Love Stories I was writing at 2am

Take A Seat

Ever felt like a movie star as you gaze out of the train's window? Well, those  kind of dreamy  imaginations disappear after months of commuting by train, and the only good thing left about a train journey is the cool air that whizzes out from the windows sometimes. However it doesn't last for long, for when it's summer,  you can literally find yourself to be melting like butter.

Luckily, I was able to secure a train seat today. Well, if it wasn't the greatest joy in the world, nothing else was. I made myself comfortable and opened the packet of peanut chikki that I'd bought earlier. As soon as I opened my mouth for a bite, a voice spoke up, startling me, which made me drop it on the floor.

My precious peanut candy!

"Don't you think you should be giving up your seat for the old lady?" The guy in front asked me.

Huhhhhhhh? What the heck was his problem? I'd finally gotten a seat after so many days. However, the loud voice he'd spoken attracted the attention of many. The old lady looked at me hopefully. Accepting defeat, I put on a fake smile and stood up. The lady thanked me profusely which made it all a  little bit better.

I stood up, next to that guy, and he had a smile on his face. "Just what the heck is your problem, dude?" I muttered, hoping he'd get that I wasn't even a little bit happy with the turn of events.

"Don't you know that you've got to have a sense of social responsibility?" He replied, and I couldn't argue with that.

"My chikki fell down because of you. Don't you have a social responsibility?" I said. He gave a very amused grin, and he looked so handsome that it made me blush.

The next day, he was the one who'd gotten a seat nearby, but he offered it to a little kid.  He was very nice guy, though generosity  is sometimes annoying. A nice wholesome kind of annoying. Endearingly annoying. He stood next to me, and began talking.

"Hey." He said.

"You could have given the seat to me." I said, in a attempt to rile him up so he'd talk to me.

"Yeah, but then I wouldn't have the chance to stand next to you." He said smoothly, and he gave his usual grin. It made my heart beat faster.

"Shut up!" I said, though I was all puddly inside.

The day after that, it was one of those unlucky days, and the both of us didn't get a seat, and we had to stand next to the door with the cool air coming in. He put his hand protectively over the hand railing, lest I lost balance or something.

He was a nice guy.

The usual chikki seller came by, singing out his products, and my mouth watered. 

"Need one?"

"Thanks." I muttered.

"Don't get me wrong, this is just a thank you for giving up on your seat the other day." He said.

"What about compensation for the one that fell because of you?"

"This is the one."

"You owe me two bars, mister."

"How?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Let me elaborate. I lost a chikki bar because of you. So you owe me one. I couldn't buy another one to replace that one, and so you need to get me another one as replacement for the new one."

"I see. Makes sense." He wondered thoughtfully.

"Wow, you're such an idiot.  Must be very easy to scam you." I told him.

"You're the one getting scammed. The guy selling them is long gone and I didn't get you anything." He laughed.

Damnnnnnnn.

And so, like that, every single day he'd make me stand. I'd even get  on other compartments of the train sometimes, but he always find me and make me do my 'social responsibility'. Damn him.

 But one fine day, we both found ourselves in a rather empty compartment, and miraculously, there were more empty seats than full. We both sat down in a corner row together.

"First time we're sitting together." He observed.

"Yes. If you had just a little bit less of 'social responsibility', this miracle would have happened a lot earlier." I said.

"You are my miracle." He said.

"And you are mine." I said, mimicking just about every romantic female lead. We broke into fits of laugher. He looked so handsome right now.

He looked at me intently I felt a sudden hot splash on my face as he leaned in closer, and put his palms through my hair and pulled towards him gently and kissed me. I leaned in even more closer closing the minute gap between us, and wrapped my hands around his neck.

"Excuse me, this is a public space." The voice made us startle immediately and we pulled away from each other. It was the chikki seller. It made me cringe with embarrassment. So much for social responsibility.  I wanted to run away somewhere. The vendor went his way as though nothing had happened.

"Relax. It's nothing. Who cares what he thinks? It's between us." He assured me, but I felt the exact opposite.

"Thou shalt not commute in the same compartment as me anymore." I said, and went and sat in another corner of the row.

He shook his head as though it was impossible. It was impossible. These feelings which appeared whenever I saw him. I wanted to pull him into a bear hug and never let go regardless of where we were. 

"No, no don't." I said when he approached me regardless. "Go stand in a corner and reflect on your actions."

The next day, I was sitting next to the window, munching on a chikki, and he appeared before me with his usual dialogue.

"Don't you think you should give up your seat for the pregnant lady?"

I sat, determined, not to be led away by the music of his voice. "I am very sorry mister, but I cannot give my seat."

"Yes, you've got to. It's our responsibility." He said.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I am pregnant." I said.

The sentence made him blush, which was visible through the rustic brown canvas of his skin, all through his ears. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't and a sudden jerk of the train made his head bang against the pole he was standing next to. It was so hilarious.

We got down at the same stop at the same time as we always did. He seemed to be much better than the trance he was in before.

"Why would you break it out to me in such a cruel way? Don't most ladies make it romantic or something? I almost lost it." He said.

Pfft. "Serves you right. That's for torturing me every day on the train." I said.

"Hahahaha." He laughed.

"Well, retribution is retribution and it's your turn to cook tonight. " I said. He frowned a little bit but put a protective hand over my belly.