The Bus Journey

“OK, OK, if I see her I’m just going to do it. I’ve wasted enough time already” I told myself as I brushed my teeth in front of the bathroom mirror.

I’d been up and out of bed since 6am this morning showering, washing my hair, putting on makeup, deciding which perfume to use and what outfit to wear. I usually left the house at 8am to go to work so I didn’t really need to be up this early, but it was a special day. Today I was going to speak to the most beautiful woman in the world.

Every morning I would catch the number seven bus and that’s when I would see her. She had wavy auburn hair that flowed down to her elbows, skin as pale as porcelain, soft pink lips and emerald green eyes.

She stole my heart from the moment I first saw her all those months ago and I’ve been captivated by her ever since. I longed to look into those lovely eyes, to hear her melodic voice or even just know her name.

She always sat in the same seat on the left hand side, immersed in a book or simply gazing out of the window watching the world go by. I usually got off the bus before her so I had no idea where she was heading and I never had the guts to ask her. I kept telling myself that she was way out of my league and would never be interested in someone like me.

But every time I saw her something drew me to her, like metal to a magnet. Despite my hesitance I felt compelled to talk to her as if it was my destiny, if you believe in that kind of thing.

So today was the day that I decided to take that chance, to gather my courage and finally speak to her.

The night before I had spent hours trying to think of a way to start up a conversation. I could ask about the book she was reading or talk about the weather or compliment her hair. I had a few ideas and hope in my heart but I was still absolutely terrified.

“What if she tells me to go away? What if she just ignores me? Will she think I’m a creep for commenting on her hair?!” I thought but I had to put my doubts aside.

As my mother always said “you’ll never know until you try”.

So after psyching myself up in the mirror for the fourth time, I left the house and made my way to the bus stop at the end of the street. It was a chilly autumn morning so I hoped the bus would arrive before I got too cold.

About ten minutes later I spotted it approaching and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

“This is it” I thought and took a deep breath.

I got my pass out of my pocket and held out my other arm to signal for the bus to stop.

I stepped on and scanned my pass. When I turned there she was, sitting in her normal seat in the middle row. She didn’t have a book with her today, instead she just stared out of the window contentedly. I wondered what she was thinking about, it must be a nice place inside her head.

The bus was pretty busy today and all of the seats were taken except for hers, fate really was bringing us together. My heart skipped a few beats at the realisation so I walked over to and sat down next to her. She didn’t acknowledge me but I was extremely aware of our proximity and it heightened all of my senses.

The first thing that caught my attention was her scent, a sweet perfume with a hint of something floral. Rose maybe? No it had to be jasmine surely?

“That’s it!” I thought miraculously, “I’ll ask her about her perfume!”

Now I had a conversation starter in mind all I had to do was say the actual words, but it seemed like such a daunting task. I shifted about in my seat for a second then turned to her and swallowed my nerves.

“Excuse me?”

My words were barely audible but she turned her head and my heart almost stopped entirely as those gleaming green eyes met mine.

“I-I couldn’t help but notice your perfume, it’s lovely. What is it? If you don’t mind me asking?” I sputtered.

Now that I was closer to her I noticed she had some cute freckles on her cheeks. Her skin was flawless too, she really was truly beautiful.

“I’m sorry?” she replied in a soft yet confused voice.

“Your perfume…i-it’s very nice” I said with a nervous smile, my anxieties came rushing back as she looked at me in horror.

"Oh no I’ve creeped her out! I’ve messed up already!”

She saw the panic on my face and her expression changed to something completely unreadable.

“You…you can see me?” she said.

I frowned, now I was the one confused.

“Y-yes of course I can see you” I told her.

She continued to stare at me for a few more seconds, neither of us knowing what to say or do. What the hell was going on?

“No…no…something is wrong…you shouldn’t be able to see me” she muttered to herself.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you ok?” I asked in an attempt to calm her and rectify this bizarre situation.

“I have to go, I’m so sorry” she apologised and barged past me to run down the bus and escape once the doors opened at the next stop.

“Hey! Wait!” I called after her but she ignored me and dashed off down the street without looking back.

For the rest of my journey I felt utterly bewildered. What did she mean by ‘you can see me’? Why did she run away? I didn’t even get the chance to ask her name…

An overwhelming feeling of sadness and defeat stayed with me for the rest of the day. I couldn’t even concentrate at work, all I could think about was her.

At the end of the day I decided to walk home to clear my head, the air had turned icy cold now but I barely felt it nor did I care. When I got home I dropped my bag on the floor and threw my keys into the bowl by the door. I sat on the stairs with my head in my hands for a good twenty minutes. What had I done wrong? Who was this woman? And why had she gotten to me so much?

"My bus journey is going to be awkward tomorrow“.

The next morning I followed my usual routine and boarded the bus again. But my heart sank when I looked over and saw her seat was empty.

For some reason I felt compelled to sit there, don’t ask me why, so I took the seat where I had sat the day before. I looked to my right and expected to see her, but all that was left was a vacant space. What was strange was that although I couldn’t see her, I could feel her there. Her presence was still with me, bringing me comfort like she had her arm around me. It was an overwhelming feeling and I actually shed a few tears. What was happening to me?!

I never saw the mysterious woman again but every morning I would sit in that seat and feel her presence next to me. Somehow…somewhere…she was telling me that I would be ok.

I was in love with her. Whoever she was.