The Reality of Loving Someone at First Sight

Baclaran Station

I wipe the palms of my hands. Sweaty. Am I worried that Ares might not get the hints I gave him? Or am I starting to believe in love at first sight?

Ares is nervous himself. His foot goes thump-thump-thump on the floor.

This might sound corny. Really corny but the guy beside me seems to be glowing. It's like light is emanating from him. Weird. Not him. Me.

"How long is it going to take you?"

"Give me more minutes. My brain cells are actually debating with each other."

I smile. I touch his hand. His head shoot up. I blush.

"To help you with the connection."

He smiles. Not a grin. A real smile. I savor the feeling of his skin. I'm quite sure this is not post-break up trauma. To hell with Mark.

"We're almost there."

"Oh, God." he mutters.

Silence. Worry. Anxiety. Frustration. Belief. Need I say more?

"Baclaran station. Baclaran station. Please watch over your bags and other valuables."

The train slowly reaches the end of the rail. The other passengers are now on their way to the door as it opens. Beep-beep-beep. It’s deafening.

"I have to go." I stand up.

"No." he implores.

I ignore his request (demand?) and decide to go to the door as I look for my card.

He follows me. "Give me one more minute."

"I'm sorry." I shake away the guilt. I squeeze myself in the crowd and walk towards the turnstile. I look back but what I see now is a crowd of faceless people pushing each other. No Ares. This is it. The moment I go through this turnstile, it will really be a goodbye. Do I want him in my life?

"Miss! In case you don't know, there's a line over here!" someone is shouting behind me.

I insert my card in the hole and push the turnstile. That's when I heard him.

I look around. I can't see him. I hear him again. What's he saying? I couldn't understand. Not with the sounds of the departing train and human noise.

"--ie!"

What?

"Ellie! Ellie!"

My heart flutters once again. "He got it." I slowly say to myself, completely ignoring the people pushing me. "He got it!"

I immediately made a U-turn. "Ares! Ares, where are you?!"

"Watch it, miss!"

"What the heck are you doing, young woman?!"

"You're facing the wrong direction!"

I continue to push while shouting his name. I don't care about the other people. All I want is to find him.

"Ellie!" His voice sounds louder this time.

"I'm here! Where are you?!"

"By the ads!"

I hurry to the path where ads are posted on the wall. Then I saw him. His smile is glorious. If you even use that word to describe a smile.

"Ellie. Your name's Ellie." He keeps on saying as he slowly approach me.

"Yes." I answer. I’m panting. Pushing people in a crowd should have been a sport.

"I'm glad." I said.

"Me too."

I have no idea that it felt this way. This could be a beginning of something beautiful and I hope it would last. It's not love at first sight. Probably, there aren't any other words to coin a term for it but it's definitely not love at first sight. The feeling between two people realizing a connection between them despite being strangers is one of the best kinds of love a person could feel. And I felt it. And I'm willing for it to grow.

Guess I need to apologize to Shakespeare.