I lay awake in the dark staring toward the ceiling, even before my alarm went off. I relived the moment on the bus over and over in my mind.
Thank you so much. That's what she said to me as she passed by.
The sound of her voice—soft-spoken and appealing—was sweet like honey to my ears. Even though she was at the end of her work shift and a little out of breath from running for the bus, she smelled like vanilla and roses. My heart fluttered from the scent as it invaded my senses.
My heart still fluttered now, just from thinking about her.
The phone rang and I reached up to the shelf over my head to pick it up.
"Hey Jimin, what's up? You're calling early this morning."
"I couldn't sleep so I'm up already. I'll have time to swing by and pick you up for work today," he offered. "We could even make time for a quick breakfast at the diner across the street if you want to."
His voice sounded hopeful, but I was hesitant. What if today was the day I worked up the courage to talk to her?
I opened my mouth to tell him no thanks, but my mouth had a mind of its own.
"Yeah sure. That sounds great."
Obviously, my inner self had no confidence that I would ever speak to the girl, which was probably true. I would likely worship her from afar until it was too late to do anything else. I was too self-conscious and backwards, and I doubted that would ever change.
"Okay, great! I'll pick you up in an hour?" he chirped, happy with the change from the usual morning routine.
I mumbled something about that being fine and hung up, mad at myself for my lack of self-confidence.
An hour later, I was freshly showered and ready for the day. Leaning against the brick wall outside the diner, I waited for Jimin to show up. At this hour, the diner was empty and the street was deserted. I liked it this way—quiet, calm, peaceful. Taking a deep breath, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The indistinct buzz of the city lulled me into an idyllic serenity, allowing my normally restless mind to linger undisturbed.
"Did you fall asleep standing up?"
I cracked my eyes open to see Jimin's small frame in front of me. I smiled down at him as I pushed away from the wall and turned to go into the door of the diner.
"I wasn't asleep, just daydreaming," I answered as I followed him inside and through the maze of tables until he chose where he wanted to sit. Jimin liked to have a clear view of the waitress station. Unlike most people who wanted to stare out the window, he liked to look at the waitresses, even though he had a long-term girlfriend. He was never unfaithful; he just appreciated the beauty of all women.
"So who you daydreaming about now, JK? Who is the unlucky girl this time?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. He knew about my problem talking to women. He had tried to help me through it over the years, but usually just ended up talking to the girls for me, which never really worked out in my favor. Jimin was a charmer. Back in high school, girls just fell at his feet as soon as he opened his mouth. Now that he was an adult, it was no different.
Even the waitress flirted with him as she took our order, ignoring me completely. It was fine though. I had been in here at this hour hundreds of times before and she knew all she'd get from me was, "Two eggs, over easy; wheat toast with jam; coffee, black."
"Smile at her," Jimin whispered before the waitress finished writing my order on her small pad.
Plastering a smile across my face, I waited for her to look at me again, but she didn't. She just smacked her gum while she stuffed her pad back into her pocket and then she walked away.
Jimin shook his head at me in disappointment. "Forget about trying to flirt with her, just be friendly. That's the first step."
"I wasn't trying to flirt with her, Jimin," I asserted. "She's not the one I like."
His eyebrows shot up, "So there is someone you like? Tell me everything. Spill the tea, boy." He leaned forward eagerly with his elbows on the table, waiting for the sad reoccurring story of my life, as if he hadn't heard it before.
I shook my head. I didn't want him to start helping me again. The last thing I wanted was for her to meet Jimin.
"No, there's no one. You know me; I gave up on meeting anyone special a long time ago."
He let the topic go, thank goodness. Instead he talked about Tilly and how happy they were together. Settling down with her had been the smartest thing Jimin had ever done.
He was still talking about Tilly when the waitress came back with our food. She set the various plates in front of us, taking special care with Jimin's. As he went on and on about the dinner that his girlfriend made the night before, the waitress rolled her eyes and turned to me, setting her hand on my shoulder, "Is there anything else you need?"
I looked up into her sky blue eyes and froze.
What the hell do I do now?
Remembering what Jimin had said about being friendly, I forced a smile and shook my head. She smiled back, squeezing my shoulder. Feeling my cheeks flush with heat, I immediately lowered my head and dug into my food.
I was so embarrassed hearing her chuckle as she walked away. I may never be able to have breakfast here again.
"I love this place," Jimin said, between mouthfuls of food. "We have to come here more often."
I sighed and looked up from my plate, my eyes settling on his plate. Frowning, I asked, "What the heck are those green things in your eggs?" I had seen green onions in eggs before, even spinach. But those?
"What?" he exclaimed. "I like pickles!"
Gross.
Must be something Tilly made him eat; he used to only have cheese in his eggs. Love must not only be blind, but also have no taste buds.
We finished eating and headed to his car to go to work, but I couldn't get Jimin and his happy relationship out of my mind. I was jealous; I wanted someone to eat weird things with too.
As Jimin drove, he sang softly to the radio. Up ahead, I could see my bus stop in the distance. She was already there, sitting at the end of the bench where she usually sat. The light overhead flickered on and off, more off than on today, leaving her mostly in the darkness.
We passed by the intersection and I saw a man in the shadows behind her. He was walking toward her, and I imagined he had all sorts of ill intentions.
"Stop the car! Stop right now!"
"Why? What's wrong?" Jimin asked in confusion, looking around to locate the emergency.
"Just stop! I'm going to ride the bus today."
He pulled over easily as there was little traffic at that hour. "But why would you ride the bus? We're already on the way."
I jumped out of the car. "Don't worry about it," I said over my shoulder, but he was already looking at the girl on the bench.
"Ohhh, I get it," he said with a smirk. "I know what you're up to."
I didn't wait around to find out what he thought he knew though. Sprinting back to the bus stop, I saw the shadow man now sitting in the middle of the bench—too close to her. She was leaning away from him, obviously uncomfortable.
Without thinking, I slid in between them, throwing my arm around her shoulders.
"Sorry, I'm late, baby."
"I wondered where you were," she said, her voice trembling with relief.
I settled back in my seat and turned to look at the character next to me. He smelled like he had bathed in alcohol and looked like he was up to no good.
He looked back at me, sizing me up.
"What am I doing here?" he slurred. "This isn't my bus stop." He got up and stumbled down the street, his steps faltering every few feet.
As I watched him careen into the side of a building and fall, the bus noisily pulled up. She quickly gathered her things and stood up. She turned back to see if I was coming, but I didn't move, still watching the drunk to make sure he didn't wander into traffic.
She was already on the bus and in her seat before I boarded, absentmindedly digging through my wallet for my bus pass. As usual, I took the first available seat and stared out the window.
I can't believe I just did that. What must she think of me now, putting my arm around her like that?
I thought I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my head. How do I explain that I was just trying to help?
The bus slowed down; her stop was coming up and I heard her shuffling up the aisle. The shuffling stopped beside me and I looked away from the window to look up at the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen.
She dropped something in my lap and I looked down to find an elegantly wrapped gourmet cupcake resting on my leg.
"That's the second time you've saved me," she said softly. "Thank you for being my superhero."
I silently cursed my inhibition, tongue-tied again. I took Jimin's advice and smiled up at her, thinking how much easier it was to smile at her than at the waitress earlier.
Her smile grew bigger, and then she was gone.
I stared out the window again, watching her climb the brightly lit steps to her apartment and greet her mother at the door.
I'm her hero? No, superhero is what she said!
I grinned, a rush of happiness flooding my chest. Not quite Spiderman, but still—superhero.
That's progress, right?