Reverie Ch. 01

Hey guys,

I know I owe you a Duplicity update and that's coming up soon. This story just kinda spilled out of me so be sure to let me know what you think. The other stories I'm working on like the Nicole and John story and the Suzy and (unnamed) are coming. So hopefully once Duplicity is finished I'll give those my full attention. :) Special thanks to TJ for helping with editing on this chapter.

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He didn't look like he belonged there.

Everything about him was wrong.

As the rumbling subway train barreled down the tracks, Rya sat in her seat and discreetly stared at the mysterious man. Ear buds fit snugly in her ears but no music played. She always thought the train provided the best symphony. Tons of metal in a constant rhythm beat with a deep hollow bass. The sound of acceleration and the intermittent screech of the brakes. The high pitched squeal that rivaled Steven Tyler's scream. The thunderous quake of the windows' vibrations accompanied by the quiet chatter of the train's passengers... Yes the train ride was always the best music.

It was the one thing Rya always found solace in. It was also the best background music for looking at people.

She never let her voyeuristic tendencies show. Her head was always tucked in a book with her buds in place. It was to conceal the stark truth. She loved to people watch. It had become one of her favorite pastimes.

Oftentimes she'd imagine what they did for a living, who their families were, their deepest fears. Most were familiar faces who took the same route at the same time as her. Others were visitors who ventured out of their orbits for the day.

Blessed and cursed with an overactive imagination, Rya passed the time giving these strangers personalities and lives. Bombarded with bodies shuffling in and out everyday of the weekday commute, she had a lot of material to work with.

At her 22 years of age you would think she would be over this phase. She quickly figured out it wasn't one. While her parents often complained about her zoning out and going to la-la land, they didn't know she was the self-proclaimed queen of the place.

Now as this mysterious man stared into space, Rya was stumped. He could be a graduate student, just like her. Instead of going into the hospital administration field like her, he could be working towards his PHD. Maybe he was a scientist trying to discover some new kind of molecular theory. His name could be... Carlos. From... Costa Rica. Yeah he could be a Carlos. He was single, of course. He had no kids, but had a dog. A chocolate Labrador. He had a big family he liked to visit on the weekends. He liked to read and write poetry. And he preferred to make love to spicy Latin music.

Rya muffled a laugh; he was so not a Carlos. He was too serious for that, he was almost broody. He looked to be in his late twenties, but wore a neutral expression as though he didn't want to be bothered. Oh well she'd think of something. This was the fourth time she'd seen him on the same northbound E train around nine at night. He got off a couple stops before her while she stayed intrigued. He was the only person who couldn't fit in a story.

Maybe it was because he still looked like he didn't belong. And yet as the subway's symphony drawled on in the background, she wondered if that was the point. He was like the concerto's centerpiece. A presence that, at first glance, looked like it didn't belong, but his allure captured even the most cynical. Emerging from the shadows and presenting himself... purely for our entertainment. At least Rya's entertainment.

He never looked anyone in the eye, though, like it was for their own protection. His gaze would be too much to bear. His face never held warmth. He never spoke to anyone. Not even on his phone. Never texted either. As custom, he always took the same seat on the train. Back straight, shoulders rigid. Always on guard.

The following day was uneventful for Rya, except for the weather, nothing really changed.

Navigating a New York City winter was tricky. Heads and bodies covered in layers of warmth were everywhere. Intermittent sniffles and watery eyes from the unforgiving wind was common. The cold was felt in their bones.

As Rya sat on the subway platform bench bundled in her layers of thick coat she waited for the train. She spotted the mystery man. An oversized beanie concealed her thick dark tresses. Reading glasses lay precariously on the bridge of her nose as she pretended to go over some material for class. She slowly burrowed herself in her coat like a turtle seeking shelter. With only her eyes exposed, she slyly took advantage of the unlimited viewing access to the man standing across from her. What was the deal with him? And why was she so interested?

She had to admit he was, well... nice to look at. There was something in his faraway gaze that made her unable to look away. It was as though his irises held a magnetic pull that held her in a trance. Perhaps it was there that the story could be found.

His heavy frame leaned on a column of the subway platform. All the other commuters walked about, trying to find the exact spot they knew the train would eventually stop; in order to rush in and claim a seat. They were all oblivious to the mysterious man and Rya the spectator.

Clothed in a skully hat, bubble jacket, jeans and boots; all normal attire for the average male living in the north and yet Rya could sense this was no average man. Blessed with being over six feet tall, he wore his muscular build well

. He had a perfect sun-kissed tan like he spent hours on a tanning bed to get it just right. A set of long lashed doe eyes were so dark, they looked to be almost black; like pools of tar. Only to be surrounded by tumultuous waves of dark brown hair.

Rya wondered what it was like to run her fingers through it. And then there was his beard. For some reason, his well-trimmed short beard made Rya's heart pulsate. She sometimes imagined what it would be like to have that soft beard run down her back. The tingling feeling resonated in her nether regions. There was something about him that made him look so powerful. So masculine.

He never paid any attention to her though and she was ok with that. Observing him from afar was much better.

Suddenly she noticed his gaze shift to a man dressed in an expensive suit. He narrowed his eyes at him. After a moment, he straightened up and pushed himself off the wall. He slowly walked towards the dapper gentleman. The business man had a faraway look. He clutched his suitcase and his hands trembled slightly. Light sweat graced his forehead and temples.

Rya watched rooted in place as fear clutched her chest. Her eyes widened as the man slowly walked closer and closer to the platform's edge. The fresh polish radiating off of his Italian leather shoes seemed to glare at her. The mystery man cautiously stepped closer to him undetected. His gait was like a tiger stalking its prey.

The platform's tremor of the oncoming train made the commuters sigh in relief as their ride arrived. The tell-tale horn signaling the train approached seemed to startle Rya out of her panic-induced daze. She got up and took steps towards the man as well.

Finally he was within reach. He didn't even notice someone was behind him as his eyes were glued to the oncoming train. He stood precariously on the yellow edge. The ominous dark tunnel gradually illuminated by the train's intense light. He clutched his briefcase to his chest as his body trembled. He mumbled words to himself. No one seemed to take note of what was happening.

Rya let out an inaudible cry for help. When she realized her voice was lost for some reason; she waved her hands and pointed towards them as she tried to get anyone to listen.

Just as the gush of wind blew over them as the heavy train flew by... the man in the suit tried to jump, yet the train bellowed on without consequence. The man in the suit looked down in confusion as he realized his arm was secure in another man's grasp.

He let out a cry of frustration or maybe it was relief. Tears fell down his face as he was hastily pulled to a secure place on the platform. The man whispered something in his ear. The man in the suit's eyes widened as he spoke. His chest rose erratically and nodded quickly several times. The mystery man whispered something again. The man in the suit clutched his suitcase and stumbled out of the station in a hurry.

Rya's mouth dropped. By the time she reached them, the man in the suit was already gone. She looked at the mystery man now more intrigued than ever.

"W-w-what did you s-s-say to him??!"

"Hmm?"

The man looked at her as though he didn't know what she was talking about. He walked away leaving her with her question unanswered. At that moment, the northbound train came and they both boarded. Rya rushed to be in the same train car as him.

She wasn't done with him yet. Normally an introverted girl, she seldom spoke up. But this was different. She felt a burst of courage.

"I saw what you did back there. You saved that guy. He was about to jump in front of the train and you stopped him. You're a hero." She said in a clear loud voice.

The mystery man's eyes turned cold as though she insulted him in the worst way. By now every ear in the train car perked up. They had their full attention as onlookers waited to see what the man would say.

"No I'm not. Just leave me alone." With that he walked away and found an empty seat. Rya quickly shuffled next to him. There were two people sitting on either side of him. The desperation in her eyes and the slight wave of her hands made them move to accommodate her.

The mystery man let out a loud sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Tell me. Please. What did you say?" Her voice was soft as her meek nature resurfaced.

"Do I know you?" He roughly asked.

Rya was taken aback by the question. She'd seen him several times before but hadn't officially met him.

She slowly shook her head no.

"Right. So tell me why I owe you any explanation?"

A distracted Rya looked down towards his lips. Other than a delicious deep voice she detected an English accent dipped with another accent she couldn't place.

She suddenly realized what he said and huffed. "You don't owe me an explanation. But goddamn it, you just saved someone's life! I mean what the hell man?! Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"Mind your own fucking business."

Her head turned towards him as her eyes pierced his. She might be timid, but there was no way he would talk to her like that.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" She had a deadly voice for a small woman.

The man sighed but didn't respond. "Nothing. Sorry." He muttered.

After a long stretch of silence, everyone went back to ignoring them. The show was over. Busying themselves with whatever they did to pass the time. Rya still clearly annoyed by his attitude, clenched her teeth as she thought of ways of inflicting pain on the tall muscular stranger.

She abruptly blurted, "You don't have to be so fucking rude! God! I was just trying to..." She took a deep breath, but finally said, "Most people wouldn't have gotten involved."

The man ignored her and as his stop was coming up; he got up to leave.

Rya was beyond offended but curiosity nagged her the most. She did what she thought any normal person would do and followed him. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

The train doors opened, he walked through and she followed right before the doors closed. The train continued on its way while groups of people paraded out of the underground station. When they were at street level, the man turned towards her. He pursed his lips and furrowed his brows clearly exasperated with her intrusion.

"What do you want?" His accent sounded thicker than before.

Rya took a deep breath and counted to three. Let's start this again. "I just want to know your name."

"Why?" The question came out harsher than he'd intended.

Rya nibbled her inner cheek as she pondered. "So the next time I see someone trying to jump I know who to call."

It was small, but a tiny smile started to form on his lips. She let out a chuckle and then a full blown laugh at the crazy events that had taken place that day. It was unbelievable.

Then the most unexpected thing happened; the man let out a genuine smile. One that revealed two deep-seated dimples. Oh for Christ's sake. Dimples! Rya cleared her throat as she stared at him. She was in trouble. His face transformed and he was gorgeous. But just as soon as the dimples were revealed... they were gone. When he caught her staring at him, a neutral mask covered his previous expression.

"Haseem," he reluctantly said.

"Rya," she offered even though he hadn't asked.

He tipped his head and looked around. "This isn't your stop."

"I know."

Without saying a word he walked back down the subway steps and as expected she followed closely behind. He swiped his card twice and waited for her to walk through.

She turned at him in surprise as she saw him pay her fare. She didn't expect him to be that considerate.

"Thank you, but I have an unlimited MetroCard."

"Alright. Well give me back my $1.50." He grumbled.

"It's actually $2.50."

"Even more so."

The train had just arrived and they both stepped in. This one was full of people and there were no available seats. Tired faces of hard-working individuals stared at them in curiosity. Rya didn't want to pay too much attention to the fact that he seemed to be escorting her back home.

Haseem and Rya stood side by side suddenly aware of their proximity to each other. She had to look up him because of their difference in height. She was a little over 5'5" and even in her heeled boots she was still much shorter than him.

His presence was intoxicating. She found herself breathing heavily just being close to him. She wondered what he tasted like. The train lunged forward as it continued its journey and their bodies smashed together. The magnetic force in which they were joined was hard to separate.

Hot and bothered, Rya tried to play off the way her body responded to being so close to his.

Nervously she tried to make conversation. "You can't take a gift back once you give it. It's rude."

Haseem looked deep into her eyes. "We've already established I'm so fucking rude."

Rya cleared her throat and averted her gaze. "Oh... right. For a minute there I forgot."

"Don't ever forget it." She was confused by his sudden change, but that just made her more curious about the guy.

Her stop was coming up and she got herself ready to leave. He followed her out of the door and she looked at him in curiosity.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I might as well make sure you get home safe."

Rya observed him for a moment. There was no way he was walking her all the way home. She didn't know who he was; he could be a psycho killer. A psycho killer who could chop her to pieces. And yet, there were no warning bells that went off in her mind. No strange feeling she got from him, other than the fact he was way too serious. A deep sense of security surrounded him and she felt safe. She decided to take a chance. Although she wouldn't let him walk all the way home, there were several small cafes on the way and she didn't want to let him go. She let out a smile and slowly nodded.

They walked in silence side by side on the busy street. Without hurry as if they had nowhere to be. The night was chilly but soothing. The sounds and horns from the passing cars were calming. They passed a coffee shop and Rya cocked her head towards it in silent question. Haseem uttered a noncommittal sound, but walked towards it.

"I guess I should pay up and buy you a cup of coffee."

Haseem bit his bottom lip as if to conceal mischief. When he did that his dimples were even more pronounced. It caught Rya off guard. In return she unconsciously licked her lips. Haseem's eyes followed the movement but he didn't say anything.

They ordered their beverages. Rya ordered an Americano with extra foam and a pump of vanilla syrup while Haseem ordered a chai tea with milk. As Rya was distracted going through her messenger bag for her wallet, Haseem paid the bill.

Rya let out a triumphant sound when she finally handed the cashier cash, but realized she was alone when they were already ringing up the next order. Haseem was down by the other counter end as he waited for their drinks.

Rya came up behind him and poked him in the back. "Excuse me." When he didn't respond she poked a little harder and cleared her throat. "Excuse me!"

Haseem's eyebrows rose as he turned waiting for her to speak. "Yes..."

"I thought I was supposed to treat you."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You were too slow."

Rya frowned and opened her mouth to respond but didn't know what to say to that.

Their drinks arrived and after taking them, they walked towards an empty table by the window.

Rya took a sip of her steaming coffee and tried to figure out what to say. Haseem looked around the shop and observed the patrons as they chatted amongst themselves or concentrated on their devices.

"So where are you from?"

"Do you always ask all these questions?"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you answered one of said questions, I wouldn't have to follow up with several other ones."

Haseem ran a hand down his face. He looked as if he was being tortured. He knew this day would come and he didn't want to have to deal with this right now. He was just getting settled into living in the states and starting a new life. He really didn't want to have to lie and try to be someone he wasn't. He heard how that bullshit worked out with his friend Sean.

What irritated him more was that this woman just so happened to be beautiful.

More than cute, she was downright gorgeous. It made him a little bitter at all he'd lost. The purple-framed square glasses couldn't hide her pretty almond brown eyes or how they sparkled when she eagerly asked a question. Her brown skin was smooth and her lips were full and pouty. She had bright white teeth and had an easy smile. The soft wool beanie on her head couldn't secure the jet black tendrils that carelessly fell by her cheek. It didn't look like she wore any makeup but it could just be lightly applied.

He wasn't ashamed to say he'd already thoroughly checked out her derriere as she walked. The layers of clothing couldn't hide her tantalizing curves.

So yes he admitted it; he'd noticed her a long time ago on the train. He acted as if he hadn't seen her discreetly staring in his direction all those times, but he did.

As she patiently waited for him to respond, he took a minute to slowly sip his tea. She kept prodding him in the most uncomfortable way and he didn't like it.

He didn't appreciate the fact that she brought focus on him and what he did with the man in the suit. He didn't think it was a big deal. Surely anyone would've done the same thing. He wasn't a hero. He was the opposite and she should be made aware of it.

Haseem let out a dark grin. He knew just what to say to drive her away. He'd tell her the truth.

Unquestionably once she knew, she'd run away from him like a bat out of hell.

He cleared his throat. "I was born in Pakistan, but my family lineage is Indian. I moved to the U.S. four months ago after being granted political asylum. I was part of the Rollins terrorist ploy and betrayed everyone I ever knew. People I grew up with, family members... Everyone.

"Had I not done this I would be what you people consider a terrorist. Well, yeah, I was a terrorist. I participated in some of the most heinous crimes you could imagine. I hurt a lot of people. But because I helped take down the U.S.'s biggest current threat; I was given a pat on the back and brought here under U.S. protection."