Meeting on the Train

Shen Yu Qing waited quietly for the train that she had been dreading for the past 3 weeks. The train creaked to a stop, steam hissing as passengers surged forward. She reached for the handle, missed the step and tumbled backwards into the arms of a boy carrying a familiar scent of lemon cakes.

“Careful,” said the boy. Yu Qing turned around and was shocked; his blue eyes and silky black hair matched hers exactly. The boy Lu Chen had prominent cheekbones and almond eyes.

Yu Qing barely managed to mumble a thanks before scrambling onto the train and sitting down in the back, tomato stains burning her cheeks. Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and Yu Qing quickly looked up. Piercing sapphire eyes locked with hers, and Yu Qing realized that it was the boy from earlier.

Before she could decide what to say, the boy asked to sit next to her, noting the lack of seats. Yu Qing looked him straight in the eyes, as if mentally taking notes about him. She unconsciously scooted away from him, but agreed, asking his name.

“I’m Lu Chen, how about you?” Chen responded.

“My name is Shen Yu Qing, but you can call me Yu Qing. Thank you for earlier,” said Yu Qing. She hesitated before saying, “You speak fast, nothing like the people from my village.”

“I’m from downtown Shanghai. My family relatives from Ling Gang draw out their words, similar to you.” Yu Qing admitted she was from Ling Gang and laughed, creating wrinkles near her eyes. Chen questioned what was funny.

“I didn’t think I would meet someone so nice after leaving Ling Gang for the first time.”

Yu Qing blushed to her ears and Chen teased her, asking if it was a compliment. They both laughed and started opening up to each other. Talking about their family and hobbies, Yu Qing and Chen realized they had a lot in common. They both have a younger sister, enjoy art, like math, english, and physics.

“Excuse me, what would you two like to eat?” a lady interrupted, pushing a cart down the aisle with different varieties of food on it.

Chen asked for two lemon cakes, which he gently placed down. Yu Qing smiled, mentioning her grandma’s hobby of baking, especially lemon cakes. Chen noted that they shared yet another similarity. The train rolled on, passing buildings and plots of crops as they shared snacks and parts of their life.

“You made me look taller,” Chen joked, looking at a sketch Yu Qing had drawn of him.

“You should be grateful.” Chen rolled his eyes but smiled. By the time the conductor announced the final stop, the sun had disappeared behind the mountain tips.

As they stepped off the train, Chen asked where Yu Qing was staying. Yu Qing unfolded a paper with an address on it, but before she could say anything, Chen gasped and pulled out his own.

“The university dorms?” they said at the same time. They laughed, walking out of the station. Nearby, a bakery filled the air with the scent of lemon cakes. Chen asked if they should eat breakfast there, and Yu Qing nodded happily. The two walked toward the same destination side by side, as if they had always been good friends.

I didn’t really know how to fix it.