Lessons in Love » NaLu A.U.

chapter » two

A tree missing its leaves. A café packed with college students. A bus stop collecting loiterers and pedestrians. All these were seen from Lucy's window on the sixth floor.

It was a nice view at times; there were people she remembered seeing regularly on their way to grab a drink or some food. With it's crisp foliage and gray bark, the tree was a pleasant sight in the autumn. Other times, not so much.

The cigarette smoke lingering at the bus stop made her throat dry up even from her safe barricade in her apartment. So many hands had touched the poles, the bench, it was repulsing. She was glad, however, that the cool weather gave her a chance to bundle up and avoid the contact.

Her usual fall routine consisted of showering and dressing first thing as she woke. Her body would shroud into a layer of jeans and sweaters, scarves and gloves piled over it. She'd make toast, maybe coffee or soup; something easy and healthy. A bottle of sanitizer slipped it's way into her purse, followed by a tin of lotion to keep her hands from cracking.

Leaving the golden hair encasing her head down around her shoulders, Lucy grabbed her key ring and made way downstairs. The elevator was empty, and she bumped the lobby button with her hip. Even the first floor seemed much colder, much more open than her safe and warm apartment upstairs.

Her long legs carried her to the bus stop. The thoughts of walking to class kept cycling through her mind, but it was much too cold and her hands already felt dry inside their mitts. She hopped up over the curb, standing at the bus stop.

She chose a place right beside the bench, a good two or three feet away to keep a sound distance from the smokers and loiterers waiting along with her. The cigarette fumes bled into the air, gray furls streaming with the wind and making way the Lucy.

The blonde took a deep breath before putting her head down and burying her nose into her scarf. The man chuckled, chewing the cigarette between his smiling lips. His face was weathered, wrinkles covering the otherwise young face.

"You want a puff?" He asked. His body leaned against the pole of the shelter. His smile was free of the cigarette as he pulled it out between his fingers, but smoke still ran from his mouth.

Lucy shook her head, refusing to look at him. Her voice was small; polite. "No, thank you."

The man raised a brow and shrugged. "Suit yourself, sweetie." He murmured. His lips wrapped around the bud and he took a long drag as if to entice her.

She was debating walking again before she noticed the bus round the corner, a glorious savior of her own. Lucy would have smile but feared inhaling anything if she parted her lips. Nothing could have carried her onto the bus faster as it parked and opened its doors.

People filled in behind her, some pushing past as she failed to grab a decent seat in time. Even with her gloves, she refused to grab onto one of the poles. She stood in the middle of the bus, hooking her leg around one of the poles to steady herself as they moved again.

Lucy smiled nervously at the person sitting behind her. Prayers ran through her head so she didn't fall over on anyone. Buildings and trees whizzed by the dirty windows as they moved, the sky grey and cluttered with clouds.

The bus took a sharp turn around the corner and Lucy's eyes widened in panic. Don't touch it, it's filthy! she whined to herself, looking around at something to steady her balance. Her leg let go of the pole in an attempt to balance, but she only fell on her side into the aisle.