Hello beautiful world of FF! A few (if there were any) people might have read this story as a multi-chapter story and forgot about it because this is like a two-year old story and when I wrote this I was still into corny and cheesy stuffs (I still actually am, hahaha, but older) so I revised it and made it into a one-shot. Hope you enjoy!
It's been weeks since fall arrived in Jump City. The people there were never known to take things slow; always working, always bustling, always in motion - not affording the leisure to live their lives like the people do in the town between the only two mountains of the city. The place was not fancied much by many because of the way things run and not to mention its location from the main land; very far and very unconventional for people with corporate jobs although the people in it were good and humble.
It was still six in the morning and not a pip of sound was heard within the four walls of his room. Garfield snuggled closer to his pillow as the chilly morning weather gnarled its way through his partially closed window. The night before his bed devoured his body, he had purposely opened his window to dry up a shirt he ought to use the next day, since his dryer have already given up on him after 3 years of service. Having failed to close the glassed frame completely, he shivered from the icy blow of wind he received from outside, making the hairs of his neck stand up. He pulled his comforter higher and continued to sleep soundly, giving no signs of waking up sooner, not even when he had to be awake by seven so he wouldn't miss his only ride to his job, at the city.
RIIIIIIIIING… RIIIIIIIIING... RIIIIIIIIIING...
The alarm clock on his nightstand blared when the long arm of the clock reached twelve. He groaned after hearing the third ring and groggily reached over the table to turn the device off without peeking from his comfortable, heaven-like state under the covers.
"Shhhhhh, stop… ringing." He drowsily mumbled as he tried to find the off button of the alarm clock.
RIIIIIIIINGGG… RIIIIIIIIING… RIIIIIIIIING…
"Ugggggggggh."
Pushing off his blankets, he proceeded to finally silence the poor device that has been shrieking for minutes. He always hated waking up early when he lacked a couple hours of sleep as it always makes his brain heavy and difficult to function and today was no exception. Though with heavy head, the moment his window pooled the room bright tangy rays of the sun, his mood turned three hundred sixty degrees.
He slowly raised his sleepy head and smiled in enthusiasm.
"Good morning world!" he yawned and stretched as he stood up and opened the window.
His house along with other four homes, faced the meadow leading up to the forest and a perfect view of one of the mountains can be seen behind their patch of land. The perennial trees were already naked of their leaves and the grass were plump and thick. A few more days, and winter will come.
He inhaled the chilly air once more and sighed contently.
This town has been his home for three years now and not a single day did he not love waking up every morning to the sight of it. He loved every part of the place. It reminded him of the times when everything was good and peaceful in the world. When he was still a kid and when changes around him were minimal and less abrupt. It was like an old town from the 50's or so, as he always imagined, and he loved living where everything around him is taken slowly and humbly. Many people from both the city and town would question the young man why he preferred to live in such an isolated town rather in a city where he can easily have access to his job and to practically everything. But he liked living somewhere peaceful. He liked seeing the forest and the mountains and the good people of this town. He liked everything in the town, because it reminded him of his life and his parents when they still lived in...somewhere.
He happily gazed at the fogged mountain slowly being clothed by the beams of light. He could stare at this view forever, he thought as he leaned on his elbows by the window sill. He watched over the mountain's top then to its feet and then to the evergreen trees around it. He couldn't wait for the snow to cloak the coned shape mass of land. It was always magical feat to see the proud mountain covered in white fluff solidified water.
Even though he was happily feeling the warm embrace of the sun, he knew he can't stay that long. He still have to get ready for his job. His forest green eyes glanced at his clock and he almost jumped when he saw that he only had ten minutes to prepare. He really must have slept in because he would usually have plenty of time to prepare and have the leisure of time to appreciate Mother Nature more.
He hurriedly took off his pyjamas, showing off his lean yet muscular body, and grabbed his overcoat, the shirt he had washed last night with black pants and a pair of fresh clean socks ran off to his front door. He almost forgot his handbag and rushed back to his room to retrieve it. He had no more time to comb his fairly dirty blond hair and instead brought his comb with him, shoving it in his pocket. Garfield care not much for his looks, but that does not make him look less handsome.
In fact, Garfield was a good-looking lad. His had ample firm lips. A delicate, and yet at the same time, masculine, nose conveying a boyish appeal. His eyes were like the forest, lushes of green hues appearing to be full of life. He believed they're usually the cause of catching the ladies attention and he's not even complaining. Garfield was a good natured person with a sense of humour and a killer smile to go with, or so he claims. He was kind. He was a good friend and neighbour. He was gentle and bright, and he loved everything that has life. You can almost say that Garfield is a perfect man.
The town was already alive at this early stage of the day and Garfield never felt so in synced with the energy the place was giving off. Forgetting to grab some gloves for the cold weather, he shoved his hands into his coat's pockets and proceeded to stride down the streets. The town had no tall buildings, no busy roads, no crowded pedestrian lanes and no big and bright signages. The stores in the town were small and conjoint but were colourful and charming. Few people have greeted him good morning and he happily responded. He truly love this place, but not as much as riding the train.
Unlike the new trains in the city, the one in town was still a steamed engine train. It honestly excited him and the child in him every day he takes a ride to and from the town. He thought of it as a very cool transportation as he reminisces the past, like he was still in the old times, as he can delightfully listen to the chime and chugs of the very train. There was only one train and it was old; it only departs from the town three times a day, leading straight up to the city. From town, the train would take about an hour to arrive at the city and nothing pleased Garfield more than the ride he was getting on. This is how it always go in his every morning and this is one of the many reasons why he can never dare to even think about leaving the small fair town.
The train station was almost deserted.
Almost. If it weren't for the distant chatters of the conductors and operators behind the quiet ambience, it would have been completely believed to be empty. He entered the six-foot metal gates barring him from inside the station and proceeded to buy his ticket. He thought that at least it would be warmer inside the cabin and his uncovered hands would then stop freezing. There really aren't many people who would ride the train early in the morning, because he know they would be too busy enjoying the day inside the delightful stores and their cozy homes, or so he believed.
He walked further and found the commercial train he was to ride. He could always buy himself a car, after all, his job pays him well but he insisted on taking the train. It was one of the main reasons why he's still present in this distant small town after all.
He looked around the passenger car he boarded, and took his usual seat at the last row of the train, his handbag safely seated at his right side taking a reposed position on the other seat. The brown-haired grandma with her red knitted scarf was at the front row, sitting near the right opened window. The middle-aged Hispanic woman was there as well, seating beside her big black stuffy duffel bag at the middle left row of the train. Her black frizzy hair furiously danced as her opened window blew cold kisses to her heartened face.
This was a typical ride. He was so used to it that he'd memorized what the grandma would wear next or where the middle-aged lady would sit tomorrow. Since after all, only few people would take the train nowadays, maybe because they have been introduced to bullet buses lately and have been riding them to consume less time commuting.
This was a silent long trip towards the city and as much as he loved being as loud and cheerful as he can, he loved the peace and serenity of the ride more.
The train had two stops along the way. Soon, after a couple of minutes would pass by, they'd stop at the next train stop. He slumped down in his seat and closed his eyes as his face welcomed the chilly breeze. He loved it when the air tickles his face and the smell of the autumn breeze fills in his nostrils. He was enjoying his time inside and slowly his eyes began get heavy as he gradually dozed off.
The trained stopped. One, two, three people usually boarded the train every morning from this stop. Perhaps the tired husband from his grave shift, an Asian teen with two to three sling bags who's addicted to caffeine and a kid with a worn-out skateboard.
'As always.'
He thought as he contently smiled to himself. He was about close his eyes back when a young woman with raven hair frantically ran for the closing doors and called out for the train to wait. She hurriedly went inside through the first door. There were two doors in their cable; one was at front and the other at the back. The twelve rows inside the passenger car were divided by two columns, each of this column had two comfortable grey seats.
'Well, that's new…' He remarked as he laid his eyes to the new face inside the train.
He can barely see the woman's features with her long black hair covering her face. Her hair was dishevelled, sticking onto different sides of her face but he can tell that she wasn't from that stop's town. She dressed too neatly to be a resident.
Realizing his thoughts, he returned his attention back to the new arrival in front.
She was wearing a black winter coat and a grey knitted scarf hugged her neck warmly. Her black shoes carried few stains of crude oil and dirt. She was all black except for her scarf. As she got closer, Garfield could almost see her face as he sneakily tried to catch a glimpse of her. Her perfectly sized heart shaped lips was all he could see and he felt disappointed.
She was examining the room, her eyes wandered to every nook and corner inside. This was the first time he'd seen her.
The young woman passed a granny by who kindly smiled at her from the front row. A kid with a skater cap was at the other column of the granny's chair and an exhausted man was sitting next behind him. The young woman proceeded at the mid-part of the train, passing a middle-aged woman with a very big duffel bag for company, as she finally took a seat before the back door of the passenger car. Garfield was seated at the back corner of the train, trying to act natural and oblivious of her arrival by looking out from the window. He was seated at the back, opposite to an Asian kid who was hopelessly trying to stay awake.
The young woman started combing her hair with her hands but Garfield could only see the back of her head. She was only sitting two rows before him, on the opposite side of the train. He tried to lean against the window in attempt to see her but she was too far away from his view. He slowly stood up and leaned against his left to see if he could get a better angle but he had no such luck. He tipped toed and jumped silently as the Asian kid behind him gave him a weird look, but still no luck. He was so curious over the new arrival that he completely looked like a fool trying to have a peek of look at her.
He felt like he'd seen her somewhere, or somehow. He would have remembered, if ever.
It had been fifteen minutes since she boarded the train, yet he was still baffled about the fact that he still didn't see her face. The next stop boarded four people but none took the seat beside him and the young woman in front.
The ride to the city was coming to an end. Towering buildings were now peaking past the trees. He only had five minutes left to bask in his peaceful ride and also to have the chance of seeing her face fully.
Maybe he pretended to stumble beside her she would notice him or approach her and ask her about something dumb or whatever or simply hit her with his charming wink. They all worked for other women before, and they always do when does it but he felt like she would react different, he felt she was different. Before he knew it, the young woman was long gone. The train arrived and already opened the doors yet there he was talking to himself, on board on his train of thoughts.
Had he seen this girl somewhere? He must have. He can almost feel like he knew her.
Will she come back again tomorrow?
Where had he seen this girl?
If he thought more about this stranger, he would have had a fever and overwork his brain.
'Oh, well. We'll see if she comes back tomorrow.' He thought, as he adjusted his coat.
'I hope she'll come back tomorrow.' he added, rubbing his hands together and blew a breath to them as he stepped out of the train.
"Hey."
"Hmmm…"
"Is this seat taken?"
"What?"
"I said, iss this seat taken?"
CHOOOOOOO... CHOOOOOO...
His disoriented senses were beginnning to function as he tried to focus on the blurry figure before him and mumbled. "Yeah, sure…"
Garfield boarded the train just a few minutes ago but had immediately fallen asleep along the way. He was especially tired today since their team stayed all day at the zoo to check on the increasing number of animals getting sick and figuring out how and where it all began. He loved his job as a veterinarian at the city but there were times that his job exhausted him to death, he could barely stay awake on his way home.
As Garfield's stretched out his hands and yawned in attempt to supply his brain with more oxygen to enable him to stay conscious, the person beside him spoke. "Mister, are you feeling okay?" A black-haired little girl perhaps not older than ten asked and rubbed her mittened hands together before placing both on her cheeks.
"Just a bit…" Yawn. "…tired, little lady." He replied rubbing one of his hand on his right eye and re-positioned his body in his chair. She just stared at him as she continued to rub her cheeks with her hands.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked. "You don't have a scarf and it's very cold." She added, squirming in her seat. Garfield looked at the little girl and smiled.
She was a peculiar girl. The way she looked and the way she spoke to him gave him a familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach that he cannot pinpoint.
"I must've left my scarf somewhere…" he but scratched his chin. "but the cold never bothered me anyway..." He jokingly sang and looked at the girl, expecting her to react from his witty quip, but she just continued to somehow ignore him.
'Gee. Am I that bad?' he pondered as he let the attempted, and now dead joke to pass. He turned to face her and raised his eyebrow. Hmmm.
"What about you? Where are your parents? Are you all alone in this cold weather?"
She continued to look at him, not answering his questions. It looked like she was about to ignore this question as well, when she opened her mouth and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"I'm a kid. I can't be all alone." She responded in a matter of fact tone and proceeded to lean back to her chair. She looked like she was thinking about something. She started to swing her feet back and forth and decided to add more of her previous statement. "We'll I'm alone now, but I won't be in a few minutes." Garfield then nodded and settled back to his seat.
'What an odd kid.' He thought as he thumped his fingers on the arm chair and sighed.
It has been a week since he saw the mystery train woman and not once have she come back. The next day after seeing her, he was anticipating their encounter in hopes that he could make acquaintance with the stranger in the train. Hoping that she would again take the train, he felt a bit disappointed when he saw no sign of any mysterious lady within the vehicle. He was still a bit curious about her until now, but he doubt he would get to see her again in the train. Although he couldn't blame the woman, the train was after all, rickety, making a few noises and produces a lot of smoke. He guessed that no city girl would want to smell like crude oil after taking a ride anyway.
He looked around the passenger car and counted that there were only six people inside, including him and the kid. He inspected his little seatmate and found her big green eyes fixating on her nose, her pig-tailed hair dangling. He didn't know if what the kid was doing were normally cute or just plain weird so he decided to just slump back to his chair and mind his own business. Garfield wondered what she meant about being all alone, in a public vehicle on a cold weather, with no one to watch over her. He looked once more at the kid and then back to the window.
'She's still doing it.' he quipped, making a rather half-confused, half-weirded out face.
He was about to say something for the sake of filling the air when the train stopped. They arrived at the second and the last stop from the town's station. The doors opened, allowing the cold biting wind to enter along with few familiar and some new faces.
Not minding further the sudden intrusion of his thoughts, he again decided to entertain himself and probably the kid, with more questions.
"So kid… I was wondering… When you said that yo-" Garfield never got to finish his sentence when the little girl instantly stood up and ran to the front door. He followed the kid from his seat with his eyes and looked at the girl who seemed to be searching for someone outside the train.
She seemed to have found her target and ran towards whatever she was looking out for outside. His snoopy demeanour suddenly got the better of him. He stood up from his seat to look at the little girl and his eyes trailed to where she ran off to. He saw the little girl with a woman with jet black hair facing back from him. She hugged the little girl with her petite figure that was covered in black clothes and her long black hair was neatly combed and was warmed by a grey bonnet and a scarf that matched her headpiece.
She seemed familiar to him.
Or, at least her back looked familiar. She migh-
Wait…
'Oh crap. Wait!'
'It's her! That's her!' He internally screamed and his feet frantically ran for the doors. He abruptly stopped when he was about to exit and thought to himself what he would do after chasing them. Should he introduce himself and tell her that he's been looking forward on seeing her? Should he tell her that she looked familiar? That won't probably work. He would sound like a stalker and that's the last thing he wanted to woman to think of him. He stood there with his thoughts, while the doors shut before him.
He watched the two interact. The little girl saw the blonde guy she sat beside from the windows and took her left hand away from their hug to wave at him. He waved back at her, eyes with dismay but he managed to put up a small smile. Garfield still stood on his spot, not knowing what to do or even what to make out of his previous actions. Just as the train started to move away from the station, the lady of his keen interest slowly turned to his direction. She must have noticed when the kid was giving her attention to something other than their long hug and greetings.
Everything suddenly became a bit of a blur for Garfield when green clashed with blue.
His mind unable to process how to react as her very eyes bore to his. He felt like a thief in the midst of the night that got caught. He felt like a prey being under it's predator's sight. He felt like he was captured and then beaten. Tickled. Drowned. Pushed. Comforted. Betrayed.
He felt overwhelmed. He felt like jumping off. He felt overpowered. He felt...sad. He felt like he was about to burst from all the emotions merging to his body and anytime his body would give up.
'Her eyes were blue. Like the colour. Blue. Eyes blue.' He completely lost the ability to think of any metaphorical or even logical words as her eyes stayed glued to his.
He was still standing by the door as the train left the last stop. He tried to recall how her face looked like but he all he could remember was her eyes.
A few certain minutes went by, he returned to his seat, his mind slowly getting back to it's normal performance. If his memory didn't betray him, her nose was small yet sharp and it balanced all her facial angles. Her cheeks were red and full and her delicate lips ajar as she blew out warm breaths. She was beautiful. Very, in fact. But there was something about her that he couldn't decipher. There's something about her but he could never describe. She was wrapped with so much wonder. So much doubts and questions.
Momentarily, he took his cold pale hands and rubbed them together, putting them to his flushed face to cover. He only hoped she didn't see how foolish he looked as the train left. The curiosity seemed to have amplified into a hundred folds as he remembered her eyes and unconsciously, he shivered.
'What if she comes back tomorrow?'
His mind kept repeating how her eyes impacted him and how her face looked like, afraid he might forget. He knew his huge curiosity won't just stop there. He wanted to see her again but he was scared at the same time of what might happen if he saw her eyes again. His knees might buckle and that would be too embarrassing and he would rather die. He was now sounding like a girl and that was even more embarrassing.
'Black…or gray?'
He has been in front of his mirror for solid ten minutes, arguing whether what colour of coat he should wear for today. He was wearing a woolen grey shirt layered with black warm blazers, a white sharp-looking undershirt peaking from his neck and a brown leather belt ensnared his faded denim jeans. He also picked a white warm scarf and this time, a pair of black gloves. He wanted to look presentable today but the reason behind was not fully known.
He looked at himself to the mirror and frowned. His thoughts and actions appear to battle. He signed for the third time and threw himself to his bed.
"Ugh, why am I doing this." He murmured and rolled on his side.
He was having thoughts after thoughts of the cold, the city, the zoo, his coat, her. But mostly about her. He stopped thinking and stared at the ceiling for a long time. He stayed at the same position for a couple more minutes before finally standing up and began to rehang his coats and back into the cabinet.
He woke up earlier than his alarm clock today. Last night, he found it hard to sleep as his mind crossed hundreds of thoughts and questions from his encounter or more like stare down, with the mystery lady at the train station. She donned an air full of inscrutability and her eyes, they were too much for him. They screamed mystery and cabalistic crypticism. There was a tinge of familiarity in them, that juiced his brain more for recollection of any engagement between them from the past. He was almost sure this was his first time meeting her though, for all he know, he would never not remember those eyes. She looked like a woman who you should not be messing with yet at the same cannot be avoided. It almost sounded like she was a deadly yet alluring mermaid coming from a strange and mysterious faraway part of the ocean, seducing her food into the cold deep dark waters, only to be devoured by her lush firm mou-.
Okay, perhaps that's enough thinking for now.
Shaking his head rapidly, he calmed himself and proceeded to exit his home. He cannot believe what he just thought.
It had gone colder as December arrived and his neighbourhood has started decorating their houses and yards with Christmas decorations. Garfield wasn't a man of religion but he believed that there is a God. He just didn't want to get caught between the thralls and issues of exclusivity in religion.
He arrived at the train station ten minutes earlier than his usual time and took his usual seat.
'Okay.'
He deeply sighed and crossed his arms together. He was thinking of what to do if ever he encountered her again today. The train departed from the station while Garfield was still in his thoughts. Garfield was restless both in mind and body, anxious of something that won't probably happen. The train was gonna arrive to its first stop, where he first and last saw her. He felt the need to use the bathroom as the train was coming to a stop. Should he stay on his seat? The mystery woman might come today and he would miss the opportunity of seeing her walk in. Shaking his head, he stood up from his seat and proceeded to walk to the lavatory. It was a cramped cubicle with yellow dulled out paint and a porcelain sink but it was enough space for him to do his business.
There, in front of the mirror, he practiced what he would say to her. He tried his smiles and practiced his laughs and words.
'This is weird.' Garfield thought while looking at the mirror in front of him. 'Even for me.' Okay, no biggie, Gar! Just be chill. This isn't so hard. A name would be a good start and then...'
"Hey! Are you crapping a ship or something? What's taking so long?" An angry voice yelled and hard knocks at the door followed. He was too preoccupied hearing his thoughts that he failed to hear the loud knocks at the door. He exited the room and was met with an annoyed middle-aged man, obviously trying to hold on his pee. While he was receiving a lecture about bathroom etiquette and consideration, the train had stopped and boarded some passengers. He apologized for the delay and walked back to his seat.
He scanned the room and the passengers, still scanty greeted his view, when his eyes landed to the very back of the cabin.
She was there.
And of all the empty chairs in their passenger car, she only just chose to sit on his seat. She was sitting on his seat.
She adorned a grey bonnet on her head with a grey scarf and wore a black winter coat with black leggings and shoes. She brought a black satchel bag with her today and she placed it along the empty seat beside her. Her straight black hair was neatly combed and her cheeks and her lips looked so alive and full. her face looked like a doll with her long black lashes and rosy cheeks but her eyes, they tell a different story.
He noticed that she was always wearing black and that even added fuel to her whole mysterious façade. She sounded like a dark poem, and admittedly, looked like a beautiful myth.
'Ohh..Nice one, Gar.' he thought to himself, looking like a complete moron smiling to himself, in the front.
He was still standing out, shamelessly staring at her. He was quite certain that most of the people inside the train have noticed him, thankfully, her attention was of elsewhere and witnessed nothing of his foolishness. He slowly sat beside the Hispanic woman and leaned his back at the chair. His body was terrified just looking at her.
"She your past lover?" asked the Hispanic woman with a bit of an accent. After hearing such accusation, he couldn't help himself but stare blatantly. He laughed weakly and felt a wave of blush upcoming to wash over his face. He didn't answer her, but she seemed to have dismiss the topic already.
They were at the second stop and only two people went in. His body was slumped to his seat besides the now asleep Hispanic woman. His brain was exhausting him, as he thought over and over what he would do next.
Minutes pass, they were all nearing the destination and everybody was preparing to leave. The train arrived at the city station and the passengers were waiting for the doors to open when the train's attendant announced that the back door jammed before stopping at the last train stop. The attendant was given directions for everyone to exit at the front door only.
This meant that the mystery woman would pass by Garfield. She would likely be the last one to exit from the back.
'Okay.' He thought with mixed emotions.
One by one the passengers were exiting the train while Garfield remained seated. He was anxious if the mystery woman would pass by him, she might look at his direction and their eyes would meet once more. The very thought of seeing her eyes again made him sweat and he gulped a big lump in his throat.
There were only three passengers left inside and one just exited the train. He can hear her soft footsteps coming and his mind started to stop functioning. She passed by him and slowly walked to the door while he stood up, determined to speak but was only left to watch her walk away, no words passed out of his lips.
This went on for two weeks. She would arrive and sit two seats in front of him, she would leave when the train arrives after. Garfield has lost the determination since then and remained a stranger to her- but he hasn't seen her in almost a month now. She stopped taking the train in the mornings and he may never see her again. He was completely dismayed that his cowardice got the best of him. He liked the girl, or sort of liked her but he can't fully say that he does, when they haven't even interacted yet.
Snow arrived in Jump City two weeks ago and the entire city was already covered thick with snow. The snow this year was strong and colder than the usual and it created problems for the train tracks recently; so the town decided to have only two trips per day. Only the billowing sound of wind filled the train as the door opened, the train stopping at the first stop. There were more people now since they sandwiched the schedule of trips into two and almost all the seats in the cabin were taken, except for the front besides the old Grandma, in the middle row and besides Garfield.
He was near the window, tepid,as he blew a hot breath on the glass and drew an inversed curved W, that might be a bird in simpler figures. The snow and wind was getting stronger outside and the train's heat was slowly being distributed to the people within. Minding his own business, he continued to doodle on the window when someone asked him if the seat next to him was taken. He replied without paying much attention to the feminine voice as they sat next to him. The window was full of drawings by then and he slowly erased each one when he saw the reflection of his seatmate. His heart started to hammer inside his rib cage and his palms started to sweat and he felt like he was gonna have a fever. He was frozen on his seat and continued to stare at the reflection itself.
'It's her.'
She was there beside him, reading a book, minding her own business as Garfield's head turned forty five degrees in constraint- tensed and nervous. Garfield then turned his head even further, now partially facing her and he sneakily studied her. She was even more beautiful up close. Her skin looked so smooth, like porcelain and her lips were naturally rosy, like her cheeks. Her demeanor was unperturbed and collected as her chest rose up and down while she read her book. Her eyelashes were long and curved and everything about her looked so good up close.
Garfield must have ogled her for a long period of time when she cleared her throat and looked at him with her eyebrow raised quizzically. Realizing he must have looked like a pervert to her, he flushed as red as a tomato and apologized.
"Sorry." He straightened up in his seat and looked at someone's head in front of him, counting the strands of their hair as if he could.
"What is it?"
"Huh?" he replied not really understanding her question. He looked at her and she looked at him, their eyes holding each other's gaze, locked for a moment.
"Nothing." She mused, dropping off the topic but she didn't return to her book and instead shove it inside her bag. Now they were engulfed in an awkward silence. He was stealing glances of her and seeing her troubled expression only told him that she was uncomfortable and that he should totally take the chance while the opportunity was still open.
"I..see you here everyday for a few weeks last month." He nervously started.
She re positioned herself in her chair and exhaled. Even when distressed, she looked so serene and beautiful. She paused for a moment, and looked like she was about to complain about something.
"I know." She all but admitted.
This made Garfield even more nervous, his palms and neck almost drenched in sweat as he awkwardly laughed.
"Ha, ha. Heh... really?"
"Yes."
"Haha..hahh.. that's funny! Haha haha."
'Kill me now.'
They fell into an awkward silence once more and Garfield was now squirming in his seat, unsure what to say next to ease the situation.
"So um, did you saw me as well?"
'Way to go, Garfield. Way to go.'
She looked at him in bemusement and Garfield was almost certain she smiled for a split second. "Yes, of course."
"Oh, cool."
He can only smile shyly, scratching the back of his ear. This was a good start. Or so he thought. Not one good topic passed by his brain and he was becoming more nervous and pressured into talking to her.
"This place snows a lot."
She caught him off guard as she navigated the conversation further. His heart skipped a beat, and his head perked up. She wanted to talk to him as well and that made him happy.
"Yes, it does but only this year. You aren't from around the city?" His eyes smiled in excitement.
"No, I'm not."
"Ohh, so where are you from?"
"Far away from here." she answered.
"Like uh, Europe?"
She paused before answering, her impassive face then etched into a small smile and then looked at him. "Yes, like Europe."
"Ahhhh." Was all Garfield could reply when her eyes made contact with his again, making his stomach churn and the hairs behind his neck stood up. She was so beautiful when she smiled and even more so when he remembered that he was the cause of that smile. He can only dumbly smile in return.
'Think Garfield, think. What do you say next?'
"Are you staying here for good?" He asked, his words hopeful.
"No." She replied. "Just for a month."
He nodded his head in answer then frowned. "But I haven't seen you for almost a month!" He exclaimed. "And you've been riding this train for two weeks excluding!"
"You really watch me around, do you?" She playfully smirked at him.
He chuckled but now with less awkwardness and replied. "I'm just observant."
She mockingly nodded her head in amusement and countered. "Right."
"Hey speaking of observation, I saw you with that little girl one time." He paused, thinking thoroughly of his words, careful in not wanting to sound a little too creepy. "I mean, not that I was following you or anything, you weren't in the train that time." He seems to be making it worse as his words jumbled and his sentences were in shambles. "And I was sitting next to the kid so I wondered why she was alone, so I followed her." That gained him even more interrogative look from her and her face almost broke into concern. Realizing the words coming out from his mouth, he stuttered in words as he tried to clarify what he just said.
"I mean I didn't follow her, physically! I-I was watching her leave and my eyes followed her!"
"Huh..."
"Hey, I wasn't stalking her! God forbid! I would never-" He ranted when she interjected.
" So you were just stalking me, then?"
"Yeah, but not really stalking. It was- hey!" He exclaimed in realization, that he had used the wrong word to describe his attachment to her. She giggled in the most adorable way he has ever witnessed. It wasn't girly or trying but came off naturally and delightful. Like a symphony of Mozart just played and she was the sound player. She was almost too good to be true.
They both laughed and Garfield's heart continued to race, this was definitely a good start, he thought to himself.
"So, if you don't mind me question, is she your kid?"
She smiled once more and chuckled, shaking her head. "No, not really."
"Oh." He replied then thoughtlessly added. "that's good."
"Why?" She was looking at him questioningly, her smile never leaving her lips.
"I-uh...I just thought that if you were in fact, her mother that you uh, like..." His sentence was now incoherent and his face was turning red. If her eyes and her smile could kill, he was probably on the ground by now. She was so overwhelming and her character was so unexpectedly pleasant, at least for him.
"I mean, all I'm saying is...that, uh, are you still single?" He felt that he looked so red now, feeling the heat emit off from his face and ears as he abashedly asked her. Her smile then slowly dissolved and her lips turned into a straight line, her face completely left her playful state.
"Hmm..."
Garfield thought he hit a sensitive spot and then tried to change the subject. Everything was going so good and he just had to drop the S bomb. "Ahh, actually nevermind that. Haha, ha..." His awkward laugh came back unwanted.
'Too fast. Too fast. Stupid, stupid.'
He thought to himself, internally pounding his head to the metal chair in front of them.
"Are you, single?"
She suddenly asked him, catching him off guard, her voice full of undecipherable emotions. She looked into his eyes as if she was searching his answer from them and then went to his nose, and further down to his mouth.
He gulped anxiously as he followed her gaze and chuckled. "Yeah. I am."
They were on their way to the awkward silence they once had several minutes ago when her next words shook him.
"Good." Then she leaned back on her chair and smiled to herself.
Garfield thought he was gonna have a heart attack by then. There were buzzing in his ears and his vision became blurry. If he died then and there next to her, he would die a happy man. He smiled so widely that it almost hurt just looking at him. He didn't even know her name yet, yet he was now thinking where he'll take her once he's asked her out.
"So, um, we've been talking here for a while now but we never exchanged names. I'm Garfield." He offered her a smile that was so blithe and wide, his gums popped out, then offered his hand to shake. She took his hand in return and shook it.
"I'm Ra-" Was all she managed to say when the train suddenly leaped and bounced harshly, juggling the people inside.
"What was that!?" Garfield asked worriedly to himself as he lifted himself up from the floor and looked for her and asked her if she was okay.
"I'm fine." She replied, but her voice not fully convincing.
"That's never happened before." He remarked warily, helping her get up from the floor as well. Just as they were about to stand up, another rough jab shook the passengers inside as they screamed and bounced up and down. Another impact trashed them from side to side and some people started crying in fear. The train was going unusually fast now and the shaking grew more and more violent. Garfield can only hold the woman in his arms as they feared for their lives.
The snowstorm was strong and they were unfortunately caught up in a blizzard. The train lost its control over the breaks when a shard of metal blew in between the tracks and the train's wheel due to the strength of wind. There was nothing they could do to stop the train from going faster.
Garfield looked at the woman once more in his embrace and hugged her more tightly. There were no seat belts in this train, and the trashing became more and more violent. A woman screamed bloodily, as she forcefully opened the closed doors. The other passengers helped her and managed to open it but to their demise, the other end of the door was the cliff end of the mountain. Almost everyone started to cry and some contemplated to jump over and take the risk of the cliff, but they never succeeded when the train segwayed to a huge boulder and the cabin fully sprang in the air, crashed with the cable behind and jolted their cable forward. The impact was so strong that the roof of the train popped open and they were thrown to the side and onto the ground.
The wind was harsh and the snow was deep, and only the blowing of the wind was heard when all the passengers laid still on the snow.
Garfield's head was throbbing, something must have hit it when they were brutally thrown outside. He tried to reach his head but found it excruciatingly painful to move his right arm. He tried to lift his head but failed and then he tried to move his legs. His legs were functioning, but not as much as his mind. His was panicking now and his eyes were furiously moving, his breath quickened at an unusual feat. His vision was unclear due to the blizzard and he was finding it hard to breathe. He thought he was about to have an asthma attack and he was slipping away from consciousness but he heard her call.
"G-Gar...field."
Her voice was so weak and dry. He then remembered the woman that was in his arms when they were totaled inside the train and then tried to call her name. But then he stopped, not really knowing her name, he can only ask for her location.
"Where... where are you?" he asked dizzily.
She was coughing nearby when she proceeded answered. "Here."
Garfield attempted to stand up but his body felt so heavy, he thought he was gonna get crashed by gravity.
"Wait for me, I'll come..." he heaved wearily. "and get...you."
His body wasn't listening to his command anymore, and slowly his feet was getting numb from the cold. Using his left arm, he tried to turn into a crawling position. Successfully, he was now crouching on the ground, his only support was his left hand and elbow and his knees. He looked at his right arm and found nothing wrong on it but then his eyes trailed off to his right chest and a big chunk of metal shard pierced through it. He rested his head on the ground, and saw all the colours of the rainbow flash before his eyes as he started to breathe more frantically, his mind slowly snapping out from this reality. He could not believe there was a foreign object sticking into his body.
The blizzard was deafening him and numbing his senses, but to his surprise, his chest did not hurt as much as his head. Then after a few moments, he remembered that she was calling out to him, that she needed him, and that she must be hurt as well.
His head rose up and he attempted to crawl on the cold, freezing snow. He was slowly becoming disoriented by the biting cold and the pain from his head.
"Where are you!?" He asked more fervently.
He waited for an answer but none came. His heart shot up to the roof of his mouth, thinking the worst. "Where ar-"
"H-Here!" She screamed agonizingly, her laborious breaths became loud and audible.
He deliberately crawled faster towards her voice, the pain and the cold now ignored, "Stay with me!"
As he continued to crawl, his left arm started to give up and without notice, he completely dropped to the ground. The metal shard pierced deeper within and Garfield couldn't help but shriek in pain. The snow was now covered in blood as he continued to scream in agony, writhing, tears and saliva mixing onto the red fluid tainted in the snow.
"I'm...coming." He announced while crying, tolerating the incredible pain he's in as he wretchedly crawled towards her. He found her sprawled out in the snow, her face contorted in an agonizing pain and her chest heavily rose and fell. Her face was caked in blood but there were no wounds or bruises present. As he crawled nearer, Garfield could now see the piece of wood that was embedded into her stomach, probably hitting her liver. He frighteningly held her hand and calmed the panicking woman on the ground. She was writhing in pain as well, and her eyes welled up in tears.
"Don't..." Inhale.
"let me..." Inhale.
"go." Exhale.
Before his arm gave up once more, he directed his body to lay next to her, his hand never letting hers go.
"I won't."
Their struggling breathing and the fleeing warmth of their hands were the only thing keeping them conscious. The woman was starting to close her eyes and her breathing slowed down. Garfield called her out and told her to stay awake, stay alive.
"I wish we...would have...met sooner." She confessed, squeezing his hand. She cried silently, and closed her eyes once more.
"Don't say that..." he distressingly answered. "We'll live...through this."
"We can't." she sobbed weakly. "I know, we cant."
He can only cry in return as he acknowledged the truth. No one can rescue them now and if they did, they would be too late. He can only hold her hand and wait for their deaths.
"I like...you, Garfield." she said weakly, her eyes displayed full of regret. "I wish I...would have..."
Cough.
"talked to you...as soon as I first... saw you in the train."
Garfield only wept in silence as she confessed. If they weren't dying in the cold, he would have jumped to the moon and back from ecstasy.
"I do too." he replied, his voice wavering in pain and sorrow.
"That's why... I kept-" She coughed out blood from her mouth, and her cry was now more desperate. "That's why I kept taking the train, to see you."
"Stop... please!" He cried out. "You're going to lose more blood...if you continue."
"I'm dying...anyway." She plainly stated, yet tears still stream down her face. "You might as well hear me."
He was crying madly now and his heart was crushed with so much heart break and regret. "I don't want you...to die."
She looked at him one last time and wept. "I don't want to die, too." she commented. "But at least, I got...to know you."
His crying turned into bawling and he shook his head violently. "Please...don't."
"At least, I get to die...with you."
"Stop..it."
"And I'm not scared...anymore." She continued, her voice now wavering. "Just...dont...let...go..of my...hand."
"I...wont."
"I'll see...you, Garfield." she weakly smiled at him, her eyes red and puffy with tears and blood streaming down her face. "I'll see you...soon." And she closed her eyes in peace.
And then blizzard stopped and the skies that were once full of heavy clouds, cleared out. But the sky was not blue and no colour can be found anywhere. The skies lost its colour as the earth was veiled in white. All became monochrome and depressing, and the blue in her eyes disappears as they took in their last breaths.
PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! Hahaha, not really the ending my cousin wanted, as she wept violently, hitting me and crying why I killed them off. Thank you so much for reading! and don't forgot to R&R! Please R&R? You will R&R! Please R&R :( Hahahhaha
Love,
Rai.
P.S.
btw, I'm not seeing my stories pop up the just in categories, why is that? :(
