I crossed her on my way out and our eyes met; we shared a smile. I came back with a bottle of water and her head turned towards me the moment I entered through the doors. There was something in her gaze. I got to my seat and set up my laptop. I placed the laptop such that I could work and steal a glance at the mystery girl once in a while. There was a loud whistle and the train took off.
The bustle settled and I got engrossed in my work. I would occasionally look at her direction and catch her smiling at a book, or looking outside the window with longing in her eyes; and then, our eyes met again. This time we did not smile. There was embarrassment, curiosity, hesitation, yearning and so much more. I buried my blushed face in the laptop and pretended to work in all earnestness.
It was almost lunch time. The train was at a halt and people were getting out to buy food. I knew I would have to cross her seat on my way out, and in order to avoid making any more fool of myself I decided to take the exit at the other end.
I successfully sneaked out, bought the food and made my way onto the train again, all within a couple of minutes. I had barely started to bask in the glory of my achievement (with my eyes shut) that I bumped into someone. It knocked me out of my delusion. I apologised, and enquired if the stranger needed any assistance. She turned around, and guess who it was?
I expected myself to be startled, but somehow I felt relieved. It could be because the universe found a way for us to meet, and not have me walk up to a stranger to confess a magical moment that probably only I felt and have my feelings dismissed. Anyway, this time it was different. The magnetic gaze was back, and so were our smiles. There was the loud whistle again, and the train thrusted forward with a jerk. She lost her balance and held on to my shoulder. I felt her breath on my neck and....