A passenger stared at the Metro ticket machine with dull eyes, holding up the line. Blue hmphed, wondering if it would have been easier to drive across the city to the Kimpton. Instead, they opted for the Metro train, deciding it would be easier and cheaper, and at the end of the weekend, they could drive home with Andrew. It would have been easier if they could have driven to the hotel with Andrew and his team, but with the band having a concert the prior night, Blue opted to meet him at the hotel the following morning.
Standing behind the posh, older man was infuriating. They tapped their toes on the tile floors, hoping the man would hear and quit hogging up the lone. The man seemed to be trapped in his own head, preparing himself to select one of the options before opting for none and going back to staring at the screen in utter confusion.
Rolling their eyes at him, Blue was prepared to speak up when they noticed him staring at the person's screen beside him. He watched and tried to press the same buttons as the lady next to him, but he missed the next step and was stuck at stage one again. Blue suddenly felt bad, realizing the man most likely didn't know how to use the subway.
"Excuse me," they spoke as they stepped up to the man's side so he could see them, "do you need some help?"
"What?" he asked, his voice gravelly and his gaze pointed at them.
"You've been standing here for, like, ten minutes. You're holding up the line. Do you need help or not?"
"It's been forever since I've taken the train."
"Move," they commanded, stepping in front of him to show him how to select a ticket and pay for it.
"Make it two," he demanded.
"Why? Have a friend in the bathroom?" they questioned as he inserted his card in the machine.
"No. Ticket's on me for the help." He handed Blue the ticket and followed them to the platform. "I had been standing there for a while, and no one seemed to help me. Thank you for your kindness."
"Oh..." Blue whispered. "Yeah, no problem."
"So what is a young lady such as yourself doing here all alone? Isn't it dangerous to ride the Metro alone?"
Blue sighed, sagging their shoulders. It was common association that women riding trains alone was considered dangerous. Blue tended to give men the benefit of the doubt, having ridden the subway multiple times alone. It was no longer a fear for them, and if they ever noticed something suspicious, they tended to walk up to a group of women and act like they've known the group for the longest time before silently asking them to play along while the creeps left. Every time so far had worked. They prayed the day would never come where someone turned them away.
This time, though, they sighed for a different reason.
"Sorry, did I say something wrong?"
"No, not really."
"Can I ask what then? I'd hate to offend you after you helped me."
Blue smiled. "You're not offending me. Everyone makes the common misconception. I'm just not a girl, so..."
"Ah, my apologies, young man," he nodded without a bash of an eye.
"Not a man either," they quizzically responded.
"There's a third option?"
"Way more than three."
"Then what are you?"
"Agender."
"Bless you."
"Not a sneeze," they deadpanned. "It's just a word that means I'm gender neutral."
YOU ARE READING
When The Nights Get Long
RomanceI know using they/them as pronouns seems a little threatening, but there are a lot of people who use it as their pronouns, and this is for them. But the book is written in a clear way where you won't get confused. So please give it a read. Everyone...
