The Bad Different

The Bus

The white bus was packed full of bodies, well over its capacity, and he somehow had a torn maroon seat all to himself.  The smell of body odor from the heavyset balding man in front of him wafted back and almost made him gag. He felt sorry for the lad stuck beside the odorous being.

The bus lurched to a stop and some people got off and were quickly replaced by more people than had exited. 

The overloaded bus did it's best to shoot forward and a body gracefully landed in the seat next to him. 

A girl with onyx black hair, lightly tanned skin, and eyes the color of jade occupied the seat next to the now apparently plain man. She was wearing very worn darker denim blue jeans, a Bon Jovi t-shirt, and a light brown leather jacket that had some scuffs and a slight tear in the left shoulder. 

She seemed severely under dressed considering the negative ten degrees Celsius that plagued the outside.

He tried his best not to stare, but kept sneaking glances at her.

She was gorgeous, and hot. In a literal sense, he could feel the heat radiating off her under dressed body. He attributed it to the overcrowded bus and the lack of open windows.

"Hey," He said, his low voice raised to speak over the noise of the crowd. She turned her head and her green eyes locked onto his grey ones, holding him hostage. 

"Hello." She said with a harsh yet melodic voice with an accent that he couldn't quite pinpoint. 

"I'm Santana Guile, but you can call me Tanner." He held out a trembling hand in greeting but she turned her head forward and crinkled her nose as the open bus doors sent the man's smell back again. 

Not a good start, he thought, definitely not. 

Something about her allure made it almost impossible for him to feel offended about being ignored.

She sat silently acting as if she hadn't heard him. He opened his mouth to repeat himself, but she interrupted him mid-inhale.

"I heard you the first time, Tanner, I just don't really care." The way she said his name send shivers through his entire body.

The shivers were good until they turned to a deep fear, unprovoked. He warily looked at the woman, wondering why he was so suddenly afraid of her. Was he afraid of  her or was it her way of speaking?

She laughed, feeling his radiating fear and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Before he could ask why she was laughing, she leaned in close, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, and whispered "you're afraid." 

Tanner's heart was racing by the time she pulled away. The heat from her skin made him start sweating. Or maybe it was the nerves. Or the overcrowded bus.

"I'm Alethea, but you can call me Letha," She flashed a dazzling smile at him. Were her canines as long as he thought they were? Tanner turned his head to look out the window and compose himself.

Relax, Tanner. There's a beautiful woman next to you, chill out. 

"So Letha, would you like to go ou-" Tanner turned his head back and she was gone. His eyes scanned the crowd and he saw her stepping off the bus.

He was very tempted to chase her but the doors closed before he could process the thought.

Santana covered his face with his hand and groaned. "Smooth, Tanner. Real smooth. You let her get away."

"Bloke," The smelly guy in front of him muttered, having heard Tanner chat with himself.

Tanner kicked the back of his seat once wondering if that arse would get off the bus before Tanner did. 

Santana sighed and glowered out the window, thinking of Alethea. He hadn't even gotten her last name.