Is This Seat Taken?
#2 of Micro Fiction
A very short micro fic written as part of a workshop exercise over at WritersCrossing I liked it, so decided to upload it. The prompt was two strangers meeting in a public place and a misunderstanding.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
Glenn glanced up from the book in his lap - the bus chose that exact moment to shudder as it kicked into motion from the stop, flipping several pages forward. Next to his row of seats stood a young hare, underdressed for the drizzly autumn weather in a halter top and skirt, the blue polka-dot fabric of her top damp and clinging to her similarly damp fur like something out of a provocative ad. Her lop ears drooped, and she sniffled a bit while she waited for his reply, her pink nose twitching. Glenn swallowed, his own bulbous vulpine nose quivering as he drew in the scents of wet herbivore and discomfort. He nodded, sliding closer to the window to make more room.
"Of course, go right ahead."
"Thanks." She plopped down as if the weight of a thousand lifetimes lay upon her slender shoulders. Her posture immediately folded in, her knees drawing up to her chest as she crouched on the plastic seat and hugged her shins. Her long feet dangled some kind of strappy sandals.
The rest of the bus was empty, save for a snoozing old buck up in the disabled seats at the front. She could've chosen any of the empty spots. Wasn't it an unwritten rule of public transit that you sat as far away from other people as possible? Especially on the central London line.
"Are you..." The words stuck in his throat. He cleared it and tried again, his bushy tail curling around his hip as he leaned away to give her space while trying not to look like he was doing so. "Is everything alright? Do you need help?"
"Hm? Oh, nah, I'm good." She sniffled some more.
They must have startlingly different definitions of that word, but perhaps he shouldn't have expected more. Then again, if she'd wanted him to leave her alone, why choose this seat?
"I um... I'm not really used to this sort of thing, but if you do need help, I'll try."
She glanced at him. Her large eyes bore a delightful hue of jade, lighting up with her small smile. "That's sweet of you, but I don't think you can give me the help I need."
"Yeah, that's fair." Glenn leaned against the window, flipped back to his spot in the book and put his bookmark in place before closing it. "I'm just curious, I guess."
"About what?"
Was she serious? He gestured at the empty bus. They'd passed by the next stop--no passengers waiting to get on, none wanting off.
"Oh," she said, then a little giggle escaped, incongruous with her posture and the faint wateriness in her eyes. "I see. I dunno, I just like talking to people, and you looked lonely."
She was trying to help him?
"But..." He tried to glance at her sidelong, and immediately looked away. Her top had slipped, exposing an inch or two of fuzzy grey cleavage. "You seemed upset."
"Oh!" Her giggle returned with greater gusto. "Mate, I just had a spicy curry a moment ago."