The Slowest Burn - Bellarke

Bellarke Modern AU- Strangers on a train

*Clarke is surprised by the kindness of a stranger*
***

The walk to the train station after work was always Clarke's favourite time of day. Sure some people would be aggravated, having to add a walk to your day when you've already spent most of it on your feet- but Clarke found it refreshing.

As a newly graduated nurse, with the roster from hell, she didn't really get a chance to go outside and take in her surroundings. These afternoons were her chance.

She enjoyed watching the people, some coming, some going, all of them as unique and intricate as she was. It was moments like this where Clarke was reassured in her passion, helping people.

The climb up the hill toward the train station seemed steeper today. Clarke could see the sun going down before she had even made the top.

She looked frantically at her watch. 2 minutes until her train was leaving, and there wouldn't be another one for 30 minutes.

Clarke began to jog, making it to the top of the hill and running quickly across the street.

The sound of someone's horn right beside her startled the girl. She looked up to see a man in the drivers seat of his car gesturing angrily.

She waved apologetically, moving across the road.

As she made her way onto the platform, looking desperately at the timetable for reassurance that she hadn't missed her train, she was filled with disappointment. The train had already left and her hope along with it.

Clarke sat heavily on a bench. The day was finally catching up with her. And the thought that she had to be back there tomorrow morning didn't help.

All she could do was put her earbuds in and wait for the next train to arrive.

***

This train was much more full than Clarke had expected.

Her usual train only had a few occupants, and even those didn't ride til the end of the line like she did. She was used to being alone. But this was the opposite case.

Clarke looked wildly for a seat, finding only one open.

She threw herself down in the chair, sighing defeatedly.

"Rough day?" The man beside her asked.

Maybe man was the wrong word. He was barely older than Clarke was, he sat leant over the tray table, some important looking documents splayed across it.

Clarke recognised him then, the man who'd almost killed her on the road earlier.

"Would've been better without the near death experience." She said. She couldn't really tell if she was joking or not, but still the other boy laughed.

"Maybe if you didn't make a habit of running blindly across the street you wouldn't have so many, near death encounters." He said giving her an amused, tight lipped smile.

Clarke knew that this wasn't an argument that she was going to win. She instead blew some air out of her nose to signify that she found him amusing, smiled politely and placed her earbuds in again.