• Chris •
"You fucking idiot." Matt words were much more angry than he actually was, his face showing pure amusement as Chris told him and Nick about what he had done. "You left your good jacket on the train?"
Chris nodded, and while he slightly regretted it as the weather on his walk back home wasn't exactly ideal for just a t-shirt, he stood by his choice. "Now she has an excuse to talk to me next time."
Nick groaned, obviously annoyed with how his brother needed to leave a jacket to talk to a girl again. Especially after he had waited a year and a half to actually utter a simple 'hi'. "You couldn't have just talked to her again next time? Why did you have to leave the jacket?"
"C'mon Nick. Our boy is obviously nervous. At least he talked to her this time. Even though it did take a bribe and a packed train car to do it." Chris threw a pillow at Matt, which he ducked, not liking where he was leading the conversation.
The three were in Matt's room, with Nick and Chris lounging on the bed and Matt sitting at his desk, playing a game on his computer. He was sporadically adding to the conversation when he wasn't too focused on whatever he was doing.
"Speaking of a bribe. Pay up, bitch." While Chris was annoyed that his brothers had inserted themselves into his fascination with the train girl, Mae he now knew, but he was promised $10 and he'd be damned if he didn't get it.
Matt reluctantly got his wallet out once he had a break in whatever game he was playing, Chris couldn't see his screen, and he flung a $10 bill across the room towards the bed. He missed.
Chris got up to grab the money off the ground, and deciding that he had had enough grilling for one night, announced that he would be going to bed.
"Nah man, we want more details. Was he voice as pretty as her? Did she bat her eyelashes when she talked to you?" Nick laughed as he spoke, trying to annoy his younger brother.
Chris just shook his head, throwing a middle finger over his shoulder as he walked out of the room and down the hall to his own. He silently praised himself for finally working to the courage to talk to her, and though it was not the best way to go about it, he had ensured a future conversation, even if it would be short.
~~~
It was Friday, and Chris was not so subtly freaking out. What if this was the one time that she caught an earlier train or what if she wasn't even going this weekend. Nick and Matt tried to calm him down, but it wasn't doing much to help his nerves.
He was going to Boston himself this weekend, while his brothers had offered to go with him, he hadn't wanted to scare away Mae if they were all together.
Plus, he was kinda missing his jacket.
He said a quick goodbye to his mother and brothers, who gave him a pat on the back and wished him good luck, and then he began the walk to the train station. It wasn't far, but with his newfound anxiety over taking the train, it felt like forever before he finally enter the station.
He swiped his card to get through, and made his way toward the spot that the train always stopped. He always got there with just enough time to stand idle and collect himself before the train pulled up, and today was no different. He took a deep breath once it pulled up, right on time, and he climbed on, glancing to where Mae usually sat. He saw her, staring intently on her phone, and decided that he would sit the same way that she had before, leaving a single seat between them.
Once he finally sat down, her eyes glanced over, and then she looked up, smiling.
"You left your jacket on Sunday." She laughed a little, grabbing for her backpack and pulling it out for him. "That must have sucked, it was pretty cold out."
He accepted the jacket, grateful to have it back as it was his favorite. "Yeah, I normally check more, I don't know how I forgot it. Thanks for grabbing it and keeping it safe, though. It's my favorite."
She nodded, taking out her AirPods and returning them to their case. A good sign that she wanted to continue talking to him.
And continue talking they did, he learned that she had a dog, a small pug which she lovingly named Chubs, and he, in turn, told her about his family's dog, Trevor. They exchanged pictures of their pets and gushed over them, and soon enough the train ride was over.
For once, Chris didn't get off the train as fast as possible. He waited for Mae and they walked off together, he walked with her, talking about their plans for the weekend, until they had to part ways.
"See ya soon, Mae." He smiled, waving as he began to walk away from her.
"See ya soon, Chris." She smiled back before turning down a street which would inevitably take her to her dads house. He continued his walk to his friends apartment, smiling to himself the whole way there.
