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It was about two months into the semester and Yang had always seen this woman sitting on the floor of the train with a book open in her lap, flipping the pages every now and then.
By this time, Yang has already memorized the woman's habits: the way she turns a page delicately once finished reading it's contents; the way how she doesn't open the book fully to retain the spine; the way how she plays with her hair when she is nervous. This last thing mostly happens when the area you can stand in the train is filled, where everyone is packed like sardines in a tin so she can't distract herself with whatever novel she is reading. Yang wonders if the woman would ever choose to take a seat. There is normally more than enough space on the train.
Sunny days were Yang's favourite. She was able to see the purple tint in the woman's black hair when the sun's rays entered through the windows, the way her golden eyes seemed to glow just as bright as the morning sun and the way the woman gave a small smile to the landscape every time she looked up. It was as if the woman was soaking in the heat the sun was offering, no matter how hot it got.
Ruby caught Yang staring at the woman a bit too long more than once. This time though, she said something. "Don't be a creep," Ruby teased and nudged Yang’s foot gently. "Go talk to her."
Yang's head had jerked towards her sister, her neck stiff from the night before protesting against the action. Ruby had only shrugged and nudged her again but Yang wasn't in the mood to embarrass herself. She just hmphed , rested her head on her hand and looked out the window.
She glanced back at the woman who smiled a bit at whatever she was reading. A pretty smile, Yang thought.
They were late. And it was all Ruby's fault.
Ruby couldn't find her hoodie so they had to find it first before leaving the apartment. It took them about 25 minutes to look for it before Ruby realised that when she threw it on the couch the night before, it had fallen behind.
Now they have caught the train after their normal one - only problem is that this train is the peak-hour train.
Yang never missed a train before so seeing this many people on the platform, entering the train, it made her wonder if they would all fit. She snorted at the few that had to run out and find space on emptier carts because the ones that they wanted to enter were full.
Yang entered the train before Ruby so that she could put at least a little distance between her sister and the people already stuffed into the cart. She wasn't overly protective of her sister, Yang had taught Ruby how to defend herself but she did notice that the guy on the right looked Yang up and down in an… unsettling way. She didn't want to take any chances.
She yanked Ruby by the hood as the lights by the doors started to flash, signalling that they were gonna close but Yang saw a flash of black in the corner of her eye and held the door with her other hand.
It was the woman from the train. Was she also late? Yang wondered.
The lady smoothly hopped over the escalator railing just before she got to the bottom and bolted in the direction of the door, her silky-looking hair catching the artificial light as it trailed behind her. Just before she got to the train, the doors protested against Yang's hand and slipped through her fingers, but the lady didn't slow down.
Shit! She is not going to make it! Yang made one last grab for the doors and pulled them a bit apart, leaving the lady just enough room to squeeze through.
Without hesitation, the lady's body turns sideways gracefully as she lifts her shoulder bag to the side of her, allowing herself to squeeze through the doors. Just as she pulled her bag through, the doors pulled free and Yang let them close. The lady's movement gave Yang the sense that either she was confident with small spaces or she was just used to squeezing through closing doors.
Ruby had shifted a bit into the corner to let that all happen and Yang found herself way too close to the lady, Yang's nose barely touching the lady's forehead. Yang watched her adjust herself, tugging her bag back into place with lethargic movements. Yang didn't move until she looked up, gold meeting lavender and the lady's nose just skimming Yang's chin.
Yang heartbeat sped up so she shifted a bit into the crowded cart to make a bit more space for the lady, who sported a white button-up shirt, black skinny jeans with a few rips by the left knee and a pair of black and white sneakers. Yang averted her eyes back to the liquid gold in front of her.
She gave Yang a small, tight smile, "Thanks."
Yang felt the wind get knocked out of her. She couldn't believe how pretty this woman was up close, her voice was soft but firm and her hair looked so freaking soft. And her eyes, goddamn.
Yang realised that she was still staring when Ruby pinched her thigh. She cleared her throat, looked up at the corner of the door above the lady's bow and answered in a cracked voice, "No problem."
Ruby still brought it up whenever she had the opportunity, like the gremlin she is. 'Yeah, Yang has a crush on a girl that takes the same train we do' which was promptly followed by a small yelp of pain as Yang would either pinch Ruby or slap her softly upside the head. Yang really wanted to hang her sister by her ears sometimes.
Especially now that Ruby saw Yang searching for the bookworm each time they got on the train. Very seldomly, Yang's searches will end in disappointment. But this only gave Ruby more fuel and wouldn't stop talking about it.
The lady wasn't on the train. Yang had noticed it as soon as she got inside the cart. The air just felt different and the space where the lady normally sat just looked too empty.
Yang guessed that the lady was probably late and she wished that Ruby could have misplaced her hoodie again. She hoped that she would see her the next day.
But the empty space stayed void of the lady for the next few weeks.
She had to take the train alone this time, Ruby stayed over at her friend's house.
Yang took her usual seat and put her earphones in, drowning her mind out with the latest songs. Yang felt tired from a restless night, worrying about her sister.
Did Ruby have enough warm clothes? Did she take her charger? Did she remember to take her toothbrush?
Yang rested her head on the window and waited for the doors to close, her breath misting a small light grey patch in front of her. She closed her eyes and focused on the music. This was going to be a long ride. She enjoyed her train rides with Ruby, the girl talking her ear off about a puppy she saw on the way to the station or about the new bakery that opened up near her college.
Recently, it was about this one particular girl that refused any help from Ruby after Ruby had accidentally spilt her box juice on the other girl's white blouse. The girl eventually gave in to Ruby's determination to help her with her computer science projects. They were in different colleges but they seemed to have a system where they meet for lunch and go over assignments and projects.
The bakery has already become accustomed to their orders and has them ready before the two show up.
Yang would have loved to hear the newest update on her sister's shenanigans...
Yang knew that it was different as soon as she put foot on the train and locked eyes with the woman sitting on the floor. She didn't realise but she had slowed down considerably just to look at the woman, who had blue bruised tissue around her left eye under her sunglasses.
"Yang! Let's go, our seats will be taken!" Ruby whined in Yang's ear, earning a burning glare from the blonde. At least it snapped her out of the staring.
Yang looked back at the woman and gave an awkward smile and small wave when they locked eyes before following her sister.
Once Yang was settled in her seat and before the train started moving, Ruby bounced up and pranced off to the lady without giving Yang a single word.
Yang watched in slight panic as Ruby sat down next to the lady and they immediately started talking over the book in the lady's lap.
Occasionally, they'd both look over to Yang and talk in hushed whispers, the black haired woman giving Yang a small smile.
Yang shrunk into her seat, afraid of what her sister is stirring up. Of all times, Ruby chooses now to not be socially awkward, Yang thought, turning her attention to the view outside. The train had already started moving.
Ruby plopped down next to Yang and gave her a grin. "She said that next time you should go talk to her yourself," she stated.
Yang felt her cheeks go red in embarrassment and irritation. "Hey! I didn't tell you to go talk to her, now did I?" Yang whispered in a rush and pinched Ruby's leg, earning a satisfying yelp and a little jump.
"Just be thankful that you have a sister that cares enough to not let you go stir in 'gay panic', as you'd like to call it," Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang, knowing that she won this. Gremlin.
Yang glanced at the woman and saw that she returned her attention to her book again. Yang slumped her shoulders in a bit of disappointment as she stared out the window again.
"Yeah, we're getting on the train now," Ruby spoke into her earphones. She was on a call with one of her friends and Yang had a small grin plastered on her face as she playfully shoved Ruby out of the way of the train entrance and into the door. "Yaaang! Why? Always when I am on a call, why do you do this?"
The blonde just chuckled and walked into the train, looking over her shoulder as she answered, "Because it is my job to embarrass you. And also so your friends can see what an awesome sister you have..."
Yang halted in her tracks when she noticed the lady sitting on the floor again.
She was sitting back against the divider that separated the standing area from the seats, black earphones in and a pair of sunglasses on. She could very well be asleep if it wasn't for her fingers tapping on her closed book in her lap.
Ruby slipped past her sister and waved her off in the direction of the woman before pointing at her earphones, signalling, 'Sit by her, I'll be fine. I'll be busy on the phone.' Ruby grabbed her usual seat and sent Yang a shit eating grin with a thumbs up.
Yang gave an impressed huff, Ya sneaky little bugger.
Shooting one last playful glare towards her sister, Yang tugged her backpack off her shoulder and slumped down next to the lady. With their shoulders and their knees now touching, Yang had the lady's attention. With a simple lift of her eyebrows and an easy grin, Yang waited as the lady took her earphones out and looked at her.
Her eyes. Fuck.
The lady smiled, almost as if she knew that she had Yang under her spell the moment Yang had laid eyes on her. She rolled her earphones up slowly as she took in Yang's features, her eyebrow quirked at some point and Yang had a feeling that she knew. Yang could
feel
it, she knew. Finally, she rested her hands in her lap, earphones neatly placed on top of her phone, licked her lips and let one word out that started a whole new adventure. "Hey."