Just One Night

Chapter 3- Him

I was pretending to be listening to music and sleeping in hopes to ward off people from sitting next to me. It was working until she got on. I smelled her sweet vanilla perfume before she sat down next to me. I could feel her eyes on me and it's taking everything in me not to open my eyes and look back at her. I hear her let out an annoyed breath before I felt her arm brush mine as she searched for something in her bag.

I couldn't help myself I had to steal a peek. I slowly opened one of eyes to get a quick look at her. She's beautiful. She's not wearing any makeup not that she needs to and her hair hangs loose down her back. She's got naturally curly hair, not the kind that can be made from a curling iron, but the natural wild curls. Her clothes are tight on her and fit her every curve. She's not the typical societal version of what beautiful should be, she's just naturally beautiful.

She's totally into her book that she hasn't noticed that I've been watching her for the last four stops. She finally looks up when the conductor announces that New York will be the last stop.

"Stare much." She says dryly.

"Sorry." I mumble shifting so that I'm sitting up straight and purposely brushing against her.

She looks slightly uncomfortable when my arm brushes hers and I can't help the cocky smile that plays at my lips.

"So you heading to New York?" I ask her. I suck at small talk and usually I avoid it but I can't help but be curious by her.

"Obviously." She says not looking up from her book.

I move my head to get a glimpse of the title. The Outsiders. Unusual for someone our age. All the girls at my school only want to read about homicidal teenagers and sparkly vampires.

"The Outsiders? School assignment?" I ask.

"Nope." She say turning the page.

"I like that. All the girls I know only read stupid stuff like The Hunger Games or Twilight." I laugh hoping she'll take the bait.

She huffs in annoyance and I know I've got her attention when she finally looks up at me.

"First of all The Hunger Games is not stupid. I may not be all gaga for them but they were really good books. Second of all no one reads Twilight anymore it's played out. And third of all just because I'm reading something that isn't a today's top selling teen novel doesn't mean I don't like them. This book just happens to be my favorite." She says then goes back to her book.

"I never read it. Just watched the movie." I admit.

"Of course." She mumbles so low I almost didn't hear her.

"So why are you heading to New York?" I ask.

"Oh my God, can you not see I'm trying to read? And why I'm going to New York is none of your business, I don't even know you." She says annoyance clear in her voice and on her face.

"Sorry. I'm shit for small talk. I just...you interest me is all." I tell her.

"You don't even know me." She says again her voice softening.

"Your favorite book is something that most kids would never read outside of school, your absolutely beautiful without even trying, you keep your answers short and sweet without trying to give too much away, which tells me your guarded. You're different than the girls that I'm used to, which makes you interesting to me." I tell her.

"Your...I...ugh." Is all she manages to say before muttering a bunch of swear words under her breath. Which I like. I like it a lot.

I go to see if I can get under her skin some more when my phone goes off. It was only a matter of time before someone discovered I was MIA. I look down to see Chloe's name flashing on the screen and ignore her call. She is the last person I want to talk to. I look up to look at the beautiful stranger only to see she's already looking at me with a disgusted look on her face.

"My sister." I lie.

She just snorts and rolls her eyes calling my bullshit.

"You don't have to explain anything to me. You're just some weird creeper I mistakenly sat next to on a train." She says dismissively.

"What if I wanted to be more?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" She looked completely baffled and a little on edge.

"What if I wanted to be more than a stranger? What if for just one night I was more?" I ask her invading the little personal space she had.

"I'm not that kind of girl." She swallows nervously.

Now it's my turn to look confused until what she said clicks.

"No, no, not like that. I meant...well I don't know exactly what I meant, except not that." I quickly try to explain.

"I'm confused." She states narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah me too." I agree.

We sit in an uncomfortable silence until the train starts to slow as it pulls into Penn Station. She starts to collect her stuff and get up but I grab her wrist before she can go anywhere.

"What if for one night we pretend. We pretend that all the shit in our lives isn't there. That we're two stupid kids roaming the streets of New York without a care in the world. What if we pretend we were more than just strangers who met on a train?" I ask her desperately.

I can see her battling with herself and weighing her options before she reluctantly groans.

"God I can't believe I'm saying this. Ok fine. We can pretend. But just for one night." She says.

I give her the biggest smile ever to which she just rolls her eyes at and mutters how she is already regretting this.