Work Text:
Boring was the only constant feeling Anne associated these past few days.
Every weekend, Anne has a job as a server in a restaurant. She always takes the subway to reach her workplace. She was waiting for her train when she noticed a stranger on the platform across from her moving his hands as if preparing for a game of rock, paper, and scissors.
Because Anne was bored, she imitated him unthinkingly, hoping that he'd play along with her just to pass the time. He didn't notice her at first - he was staring at something behind her. Anne kept imitating his movement until she caught his attention.
He did not disappoint. He arched his eyebrows challengingly, then he smirked before nodding at her. And just like that, they started playing. That was how she spent the rest of her time waiting for the train to come.
She won by 8-6.
It was Wednesday. Despite the tiredness, Anne still going to the library. The book that she needed for her assignment was not available anywhere near where she lived.
Why was the best library located so far from her dorm and uni? Anne would never know. It was just fate – a test from God to see how serious she was in her education.
It wasn't like her university didn't have a library of its own. It was just that their collection was not as many and as complete as her favourite library that was 50 miles away.
Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who loved to go there. Her dearest best friend, Diana Barry, was always eager to go whenever Anne asked her to accompany her. Their reasoning was quite different. Diana went there to admire and study the aesthetic and the intricate style of the building while Anne, on the other hand, admired the books on the shelves. That was what you could expect from an architecture major and an English major.
Anne always fancied a trip on a train. It was fast, cheap, and very safe. But she hated waiting – it was really boring to stand on the platform not doing anything. She couldn't even read in fear she would get lost inside her head and miss her train. She did once, and she got a mouthful of her manager's pep talk about tardiness and how the restaurant didn't tolerate it. Anne was lucky she didn't get fired and was given a chance to keep working because she was everyone's favourite server.
Someone across the platform kept moving his hands – a very familiar movement of a fist hitting a palm. Anne looked up and saw the person already staring at her. That was the same guy that played rock, paper, scissors with her a few days ago.
She automatically grinned at him, and he smiled back at her. They started their match as soon as their eyes locked together.
Diana, who was previously so engrossed with her phone, noticed Anne's movement. She glanced at her best friend and then at the good-looking guy across in confusion. She never saw that guy before. And why did Anne never tell her about this him?
"Anne?" Diana folded her arms in front of her chest as she regarded the redhead.
"Hmm?" Anne responded halfheartedly. She was very focused on the game.
"Who is that?" Diana inquired. She looked back at the tall, dark curly-haired guy – he was as invested as Anne in their games of rock, paper, scissors.
Anne shook her head slightly. "Dunno, but he's going to lose again." She said quickly.
"Again?" Diana furrowed her eyebrows, getting even more confused.
"Shhh, Di. I'll tell you when we get on the train. Let me focus!" Anne said without even a single glance at Diana.
Today, the stranger won by 9-8.
Anne blamed Diana for distracting her.
"Do you think you'll meet him again today?" Diana asked from the bathroom door, mouth full of toothpaste.
Anne shrugged. "Who knows? I just hope I'll beat him if I see him again. I still blame you," she gave Diana a dirty look.
Diana rolled her eyes before she spat the toothpaste into the sink. "I said I was sorry. I've never seen you become this competitive over a game of rock, paper, scissors! And you are the most competitive person I've ever known. I bet he's the only person who can elicit that side of you to a whole nother level with a child's game."
"It may be only a child's game. But I put my pride in it. See you later!" Anne said as she finished tying her shoelaces and scurried out of their dorm room.
That Saturday, she didn't see him anywhere and got home feeling very disappointed – disappointed of not beating him or not seeing him; she didn't know. Probably both.
A week later, Anne was still anticipating him. She even got to the subway 30 minutes earlier from her usual schedule, just in case...
After 45 minutes of waiting for him and the train – the train arrived first. She sighed despondently and unwillingly stepped inside the carriage. No matter how much she wanted to stay and wait for him, she had no time to waste or else she would be late and lose her job.
Anne would not admit it to Diana - she almost didn't admit it to herself, the way the guy beamed when he won for the ninth time had ingrained permanently on her brain. She also would not admit to Diana that she had looked back at him once they were already inside the train and waiting for the door to close. He was still standing on the platform, hands deep inside his jeans pocket, gazing at her intently and unwaveringly – making her heart pitter-patter and butterflies inside her stomach flapping their wings happily.
And the fact that he remembered her was very exhilarating. She wondered if he just suddenly remembered her when he saw her or if he thought about her since the first day.
If only she didn't see him again, she wouldn't be this miserable. He seemed like a fun person.
Anne was standing on the side of the door, staring at her shoes while thinking about him when suddenly a pair of hands made its way into her line of sight with a movement that was so familiar to her, and she immediately knew whose hands that was.
She snapped her head up and saw him already looking at her with a soft smile.
He was standing outside of the train, and Anne realized that he was not about to board. She really wanted to get to know him, but he made no sign to introduce himself nor made any advance to ask her name. And so, she did what he did – pumping her hands to the same rhythm as his. Anne came up with a paper, and he came up with scissors.
A quiet gasp coming out of her mouth when he suddenly caught her paper with his scissors. He made a gesture as if he cut the paper in half. Anne laughed. He then flipped her hand, palm facing upward before he put a real piece of paper into her open palm, and then he pulled his hands and stepped away.
"I'm Gilbert,"
Anne stared at the paper open-mouthed. She then looked up and found him looking at her expectantly.
My name.
"Anne – with an E," she stammered.
Gilbert grinned at her. "I hope Anne with an E will ring my phone!"
And that was when she noticed the messy set of numbers on the paper – it looked like it was written in a haste, the ink smudged slightly. The pen was probably leaking at the tip.
Anne's cheeks reddened adorably. She folded the paper and put it in her breast pocket then gave it a soft pat. "Don't hold your breath, Gilbert."
Then the door closed, and the train began to move.
Anne saw Gilbert fast-paced to keep her in his line of sight for as long as possible. She smiled at him until she couldn't see him again.
Unknown number: hi. lets have another match of rock paper and scissors – fair and square this time, without interruption.
Gilbert smiled widely at his phone screen.
"Thank God, her hair is so easy to notice in the crowd," he mumbled before he ran to catch his train.