Originally published on A Happy Assembly, in October 2010, as part of the monthly themed challenge.

Note: Un-betaed. Mistakes are my own.

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Why does he stand there everyday, alone, on that corner? He looked sad and she couldn't help but want to comfort him. Once in a while, she would catch him staring at her, as though beckoning her to go to him. Did he really want her to? Probably not. That was just wishful thinking. He was one of the rich kids, only likely to look her way if she was the victim of some embarrassing prank. How mortifying that she had been there, then. One of his friends did it, and she believed he tried to embarrass her even more but she glared and left before he could get past the first word. None of this prevented her from wishing to know him better, though. She observed him keenly, although attempting not to look to be doing so. She succeeded somewhat, more due to his own blindness to the obvious than to her skills at masquerading her real intentions.

She was standing there again, at the same bus stop. She intrigued him. Her sparkling eyes, her tinkling laughter. He would find himself mesmerised by her more often than not. And he would hope, day after day, to be able to jump on the same bus, sit by her side, perhaps strike a conversation. Would she smile at him the same way she smiled at everyone else? Probably not. That was just wishful thinking. All of it was. He wasn't brave enough to approach her. He had tried once, and all that he did was splutter and stammer and make a fool of himself. He learned only too late it had been a bad time too, for his git of a friend George had played one of his cruel jokes on her. But that was fine. As long as his parents didn't find out he left school half an hour earlier than he told them the driver should pick him up, he could at least admire her from a distance.

And so day after day, rain or shine, they would stand at their opposite ends of the street, admiring one another in silence. There came a day, however, when she would not show. Then another, and another, and he thought he would never see her again. He closed in on himself, tormented by the ghost of 'what if's…'.

The years passed and what have become of such faltering souls?

Many things happened in her life, most of which challenged her courage, but made her stronger. Many things happened in his life, none of which he really wanted, and made him bitter.

There came one day, however, their paths crossed again.

She found herself sipping tea at an unassuming establishment in the business centre of London. He found someone sitting at his usual table at his hideaway from real life.

He cussed. She heard.

He fruitlessly attempted to control his temper. She did not have such qualms and turned to answer.

Their eyes met. Old feelings surfaced. From when or where, they couldn't say.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's been a bad day."

"You'll have to do better than that," she answered.

"How can I amend my inconsiderate mouth?"

"Take a sit and prove you're not such a jerk."

And so he did. And she was glad.

He learned that yes, he could talk to her without stuttering and spluttering and was surprised to realise he wanted to talk to her for as long as she would allow him to. Could he hope for forever? Yes, yes, he could. That was not wishful thinking.

She learned that yes, he needed comfort and she wouldn't mind at all being there for as long as he let her. Could she hope for forever? Yes, yes, she could. That was not wishful thinking.

He learned that no, she would not smile at him the way she smiled at everybody else. Her smiling at him was something else, brighter, promising, and his own. Yes, forever sounded quite amazing right then.

She learned that no, he was not an arrogant snob after all. He was shy and reserved, but his eyes were soulful and looked at her quite devotedly. Yes, forever sounded quite amazing right then.

And so it happened that he did sit beside her. Several times, in fact. And he did strike that conversation, wordless as it were, several times too. And not only did she comfort him, she also healed him.

Years later, they would laugh at their misconstrued childhood crush, and at how it turned out to be such a happily ever after.

And that was not wishiful thinking.