Bus

The bus seemed like the best option, so I made my way to the stop.

I was waiting, alone thankfully, for about 15 minutes before my bus showed up. I took the first empty seat I found, and focused on the sights out the window. I was acutely aware of the looks I had gotten, mostly from guys, as I stepped onto the bus. I looked at the map of the route, seeing that I only had two stops until I got home, fortunately. The bus stopped at the one stop between me and my destination, and a few people climbed on.

One was a guy who looked to be a few years younger than me. The old me, anyway. He was actually probably older than the body I now inhabited. Probably close to graduating college, based on his sweatshirt. He scanned the bus and grinned slightly as his eyes settled on me. He made his way over and took the seat next to mine. I looked at him as he did and met his eyes, and I could feel something inside me, like my heartbeat was radiating through my whole body. He smiled at me, and I found myself smiling back before looking away.

The bus pulled away from the stop and rejoined traffic. A few seconds after we were moving, the guy spoke. "Hey, I'm Todd." he said.

I looked toward him, the smile still glued to my face. "Riley."

"Nice name," Todd said, bobbing his head in a nod as he spoke. A brief pause, as he looked me up and down, causing me to blush. He carried on. "You look familiar. Have I seen you around campus, or...?"

My mind froze. I knew the best thing to do was tell the truth. Say no, and end the conversation. So... why didn't I?