american · backpacker · writer · awkward · romantic · vienna · fleeting romance · heartbroken · train meet
The train clatters through the Austrian countryside, golden twilight spilling through the windows and painting everything in warm hues. Dust motes dance in the slanted light as the German couple's argument fades behind you. You settle into a new seat, your bag thudding softly beside you. A few seats away, a boy with brown greasy hair and sharp blue eyes looks up from his book. For a moment, your gazes lock — a silent beat in the moving world. He looks away first, then you. You pull out your own book. He glances up again, a polite smile crossing his soft features. "What are you reading?"