Ephemeral (#Wattys2016 #JustWriteIt)

Chapter 2

A week has passed of me inspecting the earphones girl. She always wears black, always has her earphones plugged in, and shes always standing, even if theres an available seat. I hear the train doors opening, signaling I'm here. My eyes leave the earphones girl quickly and I step out of the train and start walking to my job, not getting her face out of my mind. She has jet black long hair, pale skin, almost like a porcelain doll, deep blue eyes, pump lips, her cheeks and nose are always red and surrounded by a few freckles.

I walk into the office and I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders, and without needing to turn my head I know who it is.

"Hello Mr. Lockwood! How are you?" I greet him while turning my head and giving him a small smile.

"Hello Jonah. We need to talk about that manuscript you left in my desk last week" He says and I already feel the heat rushing to my cheeks because of embarrassment, already knowing he's going to say it sucked and that theres no way they're publishing that.

"What about it  Mr. Lockwood?" I ask him bracing my self for the criticism.

"I loved it!" He says and I blink multiple times. He loved it? Its the worst manuscript I've written in my entire existence and he loved it? He keeps talking but I can't hear what he's saying, only being able to think how could someone love that shitty writing. "I want to see of your works Jonah! Keep them coming!" He says before patting my back and walking towards his office. I open my office door and let my self drop on the chair, completely stunned. He loved it. I quickly grab my copy and read it and again and again trying to find what he found so amazing about this, but I never do. It sucks. I hate it. I completely hate it. I throw it in the trashcan and hear a few knocks on the door.

"Hey" Anna says while coming in the office smiling. "So I heard about your manuscript. Congratulations!" She tells me with a wide smile.

"It sucked Anna. It sucked. Want to read it? My copy is in the trashcan" I tell her while hitting the trashcan with the tip of my foot. "Go ahead. Read it and tell me it sucked. I don't know what he loved so much about it" I tell her and rub my hands in my jeans.

"It doesn't matter if it sucks or not. He loved it! You can finally buy that new apartment you've been wanting to buy" She tells me and I grab her hips, placing her on my lap.

"Move in with me" I tell her between kisses and she quickly pulls away.

"What?" She asks as if she didn't hear me correctly and I quickly regret asking her that. We've only been dating for 4 months or so.

"Move in with me when I buy the new apartment" I tell her again hoping I didn't make a huge mistake.

"You're joking right?" She asks me and my face falls. She doesn't want to move in with you, Jonah. Stop asking her to.

"If you don't want to thats completely okay. I mean I was ju-" I start to take it back but she cuts me off by pushing her lips to mine.

"I would love to move in with you" She tells me and I kiss her again.

*~*~*

I walk back to the train station from my office, extremely tired, and ready to go back home and throw myself in bed, and sleep until the next day. I wait for the train to arrive and I get in, sitting on one of the empty chairs. I'm the only one here, because I decided to leave work later than usual today, because I was re-reading that stupid manuscript. As the doors are about to close a tiny body slides in between the doors and walk to the back of the train, holding to the railing.

The earphones girl.

The train starts moving and my eyes never leave her. She looks smaller and more fragile than I've ever seen her.

The train coms to a stop and the earphone girl steps out. The next stop is where I'm supposed the step out, but I let curiosity guide me and I find myself stepping out the train snd following her up the subway stairs.