Wednesday 22 August 2012

Some fiction

Janine felt tired.  She often did on her journey home, but then working as a journalist in London wasn't an easy job.  It was demanding, all consuming and left little time for personal pursuits or meaningful relationships.  She had friends of course, a couple of close ones that she went to school and university with and a few Facebook friends but deep down she knew she was missing out on something important when her only affection came from the cat she had 'inherited' when she moved into her basement flat just off Ladbroke Grove.
She'd just completed another eleven hour day and was looking forward to nothing more than a long hot soak and some car-crash TV (the new series of Celebrity Big Brother had started the night before).  Not really nourishment for the soul, but it would enable her to switch off and prepare her exhausted mind for the next working day.
She wasn't really concentrating on the paper she was reading, just trying to avoid smelling the funny odor that was emanating from the Underground train she was travelling in, when she started to get the feeling of being watched.  Not unusual on the evening train home, but this felt...different.  Without wanting to draw attention to herself, she let her eyes wander around the carriage.  And there, opposite and two seats down, was the source of these feelings.  A dark haired man, mid-30's with a nicely cut suit and impressive looking shoes.  She caught him looking and although normally in this situation the man would look away quickly, embarrassed to be spotted staring, this man simply let his lips gently stretch into a half smile while maintaining eye contact.  Janine was the one to look away.  She was too tired, and being gawped at by people on the tube like this was just creepy.

"I don't bite you know" he said.

Janine heard the words but at first didn't register that they were meant for her.  The voice was quite deep, like she'd imagine dark chocolate to sound if she could hear it speak.  She looked up in mild surprise and said "I'm sorry, what?".
"I said I don't bite" he replied, with another slight smile.
Janine uttered a nervous little laugh and looked back down at her paper.  "What was this blokes problem?" she thought to herself.
"I'm Luke" he said.
"Blimey, he's not giving up is he?" thought Janine and looked back up at him.  She noticed his eyes this time. Something about the way the tube lighting shone on his face made them look like pools of ice water that had just had something thrown into them... shimmering slightly and alive with energy.

"I've seen you get this train a lot, and I thought it about time I worked up the courage to speak to you.  And now I have, it seems churlish not to ask you if you'd like to have a drink with me?" said Luke.
Janine was quite stunned - was he really being this bold?  Did he really expect her to say "Yes I'd love to!" to some stranger on the tube home?  But then something strange happened... she realized that she wasn't instantly turned off by the idea.  The voice, the eyes, and there was something quite sexy about the confidence he exuded.
"Is that right?  Well you're awfully brave just coming out with it like that.  But I don't know who you are and isn't that a bit dangerous for a woman on her own?" she replied with, what she hoped, was calm superiority and slight aloofness.
"Well as I said, I don't bite.  And I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think you were quite breath taking".
This made Janine blush.  "Breath taking?" she thought,  "Is he for real?"  But despite herself, she felt her heartbeat quicken and her stomach flutter.  Was she really going to say yes?  Was she really going to take a risk and see if that missing piece was sat opposite her right now, smiling like he knew how she would look in her underwear?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oooh Good stuff! I'm interested to know what direction it's going to take. At the moment it's a bit like the start of something a bit raunchy but I would have thought of you more in the crime genre so you'll have to keep going now!
Jo x

Richard Fairbrass said...

gay?

jules said...

Gripping! I really want to know what happens next ...

Simon said...

Thank you Jules :-) I have to work out where it goes next!

Cantona07! said...

Good stuff....just going to read on.....u have a hidden talent.