Winry contemplated the countryside as it snaked lazily past the window. Her train was late and she knew he would worry – it was an inescapable part of his nature that most would find annoying, but she found endearing. She shifted on her seat, staring out at the clear blue sky and trying to suppress the twisting of her stomach as it matched that of the train.
She tried to remember exactly what he looked like, and realised with a jolt that she hadn't seen him for quite a few months. Yes, there were promises made over the phone, but somehow things would inevitably get in the way and they would rearrange the meeting – she vaguely recalled the last one being cancelled because of an emergency automail fitting. It was almost as if they avoided each other, afraid that they may have lost what they cherished before.
She resumed staring out the window, noting that the landscape had changed from rolling hills to flat fields. She reasoned that the train would arrive in Central in around fifteen minutes, and her stomach disappeared. She suddenly couldn't feel anything except for a leaden weight somewhere in her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to relax.
"Excuse me, dear, but are you alright? You look awfully pale."
The old woman sitting opposite her was leaning it, inspecting her face.
"Yes – yes, I'm fine, just…nervous." Winry had a sudden urge to tell this kindly lady everything – the fact that she hadn't seen her…well, her boyfriend she supposed…for about 8 months, and she was terrified she wouldn't recognise him, or he would have forgotten about her…But the woman had drifted off, as old people so often do, into a deep sleep and Winry had to keep all her pent up emotion to herself.
The train huffed to a halt in Central train station, and Al stood on the platform, nervously hopping from one foot to the other.
Her train was late.
He was being jostled around by the many passengers toing and froing from one train to the next, but he didn't notice. All his concentration was focused on the horizon, waiting for the train he knew was carrying her.
He heard a whistle. A train was pulling in, and he was sure that it was the one carrying her, his…well, his girlfriend he supposed. He suddenly felt sick. What if he didn't recognise her, or she forgot about him? It had, after all, been 8 months since their last meeting.
But then he spotted her, disembarking from the worn train, and all his fears were lost in an instant. He ran over, scooped her up into his arms, and before she even had a chance to say hello kissed her tenderly.
The passers-by were cheering and whistling, but Winry didn't notice. It felt good to be home.
A/N This is based on an experience I had when I didn't see my best friend for about 8 months and how scary the idea of seeing him again was. When I did, though, it didn't seem to be any different – apart from the fact he'd grown a bit and his voice had broken!
R&R please. My aim is 10 for this in total. So not much…