Contest: Twilight of Craigslist One-Shot Contest (Part II)
Title: Love on the Rails
Rating: T
Word Count: 4802
Contest Ad Prompt: http : / / www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net / s / 7485722 / 1 / MARC_TRAIN_MUSE
Summary: Edward was determined to find the girl who turned a disaster into a dream, and Bella just couldn't get the mystery man from her commute off her mind. Will their paths cross again, or would four hours be all they'd ever have?
Warning/Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters; they belong to Stephanie Meyer. I also do not own nor am I affiliated with Amtrak or MARC commuter services in anyway. No copyright infringement is intended. The plot of this story is the property of the author.
Don't forget to read the other entries! http: / www. fanfiction. net/u/ 3211840/ Also, follow us on twitter! twiCraigslist
BPOV
MARC Penn Line Heat-Induced BreakdownOfficials investigate the incident in hopes to prevent a repeatJuly 11, 2011, by Dana Glassner, the Baltimore Sun
One month ago, for the third time since this season, a MARC Penn Like train wilted in the heat, leaving passengers sweltering on a stalled train. However, unlike previous occurrences, the nearly 1,000 passengers were stranded not for minutes, but hours — nearly four, to be precise. Passengers on the 3:23pm train heading north from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore's Penn Station had to wait that amount of time for mechanical assistance in temperatures that caused the need for paramedics to be called to the site as well. Although no serious health issues arose, there were a number of people with respiratory and cardiac problems (as well as a few pregnant women) on the train, and since the incident a huge outcry arose due to the fact that no forms of relief were able to be provided in such dangerous conditions. Now officials are stating that all MARC trains will contain cases of water and bags of crackers to be given to passengers in the event that another such incident should occur. Plans are also being made to create a more extensive "first-aid kit" that would include inhalers, insulin shot materials, and heart-rate monitors.
Although summer is historically the time of year that brings MARC to its knees, the Maryland Transit Administration along with Amtrak, which owns the Penn Line and staffs the train, are making schedule and equipment changes in hopes of alleviating such problems.
I sighed openly, holding the newspaper in one hand so I could continue scanning it while also sipping on my coffee.
It seemed so surreal to me that I had been on the train that had brought along all this attention and action. Although I agreed with everything in the article in terms of a need to solve the continuing mechanical problems, as well as having a better plan for when something does happen, I didn't look back on that day with anger or frustration.
What could've been a truly terrible experience ended up as being one of the best four hours of my life. Who would've thought that a broken down train was the best place to meet nice guys?
"Good morning, roomie! What's going on in the world?" My best friend and roommate of two years, Alice, asked as she swept into the room, way to chipper for my tastes.
I was used to it, though, and I loved her, so I endured.
"Well, the EPA is setting tighter emission standards for coal-burning power plants, Betty Ford passed away at age 93, and William and Kate spent the weekend in California."
"That's right! This past weekend was when the royals were coming. I need to go find pictures of what Kate was wearing…" Alice trailed off, seemingly in deep thoughts over color palettes and hemlines.
One of the most famous first ladies in the history of our nation dies, but she's worried about whether Kate wore those "god awful stockings" again.
She was something else.
After preparing her usual breakfast of Special K, fruit, and coffee, Alice sat down next to me and grabbed the paper. "I need to see if they included any pictures! Oh, Bells! Did you notice the article about the hell on wheels debacle?"
I couldn't help but laugh at her exaggerations. When I had gotten home that night a month ago, Alice had been climbing the walls. Because of the location where the train stalled out, cell phone service was pretty much non-existent, and I hadn't been able to call Alice and tell her what was going on. She was smart and she knew my usual travel schedule, so she'd put two and two together, but that didn't stop her from going into full on Momma Bear mode. Ever since then, she looked upon the incident with more malice and disdain than the people who were actually onboard.
"Yeah, I just finished reading that article. Says that in addition to trying to prevent the mechanical problems the heat brings about, they're also going to start stocking water and snacks, just in case."
"Well, that's the very least they could do, considering the nightmare you all had to live through. I'm telling you, Bella, we could totally sue!"
"Alice, I told you. It really wasn't that bad." I got up to refill my coffee cup, using that as a ruse to avoid Alice's questioning eyes.
She always pulled that look whenever she could tell I wasn't being completely forthcoming about something, and I knew her well enough to know that I didn't want to provide her any answers right now.
Unfortunately, Alice was as relentless about my personal life as she was about fashion.
"Hey! Come back here! What's that look for?" She gently grabbed my elbow to turn me to face her. "Is this about the train guy?"
I couldn't help but sigh in response, which caused Alice to pounce immediately.
"I knew it! I thought you'd been a little too nonchalant about the whole thing afterward, but I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and stop being so pushy…but to hell with that now!" She practically squealed by the time she finished her statement, which caused us to burst into peals of laughter.
"It's nothing, really. I just...I wish I had gotten his number or something, that's all. But every time I think that, I wonder why he didn't ask for mine, and then I tell myself that if he felt the same spark as me, he would've asked." I felt myself getting worked up and tried to calm my breathing before I started to hyperventilate. "I mean, I'm all for equality among the sexes, but that's what guys do, right? They do the number asking!"
This was exactly why I'd tried to forget him; every time I remembered his carefree smile, entrancing eyes, and otherworldly bone structure, my heart stuttered. And every time I thought about the amazing conversation we had had and the way he had provided such comfort in a time of clear duress, I wondered how I could've just let him walk away. Of course, then I thought about the fact that he also let me walk way, and then I would start doubting the connection that I thought we'd made. So, instead of turning myself inside out about it, I decided to avoid the subject altogether.
That was healthy, right?
"B, calm down! I don't want to have to get the paper bag again," Alice commanded, taking my hand and leading me over to the couch. "I can tell you really liked this guy. I'm sure that if it was meant to be, it will be, and you'll come across him again. I mean, at the very least you'll probably end up on a together on the same train again, right?"
"Alice, I've thought about that, too. In fact, it takes everything in me not to look like a total stalker every time I board the train, hoping that I'll see him again. I just...I don't want to think about this anymore. It's making my head spin."
Alice looked at me sympathetically but also searchingly, probably trying to figure out if she should push me some more or just let it go. "Okay, B, I understand, but, the optimist in me is sure that it will all work out. Just like it probably did for that other guy!"
"Wait, what other guy?" I looked at her, puzzled.
"You know! The guy I told you about! The one who posted that ad in the personals section on Craigslist, who was looking for a girl he'd met on the Train of Evil, remember? I told you about it like three days after it all happened. They talked about it on that Baltimore social blog I follow."
I tried to think back to that time and such a conversation with Alice, but I couldn't remember it for the life of me. Of course, I had been a little out of sorts during that time, my mind going back and forth about the guy I'd met on the train.
"I'm sorry, Alice, but I have no recollection of that. Some guy was looking for a girl he'd met on the train as well?"
"Yeah! I mean, I hadn't read the Craigslist posting myself, just the blog commentary on it. The ladies who run the blog were all practically salivating over how romantic this guy was in the letter…"
Alice kept talking, but suddenly all I could think about was that day on the train, and how I'd told my mystery guy about my love of Craigslist since I was able to find my cherished Art Deco lamp there. Could it be?
"Alice, do you think you can find that blog post again by chance?" I asked the question simply enough, but Alice being Alice — and being my best friend — immediately caught on to my thoughts.
"Wait a minute you don't think…Mystery Guy could be Blog Guy?" she asked with a mix of caution and rising excitement.
This was right up Alice's alley. She was all for fairytale endings, fate, and kismet. I tended to be more realistic, so we balanced each other out well. Maybe today I should take a page from her playbook.
"I don't know. I mean, it's not unlikely that other people started to talk and make conversation while stuck on a train for four hours, but, then again, if I'm looking for a mystery guy, and there's a mystery guy looking for a girl, just maybe we're one and the same?"
Before I could even finish my sentence, Alice ran into her room and then ran back to the couch with her laptop in hand. She quickly clicked on the bookmarked blog link on her homepage, and began searching for articles from around the time of the train incident.
After a few minutes of searching, she screamed, "Here it is!" and clicked on a link.
I quickly scanned the article, hoping to gain any clues as to whether this guy was also my guy, but it seemed like the blogger talked more about how they wanted Mystery Man than about what he'd written.
Before I could get too down, I saw that there was a link to Craigslist right under the blog entry. "Alice, click on that link. Maybe it's his entry."
Sure enough, as soon as Alice clicked on the link, we were taken to an ad on Craigslist, entitled "MARC Train Muse". I steadied myself and tried to keep calm as I began reading. Although the optimism had already bloomed in my heart, I had to temper myself just in case it wasn't him.
As I read, though, tempering myself went out the window and that optimism spread from my heart throughout my entire body, to the point where I was leaning over the screen and practically in Alice's lap just so I could continue reading. With each line, I began to hope more and more.
I remembered our conversation about the Red Line delays and the horrible escalator service at Rosslyn. I remembered our affinity for Adele, and how when he'd admitted it to me, his ears turned the cutest shade of pink. With every word I read, my smile got wider, and when I reached the next line, I could've sworn I felt my own heart skip a beat
It's true that you were beyond beautiful in your light blue sundress and yellow sweater that complemented slightly tanned skin and brown tendrils that framed an open, heart-shaped face. It was the beauty you exuded, however, that called to me.
It wasn't just the fact that after reading this line, I knew he was talking about me due to the description of my appearance. It was the way that he saw me that blew me away. He remembered the fact that I worked as a guidance counselor and that I was also working towards my Masters in counseling. He even wrote that he turned to Craigslist because he hoped my love for my Art Deco lamp would bring me to the site once more.
For the first time since I could remember, it seemed like a man had really listened to me and seen me in a way that surpassed the physically or the superficial. In four hours, he was possibly able to learn more about me than my ex did in six months.
"BELLA!" Alice screamed at the top of her lungs, way too close to my eardrums to be cool.
"Geez, Alice! What?"
"I'm sorry, but I've been calling your name for, like, five minutes. I thought I might have to slap you eventually. So? It's him, right?"
"Yeah, Alice, it's him."
My answer was followed by a squeal so loud I thought it might've broken the sound barrier.
"I knew you'd find him, I knew it!" she yelled, pulling me off the couch so we could bounce around in a circle together.
I was so pleasantly shocked that I had found him that I joined her without a fuss.
"This is so great! Now all you need to do is email him back!" Alice said when we finally settled down and sat back on the couch, this time with the laptop in my possession.
Sure enough, there was an email address next to the reply section. "E. A. Cullen. I wonder what that stands for," Alice murmured.
"Edward," I responded, my voice barely above a whisper. "His name was Edward. That was really the only identifying information we'd given each other, but now I remember it clear as day."
"Well, what are you waiting for? Email him back!"
Taking Alice's advice, I copied his email address before opening and pasting it into a new composition in my Gmail account. Alice was going on and on about all the sexy or mysterious things I could say, but they all seemed a little too cliché or cheesy to me. So, instead, I kept it simple but open.
Hello Edward,
Well, if my perception of myself is right, I think I'm the girl you're looking for. I'm sorry it took me so long to see your Craigslist ad, but I'm so happy that I finally did because you've been on my mind ever since that day on the train. The words in your ad were so beautiful, and there's no way I can thank you enough for them, but I'd like to try. Here's my phone number: 443-555-8380. Please give me a call or write me back. I'd love to hear more about your musical guilty pleasures
Bella
With a smile and a head nod from Alice, I took a deep breath and pressed send. Alice opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could utter a word, the unmistakable chime indicating a new email rang through.
Confused, because I knew there was no way he could've answered so quickly, I clicked on my inbox and felt my heart drop.
Instead of finding a reply from Edward, I'd received an error message telling me that the email address was no longer valid.
"Shit, Bella, I'm sorry. But, you know, that's okay. We can still find him, at least we know that he is the guy and we know his full name!" Alice said, trying to lighten the mood that had taken a turn towards the dismal.
I knew she was right; in this day and age of technology, having his name was more than enough for me to find him. Still, I couldn't help but be saddened by the fact that things weren't playing out as perfectly as they would in a Disney movie. I'd let myself believe that it was just going to be that easy, that I'd email him and he'd respond and all would be perfect. I guess my realism had skipped town about twenty minutes ago.
"Yeah, you're right. We'll have to continue our search later, though. I need to head into work," I said.
I got up and slipped on my shoes before grabbing my purse and keys.
"Work? But, I thought you had the day off?"
With it being the summer and me working at a high school, the hours I had to work were few and far between right now.
"I know, but we're having that career fair, remember? I have to go help facilitate the setup and be around if any of the presenters or families have any questions. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Okay, but, Bella? I know you. Don't lose hope. We'll find him! I know we will," Alice said with a gleam in her eyes.
"Thanks, Alice. I think we will too." And you know what? A part of me, deep down inside, really believed that we would.
EPOV
I quickly scanned the headlines of the paper I'd just purchased from the newsstand as I was making my way into Starbucks. It seemed like just your typical day of crisis in third-world countries, celebrity gossip, and political propaganda until my eyes came across a specific headline:
MARC Penn Line Heat-Induced Breakdown
For a moment, everything stopped as I took in the headline. Had it really been a month since that day? Sometimes it seemed like it had only been yesterday, and other times it felt like it had been forever since I was on that train.
A pointed cough from behind me brought me out of musings, and when I looked up, the annoyed gaze of the barista confirmed that I had been holding up the line.
"Sorry. Can I get a Grande Americana with two shots, please?"
After placing my order and receiving my coffee, I went over to sit in a large chair by the window to continue reading the article.
There was nothing too exciting or surprising written, but just the thought of that day made me think of her — Bella — the woman with clear brown eyes, shiny hair that fell in soft waves, and a smile that just brightened her whole face.
As soon as I walked away from her at the train station, I began mentally kicking myself for not having gotten her phone number or some type of contact information so that I could find her again.
So once I arrived home, with determination and two shots of Jameson in my belly, I wrote that Craigslist ad. It was the most impulsive and vulnerable thing I'd ever done in my life, and it took another two shots of whiskey to stop me from having a panic attack over it. But after a good night's sleep, I felt good about my decision, and I was hopeful that she'd see it and we'd be reunited.
That was before the hoax emails started rolling in.
When I received the first reply to my email, I could barely contain my excitement. It had come only hours after I posted the ad, and I couldn't wait to be reunited with the woman who had consumed my mind and my heart. I responded to her email, asking her to meet me for dinner at a little tapas restaurant in Fells Point.
When my family and friends called to make sure I was alright after the train debacle, I hadn't mentioned my mystery girl or the Craigslist ad. Part of me wanted to keep her all to myself for a little while longer, but another part of me didn't want to face the varying types of reactions I could receive.
But after trading emails with her and establishing a date, I couldn't help but shoot off a text message to my brother, Emmett, telling him that I was about to go on a date with my future wife. He'd sent me a similar text message almost three years prior, and it turned out to be true, now that he's happily married to Rosalie, and they're expecting their first child.
However, when the person who was led to and then seated at my table neither looked nor possessed any of the character traits that the real Bella had, my enthusiasm dimmed a bit. And after over fifty false emails that led to ten disastrous dates, four awkward happy hour meetings, and one very strange invitation for an M/M/F threesome, I decided that enough was enough. It was clear that the girl I was looking for was just not going to answer, so I deleted the account about three weeks after posting the ad.
To make matters worse, I now carpooled into D.C. with a co-worker on Mondays through Wednesdays, so my time on the MARC had been severely cut down. That didn't stop me from looking for her in every face I came across when boarding or departing the train.
Setting the article aside, I drank the last of my coffee and headed out of the door and on to my destination.
When the request for attorneys at a school career fair came in to the Prosecution's Office, nobody wanted to step up and volunteer their time. We could barely get our own work done during the day, let alone having time to go talk to students about the benefits of a career in the legal system. However, when I found out that it was for a private all-girl's institution in the area, I couldn't help but volunteer as memories of Bella's passion for her students swam through my head. So as I walked into the school, introduced myself and my purpose to the receptionist, I felt an all-too familiar flutter in my stomach as she gave me directions to the guidance counselor's office on the third floor.
Walking to the elevator, my mind was swirling with words and phrases as I tried to remember whether or not Bella had ever mentioned the name or the exact address of her school. Nothing came to mind, and I suddenly felt very optimistic as I stepped off the elevator and walked to room 303.
Taking a minute to calm my nerves, I stopped outside of the door. 'Get a grip, Edward. What are the chances that you'll turn this corner and she'll be standing there?' I told myself that at least five times, but I couldn't shake the hope that had started to blossom inside me.
As I walked into the office and turned the corner, I was greeted by a pleasant smile and warm eyes.
"Hello! How can I help you?"
And for as nice as the voice was and as beautiful as the face was, they didn't belong to the person I was hoping for.
Hiding my disappointment, I said, "Hi, I'm Edward Cullen. I'm the legal aid here from the prosecutor's office? I'm here for the career fair."
Standing up, the woman introduced herself as Angela, handed me a poster board with the information we'd mailed over earlier in the week already affixed to it, and pointed me in the right direction.
I walked into the room she indicated, and began to setup my display, all the while kicking myself for getting my hopes up once again. After I deleted my Craigslist email account, I'd sworn to myself that I wouldn't do this to myself again.
While I sat down in the plastic fold-up chair I'd been provided, I realized that the pamphlets we'd sent over weren't given to me. Checking my watch, I realized that we were getting closer to the start time, so I walked briskly out of the door, headed back to the guidance office.
In my rush to get there, I didn't notice anyone until I smacked right into a small body with brown hair. Horrified, I tried to apologize immediately. "Angela, I'm so sor—," I began, but I was cut short by the shocked eyes that suddenly looked up to meet mine.
They held the same warmth and richness that had first endeared me to strike up a conversation with her that day. Her shocked expression all of a sudden gave way to a breathtaking smile, and in that moment, I knew my sustained hope had not been in vain.
"Bella?"
"Edward?"
We spoke at the same time before silence fell on us once again, but, it wasn't awkward or stifling; the silence was filled with awe and reverent disbelief that we were somehow standing in front of one another again.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" Bella finally managed to stutter out.
"Um, I'm here for the career fair. I'm going to be at the booth for lawyers," I said, still trying to comprehend the situation.
"You're the rep from the Prosecutor's office?" she asked with a smile on her face, seemingly making connections from our past conversation to our present meeting.
"You remembered!" I was delighted. "So, this must be the school with the students you so passionately told me about?"
"Yeah, I see that you remembered too," She was biting her lip and glancing up at me shyly.
God, she was so beautiful. Now that I'd found her, I had to tell her just how much she'd been on my mind these last few weeks.
"Bella, I know this must seem so strange, bumping into me like this, but the truth is, this seems long overdue to me because I've actually been looking for you. You've been on my mind since that day."
"I know," she said, smiling. "I know that this might be hard to believe, but I actually emailed you today."
"What?"
"There was this article in the paper today about that day, and it got my roommate and me talking. She mentioned some Craigslist ad that she'd heard about where a guy from the train that day wrote to a girl he'd met, but didn't have a way of contacting her. We found the ad, and after reading it, I realized it was you, so I emailed you, but it didn't go through. It said the address was invalid."
My head was positively spinning at this turn of events. It seemed like all my hoping and wishing had finally brought me luck in spades.
"Wow, that's crazy; I just deleted that account like a week ago! I was getting so many emails from people claiming to be you but weren't. And then the dates and offers just got too strange, so I decided to just delete the account. I think that an invite from a woman and her husband to spend the night with them was the final straw." I suppressed a shiver as I recalled that specific offer. "Now I'm regretting that decision." I smiled down at her.
"Well, hearing that I can definitely understand why you would delete it! Since you didn't get my email, I guess I'll say it now: I'm sorry I didn't see your ad sooner, but you have to know that I've been thinking about you since that day as well. Those were probably the best four hours of my life."
She looked down as she finished her statement, appearing way more shy and meek than I remembered her to be. I couldn't have that.
"Hey," I raised her chin up with my hand, "it doesn't matter how long it took. The important thing is that we found each other. I—," my statement was cut off when Angela walked in the door and, after taking us in, looked at us suspiciously.
Bella moved away from me as she asked, "What's up, Ang?"
"I was just coming to get you since the fair is starting. My next goal was going to be finding where Mr. Cullen had run off to, but I see you've found him," she said with a smirk in Bella's direction.
Bella just smirked right back. "Yeah, I did. We'll be there in a few minutes, okay, Ang?"
"Sure," Angela said with a knowing smile. "Five minutes!" she called as she walked out of the room.
"I'm sorry about that. What were you going to say?" Bella resumed her spot, standing closer to me.
"I just wanted to say that I really want to get to know you better, if you'll let me." At my words, Bella shook her head and looked at me with something akin to wonder and hope in her eyes. "What?"
"It's just that those are almost the same words from your ad, 'I hope you let me'. I'd like nothing more, Edward," she said, moving closer still.
Nothing that our time alone was dwindling but no longer able to ignore the draw to her, I leaned down and kissed her soft, plump lips.
In that moment, I knew that nothing would ever separate me from this woman again.
And that the ride would definitely be worth it.
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