Bedtime story for your boyfriend

A Window Seat for Two

The last train home had a little table between the seats and reading lights that made small pools of amber. Rowan took the window seat and saved the other for Ellis, who arrived with a paper bag folded at the top.

Inside were two pears and a heel of bread. They ate the bread first, pulling it into pieces with their fingers. The pears were so ripe they waited until the train stopped at a station, in case the juice ran down their sleeves.

Between stations, Rowan told Ellis about the village they were passing. He didn't know the name of it, so he made up a small story about the single lit window on the hill. Maybe someone was finishing a crossword. Maybe someone had remembered to water the plant they always forgot.

At the next station, Ellis moved the bag aside so Rowan could put his feet up. The announcement came over the speaker in a voice that sounded a little sleepy itself. They had three stops left. Rowan watched the fields darken in the window until he could only see the reflection of the person sitting beside him.