The car is cold from wind and frost that is whipped across its thin metal shell as the conductor hurls the passenger car across the rolling hills of Italy's northern coast. October's gray clouds loom over dry grass that jerks away from the tracks as the train passes. Fog condenses on the window where it turns to a rutty gray ice. He sits contemplating the cracking ice coating on the glass, running through the past four months with her. He smiles slightly remembering the last one, where she took him to her family's home in the north, and felt it die as she moved closer to cling to him, remembering that he was heading back.
He drapes his arm over her shoulder and pulls her closer against his side, her warmth mingling with his under the partly sheared over coat that kept the damp train air off them. She mussels the soft spot between his shoulder and chest; he can feel the smile spread across her lips as she inhales his sent, musky from this morning's petting. He lifts the coat higher around her, pulling her shoulder so her back is almost facing the isle of the mostly empty car. Sheltered by the worm heavy coat his hand creeps over his lap to hers. Resting shortly on the on the plaid pleated skirt she wears even on the chilled commuter cars because it makes him smile. The train bumps and his hand brushes her breast and lingers just a moment too long before falling easily back to her lap. Her head rises from her favored spot to eye him with loving, perhaps amused, disbelief at the effort at discretion in the near empty car.