Put your head on my shoulder

Chapter 6: Bus ride (2)

I always took bus rides for granted- a part of my daily routine; travelling back and forth from my school or my house to my part-time jobs or to "my friend's house to study" a.k.a to rap battles (which my parents thankfully didn't know about).

Anyways, public transportation which I used every day i.e. these bus rides were just a monotonous part of my everyday life. Sometimes I worked on some lyrics while sitting on the bus seat, sometimes I just plugged in my earphones and leaned my head back on the headrest to take a short nap.

I usually took bus no. 98 if I was returning back home from work and bus no, 96 if I was on my way to work at the record studio where I worked part-time in my senior year.

Bus no. 98- I have fond memories of that bus.

It was the bus where my first love talked to me for the first time, even if all she said was-"Is this seat taken?"

It was the bus where I first sat next to a girl who I liked. It was the bus where she fell asleep and her head accidentally ended up on my shoulder.

It was also the same bus where I started to see her more often apart from when I saw her at her school while I played basketball with my friends, with her violin case slung on one shoulder; whenever I was returning from work in the evening.

I must say that I was very surprised when I saw her again for the second time there after the "shoulder" incident and after I saw her playing the violin at my seniors' farewell party.

I was listening to music again as I always did but I did happen to catch the moment when she stepped in the bus. Her long hair was tied in a low ponytail today. I loved it when her hair was loose but she looked pretty with her hair tied too.

 She seemed a bit tired; as she was the last time she rode the bus-the usual spring in her step wasn't there.

Her lips were slightly upturned at the corners though as usual- I was beginning to realize that she was awfully cheerful for a teenage girl and a very happy-go-lucky type of person who always seemed to have a smile on her face.

It was that  particular trait which had made me fall for her in the first place I guess.

She didn't come and sit next to me that day as before though because this time, the bus wasn't full like the other day; there were a couple of empty seats still left.

She chose one diagonally across from mine. The grey violin case which she apparently treasured very much had the place of honor beside her and managed to make me envious of the fact.

There was a shiny silver key ring in the case's zip- it looked like a mini Eiffel Tower. It was the first time I noticed it. It looked pretty just like the owner; reflecting the rays of the setting sun which seeped in through the bus window.

I didn't realize that I was staring at her the whole time; after a few minutes of boarding the bus, she fell asleep.

'She always falls asleep here.' I chuckled internally at the thought.

Her head kept hitting the window though. A lot.

I made a split-second impulsive decision; I just couldn't bear to stop myself from doing what I did;

I got up and sat down beside her, placing her precious violin case on my lap and trying hard not to wake her up. Fortunately, she didn't.

Then I gently guided her head and placed it on my shoulder.

**********************************************************

I had got to know her name at that party- Se-ra. Se ra-yah.

I looked at her sleeping head from the periphery of my eyes, which was oh-so close to mine. If I had ever moved my head a little bit, our noses would've touched. Her citrusy smell made me wonder what shampoo she used- her hair smelled like fresh oranges.

Thus, I tired not to look at her from time to time during the bus ride. Rather, I kept my head straight and my eyes fixed on the violin case on my lap.

I liked her so much, yet she didn't even know that I existed. Classic.

I couldn't help it though. I couldn't just stop myself, my feelings towards her.

It was terribly cliched at my part that I know, but it was the truth.

That bus ride felt like an eternity and yet a short fleeting moment to me.

______________________________________________________________________

When her stop (which I knew because she had told me so the last time when she had fallen asleep and asked me to "wake her up four stops later"; the day when she rode bus no. 98 the first time.) was near, I deliberated on how to wake her up.

I didn't want to when she looked so peaceful, so beautiful. But I had to.

I was way too chicken to face her when she did  wake up though.

'How would I explain the situation? What if she saw it differently and decided that I was some weird guy? She didn't even know me. How would she react if she woke up and saw that she fell asleep on a stranger's shoulder?' These thoughts, I remember having an internal debate in my mind.

I finally decided when a sudden idea struck me- I got up slowly and carefully, gently propping her head on the violin case which I placed next to her; in it's original position. I remember thanking the heavens that she didn't wake up during this.

Then I sat in the empty seat behind her and tapped her shoulder to wake her up, just as the bus was coming to a stop near her bus stop.

She woke up with a start.

"Gosh I fell asleep again!" she groaned and slapped a hand on her forehead. She looked left and right around her to ascertain her surrounding and get her bearings. 

Meanwhile, the bus came to a halt at her stop.

"Oh, I almost missed my stop!" she exclaimed and got up suddenly, making her violin case almost fall down.

"Oh no." she picked it up. She was very clumsy indeed. 

'I hope the sicky note that I stuck on her violin case didn't fall off '

(Yes, when I was sitting next to her, I impulsively did something for the second time that day- I wrote something on a sticky note; which I carried along with my small pocket notebooks which I used for my lyrics writing; and stuck it on her violin case.)

She was walking towards the bus door to get off but when she reached it, she turned her head and for a small second, her eyes met mine.

It was very brief and that fact led me to believe that I was just imaging it and it was mere wishful thinking on my part.

I saw her walk away as she stepped off from the bus window.

________________________________________________________________

Yoongi's note-

Dear Se-ra,

That's your name right? I heard someone call you that. You might not know that I exist, and honestly that's okay.

I like you. I can't work up the courage to confess face-to-face so I'm doing this and using a sticky note. I like the way you always seem to hum a tune under your breath, I like your beautiful voice, I like your violin playing skills and I like that you always have a smile on your pretty face.

-Your secret admirer

_________________________________________________________________________