Lena just missed the train by five minutes.
The last train to her hometown that night—it was on the platform, she could see it pulling in, and she was standing there swearing at her broken heel and angry about the spilled coffee that had delayed her. She sighed and sat down at the ice-cold bench, pulling her coat closer around her.
“Missed it too?” Someone said.
She turned to see a dark-haired man with a sheepish grin. “Yeah,” she muttered.
“I was running to it,” he explained. “But my dog decided to chase after a squirrel instead.”
Somehow she laughed, “That’s bad luck."
They ended up sharing stories for an hour— missed opportunities, funny travel misadventures, and the type of heartbreak that hits when you least expect it. His name was Theo. He was kind, warm, and had eyes that bent into sideways crescents when he smiled.
When the late-night bus finally came, they both boarded it. Theo was kind enough to offer her the window seat. When the city lights faded into the distance, it shocked her how quickly she found herself resting against him.
She didn't know it then, but missing the train was where it all began.
By S. Sai Sri Udtkarsh