When Stars Align

Second Encounter

He walked calmly onto the carriage - it was more crowded than usual. Down the stairs he walked, almost tumbling when the carriage suddenly jolted. He found his seat, sat down, and began cleaning his glasses with his tie. He looked up and everything was a blur. He blinked a few times, to see if she was sitting there. It wasn't until he gently put his rounded glasses back on that he saw her clearly. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back lightly into a ponytail, with strands hanging lightly on either side of her face. He saw the ocean in her eyes, so blue he could drown in them. She was looking down at something, and she began to smile. Her lips were stained perfectly with the colour red, matching the bandana she wore in her hair... and the tie he wore around his neck.

It was something about her that he found so wonderful. The lack of words spoke to each other couldn't indicate much, but there was something about this lady that left him in awe. She had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. She sent him into a daze of some sort. He sat there, twiddling his thumbs, staring. He was suddenly woken from this daze when he noticed a hand waving in the distance. It was her. She was trying to wake him from his daydream. He sat upright and shook his head, looking somewhat frightened. Once the initial shock had abandoned his body, he began to laugh. She soon did, too. Into each others eyes they stared. They sat far apart, and although they had never formally spoken, he knew there was something deep in this questionable relationship. Her laugh was the only thing he could hear, even above the ear piercing sounds of the remaining patrons on board the carriage. Her laugh slowly died out, however her smile stayed the same. He was in love with it, and to some degree, with her. She started singing along with the radio. Her voice was something he had never heard before. It was stunning. It was soothing.

Slowly, he removed his glasses and leaned back, completely relaxed, focusing all of his attention solely on the voice of this young lady. He was so calm, and so at peace that he began to slowly doze off. He was in and out of consciousness listening. When he no longer heard her voice, his eyes shot open and pressed is glasses against his eyes - she wasn't in her seat. Instead, she was standing at the door of the train as it opened. The realisation that it was also his stop hit him like a punch in the face. He jumped from his seat, grabbing his belongings and bolted up the stairs to the door. His bag was slung over his shoulder and his research paper loosely in his hand. With less than a second to spare, he jumped from the train and onto the pavement on the platform. In this moment, his clumsiness got the better of him, and he fell. Loose sheets of paper were sent flying.

After a moment, he picked himself up only to hear never-ending giggling in the background. He wiped the dirt from his sleeves and looked to the side of him, only to see her. Giggling. She bent down to help him pick up his belongings. In an instant, he fell back to the cold concrete to do the same. He smiled at her, his eyes never drifted. She rapidly picked up his papers, glancing at each sheet. "You're a bit of a science geek aren't you?" she laughed, handing him his papers. He smiled as he reached to take the papers from her. When he did, their hands touched. The same electrical sparks hit him, in the same way they hit her yesterday. His heart was pounding in his chest as they stared into each others eyes. He tried so hard to hold back from touching her lips with his. He looked down and smiled, trying to resist the temptations. He picked up the one final piece behind him before standing up, and neatly placing the sheets back into the folder from which they fell. "Thank you," he said, smiling from ear to ear.

"You're welcome, Oliver," she replied, turning to walk away. He questioned her, concerned. She pointed to the papers in his hand, his name was handwritten in the top left corner of every sheet. "Nice penmanship," she smiled, and began to walk.

He fixed himself up as he watched her walk away. The smile didn't leave his face, and he brushed his hand lightly through his hair, with the unbelievable desire to feel her touch once more.