this train will end at

1;evanescent

/avery

Avery Lim hates trains.

The smell of rotting fruit engulfs her as she boards the middle carriage of the already crowded train. A homeless man in the corner, a wailing baby in a stroller and an agitated middle aged woman screaming into her phone adds to the charm of the number 17 train leaving the northeast station.

A sigh escapes her lips as she shuffles further into the black hole of the people packed like tinned sardines, muttering a few weak 'excuse me's and 'sorry's. Again the train is full, and again Avery will have to stand on already sore and bleeding feet throughout her hour long ride home. Yet another dejected sigh leaves her body when she realises, fuck. i left my airpods at home today.

With an hour to kill and nothing to distract her other than the crying sounds the demon child was emitting, Avery curses yet again when pain shoots up her left leg and temporarily blinds her, making her almost double up in pain.

"Crap, I'm so sorry." A soft voice brings her back to reality and her vision returns only to see an offered hand in front of her. She blinks again and her line of sight sharpens to see a brown haired, blue eyed boy with a concerned expression gazing down at her.

Her first thought: Damn, this boy is fi-i-ine.

With a pair of black glasses perched on his nose, chiseled features and full lips, this mystery boy was exactly her type. And Avery Lim had standards.

"A-are you okay?" Said boy questioned again, his worried expression getting more alarmed when Avery didn't react to his apology. An incredulous smile bloomed on her face: stepped on by an absolute stranger and the first thought that entered her head was how good he looked? The thought almost made her laugh. She was touch starved and deprived of the joy of being in good relationships, sure, but to swoon at the sight of a boy she had just met? Avery thought she was better than that.

Her smile stretched and she recovered quickly. "I'm fine, thank you. Should have been paying more attention." She cringed inwardly when her words came out stilted and fake. Why do I always apologise for things I can't control? Her inner voice scolded.

"Uh- that's good, I think?" Pretty boy's expression morphed yet again to one of confusion upon hearing her reassurance-apology. Withdrawing his hand quickly, he smiled shyly and awkwardly ran his hand through his dark hair, almost making Avery melt in the process.

A blush coats her cheeks as she checks herself. Stop it, Avery. You just met him. He could be a murderer for all you know.

"Linden station. This train has arrived at Linden station. Please exit through the side doors."

Her thoughts are interrupted by the robotic-sounding announcement system. Avery grabs on to the nearest thing as the train rattles to a stop, not realising the nearest thing was a very real, very alive human in the form of the beautiful mystery boy in front of her. He catches her gently, holding her up with little effort and letting out a little 'whoa' in surprise as she grabs onto him for dear life.

Avery relaxes into his arms subconsciously, the smell of coffee and fabric softener enveloping her in a cloud of comfort. She almost sighs in relief as the weight leaves her tired, sore feet and melts even further into the warm, soft sweatshirt of- wait, what?

She bolts up in shock and removes herself from mystery boy's arms, eyes wide in horror when she looks up into his face, now coated in a light blush, apologising profusely again, " Oh God, I'm so sorry, really sorry, I- I just lost my balance for a moment, Um- thanks for catching me though?" Avery offers him a weak smile, still reeling from the embarrassment of hugging, no, harassing an absolute stranger.

Mystery boy smiles, revealing a set of pearly whites and a dimple in his right cheek, making Avery somehow feel like crying and laughing at the same time, because his smile looks like stardust and golden sunshine and all the bright things and she just wants to hold on to him and never let go.

Her heart fluttered and she caught her breath as the train doors slid open, leaving the two of them stuck in the wave of busy people rushing out and in of the train.

Mystery boy gave a dismayed groan as he rifled through his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, grabbing her hand and using it as a base to scribble something with incredible speed and fold in into her hand, rushing out a quick "Can-I-see-you-tomorrow-last-carriage-same-train-two-o-clock-northeast-station-that's-my-number-in-your-hand-please-call-me-you're-really-pretty-and-I-want-to-paint-you-please-and-thank-you!"

He blurted out all this in one string and was gone with the wave of the crowd, before Avery could even blink, leaving her mouth opened slightly in shock and the crumpled piece of paper still in her hand, the only other thing left to remember mystery boy by the slight waft of coffee and fabric softener in the air.

She uncurled her hand and gently opened the scrap of paper, the scribbled number in illegible handwriting making her feel warm inside- 8057 1717

And just like that, Avery no longer hated trains.

_____
glossary:
evanescent- fleeting, fading or disappearing quickly

hello there! thank you for reading my first story, it'd mean the world to me if you'd comment and tell me what you think of it! avery and eden have a beautiful story, and i'm looking forward for you to journey with them into their world.

however, before we begin (or continue), a few things need to be addressed. Avery Lim is Chinese. she is a character made up by me, bearing multiple similarities to me, and she shares the same race as me. i will not tolerate any form of discrimination against avery and every or any character i introduce in the future with a colourful cultural background. any and all hate will be blocked and reported.

that said, i hope for this book to be a safe space for everyone, regardless of who you are and where you come from. respect my beliefs and i will respect yours to the best of my ability. everyone in this book is equal, and so are all of you.

next, a little about me: i am fifteen as of 2020 and this is my attempt at writing something that could possibly be considered a story. im currently watching haikyuu, criminal minds, and a korean drama called doctor stranger, so come talk to me about these shows and let's be friends :-)

i hope you enjoy this little piece of my heart. see you next chapter.

much love,
ki.