Hello Stranger, are You my Lover?

Earlier this evening, I met a guy.

I was standing on the train platform zipping up my coat when I quickly glanced to the left me to see if the train was coming. At that point, I realized that a guy standing in the direction I was facing, was looking at me. When I realized that we were making eye contact, he smiled. I looked away then looked towards his direction and smiled as well. After I glanced at him the second time and smiled at him, he pointed out the book I was holding; I had bought Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom an hour or so earlier. He told me how he had read the book a few years back and how it was really inspirational. I didn't really know how to respond since a stranger has never struck a conversation with me before (unless they obviously were insane), especially a cute guy. For the most part, before the train arrived, I asked him what I could expect from the book and if I would like it; he said I would.

When we got on the train, he kept standing and so did I. We stood two to three feet away from one another. After we passed a train stop, he asked me if the train we were on was going to stop at a certain train stop. I said it would. I took a small leap of faith and introduced myself; his name is Dan. We then started talking about school, a little more about the book, where he's from, where I'm from, and those sort of things. I learned that he's a ballroom dance teacher in the suburb where he lived, he studied communications, he has two brothers, and he studied abroad in Australia. The whole time he was talking, I couldn't stop looking into his eyes. He had this chestnut brown eyes that we dark, but light enough where I could still see his pupils. He also had this smile that was sincere and sweet. I thought to myself whether he noticed me looking at him more intimately than just a stranger casually talking to another; I definitely felt myself attracted to him.

He told me that he was in the city for the weekend and stay at one of his girlfriends'. The first time he mentioned the word girlfriend, I thought, "He's straight and he has a girlfriend." It didn't get me down or anything. A part of me held onto his exact words, "... one of my girlfriends," meaning that it wasn't a girlfriend as in an intimate, sexually committed partner. The second time that he mentioned that he was in the city and staying with one of his girlfriends, he caught himself and clarified that it was just a friend that was a girl; I was relieved not just because of the fact that he possibly didn't have a girlfriend (meaning he was possibly single and attracted to men), but I also tried to interpret why he tried to clarify that his "girlfriend" was just a friend that was a girl.

Anyways, when we got closer to my stop he mentioned that he was going to see Black Swan at 7:45pm later that night. I said that I've never seen it before and how I really wanted to see it. I kept on repeating how I'd love to see it, hoping that he would get the hint that I'd want to see it with him, but I guess he never got the hint or he wasn't attracted to begin with. When the train pulled up to my stop and I was motioning to get off, he said, "Oh, is this your stop?" I said it was, I shook his hand, told him that it was a pleasure meeting him and that I hope to see him around the city again.

When I got off the platform, I started to think how stupid I was. I should have just taken a chance and asked for his number, but my nerves got the best of me. I never really got rejected before. Usually, I just let guys pursue me, which has perhaps led to many chances passing me by. So, I got back on the platform hoping to catch him at the stop he mentioned earlier and perhaps ask him for his number or ask him if he needed company for the movie. Whatever the case may be, even if I would get rejected, I would have at least tried.

Unfortunately, the train that would take me to where I expected him to be was ten minutes late, so I expected him to no longer be at the train station he was heading towards, and he would have caught the other train he was supposed to take. Even so, I hoped that Fate would be so kind and give me another chance. When I got there, as expected, he was no longer there. I kept hope in the possibility that he would possibly be at the closest major theater that he could possibly see Black Swan, considering that the area where he was heading towards only has one major theater. When I got there, the marquee didn't have a showing at 7:45pm, so it was quite likely he went to a different movie theater in the suburb where he lived.

I tried to make the best of it and bought a ticket for Black Swan anyways. The movie was good, but I definitely couldn't wait to get home. When I got home, I quickly got on the computer and wrote an ad on Missed Connections, where I described our meeting, him, and how I'd love to see him again. I do hope that he knows of missed connections and somehow he finds my ad.

This whole experience just proved to me how beautiful Serendipity unknowingly works. I do believe that my serendipitous meeting with Dan was magical, perhaps just a stroke of chance. Nonetheless, it has made me remember the great, beautiful mysteries that one can come across in the world.

I do hope I see him again.