"Cora." He called, eyes caressing my face in a way that I so badly wanted for his fingers to instead. "Tell me to stop."
I gulped, the words frozen on the tip of my tongue.
"Cora, tell me now." He repeated, growing more agitated as his gaze moved do...
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"Customers are reminded to mind the gap between the train and platform edge when boarding."
I stepped over said gap with ease, relishing in the feeling of growing both physically and metaphorically closer to my old home in Cornwall.
The majority of the memories I had of my dad were formed in that house and I couldn't wait to go back.
I'd begun to feel increasingly guilty as I noticed my ability to remember him growing weaker, and I needed something to bring him closer to me that wasn't made of parchment paper and dry ink.
Speaking of that bloody journal, I could feel it straining against the zipper of my bag. As if it had expanded and stolen the space from any of my other possessions.
Although I'd wanted to leave it in the apartment it had some kind of weird hold over me, and I found myself placing it in my backpack before I left.
"Uh Gabe... can I get some help please?" Cora said, bringing me out of my thoughts and stretching her hand towards me.
I looked down to see her still standing at the edge of the platform, sweetly hesitant about stepping over the gap herself.
"Sure." I replied, taking her hand in mine. I helped her over the space between the train and the platform and she threw me a grateful look once her feet were back on hard ground.
"Thanks. I haven't been on a train in ages and I didn't want to embarrass myself by falling." She explained.
Some of that went in, but the other part of me was still thinking about what she just did. "You just held my hand. By choice." I informed her, letting a cheeky grin slide into place.
She groaned, but I could see the smile she was fighting. "Don't make it a big deal."
"Okay." I nodded, turning away to give her the false impression I was over it. "I won't make a big deal about how you're obsessed with me."
"Stop." She grumbled, and I broke into laughter. Teasing her was strangely entertaining.
"Okay okay, I'll stop now. Scout's honour." I said, smiling a smile that I knew brought my dimples out.
I was never a scout.
Her face softened and I found that my eyes were now able to move from what had slowly become their favourite spot, onto the scene that surrounded us.
Sleek surfaces, dark wood and electric blues all came together to form the interior of the sleeper train that I'd booked to take us to Cornwall.
I could have easily gone for a normal daytime train, but I knew it wouldn't compare to how beautiful the view of the landscape that stretched between both countries was at night.
