Do you travel to work each day on mass transit?
If you do, then I'm sure you understand this story.
I hope you enjoy this read, and look forward to hearing from you when you're done.
Thanks.
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Living in the 'burbs was just fine with me. I know, most guys my age...twenty three...would rather be where the action and the girls were, but I enjoyed the fresher air, trees and grass. Even the squirrels and raccoons were entertaining. I had a nice apartment / suite in the basement of a nice... hell, very nice... house, on a quiet street, in a quiet neighbourhood. It was... quiet. I like quiet.
If there was a disadvantage to my semi-rural address, it was that I worked in the city, in one of those god awful, skyscraping monstrosities of glass and steel. There, it was anything but quiet, but that made the contrast of my home location all the more peaceful.
Getting to work could have been a nightmare, but fortunately, the area had access to the commuter train network servicing the city, with a station a mere five minute drive from my home. That kind of commute I could handle; five minutes of nonexistent traffic, then sit comfortably for ninety minutes, while someone else drove. Even better, the schedule was very consistent, getting me there with a fifteen minute cushion, everyday.
Since all of the people on the train with me were from a similar situation, that being a suburban one, everyone was pretty calm, and relaxed. Friendly, too.
Which brings me to the point of all this rambling. The friendly bit.
I first noticed 'her' on a Monday. It was a rainy day, so rather than looking out the window, I actually watched the passengers getting on, at the stop after mine. Raincoats and umbrellas were everywhere, as were weather induced frowns. Still, she stood out.
Tall, partly because of the sexy stilettos on her pretty feet, I first noticed her because she was alone, and smiling, despite the damp skies. She sat across the aisle from me, one seat down, facing my direction. She was dressed nicely, if conservatively, in a monotone of greys and blacks, which contrasted nicely against her long, striking blonde hair. She projected confidence, crossing her legs while she thumbed her phone, and it was the crossing of her legs that truly got my attention.
You know how some guys are 'ass men', and others like other parts of a woman's body? I wasn't like that. I like my women the way I like my music, which would be to say 'varied'. My tastes follow one rule, that there are no rules. I like what I like, and I know it when I see it. Right now, I liked that leg.
Smooth, shapely, and apparently well muscled, her left calf had my focus. She was dangling her shoe off her toes, while she read the screen of her phone. She was oblivious to my observing gaze, but I kept a low profile anyway, trying not to stare.
Every time she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs, the motion in the corner of my view made me shift my eyes from the reinstated landscape passing out the window, to her very attractive legs. I took a better look at her.
She had loosened the belt on her raincoat, which made it hide her body in its ambiguous folds, so I couldn't get a more detailed impression of her, other than her height. I would have put her in her mid thirties, and she was quite pretty, with blue eyes.
The train slowed, and she looked up, then tucked her phone away and stood, anticipating the end of her journey. It was my stop too, but she was way ahead of me, and I lost her in the crowd before I cleared the station.
Oh well. Off to work. The distraction was nice while it lasted.
***
Days passed, and she was conspicuous in her absence. Well, to me anyway. I had been eager to board the train Tuesday, hoping to get a better look at her, but at her stop, she didn't show up.
I admit it never occurred to me to look elsewhere on the train. I was a creature of habit, and always went to the same car, and sat in the same group of seats, if not the exact same one. I guess I assumed she was the same, as it appeared to apply to nearly everyone in the car, most of whom I knew by sight. Not by name, mind you. The conversations never got quite that deep.
Anyway, since it had been several days since that first time, I had mentally written her off as a pleasant memory, and was reading a book on my tablet. The train stopped, people got on, and it started up again.
"Excuse me," a voice said, "are these seats taken?"
I glanced up... It was her!
"Um, no," I replied, "Please, help yourself."
"Thank you," she smiled, and slipped into the seat across from me.
Outwardly, I went back to reading my book, but inside, I was trying to focus on my peripheral vision. I shifted in my seat, angling the tablet to put the corner of it in her direction. I could now simply change my focus, and steal glances at her.
She was looking out the window, watching the countryside go by on this, a much more pleasant, sunny day. From this range, I was easily able to evaluate her better, and let me tell you...the view was delicious. She wasn't merely pretty ; she was stunning, and her eyes weren't really blue, tending more toward green. Her neck, long and slender, had an elegance that fit her. Despite the sunshine, it was still spring, and her raincoat remained in place, although fastened loosely. Then there were her legs, of course, crossed and looking so perfectly formed as to be those of a dancer.
I spent the balance of the trip pretending to read, for the most part, while spying on her. The sun shone on her blonde, near platinum mane, and her eyes sparkled. Finally, the train began to brake, and she gathered herself to depart, but this time, I stayed close enough to see which way she went when we reached the street. It was idle curiosity, not stalking, and I turned toward my own office.
***
Somehow, it never occurred to me that I might see her on the homeward leg of my commute, but that's what happened that day. She was on the train already when I boarded, sitting in the same seat as in the morning, with 'my' seat still vacant.
"May I?" I laughed, as it was my turn to ask permission. She smiled, and gestured to the chair.
"Of course," she said. "Twice in the same day...we simply must stop meeting like this. People will talk," she laughed softly.
"Heaven forbid," I snickered, taking my seat. I took out my tablet, planning another trip of pretend reading.
"Isn't technology wonderful?" she smiled.
"I'm sorry?" I replied, not following her point.
"The tablet. I saw you reading this morning. Remember when reading a book meant carrying a big, heavy pile of paper?"
"Oh. Yeah," I laughed. "No matter how many books I load, it never gets any heavier."
"Android or Apple?" she asked, leaning forward a bit to see.
"Android," I answered. "Never really cared for the iPad, or iPhone, for that matter."
"I agree," she smiled. "I do the same with my phone...reading books, I mean." She turned the screen to show me a text page. "Reading anything good?"
That started a cheerful conversation, about books, technology, and the like. The fact that we were talking was fine with me. When you talk to someone, you generally look at them, and she was very easy on the eyes. Her stunning perfection was marred only by a few tiny lines, caused by her frequent smile. It was the most enjoyable commute I'd ever had, but came to an end when we reached her stop.
"Maybe I'll see you tomorrow?" she smiled as she stood.
