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Vernon- Forced Proximity
Vernxnsfool this post is definitely not for you. <3
Hello fellow Carats! This post is purely mind vomit so enjoy. Also I am open to suggestions for what happens next cause I have no ideas. Stay healthy and snazzy! :)
You were lucky you had a year’s worth of subway trips attached to the metro card you carefully tucked back into your wallet. You would hate it if you had to walk to every single open call audition you attended and the subway just makes your life easier, even if it is teeming with germs, sketchy characters, and most definitely no space to feel fully comfortable. Traveling from Washington Heights to the center of the city was a mildly long trip and you were always sure to have your pepper spray and taser close at hand in case anyone tried to fuck with you. Besides that, you always wore a glare on your face that you hoped would keep people away in the first place.
The subway was quite full this morning with early morning business people with their coffee, plenty of tourists, the occasional musician that hopped on to play a song or two- it was New York City and nothing really surprised you anymore. When you first moved here after college, it was a bit of a culture shock but you’ve gotten used to it and even grew to love it.
The subway came to a stop, not yours quite yet. You watched as some people got off and a new set of people got on, crowding up the subway cart even more. You held onto the metal pole in the subway as the voice overhead instructed, shifting in your Doc Martens- a signature choice for any audition you attended- as the subway lightly jolted you around. You were practically shoulder to shoulder with the people next to you, sharing the pole in front of you with many other hands, which agitated your claustrophobia a bit and kept you on high alert to the people around you.
The subway passed through a particularly rocky part underground and everyone shifted with it, careful not to lose their balance. A lady in business attire standing to your left, having a loud and somewhat obnoxious conversation with an earpiece, lightly bumped into you but she didn’t seem to notice. You rolled your eyes at her and shifted your feet slightly away from her towards the figure standing next to you. Almost immediately, you felt them step on your foot and pull away after a half-assed apology, which annoyed you even more. What is it with everyone getting in your personal space today? You heard a phone ring to your right and the person answered.
“Yes I’m on my way…. “ The deep voice sounded agitated, as if he was running late, or maybe he hated standing so closely to other people as much as you did. “Well tell him that it's not my fault he forgot his… Do you want me to get there even later than-”
Out of nowhere, the subway violently lurched forward coming to a stop and you held on tightly to the pole catching yourself. The person to your right was not nearly as lucky. Having not been holding onto the pole at all, he put his hands out to catch himself, though it was not his hands that caught his fall, but your chest. Once he noticed where his hands were, he quickly removed them, as if he had just touched something sweltering, and his face went a bright red.
It was only then that you noticed the young man standing in front of you. He was about your age, maybe a little older, with short brown wavy hair that was pristinely swooped out of his face and effortlessly flawless skin. How he had only just now come to your attention was so beyond you and you had to stop yourself from staring too long.
“I am so sorry,” he said slowly, looking at you with sincerity in his large brown eyes. You both stood there, staring at each other like a pair of idiots, waiting for the other to make the next move. You felt your cheeks get hot as well, not just because of the accidental interaction but because you felt an aggravating yet obvious attraction to this man.
“The subway stopped,” you said simply, your attention suddenly drawn away to the other obvious situation at hand. “Shit! The subway stopped!”
You weren’t running late but you always showed up to your auditions early enough to warm up. Who knows how long the subway was going to be stopped and if you would even make it to your audition at all. The New York City subways aren’t the most reliable in the world. Commotion and anxiety started growing amongst the subway passengers stuck in the cart with you and everyone started looking around and talking amongst each other worriedly.
“Are you okay?” you heard the voice ask. You looked him in his eyes again, your heart picking up pace for some ungodly reason. “I swear it was an accident.”
“You know there’s a reason you’re supposed to hold onto the poles,” you said, colder than you intended. You didn’t mean to be rude to him but it sort of just flew out. “They announce it like a million times before the subway takes off.”
“Yeah… I know,” he said, sheepishly, breaking away from your gaze and placing a hand above yours on the pole.
“So why did you choose to ignore it? My chest isn’t a stable part of this subway cart, believe it or not.” You were coming off harsh, maybe too harsh to someone who claimed it was an accident.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t choose to ignore it… I- I shouldn’t have… I’ve just had a rough day so far. Um… Call it a lesson learned?” he stuttered, half smiling. He honestly seemed sorry about it but you couldn’t fully trust a complete stranger. Something about him did seem familiar though, like you’d seen him at an audition or perhaps on a billboard in Times Square.
“Sure,” you responded. You decided to pull out your phone to text your friend you were planning on meeting at the audition that you might be stuck in a subway for a little while. You removed your hand from the pole and reached into your bag but only felt your music binder and an accumulation of dance shoes. You felt around a little more and found it while the subway simultaneously lurched forward back in motion again. Helplessly, you fell towards the young man who caught you in his arms with ease. You looked up at him, feeling embarrassed and hypocritical while he, on the other hand, was trying to hide a bit of laughter.
“Sweet Jesus, I am so sorry,” you said to him, regaining your balance and latching your hand back onto the subway pole.
“Call it payback?” he suggested. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I’m Vernon, by the way.”