a/n: Hello!
Welcome to the one-shot "Strangers on a train"
This one doesn't need a ticket.
I hope you enjoy the journey!
(I do not own any of the characters or anything that doesn't belong to me)
Isabella has been taking the same train every day for a year. Nothing major ever happens here, not really. That is, until today. Until today, Isabella saw the same people every day, during her 40 minute journey, through dark tunnels and fields of green and gray and red and yellow, that takes her to the city.
She always sits on the same place so she doesn't find it weird that others do the same. She just finds it weird that, after a whole year seeing each other every day, no one dares to make small talk, not even say a "hello" or "good morning". Maybe they're not morning people… or maybe they're just plainly rude. The only person who greets her is the ticket inspector, but even his "good morning" sounds strained. It looks like everyone lives inside a bubble that Isabella fails to see. She greeted everyone the first three days she took the train. They looked at her like she had just poked at their bubble, trying to burst it, so she never tried again. Since then, she just sits and observes the people that sit in the same carriage she chose a year ago.
There is a guy who wears the same 5 suits every week with matching shoes and shirts. She has always wondered if he has the same MO regarding his underwear. The only thing that is always the same is his tie. Isabella doesn't understand that. For her, it's a complete deviation of the pattern that doesn't make any sense and messes with the balance of the universe, at least hers. He seems fine with it. He should have a tie for each day of the week too, like the suit, shoes and the underwear (probably). He always sits at the window but never enjoys the landscape. As soon as he sits he picks the newspaper and doesn't raise his head until he hears his station is approaching.
There is a woman who brings her little dog with her, Hulk is its name, safely kept inside a transportation bag and wearing a woollen green sweater. The poor creature is constantly shaking and the woman spends almost the entire journey talking sweetly at it and cooing. Isabella finds the irony rather amusing. The woman herself also makes Isabella laugh a little because every day she sports the most incredibly stiff looking hairdo she has ever seen in her life. Isabella wonders if the woman sleeps sitting on an armchair, or if it's a wig. She doesn't think it is. The woman wears heavy makeup around her eyes and her lips are always bright red and she smells of old lady perfume and naphthalene. There are days when she wears long jackets with little holes, probably made by hungry moths, to which naphthalene poses no threat.
There is another woman who Isabella thinks suffers from constipation. The way she constantly looks and fidgets, while sitting on her bench, gives Isabella that impression. That or maybe she is just disgusted by the surface she has to sit on. It can also be it since, when the woman leaves, the station before Isabella's, she doesn't touch anything for balance. She prefers to stumble her way out of the train than to touch a pole for 10 seconds. She doesn't exclude the possibility of OCD; she just never saw her fishing a disinfectant wipe or gel from her purse. She could wear gloves… in the winter.
Another person Isabella always travels with, and that she sees as the most interesting person there, is a really tanned man, with long dirty dreadlocks and long rusty beard and wearing a really old and worn out brown suit with a matching beige shirt. He's always wearing the same. His shoes are really old too and covered with white dust. He always carries with him 2 completely full plastic bags. They look heavy. Isabella noticed that he changes bags regularly. They probably can't handle all the weight. She can never see what's in them. Isabella finds the man interesting because he fits perfectly the description of Jesus. In her mind, she calls him "JC". He also doesn't say a word the entire journey but she kind of understands why. He always looks like he's miles away.
The constipated woman sometimes steals a look or two at him and twitches in her seat. Isabella is glad the man sits two rows away from her, or else the woman would probably have a stroke. Also, he's the only one that always chooses the benches that make him sit facing against the movement of the train. And it's benches because, unlike the others and Isabella, he never sits on the same one. Every day, when he enters the train, Hulk barks at him for a few seconds, but the woman tells it to shush and Hulk yelps and stops. Isabella and the suit man are the only ones who don't react badly at his presence. Isabella just looks; the man doesn't even acknowledge him. She wonders if "JC" notices.
So, it's Monday and Isabella is entering the train while holding her phone. She's texting her co worker, Angela, telling her "I need black coffee today" because she didn't sleep well. That alone should have been a sign that her train routine was going to be different. Isabella never texts while she's moving or inside the train because it usually makes her dizzy, she never drinks black coffee because she never needs to, and she never needs to because she always sleeps well. She is walking towards her usual place while looking at her phone, so she doesn't see anything different. It's only when she sits and puts her phone inside her jacket pocket that she notices there's something off. In front of her there's a pair of legs. She looks at them wondering why is it that, after a whole year, there is a pair of legs in front of her bench. She follows the path between the knees of the person and the face that goes with them. She finds a good looking man, wearing a dark blue suit, pale blue shirt and blue tie, holding a black briefcase close to his chest, with his dark hair combed with gel, looking straight at her with some sort of blank expression. His eyes are green. Isabella thinks it's a pity. They should be blue, to match his outfit. He has a short brown and reddish beard and, looking at his hair again, Isabella wonders if it has the same colour. She concludes it must have. It's the gel that makes it darker.
Isabella wonders if the others had the same reaction when they saw her get on the train for the first time. The same sense of disturbance she is feeling. Only now she is starting to realize she also has her own bubble and the man in front of her poked at it a little, just by standing there.
"Good Morning." He says with a cheerful tone, locking his eyes with hers.
And her bubble bursts. Isabella almost feels the little droplets hitting her eyes. He spoke to her. Is it possible that, after a whole year of spending 40 minutes inside a train with the same people, it takes a stranger to speak to her? She thinks.
She smiles at him and says good morning to him too.
"JC" is no longer the only one who sits facing against the movement of the train. The man takes his eyes away from Isabella and looks outside the window, never releasing his grasp from his briefcase. She is curious so she looks at him. She did the same with the other travellers for a while, she still does. And she's sure they do the same. She doesn't realize she's embarrassing herself by blatantly looking at him until she sees his green eyes looking back at her. And he is smiling. She's caught. She was looking at him, at his face, at his well defined jaw, at his sexy short beard, at his Adam's apple, his lips and his hands that firmly hold his briefcase, and she likes what she sees. She quickly takes her eyes away from him, all the while feeling her cheeks burn a little. She doesn't dare to do anything other than look outside the window the rest of her journey, to the fields and darkness that are right on the other side of the glass.
When the train arrives at her station, the constipated woman and the suit man have already left. Isabella knows that the rest of the passengers of that carriage stay in, she always leaves alone. That is why she is surprised when she sees the man in front of her rise from his seat. They get up at the same time and he gestures for her to leave first, with his hand stretched forward and a smile on his lips. Isabella smiles at him and walks by, smelling his amazing perfume. She feels him following her down the stairs that take her to the platform and when both their feet are resting on the concrete Isabella hears his voice again saying "Have a nice day!" She turns and meets his beautiful green eyes that are smiling at her, along with his lips. She can't help but smile at him too and wish him a nice day. Then one goes left and the other goes right.
...
It's Tuesday and Isabella is arriving at the train station with a hurried pace. Her shoes make squishy noises and the rain is hitting her umbrella pretty heavily. She looked at her watch and found out she's running a little late. She closes her umbrella and uses the glass wall of one of the station shops to check herself before entering the train. She doesn't want to look messy because she knows everyone always checks on everyone, every day. At least she thinks so, since she does that herself.
Isabella walks to her usual place and finds the man already sitting there, occupying the same spot he did yesterday. She drops her weight on her bench and exhales deeply; the exercise was too much for such an early hour. And she doesn't like the rain.
On the train are already the constipated woman and the old lady with Hulk inside its bag. She's wearing a really large beige gabardine today. The rain didn't ruin her hairdo. They both look annoyed, probably from the sudden bad weather. The suit man enters, completely soaked. After he's sitting on his bench he shakes the water away from his suit, cleans his hands on his pants and takes the newspaper out of his briefcase. Like every day he puts the newspaper in front of him and Isabella knows she's not going to see his face anymore until his station approaches. He's wearing Tuesday's suit. No surprise.
The man in front of her is looking outside the window, seemingly distant, looking past the water droplets that are stuck to the other side of the glass. He's holding his briefcase tightly against his chest like yesterday and he has a black umbrella resting next to him. Today he's wearing a dark grey suit with a light grey shirt and a dark grey tie. They match the weather perfectly, and the colour looks really good on him. His hair is combed like yesterday, with gel, but he shaved so today Isabella can really see his jaw, and it amazes her even more. He is a really handsome man. Isabella his looking at his perfect hands with those long fingers and inhaling is perfume and wonders if he didn't notice her because he's yet to greet her. After probably 30 seconds of staring and thinking she decides to speak and says a cheerful "Good Morning!" to him. He slowly turns his head away from the window and looks at her. She looks between his green eyes and his pink lips, waiting for an answer. Like yesterday, he smiles at her and gives her a "Good morning!" with the same mood. Luckily the bad weather didn't ruin it. The train begins to move.
Since she has no idea what to say next, and apparently neither does he, she looks at the other passengers and outside the window. Today it is hard to see what's outside so there is really no point into looking there, and Isabella has already looked enough at the other occupants. It's the man in front of her she wants to look at. She is a year behind on him.
"Do you like the rain?"
She takes her eyes away from the window and looks at him. He's talking to her. He's looking at her, waiting for her answer so she needs to stop thinking and start speaking if she doesn't want him to begin growing his own bubble.
"Sort of. It feels nice... when you're home. When you have to get outside and go to work... not so much." She chuckles a little and he laughs too.
"Yes. You're right. I also sort of like the rain." He smiles at Isabella and she smiles at him and there is awkward silence between them. She doesn't like it one bit. She wants to keep talking to him, hear his voice. He has such a soft and deep voice and Isabella likes it very much.
"I'm Isabella." She says while stretching her hand forward.
He looks at it for a brief moment and then looks into her eyes again. He takes one of his hands away from his briefcase and stretches it towards Isabella's, smiling all the while.
"Pleasure to meet you, Isabella. I'm Edward."
They shake hands and laugh softly, always looking at each other and smiling. Edward takes his hand away from Isabella's and she regrets it. she liked the feeling of his skin on hers. He has really soft hands... and those long fingers...
Isabella is thinking of something else to say to him but she finds none. She has already introduced herself. His name is Edward. Such a beautiful name, even though a little outdated. He was probably named after a grandfather or something, she thinks.
"JC" enters the train like he always does, carrying his heavy bags, wearing his worn out suit, looking dirty, and today wet. His shoes look soaked but he doesn't seem to mind. He sits on a different bench, facing against the movement of the train, his eyes always looking at something far away.
The rest of the journey unfolds uneventfully. Hulk barks at "JC", the old lady tells it to shush, the suit man never raises his head until he hears his station is approaching, the constipated woman leaves, the same station she always does, "JC" looks like he's not even on the train, Edward looks outside the window, holding his briefcase close to his chest and Isabella looks at everyone and everything.
When the train stops at Isabella's and Edward's station they stand up at the same time, just like yesterday. And just like yesterday he gestures for her to go ahead, which she does, with a smile and a "thank you." When both their feet are resting on the platform they turn to each other smiling.
"Have a nice day, Isabella."
"Have a nice day, Edward."
Then one goes left and the other goes right.
...
Isabella is surreptitiously looking at herself using the shops' windows, as she walks towards the train. Today she isn't late. She made sure she woke up earlier because she wanted to spend a little more time with herself and she wanted to arrive at the train earlier than Monday and Tuesday. She succeeded because she is now getting to her seat and Edward's is empty. She is waiting for him to arrive and she is nervous. She wants to talk to him a little bit more, get to know him better. He is the only one who talks to her and she is tired of spending 40 minutes every day just staring at people and fields. She enjoys his voice and his looks and he seems to be a nice person. That's why she took an extra half hour choosing her clothes and fixing her hair and making sure she put enough perfume so he would be able to smell it from his sit.
She is feeling kind of stupid now. She knows him for 2 days, in a total of 80 minutes. That's not even an hour and half. That's only an hour and 20 minutes of stares, smiles, a total exchange of probably no more than 80 words (yes, she tried to count them), and a touch of hands. But that was more than she could have ever expected... at least from a train passenger, and she likes it.
Her thoughts are interrupted by Edward's voice.
"Good morning, Isabella." He sits in front of her and rests his dry umbrella at his side.
She is about to greet him but when she looks at him her words never leave her mouth. In front of her is a totally different man. His hair doesn't have any gel on; it's dishevelled, pointing at various directions. She can see its natural colour and as she had thought, it is brown with some reddish nuances, like the beard that is starting to grow again. Instead of a suit he is wearing a dark grey tight sweater that hugs his body perfectly and she can see white fabric through the collar. He's wearing dark jeans and casual black shoes. Next to him lays a dark grey jacket. Today he didn't bring his briefcase. Instead, he brought a black bag that Isabella thinks has a computer inside. The bag is at his feet instead of his lap.
She is embarrassing herself again, she knows it. So she hurriedly answers him, after she clears her throat.
"Hi! Good morning, Edward. You..." She is going to say something about his looks. She can't believe it but she is. "You look different today."
He laughs at her remark and looks at himself before answering.
"Yes, well... I kind of missed this." He grabs his sweater and laughs a little more. "Suits are not my style. I kind of hate them, actually."
"Oh, okay." Isabella is feeling stupid. She doesn't know what else to say. At that moment the suit man enters the train.
"But don't say that to him." She says lower, gesturing with her head towards the man. "It will probably hurt his feelings." She laughs.
Edward looks behind his shoulder and then looks at Isabella. "Is that so?" He says, raising one of his eyebrows. He sounds curious. Isabella enjoys that a lot.
"Oh yes. He wears suits every day. And it's always the same. Well, not the same suit every day. He has a suit for each day of the week." She suddenly feels stupid... again. Edward is going to think she is nosy or crazy or both.
But he laughs instead. "Really? And he's been doing that for how long? I would die if I had to wear a suit every day!"
"At least a year!" Isabella says, with a tone of incredulity.
"A year? Man! That's... crazy!" He sounds incredulous too. He's laughing.
"I know, right?" She laughs with him.
When both their laughs subside they stare at each other, just smiling.
"So, Isabella, what do you do for a living?"
Isabella feels great right now. In her mind, she is doing a little happy dance because he is really talking to her, making conversation.
"I work at a publishing company. We're specialized on books and magazines about animals."
"Really? That's... different... and interesting. You like animals then, I suppose?"
"Oh yes. Very much! Cats have a special place in my heart, but I love all sorts of animals... well not really! I don't particularly like insects and creepy animals." Isabella shudders at the thought.
Edward is laughing. "I like cats too."
"So, what about you? What do you do for a living?" Isabella asks him.
"I work at a software company. We work a lot with international companies. That's why I had to wear suits. We had important meetings with some clients."
"Did they go well?"
"Oh, yes! Very well! Let's just say I won't have to wear a suit for another 6 months!" He laughs.
Isabella thinks that is a pity. She enjoyed seeing him in a suit. Not that the current outfit doesn't work for him. It does! A lot!
"Unfortunately it means I'm going to spend a lot of time looking at my computer... and I mean a lot!" He says, while touching his bag with his foot. Isabella notices he doesn't seem too thrilled about it.
"You don't like what you do?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I do! It's just... It doesn't leave me a lot of time to do other things. Sometimes, I just wish I had time to do mundane things... like going to the cinema or go out with friends..."
The way he says friends seems off to Isabella. She thinks he probably doesn't have that many. If he really spends so many time with his computer and working... And if he just moved in here he probably doesn't have any.
"I've been taking this train for a year and I just saw you this Monday. Are you from around here or did you just move?"
"I just moved here. Monday was my first day. I've been working for this company for a while but I was in a different city."
"Do you like it here?" Isabella asks and thinks please say yes!
He gives her a big smile. "So far, so good!"
She gives herself a mental hi-five. If he doesn't have any friends yet, she has no problem with being his first!
"I'm glad." She answers him, smiling.
She's going to ask him where he lived before when she hears the cold voice informing their station is approaching. Only now she realizes the suit man is already gone, as is the constipated woman. The old lady with the stiff hairdo is wearing the beige gabardine again and Hulk is comfortably sleeping inside its bag. "JC" changed his plastic bags and is wearing the same suit, like he does every day.
Once again, they both stand up at the same time. While Edward puts his jacket on, picks his bag from the floor and his umbrella, Isabella walks by and stands by the train door, waiting for him. Once again, when they are both at the platform, they turn to each other and wish each other a nice day with a smile on their faces. This time though, they say something more.
"Good luck with your computer!"
"Good luck with your cat books!"
They both laugh.
Then one goes left and the other goes right.
...
Isabella always hated Thursdays. It's not Friday so she can't be happy because it's finally the end of the week, and it means she has been working for 3 days already, which means she has had to endure a total of 120 minutes of silence, travelling through the same fields and same tunnels and looking at the same rude people. That's two hours! Two hours every week, for a whole year!
But today she doesn't hate Thursday. Oh no, she is actually thrilled about this particular Thursday because she is going to have a pleasant train journey. She arrived at the station early again. She sits on her usual place and feels her phone vibrating inside her pocket. She picks it up and reads Angela's message. "Is he there yet? :)" Isabella can't help but smile at that. She loves Angela. "No. Not yet!"
As soon as she puts the phone back inside her pocket she smells Edward's perfume.
"Good morning!"
She raises her head to greet him.
"Good morning Edward!"
Isabella has become really fond of his cheerful mood and his big smile. It's like her day feels incomplete if she doesn't see him. Today he's wearing dark blue jeans, a dark green sweater with a brown one underneath. His jacket is brown, matching his shoes. Green looks great on him, they match his eyes and the brown enhances the colours of his hair. His beard has grown a little bit more. Isabella loves to look at him.
She expects him to seat in front of her but today he sits next to her. It catches Isabella by surprise. He puts his jacket and his computer bag on top of the benches in front of him. He has already noticed no one sits there.
"So, how come I never see you at the end of the day?" He asks her.
He's asking Isabella why she doesn't take the train home.
"At night I always take a ride with my friend Angela." She tells him. So he takes the train back home. Where does he live? Where did he live before moving here?
"You take the train back home?" She asks him.
"Yes, every night. The lady with the dog takes it too. And so does the suit man."
"Really? That's interesting."
"Have you ever wondered what they do during the day?" He asks her.
"Oh yes! Totally! I bet the old lady there spends the day sitting at an old tea house, feeding Hulk cookies and tea and talking to her lady friends. They're probably a really peculiar group. Each of them has a little dog with some ironic name and they all have the stiffest hairdos!" They both burst out laughing.
"Okay, okay, I can see that!" Edward says, shaking his head and laughing. "What about him?" He gestures with his head towards the suit man.
"He probably works at a bank. He reads the "Financial Times" every day. And either his office has a window and he gets to look outside the entire day or he doesn't enjoy the outdoors at all. He always sits at the window but never takes his eyes off the paper. Also I bet he has some sort of weird obsession with clothes. Did you notice he has a suit for each day of the week but he never changes his tie?"
Edward looks at him and nods. "Maybe his wife gave him that tie and he really likes it?" he shrugs.
"He doesn't wear a wedding ring."
"You are really observant, aren't you?" He looks at Isabella. She shrugs and smiles at him.
"I guess. If you spent a year seeing the same people every day, you would probably notice these things too." Isabella is kind of justifying herself. She doesn't want to seem nosy. It isn't like that, at all.
When the train stops and "JC" enters, Edward asks her "What about him?"
"Oh, him. I call him "JC"."
Edward starts laughing again. "You didn't!"
"What? Don't tell me you don't see it! Look at him!"
Edward looks at him and really takes in his appearance: the long dreadlocks and rusty beard, his tanned skin and his overall dirty looks.
"Okay, maybe I do see it a little. Do you know what he carries in those bags?"
"I have no idea but I know he replaces the bags from time to time."
Edward hums and they stay silent for a while. When the train voice tells the passengers a certain station is approaching the constipated woman rises from her bench.
"That woman, tell me what you think about her." Isabella asks Edward.
"Hmm, I don't know. She doesn't look too comfortable in here. Maybe she doesn't enjoy closed spaces? Or she doesn't like taking the train."
"I think she's always constipated or that she suffers from OCD. Look how she never touches anything. Look, look, she's going to stumble her way out of the train."
They both look at the woman who refuses to steady herself and that, therefore, almost falls to the ground as the train comes to a stop.
"Maybe you're right." Edward tells Isabella.
They watch as the woman disappears through the stairs that lead to the outside of the station. The train resumes its movement and they stay in silence for a little while more.
"So, where did you live, before coming here?"
"New York." He states.
"New York?" Isabella says, a little too loud. When he said he worked in a different city she didn't expect it to be on the other side of the Atlantic!
"That's... far!" She says with an incredulous tone.
He laughs at her reaction. "Yes, it is."
"But your accent..." She doesn't understand.
"I was born here. When I got the job at this company I worked here for a while but then they needed people in the New York department so I moved there."
"Oh, I see. And you returned because you missed your country like crazy?" She asks him with a little smile on her face.
"Something like that." He answers, laughing. "New York is amazing but it's too much. I like it here. Much more quiet, peaceful. I spend too much time locked inside the office, lost in computer stuff. When I get out I like to breathe fresh air, hear birds singing, all that country stuff, you know? They were in need of someone here so I volunteered."
"I guess Central Park wasn't enough then?" Isabella says, laughing.
"It was the only escape for too many people. What's the point in trying to spend a peaceful afternoon when you're going to be surrounded by hundreds of people who are trying to do the exact same thing? It gets too crowded."
Isabella nods her head in understanding.
Edward looks towards the window and points with his hand. "This, this is what I need. It's enough to make my day."
Isabella looks outside, to the green and yellow fields, a few horses eating grass and birds flying around, with the tall buildings approaching faster. She nods, once again understanding what he's saying. They remain silent the rest of their journey.
Like the other days, they rise at the same time as the train comes to a stop. Edward picks up his things as Isabella walks towards the door. They leave the train, stand on the platform and look at each other. Today they are taking more time than usual saying their goodbyes.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then!" She tells him.
"Sure. Same time, same place!" He assures her.
"Okay then. Have a nice day!"
"You too, Isabella!"
They raise their hands at the same time and wave a little at each other.
Then one goes left and the other goes right.
...
Isabella always loved Fridays. It meant the week is coming to an end and she is going to have two days all for herself and she is going to have some fun with her friend. She loves Friday and the weekends! But today she hates Friday. It means it is the last time she is going to see Edward. She is going to have to spend two days without being with him. Not only that, but Angela has plans with her boyfriend so that means Isabella is going to have a boring weekend.
She enters the train feeling a little sullen. Her phone vibrates inside her pocket and she picks it up. She already knows who it is so before she reads the message she is already rolling her eyes. "DO IT!" Angela says. Isabella puts the phone back inside her pocket without answering. Angela must be crazy, she thinks.
After a few minutes Edward is yet to come and Isabella grows agitated. What if he doesn't come today? What if she's not going to see him for three days instead of two? She hears the station voice saying the train is about to leave. The suit man is already sitting at his usual place, reading his newspaper. When Isabella looks outside she sees Edward running through the platform. His cheeks are flushed, his lips are pinker and his hair is everywhere. The doors are already closed and Isabella's heart is almost beating out of her chest.
Isabella's eyes never leave him as Edward reaches the door and touches the button that opens it. Isabella sighs in relief. He approaches her and drops his body next to hers, breathing heavily. After a few seconds he straightens himself and drops his bag and his jacket on the benches in from of them. Still panting, he looks at her and says "Good morning!"
She laughs because now she can, now that he's safely sitting next to her, now that her weekend isn't totally ruined.
"Good morning! The alarm didn't work?" She mocks him.
"I couldn't find my keys! It drove me mad!" He's resting his head on the bench, still breathing heavily. He has heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"That happens to me sometimes. I take it you found them?"
"Oh yes. They were inside my bag all along!"
They both laugh.
"So, how is the computer work going?" Isabella asks him. She doesn't want him to stop talking; she doesn't want any awkward silence to settle between them, she wants to know him better.
"Good. I don't have much to do other than work so... It's going good."
He doesn't sound too happy about it though. He doesn't have much to do... does he want to have something else to do? Does this mean he has no friends here?
"Oh... I'm glad?" Isabella says. It sounds more like a question because she isn't sure if it's a good thing.
"It's alright." He shrugs and yawns.
They stay silent for a few minutes and when Isabella is about to talk again to Edward she looks at him and finds him with his eyes closed. He's fallen asleep. She feels a little disappointed but she is not going to wake him up. Maybe he's tired. Maybe he spent all night working on his project.
Through the entire time he's sleeping Isabella steals glances at him. She loves to watch him sleep. Creepy? Maybe a little, but he's handsome and he doesn't know; and what he doesn't know doesn't kill him... or her. A while after the constipated woman has left the train, Isabella hears Edward's breathing changing. She looks at him while he turns his head towards her and his hair falls to his eyes. Isabella has a sudden urge to take it away from his face but she refrains.
"Good morning, sir!" She says while laughing.
"I'm so sorry!" He rubs his eyes, tries to put his hair back in place and straightens himself. "It's just that I didn't sleep much and that little run I had to do made me really tired."
"Oh please, Edward! Don't apologise. There's no need! Are you feeling rested now?" She asks, a little worried.
"Absolutely! Where were we before I rudely fell asleep on you?" He thinks for a second or two. "Right! What about you? Are you working on anything interesting?"
Isabella laughs at his quick recovery. "Yes, we're working on a new book. It's a guide on how to take care of fish. It's way more complex than I thought! No wonder there are so many little fishes dying and being thrown into toilets every day!" She laughs and he laughs with her.
"Yes, I bet it's hard. But I don't like fish tanks. They make me sad." He tells her.
"Oh? How come?" Isabella wonders.
"You know... They spend their entire life trapped inside four walls, passing by the same rocks and plants every day, being alone or being with the same other fishes every day. It's even worse when they are put into round bowls. That's just cruel. They spend the entire time going around in circles. And if the tank isn't big enough they never grow. And you never know if they're happy or not, if they're hurting or if they're hungry or lacking oxygen. Have you ever thought about that? How would you feel if you stayed the same size your entire life? What if you had to walk by the same people every day for the rest of your life? And what if you lived in the same place forever, when there is so much out there to discover? What if you had to do the same things over and over and over, because you have no other alternative? And what if other people never knew how you were feeling?" He stops talking for a few seconds and Isabella is looking at him, speechless.
"I think it's sad. That's all." He shrugs.
They stay in silence for a few more minutes while Isabella thinks about what he just said. He has just described her life perfectly. Isabella has been seeing the same people every day for an entire year, she takes the same train every day that takes her through the same places every day to the same city... every day. She doesn't travel, she doesn't have any friends aside from Angela. She lives inside four walls that don't allow her to grow. No one ever knows how she's feeling because no one ever bothers to speak to her.
"You know, that is the most incredibly truthful thing I have heard in a long time." She tells him.
He looks at her, smiles and nods. He probably feels the same way, Isabella thinks, and he used the fish metaphor to express his feelings.
They remain silent the rest of their journey, and Isabella just listens to Edward's steady breathing while looking straight forward. She's sure that, for an outsider, she looks exactly like "JC".
The train stopping at their station breaks the comfortable silence they were sharing. They look at each other and smile. Then they rise from their seats and as usual, Edward picks his stuff while Isabella walks towards the door where she waits for him. They leave the train, stand on the platform and look at each other. Today they are taking even a little more time than usual saying their goodbyes.
Isabella thinks about Angela's message.
"You know..." She starts to tell him. She's feeling really nervous right now. She doesn't know how to say it and she feels her cheeks starting to burn a little. "I don't have to be at work until ten." She hopes he catches the hint.
"Oh. Hmm, me neither." He tells her.
"Hmm. If you like... I would be really interested in hearing what else you have to say on fish... or any other animal!" She laughs shyly.
Edward looks away for a few seconds and then locks his green eyes with hers. He gives her a big smile.
"Don't even get me started on birds!"
Isabella returns his smile and they both laugh.
Then they both go right.
a/n: thanks for reading!
I hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing!
xoxo