Oh my God. I can't do this. I think I should just go straight back home, I'm not ready for Tokyo. Okay Nana, just breathe, Shouji is depending on you, do this for him. It's so busy, I don't even know if I can sit down there's just too many people… Wait a second I think I can see a free seat there. "Um, excuse me, can I-
Ow, what hit me? What just happened? I guess the train has started moving finally and – oh… a guitar. Crap. Oh no, she's staring at me, I guess it was expensive, it's all my fault! Shit shit shit shit!! I'd better just explain myself. "I'm really really sorry, do you mind if I still sit here?" God, I sound like an idiot!
"It's all yours."
Wow, she was okay with it, or she seems it at least. I'll just sit here and shut up, I -
"So, are you going to Tokyo too?"
"Um, y-yeah I am, it's just to meet my boyfriend really." Why do I feel so awkward? It's like it's difficult to speak…
"Aww, you're in love? I've been there."
She chuckled then smiled at me. Wow, she's beautiful, and not like the done-up kind. She seemed like one of those truly original people whose beauty comes from the uniqueness itself. It's difficult to explain. I watched in awe as her lips curled around the cigarette, their blood-red colour a complete contrast to the snow white skin…
Crap - why am I staring?? As if I don't look crazy enough already!
"Does the smoke bother you?"
"N-no, um, I was just wondering where you got that ring, it's gorgeous."
"Oh- this?" She questioned almost indifferently, "It's Vivienne Westwood's design." She continued to stare out the window at the falling snow.
"Nice." I mumbled. That's it. No more talking. She doesn't seem like the talkative type anyway, I'm probably just – Oh that's my phone. "Hi hi, Nana desu - Shouji? Yeah I'm on my way, I love you, bye."
"Your name's Nana?" She turned to face me once more, seeming more interested.
"Yeah, why?" I asked blushing uneasily.
"It's my name too." She replied smiling. "How old are you?"
"Twenty." I answered still blushing.
"So, we are the same age as well. That's a good coincidence, I think we should toast to that, two women, with the same name and age, looking for something in Tokyo."
"Mm-hm" I answered, grinning back at her.
The next thing I knew, I was holding a beer. Her eyes flashed in the light as she toasted us both. They were the sort of eyes that, for a moment, could tell you everything you needed to know about her, and the next minute would tell you nothing at all. She possessed a kind of arrogance, nothing that you could hate; it was just sort of a detached careless attitude, but, if it was possible this nature added to her beauty- She was probably a rock star.
The conversation seemed to flow more easily now, and for the rest of the journey I actually felt comfortable talking to her.
I got off the train and noticed Shouji standing not too far from the platform. "Shouji!" I shouted, running as quickly as I possibly could under the weight of the bags. "I missed you!" I said, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly. It was only then I noticed Nana wasn't standing behind me.
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It's snowing again. Same day. Ironic. I hope to God I make it…. I have to; I'm all I've got right now. Great, this thing's finally moving, it's only been half an hour. Who – Who the hell is that by my feet? I think my guitar hit her on the head as she fell from the movement. Well, this is bloody brilliant, here's me thinking I'd only have to look after myself, now I have to look after her too? Joy. I'd better just ask her:
"Are you-
"I'm really really sorry, do you mind if I still sit here?"
Okay, I'm feeling generous today. I guess I can be nice. "It's all yours."
God, she seems so nervous. What's the point in that? I'm not mad about the guitar, it's old anyway. "So, are you going to Tokyo too?"
She answered me blushing. She's so immaculate. Her hair is perfectly highlighted, and it's tied back, no loose strands anywhere, kept exactly in place with a flower clip. I wish I looked that perfect, neatness is something that I don't think I'll ever be able to achieve. "Aww, you're in love? I've been there." I said smiling as I lit up a cigarette. In that moment I prayed for her, that she won't end up as heart-broken as I am right now.
For a while, out of the corner of my eye I could see her staring. I had to ask because, to be honest, it was starting to irritate me, I know why she was staring. "Does the smoke bother you?"
"N-no, um, I was just wondering where you got that ring, it's gorgeous."
"Oh - this?" I questioned, half expecting her to start ranting about my 'horrid habit' given her pristine appearance. "It's Vivienne Westwood's design." I think she muttered something in reply, but I continued to look out the window, if anything I wished that she could have met me on another day, today was not a good one.
She answered her phone in the typical high school girl way, the "I'm cute and popular" tone; I would have found it sickening, if it wasn't for her name. "Your name's Nana too?" I asked.
"Yeah, why?" She questioned, once again blushing and uneasy.
"How old are you?" I waiting for her to say "17" or even "16," she looked so young compared to me.
"Twenty"
Slightly taken aback, though I don't think she noticed, I answered: "So, we are the same age as well. That's a good coincidence, I think we should toast to that, two women, with the same name and age, looking for something in Tokyo." And it was a good coincidence; it was the best thing that had happened to me for a while, so I made something of it: "Nana and Nana, here's to success."
I watched as she eased up started to talk more, sipping the beer and rambling on mostly about this guy called "Shouji" and how she would make him proud by earning her place in Tokyo with him. Honestly, I was bored, and I don't think she picked up on it, but in an odd way I found her endearing. Although we were the same age, she was amazingly naïve. As the light from the ceiling caught her face, I noticed how delicate it was. Like porcelain, if I reached out and touched her, she would break, and every now and then when she paused, I realised that she was like an open book. Her eyes seemed to say "I'm lost."
We stepped off the train, and I watched her throw her arms around her boyfriend, she was unaware that we had different places to be. Wherever she's going, I hope she won't get hurt. I really don't think that Tokyo is the place for a pretty, yet naïve porcelain doll.
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