he stands there then walks away / my god, if i could only say / i'm holding every breath for you / he'd never tell you but he can play guitar / i think he can see through everything but my heart / first thought when i wake up is 'my god, he's beautiful' / so i put on my make-up and pray for a miracle

- i'd lie, taylor swift (unreleased)

there is a boy on the train every morning at 7am and he is beautiful.

he wasn't from her school because if he is, sakura would've known him by now. his white school uniform looks pristine in the sun rays and she is captivated. he's so tall, a head taller than her she believes, and so lean he could be a model. she wonders if he is a part-time one. with his posture and looks, he could very well be.

sakura is a girl of routine—wake up at 5:30, eat breakfast and take a shower, do a quick read over her notes and lessons, walk to the train station for the 6:45 train and take a quick nap before getting to school that starts at 8. it was not in her routine to be interrupted by this beautiful boy's arrival at the 4th station at exactly 7am. it was not in her routine to stare as he runs his fingers through his hair.

it was not in her routine to pine every morning to learn his name.

as confident as she can be, sakura couldn't seem to gather the courage to at least engage him in a conversation. how can someone talk to a person that beautiful? her insecurities rear its ugly head every time she feels like walking up to him and say hi. she just continues to her routine as she gets off the 9th station and leaves the rest of her unsaid words on the train.

until one day, he talks to her instead.

/

7am on the dot and there he was again, entering the last car of the train right by the second door. she was always seated a few feet away from where he was standing near the door, because he never sits down, but this time she gave her seat to a pregnant lady. the train was a bit packed this time since it's monday, and she's careful not to bump into anyone.

she's now standing with her hand on the handle, trying so hard not to look at the boy who's now occupied with his earphones in, when she felt someone stand beside her. sakura gave the man a glance for a second before turning away and fill her mind with how she can be able to say hello to the boy a few distances from her.

she was having scenarios in her head about their first talk when she felt something. there's a cold touch, light and subtle but still a touch, on the side of her thigh. she flinched and turned to see the man beside her, looking outside the window as his hand beside her was in his pocket. did she just imagine it? to be sure, she moved slightly away from the man and heightened her senses.

there was a subtle movement until she felt the man moved behind her, much closer this time, and stood there almost breathing on her neck. she felt goosebumps on her arms and legs, both exposed from her skirt and the absence of her blazer, and sakura wanted to run. her eyes roam to see her exits but most of them were blocked by people since it's rush hour.

her heart was pounding in her chest when she felt a hand on her waist and a breath near her ear. she wanted to scream for help but her words were stuck in her throat. sakura felt fear running in her veins and she couldn't do anything. one hand was on her waist about to go up and another was now traveling on her thighs up her skirt when she heard him.

"hey, get your hands off her."

his voice wasn't loud but he let it be known. her eyes darted to his and she saw him looking at the man behind her who lifted his hands away from her. she was shaking lightly but she couldn't take her eyes away from the boy, intense dark eyes and a little frown on his handsome face, and she let out a small sigh of relief.

his gaze found hers for a few moments until he looked back again to the pervert behind. "get out of here or i will call the police."

the people in their area noticed the slight commotion and became wary of the man who quickly moved towards the door and left when it opened. several people also went off the train that left a few seats available which she was thankful for. sakura felt like her knees were about to give out so she took a seat and buried her face in her hand.

she sensed a presence in front of her and when she looked up, she fought the gasp that threatened to come out of her lips. there was the beautiful boy in all his glorious self, looking down on her with those dark eyes, and she heard him speak again.

"you okay?"

these are the first words he uttered directly to her after being on the same train for almost a month now and she couldn't think properly. she wanted her first words to him be cool or something significant and not lame, but all she could do was answer him at the moment.

"y-yeah, thanks."

he slightly nodded and rummaged through his bag. he pulled a bottle of water and gave it to her, "here, you look pale."

her hands slowly reached out to him, his hands in her direct line of sight, and noticed the calluses on his fingertips. she looked at her own and noticed they're the same. when she got the bottle in her hands, she spoke softly. "you play guitar?"

his eyebrows rose, "n-.. how did you know that?"

she took a sip of water before she lifted her hand for him to see, "i have the same calluses as you."

sakura was still shaking from what happened, evident from the tremor in her hands and her words, so she thinks that's the reason why for the first time, she saw him sit on the vacant seats on the train. he was now leaning on the seat beside her, long legs stretched and arms crossed, his face towards her.

he's even more beautiful up close. she's not sure now if the thrumming of her heart was still because of the incident earlier. he has high cheekbones, proud jaw, and pink lips; and she couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts.

"you're very pretty."

he was about to say something based on the opening of his mouth when she said that, earning the reddening of his ears and looking away from her. he coughed a little, making her smile. he looked so cute in her eyes.

"i- i was about to ask your name," he whispered, eyes still trained away from her.

it was her time to blush, "s-sakura. my name is sakura."

he eyed her pink strands. he smirked a little, "it suits you."

it was her time to blush and turn away, feeling her cheeks heat up. there was silence as they came to the last stop before she gets off to school. there are so many questions she'd like to ask but she opted to just gather her things to prepare.

when they got to the 9th station where she'll alight to, she turned to him. "thank you for saving me earlier. i owe you." he just continued to look at her as she stood in front of him, not saying a word. she waved awkwardly and muttered a hushed bye before she moved towards the door.

the moment she stepped foot on the platform, sakura heard her name. "sakura!"

she looked back and saw him standing there in front of the sliding doors that are now beeping as a sign of its closing, and she held his breath as he heard him say, "see you tomorrow." he has a little smirk on his face and his eyes shine in the daylight.

sakura shyly smiled and nodded when a thought came to her head as soon as the doors start to close, "wait! i didn't get your name!"

the doors were closed but she felt a new door opened when he saw him smile. to where this door would lead, she doesn't know; but she's excited to find out...

/

her hair was ironed and her eyeliner was on point the next day. she was looking for her lip gloss when she felt someone sat beside her.

her green eyes turn to him the moment his black ones turned to her, and he let her know the thing sakura has always wanted to know.

"sasuke. my name is sasuke." she smiled because finally, she learns his name. this beautiful boy is sasuke and she is delirious.

they spent the entire train ride talking next to each other starting that tuesday morning, and she loves it so much.

and if someone asks him if he loves it too, he'd lie.

~fin~