Did he never want any variety in his life? Oh wait, she was in her little spot, same as always, waiting for the 6:56am express to the outlying suburbs of New York. She wondered, for the hundredth time, what he did in the city, or what his name was, or where he lived.
His train left before hers, and she watched it go wishing just once he'd look up before he hopped on and meet her timid smile.
Every day of the week this happened, and every day at work she'd try to put him out of her mind; the brown tousled hair that was oh so cute, the nerdy glasses, the skateboard under his arm that spoke of adventures, and the frayed jeans and comfy hoodie that reminded her of casual days hanging out with friends. Maybe if she came up with a reason to go to the city, she might bump into him on the same side of the tracks. A girl could dream, right?
She soon learnt to be careful what she wished for.
It started out as normal; same as every other day. Until it all went pear-shaped.
Yep, she would never forget the day she met Peter Parker.
The platform was crowded as always, her mind was filled with all the things she needed to do at work and talk to her boss about, and the boyishly handsome face flickered his rich brown eyes at her for a brief heart-stopping second. And then the thugs came out of nowhere, grabbing her handbag and inadvertently pushing her over the yellow safety line and onto the tracks. She was sure her scream could be heard clear in the next county.
But then he appeared, gently wrapping his strong arms around her bruised body and setting her on safe ground just as the train rolled in. She had nearly become minced meat. How he had moved so fast, she would always wonder. One second she was hyperventilating over him finally noticing her, then she was on the tracks and he was her knight in shining armor.
"Miss, are you ok?" he had asked, looking into her eyes with a frown deepening the lines around his.
"Yes. Yes, I totally am! My name is Dee, and I've been waiting so long to meet you!" She would've face-palmed if her left arm didn't hurt so bad and her right wasn't wrapped around his neck to tightly. Did she really say that out loud?
"Oookay, well I'm Peter, and I'm pretty sure you need to be checked out by a doctor. You got a nasty bump on your head," he had smiled ever so nicely, probably thinking she'd gone nuts with amnesia or a concussion.
"Yes, a doctor. Peter...a doctor, of course. I mean—I need to see a doctor. And you're Peter. I love that name," she babbled, wishing her mouth would just zip shut and not spill her embarrassing secrets.
He had gone with her to the nearest hospital, staying until he was sure she'd be ok. It was the sweetest thing a guy had ever done for her.
They talked about their jobs and how they'd seen each other across the tracks for months on end; they talked about where they lived - a few suburbs from each other - and their families. She was sad to hear Peter had lost his uncle in a random shooting a few months ago and her heart ached for him. He ducked his head when she reached for his hand, but his fingers wrapped around hers despite his shyness.
She sensed a vulnerability that reminded her of a lost puppy, and she just wanted to wrap her heart around him and comfort the hurting boy inside. But of course he was also a hero.
They swapped numbers and hung out on the weekends, becoming firm friends over the next few months, and no matter how many times he brushed it off with humility, she would always remind him of the day he crossed the tracks in front of a train to save her life. She placed a kiss on his cheek and said she'd love him forever.
And she didn't even know about the red and blue suit he kept at the bottom of a trunk, or about the night job that kept him crawling over the city, selflessly helping others in their time of need.
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