They stepped into the bus together, grinning at each other. The guy waited for the girl to sit before plopping down next to her, pulling her close with his arm around her shoulders. Casually, she rested her hands on his lap, kissing him lightly on the lips before dissolving into giggles. The automated door slammed shut; the overhead lights dimmed. I turned away.
It was dark outside, illuminated only by street lights and layers of striking white snow. Leafless trees, ice-covered cars, blinking neon signs of late-night restaurants and bars... then I saw them. Laughing and chatting, the guy squeezing her shoulders affectionately, the girl fingering his jeans unconsciously, smiling to herself, content. They were floating, past the bare trees, over the snowy cars, their boots never grazing the gritty road, almost as if they were holding each other up - untouchable, invincible. I could not tear my eyes away from them - I was mesmerized.
The guy pulled the bell. The bus halted gently. The doors pushed open and the overhead lights lit up abruptly, dissolving the soothing darkness. Their reflections stopped floating, leaving mine staring back at me. I stared intently at it - tired eyes that held no one else's loving ones, cheeks that had been strangers to caresses far too long, fingers entangled in a mass of earphone wires instead of another set of warm, reassuring hands...
The couple got off the bus. The doors closed shut and the lights went out. My face vanished, leaving only a silhouette in the midst of leafless trees and melting snow.
