Every morning, they would see each other at the shuttle station. Both going the same way, the same direction, it turned out their respective offices situated in the same vicinity. And every time their gazes meet they would hurriedly look the other way. Sometimes, one of them would catch the other staring and summing up the other person.
 
These have been going-on for quite sometime. Yet, none of them seemed inclined to go beyond their usual passengers’ roles. Seemingly, content in playing the cat and mouse game. Waiting for fate to decide, ensconced in their respective comfort zones.
 
“Hey Veronica who are you looking at?” Michelle followed her friend’s intent look to the direction of a group of men seated by the window of the almost dim-lit café. “Is someone looks familiar? Someone you know?”
 
“Have you ever felt someone looking at you? I mean even before you see them?” Veronica turn to face a confuse Michelle. “You see the guy who I noticed staring at me looks familiar. I thought; someone I knew.” She shook her head. “But I couldn’t seem to place a name for his face.”               
 
Meanwhile on the man’s table. “Hey George, give it a break. That lady will melt if you continue looking at her. Besides, she might find you a maniac or something-- about to accost her.” Laughter and jeers broke around the table, “Hey, this is a wholesome group!” Another, round of laughter and teasing made George woke from his scrutiny. He knew, he already saw the woman on the other table but could not remember where.
 
Next morning, as usual in the shuttle people are fast asleep, trying to catch-up at least an hour before they start their day at work. Every day is always the same for George. He would ride the shuttle, watch people sleep and endure being squeeze by the ones who are already into deep slumber that they did not realize that they are already using George as a pillow. George would stretch his aching limbs because of the weight of the other person once he alighted, then walk to work then in the afternoon suffer the same thing. Like his every morning rides. However, this morning something or someone caught his eye. The woman is so engrossed in her reading that she seems oblivious from her seatmate bumping into her every time the bus would stop for the traffic lights or for the loading stations.
 
George got up. The bus is slowing down to the next loading station, when he stepped on her toes. The young woman glared at him. “Oh I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…” George mumbled.
 
“Well, I hope you are!” She hissed. Then the petite woman brushed past him.
 
He was surprised. George thought that the woman might graciously accept his apology. However, he might have really hurt her toes. Only she is swiftly walking towards the opposite building where his office is also located. Then, it dawned on him. She is the same woman in the café and the same one who also rides the shuttle every morning.

“Veronica! What happened to you? ‘Bad start for the morning?” Michelle quipped beside her in the lobby while waiting for the elevator.
 
Still annoyed, Veronica pointed to her toes where the dust mark of a man’s shoes is still visible. “Well, who will have not? There was this man, who does not look wherever he is going and stepped on my new shoes. Not only that; he is bigger and taller than me, imagine the weight that my poor toes have to bear.”
 
Michelle laughed and shook her head. Veronica smiled back.
 
“Really Michelle, why do you keep calling me with my real name? Why not use my nickname --Nikki?” Veronica suddenly remembered to raise the issue while walking from their lunch and back to the office.
 
“I like it; I want to be different from them. It does not mean that when everybody in the office calls you Nikki, I would follow suit. You forget, I know you far longer than they do. I have an edge over them.” Then she nudges Victoria to follow where she’s looking.
 
“It can’t be! That’s the same man from the shuttle who stepped on my shoes!” Veronica vehemently announced.
 
Michelle raised her eyebrows. “Well, well. What do you know? What a small world?”

Then she went after Veronica who is walking fast towards their building, barely evading the man who is also approaching them. Unfortunately, Veronica managed to reach the entrance of their building first and straight to the elevator.
 
At the shuttle, George could not seem sit tight. Anticipating, hoping to see the familiar face come up in the bus’ stairs. He was not disappointed. But as soon, as their eyes meet, she hurriedly looked away and sat right behind the driver. George frowned. He was waiting for a chance to reiterate his apology and she did not give him that. “We’ll see about that...” He muttered. True enough, the following morning, George managed to obtain a seat beside the woman who snob him the night before that.
 
Veronica was surprised to see the man occupying the seat. She look around to find a vacant seat only there is none available and she has no recourse but to share the seat. If only she’s not in a hurry to reach her office, she might opt to come down and wait for another shuttle. She painstakingly avoided not letting their arms touch whenever the bus would stop for unloading.
 
George meanwhile is silently enjoying her discomfort. It is written all over her face, how much she found the sitting arrangement irritating. He found a way to get even with the snob. He couldn’t contain his amusement that he would bite his lips from smiling. He heard a sigh of relief when they reached their bus stop. Once they alighted, he tried to keep pace with her almost running-walk. He thought, ‘she could not wait to get away from me.’ 
 
“Ahem!” George tried to get her attention but she seemed not to notice. He repeated clearing his throat still, she continue walking. “Ah miss! I’m the guy who stepped on your toes yesterday? I just want to properly apologize and ask how your toes are.” She stopped walking. George waited. Then, she continued walking again leaving him dumbfounded.
 
Unknown to him, Veronica found now the situation very hilarious. Well she thought. ‘We’ll see about that.’ She only smiled to Michelle who found her mood for the day mysterious. Few days after that, one afternoon, she would have already forgotten the incident, save that a voice distract her from reading.
 
“Excuse me, is this seat already taken?” George smiled down at her. He found her familiar face something to look forward to every morning and night. They might not be able to share the seat again and she kept on ignoring his presence, still she managed to make the long trip everyday from work to home bearable. Even his officemates are commenting to his sudden change of mood. She took one look at him, got up and alighted from the bus. George is astonished, just as the bus started to move away from the waiting station. He looks back at her in time to see her smiling triumphantly. Then she pull out her tongue and wave him goodbye.
 
George could not wait until he reach the shuttle next morning. He found the whole thing ridiculous. But he was disappointed. He did not see, not even a shadow of the woman who gave him a restless sleep last night. More days followed that. Still, there is still no sign of her. He begun to get worried and feel despair; he even watches the front of their building for her.
 
“Hello Veronica?” Your prince charming seems sad. I keep seeing him watching our building with longing. Then Michelle broke in her teasing laugh.
 
Veronica on the other line also laugh but suddenly felt a twinge of guilt from somewhere in the region of her heart. “Let him be. That will teach him a lesson not to mess up with me… So how is everyone back there?” She listened more about Michelle’s intriguing anecdotes then hung-up.
 
She was deep in thought, rationalizing in her mind the chapter from the reference book her professor have given their class for their masteral studies when she felt someone looking at her. Veronica cautiously lifts her eyes to glance around when she encountered a familiar set of eyes. Surprised, she quickly looks down. Pretended she did not see him. As she starts walking to her office, she felt someone walking alongside with her.
 
Aside from the fact that he is excited to see again the woman who managed to occupy his mind, he also missed her. George mustered up enough courage, “Long time no see.” He ventured out. Either expecting her to flee from him or ignored him just like before.
 
Veronica on the other hand is still debating with herself when she found her voice. “Yeah, it’s been awhile. ‘Been away…”
 
Emboldened by her answer, he asked again. “Away? Where from…?” George’s curiosity is getting the better of him.
“Out of the country…” She looks at him and found his honest eagerness endearing. She decided to answer the unspoken question in his eyes. “I have been sent to Southeast Asia for a series of trainings.”
 
“I see…I thought something happened to you…I keep expecting to see you in the shuttle for months…” George suddenly felt shy admitting it to her. He looked down. “Well, I hope to see you again this evening in the shuttle…”
 
“What if I don’t show-up?” Veronica could not help herself from teasing him. She did miss him after all.
 
He looked straight into her eyes. In serious tone, George asked her. “Why am I repulsive?”
 
Veronica felt the pang of guilt again. He looked hurt. “No you are not. I was just teasing. However, I won’t be riding the shuttle this afternoon. I’ll be working late…”
 
“Then I’ll wait for you in the lobby…” When George saw that Veronica about to say no, he quickly cuts in. “By the way, can I call you Ronnie? I like to be different. Everyone it seems calls you Nikki… well except for Michelle.”
 
Veronica laughed. Apparently, Michelle was playing cupid. “And you are?”
 
“George…” Hesitating, wondering about her reaction. “So, does this mean, we will be riding the shuttle together?”
 
“No we are not.” Veronica laughed again when she saw his confusion. “You see, it will be quite late before I’m done in the office. By then, there will be no shuttle available. Hey, bring me dinner…ok?” She pats him on the arm, smiled and walked to the lobby.
 
George indeed showed up in the lobby with take-out dinner. Veronica smiled and told him, she was just joking but his annoyed looked gave way to another round of laughter from her.
 
“Why don’t we eat this dinner to a park nearby under the moonlight?” George found the idea appealing and suggested it to her. Veronica consented. And they spent the evening, talking and laughing together…while gazing in each other’s eyes. *****