Endearing Stranger (Sample)

Sweet Encounter

Catherine Rogers was in her late twenties, at a point of her life where it was expected that she'd be looking for Mr Right. 

He's coming! He's here... 

Catherine adjusted herself on the seat of the bus, fidgeting with her fingers as he came closer. 

OK, OK, you're OK. You're fine. Well dressed, makeup on point, nails done, hair sty... Oh my gosh!! What's that strand of hair doing?! I thought I'd laid everything in place. Oh no... Too late...

"Good evening," said the young man she was expecting, as he sat beside her.

She nodded, never able to say anything anytime he greeted her.

Unlike most of her age-mates, Catherine didn't feel the excruciating need to have a man in her life.

But that was before he knocked on the door of her heart.

They met a month ago, since then, every weekday on the bus, he sat next to her. There were usually only a few people on the bus at that time. The fifteen minutes she spent with him not saying one word, just being next to him, were the brightest moments of her whole day. Recently her work had been tiring and stressful, but she stayed in a good mood because of that moment she'd get to see him. She looked forward to it every day. 

She looked forward to seeing him wave at the bus, then come in, politely greet the driver, see her, smile to her, then say his usual "good evening", and sit next to her.

********

The first time she saw him on the bus, she straightened up, like any young single woman would in the presence of a handsome young man. 

Tall, dark-haired, he wore a white shirt underneath his grey suit, a black tie and coat, with a grey scarf dangling around his neck. His tie was loosened, and his hair was messy, but in a nice way. It was clearly the end of a hard work day. The man had a confident stance, he immediately made her heart skip a beat as soon as her eyes caught a hold of him. 

However, the feeling didn't last long, because she saw that he didn't spare a glance, or say a word to the driver who greeted him. He was very concentrated on whatever it was he was doing on his phone. 

Ah... Disappointing, she thought. I can't stand people like that. The driver is a person who deserves at least a look, he's not a machine. 

What she didn't know was that he was actually dealing with something serious from his work, another chore bestowed upon him.

Catherine felt a bit let down by his behavior, yet she could not take her eyes off him. They stubbornly followed him, as he walked in. 

Stop looking, she thought, but she couldn't. 

Little did she know, she had caught the eye of three hooligans that were standing in front of the young man. They had the impression that she was looking their way. But she had not noticed them at all. By the time she did, and looked away, it was too late. She looked down, making herself as small as possible, trying not to be noticed, but they had their eyes on her. They were already discussing on who should go get the girl. 

Oh no..., what should I do? She thought. Do I put my bag on the seat next to me then say I'm waiting for some one? Or that I have a boyfriend? A scary boyfriend, or...