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Khushi tapped her foot impatiently on the concrete pavement. She let out a huff and her breath steamed the air. The first snow of the year began falling gently onto the frozen ground, swirling around softly in the night air. She cursed and took a hasty step back into the shelter of the bus stand.
Wrapping her muffler tight around her neck, her frozen fingers fumbled around in her pocket to answer her ringing phone.
"Yo, Khushi, what's taking you so long?"
"The bus is late, Preeto!" Khushi whined, battling the shivers running down her spine. She checked her watch, it was close to 11 p.m.
"Dang... just wait it out for ten more minutes. If it doesn't work out, head straight home. We can always meet first thing in the morning!"
"You know why I don't want to be alone tonight," mumbled Khushi.
"I know, honey... I'm sorry. There's been news of road closures because of the sleet. Check the Transit app again—maybe the bus status has been updated."
"I'll do that," sighed Khushi and hung up. Trying to control her tremors, she followed her best friend's advice and searched for her bus number.
The app still displayed the bus in transit, stuck in the same spot as the last time she checked. With a disgruntled sigh, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and thought, ten more minutes!
Her gaze swept the empty streets, deserted and eerily quiet. The street lamps cast a ghostly orange glow, their light mingling with the off-white shimmer of steadily falling snow.
Khushi's breath hitched when a man appeared to be standing just a few feet away from the bus stand. She hadn't noticed him before since his beige on beige ensemble nearly blended his form with the pavement.
The man had his head bowed slightly, staring into nothing, his body rigid and stock still. Shivers that had nothing to do with the cold now ran through her body. While he had made no move to rouse her suspicions, there was something extremely unnatural with the way he held himself.
An internal battle raged within her—should she wait out the time she'd allotted for the bus to arrive, or make a run for it to her apartment at the end of the block?
Both options felt equally daunting. If she stayed and waited, there was no one around to call for help. She cursed inwardly, wondering why she had refused Bua-ji's advice in taking self-defense classes.
She glanced around hurriedly; if she ran, he could easily give chase—and given his build, she grudgingly acknowledged that the relaxed fit of his clothing did little to disguise the broad shoulders and the athletic form beneath the thin fabric.
As the minutes ticked by, her paranoia slowly morphed into confusion and curiosity. The man remained completely still, not moving a single muscle. The snow had now formed a layer on his head and shoulders. Ignoring the ridiculous image of a shampoo commercial flashing through her mind, she cautiously inched closer to him.
