Strangers on a Train

‘Trains, man do I hate riding some trains. I like exotic train rides. Like the ones that go through the Rockies or the Smokies. The ones in Europe are the most romantic train rides I think anyone could every take. But this train from New Jersey to New York has gotten to be the longest, bumpiest ride of my life. I swear! And I know it maybe just me. Everyone else looks so comfortable and relaxed. Maybe I am just spoiled!’ Courtney thought to herself as she sat once again at 5 o’clock on her morning commute from her home across the river in New Jersey to downtown Manhattan.

It was Friday and she could use the excuse that she was tired from a long work week or maybe she would finally be honest with herself that she was just tired of the life she was living. She was tired of the commute whether she road the train or drove. She was tired of the hustle and bustle of the big city life every day. She loved New York City, but she needed a change. She had absolutely no idea what that meant, however. ‘What about her career? She was a well known fashion editor for one of the biggest magazines in the country. Would she really leave all of that for a simpler life?’

Stop after stop, people would get off the train. When she finally came out of her thoughts and looked around there were only a few people left, one of those was the guy sitting beside her. This whole trip, she never even looked up at him, never noticed him at all. When he noticed her turn his way, he looked over and smiled at her, shaking his head as if to say hello. She did the same.

‘What a jerk. He couldn’t even open his mouth to say hey,’ she said under her breath. There was no way at that point that she would ever want him to notice that it seemed as if every female organ in her body was jumping at the sight of this man. The phrase, ‘tall, dark, and handsome’, didn’t even come close to the looks of this man. She couldn’t tell how tall he was exactly, but he could have been on the cover of every men’s modeling magazine in the world. His skin tone was caramel brown, with hazel green eyes, and his bald head made her just want to rub her hands on it as she straddled his lap.

‘Lord, where did those thoughts come from? Ugh, stop girl! No time for jerks in your life!’ she said to herself.

Finally it was her stop. She got off and went on her merry way to work. The rest of the day went as normal as any other day. She met with the photographers about the next issue and her editing staff. When it was time to go home, she got back on the train and headed back to across the river.

About thirty minutes into the ride she looks beside her and she couldn’t believe her eyes, there he was again, sitting beside her was the same man from this morning. This time she decided to speak.

“Hey again! I don’t know if you noticed, but we were sitting beside each other on this mornings commute in. I guess this afternoon may not be too much of a coincidence. I set her every time I ride! My name is Courtney Belle,” she said to him with a smile.

“Hello, Courtney. My name is Ryan Carmichael. Interestingly enough, I have set in this same seat beside you for the last four months and this morning was the first time I think you even noticed me. Right now is the first time you have ever spoken, no matter how many times I have said hey. I was beginning to think you were just too consumed with yourself, rude, or couldn’t speak! I couldn’t decide which!” he laughed sarcastically.

“Really? Are you being serious? This morning I thought to myself what a jerk you were for not actually saying a word and just shaking your head and now you are telling me that we have been sitting beside each other for months? Now I am feeling embarrassed and ashamed. I am not rude, obviously I can speak, and I am not consumed with myself as in having an attitude or ego. I just hate this ride and every time I get on here, all I think about is making a change in my life, but I have no idea what that would be. I am sorry if it seemed like I was being rude,” she replied.

“Wow! Well Courtney, I’m sorry for misjudging you. What do you do for a living that has you this stressed out?” he asked.

“I am sorry as well, for also misjudging you! I am a fashion editor for Runway Magazine. It’s not the job that has me stressed out. I love the company that I work for. I love the work that I do. It more of the city. I love New York, but in smaller increments not every day!” she responded.

“I understand completely,” he said.

And they continued to talk and get to know each other the rest of the way to their stops. Right before she was to get off, he asked, “Can I take you to dinner tonight? I know, I see the look, we just met. But I am really enjoying getting to know you and hearing about your work.”

“Actually, I wasn’t thinking anything bad! I am enjoying our conversation as well. So, yes I would love to go to dinner with you! Where and what time, and I will meet you there,” she asked.

“Okay, that’s fair! How about we meet at 8 p.m. down at Benny’s River Steakhouse?” he asked.

Smiling she said, “Yes, that is fine.” Her stop came and as she got up, she said. “I will see you tonight.”

“See you tonight,” he replied with a smile of his own.

She got off the train and got into her car parked in the parking lot and headed home. It was 6 p.m. and that gave her about an hour and half to get ready. She had to admit she never expected the conversation to go like it did when she introduced herself. She especially never imagined that she would be going on a date with him tonight.

She pulled up to the restaurant with five minutes to spare. The valet came and got her car as soon as she pulled up. She walked up to the hostess stand and the lady asked her if she had a reservation.

“I am meeting Mr. Ryan Carmichael,” Courtney responded.

“Yes, ma’am. Mr. Carmichael is waiting for you in the private dining area,” the hostess responded.

‘Private dining area? Did I ask him what he did for a living?’ she thought. ‘Who would book a private dining area for someone he just met if he wasn’t the one needing the privacy? ‘

The hostess took her upstairs to a room to the right with a beautiful view overlooking the river, with a view of lower Manhattan. And there he stood in a nice light brown Armani suit and for the first time she realized he had to be about 6’ 4”. She could tell he was built even through the suit and when he saw her, those hazel green eyes ripped holes through to her sole and his smile lit a fire in her core.

He pulled out her chair as he said, “You look so beautiful tonight Courtney!”

“Thank you,” she replied. “You look very handsome yourself, Ryan! You know you didn’t have to go to all this trouble.” As he handed her a dozen of long stem red roses.

“I know, but I wanted tonight to be really nice,” he said.

The waitress came and they ordered and got to know each other better over dinner. When it was time for desert, they were sharing strawberry cheesecake and drinking the rest of the bottle of wine, when the conversation took her by surprise.

“From the first time I laid eyes on you over four months ago, I knew I wanted to give you the world. Why do you think I started sitting beside you? I was just waiting on you to slow down and calm down long enough to notice me,” he said.

“Ryan are you serious?” She asked.

“Oh, Courtney, you still haven’t realized that I’ve been getting off and on at your stop and working in your building for months or that we’ve met before. The first time I saw you wasn’t on the train, it was in the hallway of the office. My father introduced us and you took my breath away from that very moment,” he said.

“Oh my! Ryan Carmichael, as in CEO Stephen Carmichael’s son? There was a part of me that thought you looked familiar, but it couldn’t have been him, I mean, you, because why would you be riding the train and wanting to talk to me?” she asked.

“I honestly wanted to see if you would notice me and even go out with me for me, just plan Ryan and not Stephen Carmichael’s son, heir to the Carmichael fortune,” he said.

“Honestly, if I had realized it was actually you, then our whole conversations may have not been as personal and dinner wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

“And now?” he asked.

“And now, I can’t turn back,” she replied.

“I was hoping that you would feel the chemistry between us that I feel that first day,” he said with a smile.

One year later, she was standing in that same room, looking out at the same view waiting on him to arrive, when he called her name, she turned around to find him down on one knew with a beautiful engagement ring in a box as he expressed his love for her and asked her to be his wife.

“YES!!!” she said.