asked.
The whole world faded around me as I stared into those dazzling blue eyes. At that moment, it was just him and me—nothing else.
“You,” I murmured.
He grinned, “I hoped that would be the case. I was wondering if you were ever going to talk to me.”
“You were?”
I could only manage short sentences in my stunned state. It was as though my whole body had stopped functioning in his presence.
He laughed, “I was. I’ve got to head to work, but I was hoping we could chat sometime.”
Before he could finish his sentence, I had fished my phone out from my pocket and thrust it at his face. He seemed to grasp what I wanted him to do as he took the device and entered his name and number.
“Call me,” he leaned in close before abruptly turning on his heel and joining the swarm of commuters making their way out to the sunshine.
