Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

9

I smile when I notice him on the train after work. I take a seat opposite him so I can steal a glance or two. He looks up as I take a seat. Smiles at me. I show off my dimples.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" He asks.

I feel dumb.
"This morning. The 07.14 train."

"Yeah, but before that?" He wonders.

"I don't think so." I smile.

"This is so blunt but are you a Jehovah's witness?" He asks. Gives me an apologetical smile.

I let out a surprised laugh.
"No."

"I promise this isn't some lousy hookup line, but I could swear that you knocked at my door in Doncaster a couple of weeks ago." He says.

"As a Jehovah's? It must have been someone else. I haven't been in Doncaster since I was a teen, oh, and I'm not a Jehovah's." I grin.

He chuckles a little embarrassed.
"Alright. Then you have to have a doppelganger or something. I'm sorry. I hope I didn't offend you?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm Harry." I smile.

"Louis." He says.

"So, you're from Doncaster?" I ask, taking the opportunity to talk to him.

"Yeah, I just moved here, or moved back actually." He says.

"How come?" I ask.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm a little too spontaneous for my own good. I moved to London a couple of years ago. Then I got homesick I guess and went back to Doncaster for a month or so but I felt like I had to go back to London. Oh, crap. I talk too much. Sorry. I'm not a nutcrack. Apparently, I like to overshare my life story with strangers on a train." He chuckles. He winks at me.

Definitely not straight. Hopefully not? My stomach flutters. I smile at him.
"It's really refreshing. People are generally so closed off."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He says. Smiles.

My 23 minutes are up. It's a pleasant surprise when he stands as well and we make our way off the train together.
"It was nice talking to you. Maybe we'll see each other again?" He says and starts to walk away.

He's wonderful. I have to roll the dice.
"Wanna grab a bite to eat?" I blurt out. Blush a little. I'm usually not that straightforward. Oh, God. What if he's on his way home to his partner and their fifteen kids? Now I'm the nutcase.

He stops and turns around. Smiles at me.
"Well, come on then."

Now? I'm not even dressed for the occasion. Well, it's not like it's a date. I nod my head. We start to walk side by side.
"The pizza place around the corner?" I suggest. I'm nervous.

"Sounds perfect." He says.

Ten minutes later we're seated. He takes a sip from his diet coke and looks at me with a playful smile.
"So is this a habit of yours?"

"What is?" I ask.

"Inviting strangers to dinner?" He teases.

I blush.
"Definitely not."

"Well, I'm glad you did. Tell me a little about yourself, Harry." He says.

"Uhm, I moved to London four years ago. I'm from a small place, Holmes Chapel." I start, frantically trying to find something to say.

"Not that far from Doncaster, right?" He questions.

"A two-hour drive." I inform him.

Our pizzas arrive and we dig in. He small talks, asks me questions, tells me a little about himself.

I've never been this comfortable with someone from the start. He smoothly lets me know that he's single and gay. Just slips it in casually. I want to yell "me too!" but of course I don't do that.
"Do you date a lot?" I ask instead. What kind of question is that? Why do I have to be so awkward?

He has to think about it. He looks a little confused.
"I don't think I've been on a date in years. It's not that I don't want to meet someone, it's just... You have to put so much effort into it. And now I just sound lazy." He laughs.

"No, I get it. The pressure takes the fun out of it, sort of." I say.

"Exactly." He smiles.

We look at each other. Hold eye contact. It's intense. He looks away first. Shrugs.
"If I'm gonna be perfectly honest dating has been scary. I used to be really shy."

"Really? I would never have guessed that. What changed?" I ask curiously.

He furrows his eyebrows.
"I don't really know... I guess I finally worked on my insecurities or whatever. Wow, this is getting deep. So what do you do for fun?"

He smiles to take the edge off. I can't help but smile too. I'm so goofy. Whenever he smiles I smile. It's contagious. Louis' smile is like sunshine.
"Oh, Louis. This is where you're gonna find out how boring I am." I chuckle.

"Impossible!" He smirks.

"Well, an occasional night out once in a while. I work out a bit. My friends and I play football sometimes down at the football field by the school." I tell him.

"That sounds like fun." He says. "Well, not the workout part. You think that's fun? Football, on the other hand, that's fun. Fuck, how many times can I say fun in a couple of sentences?" He says, sounding amused.

I giggle. He's funny.
"Do you play?"

"I used to in High school." He replies. His facial expression changes for a second. As if the thought of football or high school isn't a fun memory.

"Well, do you still enjoy it?" I ask cautiously.

"I never really have the chance to. I don't know anyone in London, to be honest." He says.

"I thought you lived here before?" I question without thinking it through.

His cheeks turn pink.
"I haven't been much of a people person." He says quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That was blunt of me." I apologize. I don't know him. His history.

"It's fine." He smiles.

I hesitate.
"Ehm, we're actually gonna play football tomorrow if you would like to join us?"

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude." He replies.

It's not a no. I smile.
"You wouldn't. If you join I might actually win for once."

"Alright, yeah, I'd love to. Maybe we should exchange numbers?" He suggests.

My phone is out of my pocket faster than the speed of light. I get his number and I give him mine. We're done eating so we leave the pizza place and I head home after saying goodbye.

"See you tomorrow!" He shouts over his shoulder as he walks away.