Prompt: You saw me reading the same book you did and we got into a heated discussion about how much it sucks

An Introduction

This book is dreadful. Blaine likes science-fiction, loves the premise of this book with the outcasts of society being banished to another planet. But it's dull with really weird characters and so many grammatical errors and typos that drag him out of the actual story. Not to mention-

Blaine looks up when he feels the polite tap on his shoulder. He wonders if he started to mutter to himself, that's happened before. The man who's interrupted his reading is holding on to one of the poles in their subway carriage and looking down at Blaine, smiling slightly.

"Sorry to disturb. I mean, it didn't look like you were enjoying that book so I, uh, figured it would be okay. I've been wrong before."

"It's fine, I really wasn't. There are very few books that I actually don't want to struggle through to the finish... Hold on, you're not the author or anything, right?"

"No," the other man laughs, "I'm reading it too. Or, well. It's sitting on my shelf with a bookmark half way through... What I wanted to ask was: does it get any better?"

"Absolutely not. I'm tempted to leave it on the train when I get off."

"But then someone else might try to read it. The blurb reeled in both of us and, well, I know I have good taste. No offence."

"None taken. I may be partial to a few too many children's and teen books but all well-written ones - David Levithan, Gabrielle Zevin, K Hummel, Caroline Lawrence's Roman mysteries..."

"Excellent list. If you like historical fiction in general then Edward Rutherford is very good."

"I'll remember that."

"How about you give me your number and we can share recommendations?"

"Very forward, Mr...?"

"I'm Kurt, nice to meet you, please give me your number before I have to get off at the next stop?" Blaine took the offered phone.

"I'm not worth missing your stop? You wound me," he handed back the phone, having typed in his number as 'Book Blaine'.

"And yet I now have your number, 'Book Blaine'. I must be doing something right," Blaine's phone vibrated in his pocket.

"What can I say? I'm obviously a sucker for tall, blue-eyed guys who like books," the train began to slow down as it pulled into the next stop, "I'll see you around."

"That had better be a promise," Kurt grinned at Blaine before turning around and stepping onto the platform and into the crowd.

Blaine looked down at his book and replaced his bookmark. He was never going to finish this book but he thought he might save a space for it on his shelf.