Mind the Gap | ✔️

May 3 @ 9:33 A.M.: Iris

"It's the You-Are-Mine syndrome!" Rena jutted her chin, raising a finger up in a sudden Eureka revelation. Her loud shrill yell earned both her, and me, suspicious glances from several Red-Line co-trainees.

"Excuse me? The Who-Is-Whose what syndrome now?" I shook my head, not comprehending what she was saying, like, at all.

"It means, Jayden is certain of your love. He's got you now; he feels sure about you, and he behaves as if you were his property. He is going to start taking you for granted and disrespecting you more and more. What's there to understand?" Rena raised a single eyebrow.

"I don't know, Rena. I mean, he is kind of back to his old self now. Maybe... Maybe it was just the holiday thing? Perhaps he simply had the need to decide for both while we are at a place we don't know?" I deflected her attack half-heartedly.

"Right. I see you are letting this one slide. But let me ask you another thing. And what about his Mommy Dearest?" Rena flanked me next. "Her dislike for your job? For your style? That's never going to go away, and you know it."

"Don't start with that again, Rena. I mean, I don't know. I'm not the only person in the world with a MIL problem. Just saying. So many of us don't get along with our in-laws but... It's Jayden I am getting hitched to, not his mom."

"Okay. You wanna know what I really think? That old hag is the reason why you are such a serial hair dye-ist! Every time you do it, you feel like a little rebel. As if you haven't... you know... become who she wants you to be."

"Oh, come on. Can you please stop psychoanalyzing me? You always do this!" I snapped, crossing my arms. "And right now, there is no need to be such a nitpick. Jayden has finally committed himself. We're moving in together. We'll be happy."

"Really? Will you be happy?" Rena's cheeks flared as our train came to a halt. Their color no longer matched the mocha coffee curl she twiddled between her thumbs.

I squirmed under the weight of her frowning gaze. Ugh. She was like Cyclops, burning me with that Spanish inquisition stare.

Lucky for me, something or someone caught her attention, and the unbearable beam of scrutiny turned elsewhere.

"Okay, Iris, shhh, don't look... But there's a creep on the other train who's like, literally staring at us!" Rena hissed.

"What creep?" I frowned at the sudden change of topic. Only then did I realise  where we were.

It was Charles/MGH station! And the creep Rena was talking about was none other than... Mr. Ruffles Bunny!

My mouth widened in a smile of its own accord. His widened in return, too.

Even though he wasn't my Mr. Ruffles Bunny anymore.

What had happened to him?

His cute curly hair was now all straight!

He wore a... suit... and a... tie.

And—le gasp—his Hot Stubble was gone! That made me die a little on the inside.

Noooo!

Why all that change?

"Iris! What did I just say to you? What part of don't look didn't you understand? Ugh!" Rena growled at me.

Mr. Ruffles Bunny was dressed so formally. A stranger in his dark suit.

Almost as if he had heard me, he lifted his tie. A yellow smiley adorned it.

Maybe it had rebelliously escaped from his umbrella, just to tell me laughing is the best way to face the big, silly mess called life.

I giggled.

"Who is that?" Rena practically screamed into my ear. "You know that guy?"

"That's umm... Mr. Ruffles Bunny!" I said, enjoying Rena's confusion and the fact I finally had the upper hand in the conversation.

"Ex-cuse mah? Mr. Ruffles Bunny? What the heck did I miss?" She leaned forward.

"Just a guy I saw a couple of times on the train." I shrugged, trying to keep a straight face at her irritation and freshly spawned curiosity.

"No way! You had a meet-cute, and you didn't tell me! He is cute! Tell me more, tell me more, did he put up a fight?"

I giggled, shook my head and then glanced back at him.

He had his arms crossed and glowered at us.

"Look at him pout," Rena said. "I'd call him Mr. Duck Face."

We both burst into laughter.

Mr. Duck Face frowned. Then he turned his tie upside down.

"What's he... What's he doing now?" Rena shook her head, still grinning.

"Mmmm..." I decided to take up the interpretation challenge this time around. "Let's see... Maybe 'I want to tie you up and show you my wild side?'" I winked at Rena.

"Oh gosh, you're crazy, Iris!" She wiped a stray tear off of her cheek. "What now?"

In time with Rena's words, his face went slack, losing all expression.

"Is he having a seizure?" Rena asked.

I shook my head. He was trying to show me something else, to send me another message through the impenetrable windows. But what was it?

Not being able to talk to him, to understand him—it was so frustrating.

"Iris?" Rena asked, her voice light years away.

Mr. Ruffles Bunny gave me a small shrug and pointed his finger forward.

Another enigmatic gesture, its meaning lost in the gap between us.

Then, public transport took him away.

A tear tickled my skin.

"Iris." Rena's voice was now but a whisper. Her tender hand clasped my arm.

My eyes lingered on the empty tracks.