The Longest Night (21 page)

“It’s not so bad in the morning,” Catherine said, thinking
Oh thank God.
“You could get a lot of productive things done.”

“Huh, well, I wish I had caffeine infused into my genes like you, because I’m
not
a morning person. At all.” She rolled her eyes and giggled.

The intercom activated, and the bell signalling the arrival of the southbound train sounded.

“Oh, no! You’re not taking the southbound train, are you?”

“No, northbound.”

“Good!” Brittany said, clapping her hands. “We can ride together!”

She watched from the corner of her eye and saw him draw closer to the edge of the platform as the train pulled up to the station. She kept eye contact with Brittany as she watched him board.
Was he listening? Does he notice?

“After high school, I just said: ‘To Hell with it’, and I decided to work full time instead of going to school, you know—?”

Catherine nodded, trying to appear interested and absorbed in conversation as she watched him disappear.

He stepped onto the southbound train and tried to fit himself into a niche in between the crowd. The train was always packed this time in the morning. He didn’t need to be at the university for another hour; he hadn’t needed to for the past year. Every morning he arrived early nonetheless and braved the crowds just for moments like this.

He looked over his shoulder through the windows to watch her as the train pulled away. He hung his head, his eyes pointed to his shoes like the rest of the people on the train, but a small smile slowly spread onto his lips, growing broader each second he continued to think on the scene that had just transpired. He had finally heard her name.
Catherine.
Beautiful.