The Ride Home

Stacie stood in front of the long, dark gray train. Whooo, whoo , the train whistle blew. That was her signal to get on board; two minutes to departure. With a slow step she boarded. The air was thick and stifling like it didn't have a chance to refresh itself from its prior journey. It was one of the things she disliked about these trips. Today, she was headed home for the spring holiday; something she never enjoyed, but her parents always looked forward to seeing her and hearing about her college experiences so she tried her best to cut into her busy school schedule to fit them in.

Stacie shuffled through the first compartment as her blue duffle bag bumped the aisle seats along her way; there was never enough room, apologized if she hit someone. Not finding an empty seat, she moved to the next car. This car was musky and drearier than the last one. "Perfect" she mumbled as she dumped her bag in the seat next to her, and stared out the window to get lost in her contemplations.

“Excuse me,” came from a male voice that pulled her from her thoughts. “Do you mind if I sit here? The rest of the seats are full.” Stacie looked around to the other seats. And he was right, they were full. She hadn’t noticed the other people pile into the car. Damn , she moved her bag toward her feet; stuffing it under her seat.

“My name is Jeremy,” he said with a smile and reached his hand out.

He seemed nice enough. Jeremy had sandy blond hair with hazel blue eyes you could swim in. He stood about five foot eleven, wore slightly tattered blue jeans, a rustic blue Old Navy shirt, and a worn out jean jacket. Good looks and a cute smile, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

"Stacie," she replied as she extended her hand; she felt the gentleness of his hand as he shook it. Her eyes glanced down for a moment to view his strong hand with the soft touch. “Pleasure,” she withdrew her hand. She could still feel his touch lingering on her flesh.

Before long, they were in conversation; talking about her school and his job as a consultant. She queried about his dress and found out he was on his way to see his parents who lived in a nearby town. Their discussion seemed to make time fly by and discovered similar interests and likes.

From time to time, his soft hand would graze hers as they interacted and her eyes began to sparkle.  His touch felt like soft kisses gently caressing her skin with a velvety smoothness that lingered with a tingling sensation. Her mood was no longer full of remorse but leaned toward hopefulness. Stacie, baffled by this new feeling, wanted more and hoped that he did too.

She desired to know more about Jeremy and wished that during this holiday break they could see each other again. With anxiety and restlessness, she continued their conversation until she felt the familiar stop of the train and heard the familiar grinding of the steel wheels locking. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach and she tried not to show her discomfort. The ride she had dreaded became the ride she wished would never end.

“Looks like this are our stop,” Jeremy said. “Would you like to meet up sometime this week? I’m sure I can borrow the Jeep from my dad.” Stacie nodded her head with a lack of courage to squeak out a yes. “Can I have your number?” he asked. Stacie rummaged through her bag and found a pen.

"I don't have anything to write it on," she replied with the pen dangling between her fingers.

"Here use my ticket," he said as he handed it over. Stacie took the ticket and wrote her parent's number down and handed it back to him while imaging the possibilities of the call.

“Look forward to it,” her eyes shined as her face lit up from the smile. Jeremy let her out into the aisle first then followed her off the train.

Once off, Stacie saw her parents, Alice and Thornton Miller and waved to them. She then looked and saw Jeremy standing with his dad while he pointed over to her then he waved to her when he saw her look. She waved back at him with a little smile. She could feel the burn in her cheeks from her slight embarrassment of being caught looking but shrugged it off.

Her father saw the boy who sidetracked his daughter, “Who’s that?” not sure if he liked the boy’s appearance. With curiosity, her mother waited for the response as well.

“Someone I met on the train, he is supposed to call” she teased given her dad’s reaction.

Her father wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they left the boarding station. “We’ll see about that,” he chided on their walk to the car. Her mother laughed and shook her head as she followed behind them.

Stacie thought about Jeremy and the way he made her laugh. A foreign heat rose through her as her heart fluttered with anticipation. The drive home seemed to go quickly with her thoughts drifting back to their conversations on the train; biting her lip as she wondered if he was thinking about her too.

~*~

Ian O’Connor looked over at his son. "So, who was that girl at the station?" Jeremy seemed distant and not his talkative self; staring out the window.

Pulling himself from his thoughts of Stacie,” No, we just met on the train. She seems...sweet," he replied as he readjusted his position to talk to his dad. He was remembering her light blue eyes and long auburn hair; still remembering the scent of her sweet perfume that smelt of soft flowers on a spring day. It was delicate and he could easily find himself drinking her in. What a pleasure he thought, to hold her in his arms. He knew he only just met her but he felt as if there was a deeper connection that he couldn't explain. "She attends college in the city," he continued. "Her major is communication with a minor in Arts," he recalled from earlier. He really enjoyed the conversation with her. It wasn't often that he met someone to keep up with him; contemplating if calling her as soon as he got to the house was too soon. Wanting not to seem too eager, he decided to at least wait a day.

~*~

The phone rang and with one swift movement, Stacie grabbed the phone. "I got it," she yelled hoping no one else would pick it up. "Hello," she said in a soft voice trying to keep the breathing under control.

"Is this Stacie?" flashbacks of her charming features ran through his mind; nervously tapping his fingers on the desk.

"Yes," she said with enthusiasm as she heard his voice. With her stomach all in a flutter; she continued, "this is she."  All those communication classes and she couldn’t say something elegant. She pulled on her lower lip while she waited for his response; now sitting in the living room chair with a leg hanging over one of the arms with the white cordless phone up to her ear. She waited for his reply.

"This is Jeremy, from the train," he stood up from the desk and started pacing.

Like he had to mention where they met; all he had to do was say his name. "I remember. How are you doing?" she asked with a cheerfulness in her voice, wanting to just get the conversation rolling.

"Fine, I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow?" he asked her. Jeremy didn't want to be too obvious about his attraction by meeting up this afternoon. Play it cool.

"Tomorrow, nothing that I know of. What do you have in mind?". Stacie could already feel the excitement running her veins like an electrical fire.

"I was thinking of driving down to the lake. Do you wanna go?" he waited for her to yes. If she said no, he would be crushed.

"Sure, it would be fun to just hang out and relax. I can pack us a lunch," she offered.

Jeremy put any negative thoughts behind him.” That would be great. How about I pick you up at eleven?"

"Ok, see you then." Stacie hung up the phone and thought about the trip. Hmmm, what to make, she headed off to the kitchen to get lost in the cupboards; wanting whatever she chose to be edible.

~*~

Clothes laid out on the bed, Stacie contemplated on what to wear. When she left, she had no expectations to go to the lake, let alone, meet some guy she might like. Lunch was packed and ready to go; all she needed to do was get her self dressed. After a long analysis of her options, she chose her burgundy top with blue jeans. Simple and casual should do she thought and proceeded to finish to get changed.

The door rang and she could feel the flutter in her heart again. He's here she thought as she took one more glance in the mirror before getting the door. Stacie had already told her parents about her date and they were off running errands. She opens the door and her face brightened to his exposure. "Let me grab the lunch and we can go," she said promptly grabbing the basket next to the door and her light jacket just in case.

The drive to the lake was full of small talk and getting acquainted better. They rode along the familiar dirt road among shadowing trees that let the sun's rays peek through; adding a romantic spice to this glorious day. The lake was just like she remembered it, its dark bluish green water and the surrounding mix of trees. They got out and walked along its shores. Nervously, Jeremy took her hand; once again, the spark between them ignited through the conjoined fingers.

Before long, the two were laughing and playing like old friends or one soul finally being reunited. They ate their lunch under the big willow tree with time passing by them without a worry. Before dusk they got back into the jeep and the conversation had slowed; neither of them wanting the day to end but knew that it must.

Jeremy walked her up to the door and they stood there staring at each other; anxiously waiting for the right moment when he would kiss her. "I had a great time," he told her. His body inched closer to her.

"Me too," she agreed as she moved in as well. Jeremy took this as a hint and got closer to her; his hand to the base of her head under hair sending shivers down her spine. Without anymore words he pulled her in closer for the softest kiss she ever felt; tender and gentle while lasting an eternity. The porch light flicked on; Stacie's cue to go in for the night. "I gotta go." she giggled slightly as she hoped her dad wasn't watching.

"Night," he whispered as he let go. "I'll call you tomorrow," and he meant it; he hadn't had enjoyed himself this much in a long time and Stacie was definitely a refreshing change from the women he met through work.

Time passed by that week and the two were inseparable. Jeremy met her parents and she met his. By the end of the week the two decided to ride back together to the train.

The train ride home was just as pleasant as the ride to their parent’s house. Their conversation was light and fun. The train didn't seem to be as dreary as Stacie remembered it, but then again, neither did the idea of visiting her parents. The two made plans to connect during the following week once they settled back into their daily routine. Before parting, Jeremy kissed her one more time at the station’s platform. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of her; Stacie knew she never would.


WC: 2041
(I can see this item being longer than the prompt allowed and making other changes to it in the future.)