And yet, it was something about Nina’s aura.
Something about her smile, the way she laughed so easily and made his jokes seem like they were actuallygood.
That made everything comfortable.Was she always like this?
What would it have been like, if he just let himself grow close to her
back then?
The sun had dipped well below the horizon by the time Seth’s day came to an end. It felt like his sanity and mental energy had dipped with it, as it often did at the end of his longer university days.
Thankfully, he had his only friend Jae Min-Soo there with him. He’d actually invited him, along with a group of guys from their programming class for some drinks, which Seth politely declined.
Maybe, a couple of years ago, he would’ve come along. But the train ride home to where he lived out in Western Sydney was always a long one, and he wasn’t one for staying out late anymore.
Besides, that group of boys were likely temporary, just like Joshua and Will were.
Fortunately, the train carriage at this time of day of 7pm was almost empty, with Seth occupying his favourite seat against the window.
Seth loved this hour between day and night when both met in the middle when light would slowly surrender into dark. Everything about thisin-betweenhour was a sense of a relief to Seth, a breather.
He pressed his back against the chair, observing the streak of orange across the horizon.
As the train pulled up to his station, the moon was just reaching its peak. It was way chillier too. Seth’s breath created smoke in the air.
It was only a fifteen minute walk home from the station for Seth, which was convenient for him (and his parents too), especially with their one family car. Times like this had him wishing they hadn’t sold their second car from high school.
Rubbing his hands together, Seth made his way to the stairs, along with the small handful of others on his exit. At the opal machine, he caught a glimpse of familiar chestnut hair.
Of all the times…
He freezed, considering for a moment. Should he go up to her, and say hi this time? She hadn’t seen him, so he wasn’t obligated. He could let her walk ahead, and walk away.
After all, what were they, if not strangers with just nostalgia building a bridge between them?
Yet, a pull in Seth’s stomach coaxed him forward. An instinct, a gut feeling. The thought of remedying his past. He was never the best person to Nina. Their last memories together were civil, but prior to that, he wasn’t sure he’d painted himself in the best light.
And there was something about Nina Mendez that made him want to appear good. Tobegood.
“Nina!”
Nina turned at the sound of his name. She had a scarf around her neck, and her cheeks were blotched red from the cold. Her hair was also messier than this morning, with strands sticking up like static.
As he met her eyes, he thought he noticed a subtle scrunch in her brows. Before he could decipher what it meant, she smiled.
“This is a crazy coincidence,” she said, stepping forward, “I mean, actually it’s not. Since we both get on here. But still.”
“Hi,” Seth replied, his brain a little fuzzy. He blamed it on the tiring day of classes. Nina glanced at him, once again bemused.
“Seems as though someone had a long day.”
He opened his mouth, but nothing witty came to mind. Only blank, only silence. He swallowed, abashed, and nodded toward the footpath to their left.
“I’m heading this way, by the way. Which way are you headed down?” Seth asked.
Nina nodded down the same path that Seth was going to go.
“Same way. Guess we’re walking together.”
