Page 14 of Somewhere Along The Line
“Yes! See you on the train. Thanks again for the card.” For some unknown reason, I take this opportunity to wave at him… which is embarrassing because he’s standing a foot away from me and hasn’t yet turned to leave. I want to shrivel myself into a ball and bounce away.
James rocks back on his heels like he cannot figure out how to end this interaction while preserving our dignity and then decides to mirror my wave. I’m pretty sure Sami is having a medical event across the table, but I can’t confirm because my eyes are still locked with James’s. He gives a final soft smile and turns toward the bar, walking so stiffly he looks like he needs every bit of that Old Fashioned.
Sami comes alive with a gasp the second he’s out of earshot. “PIPER ELISE PAULSON, YOU BETTER START TALKING,” she shout-whispers. Her eyes are nearly as wide as her grin, downright giddy as she waits for my answer.
I swirl the wine glass in my hand and take a deep breath and then a deep sip, wondering where a person begins with a story like this. Might as well start at the start, I decide.
“Well, as I told you, we take the same train every morning. A few days ago, I managed to literally run into him as I boarded, during which time I ruined his shoe with my toenail.”
My cheeks pull into a grimace at the memory; I fully expect Sami to call out the shitshow that is my life.
Instead, she just grins, a quiet chuckle coming out with her words. “That sounds right. And then?”
“And then the next day was KingCon. You know how it is; the train was totally packed. The only open seat in the whole car was next to his, so I took it. At the time, though, I didn’t realize it was him—he was obscured by the mass of Elvis fans. We recognized each other after I sat down. I apologized again for the shoe, we traded names, the usual stuff.”
Sami’s pursed lips tell me she’s not buying what I’m selling, this attempt to make the interaction sound casual.
“Uh huh,” she squints, trying to read my thoughts. “So, tell me. Why exactly did that man, that six-foot-tall, blue-eyed, suit-wearing man,” she shoots a glance toward the bar where James is sitting alone, nursing his drink, “saunter right up to you and give you a train pass? If you ride the same line every morning, he must realize you have a fare card.”
My heart pumps a steady thrum as I shift in my chair. Without the absurdity of KingCon as a backdrop, the agreement I made with James feels silly, reckless even. Whatever delusion led me to say yes that morning has since disappeared.
“Well, we were talking about all the Elvis costumes, and I mentioned how expensive the whole thing must be, doing the KingCon bar crawl. I guessed the attendees probably didn’t care about paying the fares to wander around the city, that maybe some of them were related and traveling on a Family Fares card. Saving money that way.”
“Piper. No.No…” Sami grips the edges of the table with her petite hands, and I can see the story starting to knit together in her mind. If there was no judgment before, it’s likely to come now.
“And then he offered to set up a family pass and add me to his account,” I continue. “I think he got the sense I’m broke, which I am, and he wanted to do something nice. It’s not a big deal.”
No way is my nonchalance coming across as anything but forced. I’ll keep trying.
“Let me get this straight to make sure I understand,” Sami leans forward, not breaking eye contact, “You meet this guy, James, on the train. You mess up his shoe. You sit by him the next day, tell him your name and that you’re poor, and he offers to pay for your commute?”
“Yes. That’s the gist.” When Sami puts it like that it sounds ridiculous. I suppose it is ridiculous.
“Girl, he isin. to. you!” She whistles and I hush her before anyone, beforesomeone, can take notice. “You think guys are out here being chivalrous for fun? In this economy?”
She leans back in her seat, pleased as punch to be a witness to this romantic development of mine. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Sami, there is nothing to do about it. I’ll take the train like I always do, and we’ll say hi and goodbye. That’s it.”
“Hmmm. I can see that going super well for you.”
I cover my face with my hands, scrunching up my features behind my palms as though it may help me disappear from this conversation altogether.
“You know as much as I do that I can’t pursue this. He’s a banker, just like Henry. It’s taken the last twenty-four months to put myself back together after he tore my life to pieces, and I am finally back on track. I know the kind of guy James is, and I’m not interested.”
“You sure? Cause you lookedveryinterested when you watched his ass walk away from this table.” Sami is impossible. Mostly because she’s always right.
“There is a difference between being attracted and being interested. Even if I were, I’m too much of a mess for him. I’ll never be put together enough or articulate enough to exist in his world. I tried that, remember? I’m not looking to get involved with another guy who will only want me until he really knows me. There’s no need to lengthen the roster of men I’ve scared away.”
Sami considers this with a nod. She shepherded me through the breakup with Henry and knows the toll it took on me, on us. She wants to protect me almost as much as I want to protect myself.
“I get that, I do,” she replies.
Her empathy softens the space between us as she continues. “If you don’t want me to push you on this, I won’t. But I’m telling you, Piper, I saw the way he smiled at you, the glint in his eye when you laughed at his drink order. He feels something toward you, whether you want him to or not.”
I drain my drink, letting the wine tingle my throat before setting the empty glass on the table. I’m not sure where we go from here.
Then it hits me.
