It was that time of morning when the breeze smelled of dew and the quiet mumble of a waking city was echoing in the streets of downtown San Francisco.
Cosima inhaled the air as she awaited a train; it was refreshing but it was by no means as close to what a cup of coffee could do to awaken her. She watched as the sun leaked in between the cracks of crowded buildings. There was something about the dawn that made the rest of the day more hopeful.
The train screeched to a halt. Cosima grabbed a handful of Clipper cards from her bag; she was unsure of which ones still had money on them, but knew there had to be at least one.
As she tried to find an empty seat on the train, she found herself looking at the endless line of tired, sleepy faces — the aura was contagious. Cosima let out a big yawn and lost her balance as the train began to move. She found herself unintentionally stumbling into a seat that was in between two other people. Squished into an awkward sandwich, Cosima decided to glare at her phone to avoid any conversation.
The train made its second stop and suddenly Cosima felt a tug coming from underneath her.
"Excuse me, you are sitting on my jacket," said the person that was sitting next to her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Cosima immediately jumped up. She looked at the person who was talking to her. The sunlight that seeped in from the windows of the train illuminated the woman now standing before her. She was tall with golden, curly, hair that fell just above her shoulders. The sunlight shone into her eyes too, enhancing their color; they reminded Cosima of autumn.
For a moment, Cosima wasn't sure where she was. She just kept staring at the beautiful woman before her.
"That's okay." When the woman smiled at Cosima she didn't feel butterflies, no, she felt somersaults in the pit of her stomach. Cosima watched as she exited the train. The woman looked back at her, still smiling, and Cosima shyly averted her gaze. She could feel the blood rushing to her face. Am I blushing?! She thought, and mildly panicked.
Cosima sat back down, unsure of how to process what had just happened or how to settle her rapid heartbeat. She was used to seeing pretty girls and admiring them but this one was different. Cosima kept replaying the moment in her head over and over again. She slumped against her seat.
I'm so stupid! Why did I just stare?
"Hey," a grumbly voice brought Cosima out of her trance. "Can you move your wallet, it's taking up the seat and some people are trying to sit." She looked up at the man who seemed agitated, his eyes were staring at the seat next to her. Cosima followed his gaze and surely enough, there was a brown leather wallet.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah sure — sorry about that." Cosima quickly snatched the wallet. It was her only clue, and she could not help but smile like a little girl who just received a puppy.
Cosima was determined to find the beautiful stranger.