Crestfallen [COMPLETED]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ - 1

Then

The guy watches the girl as she turns another page in her book.
She's perched on a seat in a lone corner, a bag deposited on her lap.

A strap clung to her shoulder.

He watches as a muscle flicks on her face, showing how keenly engrossed she is.

She seems to be around his age.

The subway speeds up and the guy looks out of the window trying to find any other source of distraction to mull over. Still his eyes, drift and find their way back . . . . . .

at her.

Two evenings in a row, he has seen her sit on the same spot. Take the same subway. A book in her hand both the times. Apparently the same she's reading now.

The girl chews on her nail, sliding her hand slightly in her plaited hair.

She turns over another page, instinctively brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

It does something to him. Her self indulgent demeanor. Her attentiveness.

That he can't seem to look away.

There's something about her that he can't pinpoint.
Other than the fact that she is objectively attractive and appears a voracious reader.

Something that has let her access in his thoughts, so early.

She shakes her head and her eyes fall on him. His breath catches in his throat. As her gaze lingers, then locks with him.

And continues to rest.

He waits for it to turn judgemental.
Disapproving or disdainful as if warring him off for red handedly staring at her.

But it's not.

Her gaze.

It's more closed off, not much expressive as she doesn't emote anything through those big, brown eyes of hers.
But that, it's very. . . intense.

Just like how she appears to be.

A frantic thought crosses his mind.
He doesn't know what to do. To approach her or to cut off the earnest eye contact they been having.

But he holds the gaze as she does.

The subway comes to a stop, letting in more people.
The guy circles around giving way to the arriving passengers.

As he drifts his attention back, around at the same place, trying to find her. He realizes, she isn't there.

She's gone.

Like a puff of smoke descending irreversibly in the air.

As if she wasn't there. Just a few minutes ago.

He tries to numb the dissapointment crushing in his chest. Tries to calm
himself down, that it's
nothing.

She's just a stranger whose life wasn't meant to align with his.

That maybe this is all they were destined for,
only a gaze, after all.