i thought a stranger fell in love with me

i romanticize everything. i live in my head more than i live on earth.

it was 2023. i graduated high school and got myself a job.

i was dead tired after a long day at work. i hopped on the train to go back home. rush hour as usual. there weren’t much seats, and i’d rather give my seats to other people who needed it more instead at the time. i’m standing, holding onto one of those little overhead handles.

scrolling through my phone, minding my business.

then around five stations in, train had gotten more packed. it was like i’m trapped in a sardine can. then suddenly i felt a tap on my shoulder.

i flinched. i turned around and had to look up to meet his eyes.

and there he is.

tall, lanky, chinese. (i think?) kinda cute, if i’m being honest and as much as i remember. he gave me this shy little smile and pointed at my phone screen. i was reading How to Fight (Viral Hit), a quite famous manhwa.

he went, “i read that too.”

AND HELLO?? i looked at him with zero expression but deep down…DNJWCFWEEFCHQHLALLALLAA LIKE no one ever talks to me on public transport?? especially about things i actually care about???

we started chatting. not like full on deep life convos or anything, just light stuffs. manhwa recs, fav characters, random side plots we liked. it was short but sweet. squished in a sea of strangers and somehow we carved out this little manhwa-shaped moment just for us. (ew what GET OUT)

then he asked me, “what station are you getting off at?”

“wangsa maju,” i said. the station nearest to my house.

his face lights up. “same!”

GIRLLLLLLL

my delusional ass can’t take this. my brain’s playing romcom bgm, i'm calculating the odds, imagining timelines where we fall in love and read webtoons on the same couch forever.

he told me he’s studying at a uni near the station.

“oh TAR UMT?” i asked.

he nodded. said he was doing marketing or something along those lines.

we kept the convo going, just small talk about his course, my job, random stuffs. it felt easy and unforced. like we slipped into a vibe without even realizing it.

but that’s all it was. no numbers exchanged. no socials. no “hey, let’s keep in touch.” the train pulled up to our stop, doors opened, we both stepped out, did that awkward little farewell wave... and gone. just like that.

i never saw him again.

but sometimes, when i’m reading new chapters of How to Fight, i catch myself thinking about that moment. and i wonder, did he ever think about it too?

probably not.

but the way i felt that day? it was like something clicked. i just keep thinking about how real that connection felt, even if it was short. i wasn’t fully expecting romance or anything, but like... why didn’t either of us ask for contact? not even an ig handle or something. ykwim…

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