The subway doors closed and you glanced at the route display. Thirteen more stops. It has been a long day and it was late, so late that the after work rush was now a trickle of people per stop. Just thirteen more stops until you were home.

 The train rolled slowly to a halt at the next station. The doors take forever to open so the few people waiting to get on were awkwardly separated by metal doors. Someone outside caught your eye briefly and you couldn’t help but stare a little longer.

         He had blonde hair and was wearing a red and white varsity jacket. You couldn’t explain why he caught your eye but it could be the fact that even through the tiny glass window, he, too, had stared into your eyes a bit longer than a stranger should. And when you looked away, you caught a brief smile on his lips.

            You held your bag closer to you and played with the clasps. The doors opened, you heard it, and you could sense that the handsome stranger got on. That was common sense. He had been waiting after all. What you didn’t expect was to feel body heat press gently against you.

            The two of you stayed still for a few seconds before the train lurched forward, pushing him back into you. His arm pressed against yours and you felt goosebumps rise on your skin just from that small amount of contact.

         “Oh sorry,” and there it was. His voice. He had a deep, soothing voice, one that did nothing to calm the goosebumps on your arm. Being the normally socially awkward person you are, you only mumbled a consolation. This was the subway. People contact was normal.

            You slid the clasp of your purse once more into place and wondered why of all the empty seats in the car, he had chosen the one next to yours. You took in a tiny breath and immediately regretted it. He had an overwhelming scent about him, not designer cologne but something slightly more earthy and homey. You took in another deeper breath. He smelled nice. You liked boys who smelled nice.

            Twelve more stops. The next stop nobody got on and so it was just still the few of you. The next station was quite far away and you settled into your seat, preparing for the ride. The man next to you leaned back as well.

            You focused on the rickety noise of the wheels across the tracks. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him slide his hand into his pocket. Even though you were mentally screaming at yourself not to look, you found yourself distracted by his every slight movement. He pulled out a round container.

            His hands opened the tab and you stared at his fingers. Long and slim, they put any female ones to shame, as he tap-tap released two mints into the palm of his hand. He took one and popped it in his mouth and suddenly extended his other hand to you.

            “Would you like one?” he asked.

            Too flustered to even pretend you weren’t looking, you shook your head. You saw his lips lift upwards and he once more offered you the candy. “Take it.”

            Slowly, your hands left your purse and you reached for it only to have him retract his arm and shake his head. “Sorry. It’s not going to be that easy. You need to tell me one fact that strangers wouldn’t know just by looking at you.”

            Your mind was in a scramble of confusion. You were both embarrassed and intrigued. “Today’s my birthday and I’m going home because my mom said she had bought cake.”

            The look on his face changed. There was now a purse to his lips and his eyebrows rose upwards slightly. His hand moved and instinctively you reacted to take the mint from him. Instead, he popped the white candy into his mouth. A slow flush spread over your features.

            He handed over the entire can. “Here. Take it all. A present for the birthday girl.”

            “I can’t take your mint,” you said stupidly.

            The boy smiled and you noticed that he had a great smile. It was genuine, reached his eyes and showed his teeth as well as his gums. “My name is Yongguk and today is your birthday. Now that we’re one step further from pure strangers, I think you can take the mint that I offered.”

            You couldn’t help but smile at his words. Tentatively, you reached out and he placed the round can in your palms. As he did so, his fingertips pressed gently against your skin. His nails were dull, blunt and when he took his hand away, you found your heart beating a little closely in your throat for your liking.

            Too soon, the train came to a stop. Your mental countdown ticked off to eleven. Yongguk turned his head and saw the station’s name. You could read in his face that this was his stop and despite the minimal interaction, despite the fact that all you knew about him was his name, his brand of mint and now apparently, what stop he got off at, you felt a small disappointment slide to your heart.

            Too quickly, the doors slid open and Yongguk stood up. The rush of air from his absence was a chill that curled around your stomach. Your nose took in a last whiff of his scent. He held onto the pole and placed a foot outside the door.

            With another smile, he turned to look back at you. “Hey birthday girl.”

            You looked up at him. Yongguk winked and tilted his head once. “Happy birthday. Enjoy the mints.”

            Then he was gone and when the train doors closed you told yourself you wouldn’t look out the window. But through the other side, you saw that he hadn’t gone up the stairs at all. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, watching the train, watching you leave. 

Happy Birthday Roffy ♥ I know it's hella late but I love you