A dream that will never come true

A Momentary Escape on the purple Metro 14

In the supposed busy Paris metro line, Callen was on his way to an important destination. He was in a hurry, not even bothering to listen to music on his headphones. Anxiously waiting on the train dock of purple metro 14, the fast train suddenly slammed its brakes upon entering the station, and it felt as everyone rushed to the doors, almost pushing each other in a bid to not be left out. Callen, however, made his way in without worrying. He was well-acquainted with the trains and knew that he was at the mercy of their unpunctual nature. Nonetheless, he still felt a persistent itch of anxiety on the back of his skin.

As he took a seat on the middle bench of the wagon, Callen noticed that all the seats were empty except for the one on the opposite end, which was occupied by Francine. She was the girl he had always had a soft spot for, and she looked as pretty as always, wearing a scruffy knit wool sweater with her hair carelessly tied, allowing some forehead hairs to fall like an intentional fringe. She seemed to be engrossed in the lecture of her book, or at least in her thoughts.

Callen froze for a second, lost in divine contemplation, but quickly regained his senses and looked away. He was aware of her presence but decided not to engage in conversation. He didn't have the patience or time for the usual courtesy, and his anxiety about traveling was all-consuming.

So he remained immobile, waiting on his side of the bench, for his stop, eager to get off the train and be alone. Suddenly, his name was called by a soft, melodic yet broken voice. "Hey Callen! Is that you?" said Francine, taking the seat right beside him.

"Why didn't you say hi when you first saw me?" she asked directly.

"Because it is a dream, so I didn't feel I had to be nice and cordial," said Callen.

In that moment, Callen thought to himself, "What a fool am I! If it's a f*cking dream, why am I worrying anyway?"

"Where are you heading, Calle?" Francine asked.

"I'm heading wherever you're going," Callen wanted to say, but he only stared awkwardly into Francine's eyes.

In the ensuing silence, Francine got closer and held him in her arms, saying softly, "I suppose we can have each other because it's just a dream."

Intertwined in each other's arms, they headed to the same train stop: the one that didn't exist, because it was just a dream.