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awritersometime · 5 months

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The mysterious passenger / amanda

summary: An encounter on the train between Gabrielle (my original female character) and Amanda leads to an unexpected, fluffy conversation.

It had been a frenetic day for Gabrielle. She had a job on the other side of the city, at the renowned Queen of Tarts' bakery, always crowded with customers at every hour of the day. Due to the upcoming holiday season, she was busier than ever. She had already booked over one hundred gift boxes to assemble within the next days. Luckily, she didn't work alone, there were three other colleagues responsible for the packaging. However, the workload was still a lot. Gabrielle had ended her shift at 6:45 PM, having started at 12:00 PM that day and now she was waiting at the bus stop to go home. Sun had gone down for a while, the sky was clear, but devoid of any stars. Gabrielle checked the time on her wristwatch, with a frown. She had been waiting for almost an hour now. It was unusual such a bit delay, "Are you kidding me?" she muttered to herself as a cloud of vapor escaped her lips.

She wasn't the only one waiting there. With her, a dozen of people, chilled from head to toe, was pacing back and forth on the sidewalk. Gabrielle pulled her black coat a little tighter around herself, since she felt like shivering: she was wearing a red sweater, with long and puffy sleeves on the shoulders, black jeans and a pair of ankle boots of the same color, in a sophisticated cowgirl style, and on top of her head a simple white beanie. If there was something that characterized Gabrielle's style from others', certainly her collection of beanies was worth mentioning.

"It's ridiculous," a teenage girl groaned. She picked up her phone, checking the time for the tenth time in a bunch of seconds. Gabrielle turned to face her, nodding slowly at the oddness of the situation. "It's been two hours and still no bus is coming this way," a middle-aged man complained. Acknowledging that, Gabrielle's eyes opened wide in shock, truly hoping to have heard it wrong. She had been waiting for an hour, but she hadn't considered the possibility of a bigger delay, "Wait, what? One was supposed to show up at 5:35?", she asked confusedly, but the man shook his head, desolated. He pointed out a woman a bit further on, head bent down over her groceries trolley. "She said she's been waiting for much longer than that," Gabrielle had to bite her inner cheek hard, to prevent herself from cussing loudly in front of everybody.

She checked the time once again. It was 7:50 PM now. She thought about her dog. All she wanted was to snuggle with her on her lap, watching a movie and had a cozy evening. Then she had an idea. She remembered there was a train that everyday left exactly at 7:55. It could take her close to home, with only a small walking path to cover for about 10 minutes. She sighed and walked inside the station, the coming and going of people was chaotic exactly how she imagined. Luckily for her, her binary number nine was close enough to the entrance, so she found it easily. She took a sigh of relief, and once in front of the train car, she pushed the button in the middle, that automatically threw the doors open. It was warmer inside, but not enough for Gabrielle to take off her coat and beanie.

She rubbed her hands together while looking for a quiet place to sit. She loved to sit close to the window, that's why she smiled when she found a free spot in the left lane, that looked out to binary number 10, but when the train left, she would have a nice view upon the city illuminated by Christmas lights. The controller announced the train was departing and Gabrielle leaned against the seat, finding herself closing her eyes for a bit.

A voice came up to her ears, "Excuse me, may I sit here?", it was sweet, delicate and friendly. Gabrielle immediately felt attracted to the sound, and when she opened her eyes, she thought she had seen the most beautiful woman to ever exist. Blushing and blinking softly, she nodded, "Sure. Go ahead," she tried to reciprocate the smile, trying not to look like a complete idiot. The woman thanked her and sat down in the seat in front of hers, so that they were facing one another. The gap between them wasn't much, that's why for a moment their knees brushed together, making Gabrielle shiver.

Gabrielle turned towards the window, but out of the corner of her eye, she was looking at that mysterious passenger, who, with all the free seats available, decided to sit close to her. She couldn't contain the happiness at the thought, and her smile could only grow when their eyes met again. The woman laughed softly, because Gabrielle as clumsy as ever, tried to avert her gaze before she could notice, failing miserably. She blushed profusely and narrowed her lips in a thin line. The blonde woman in front of her tried to break the ice, "I'm sure it will be snowing soon," she muttered dreamily, averting her gaze from Gabrielle to the view outside.

"Right," replied Gabrielle, "the peaks of the mountains are snowy. It's a matter of time now..." Gabrielle's hazelnut eyes twinkled in anticipation. The blonde turned to look at her once again, on her lips appeared a soft smile. "It's the best time of the year, don't you think?", she asked with enthusiasm. Gabrielle was ready to agree with her, but the other woman groaned as if she was suddenly embarrassed by something, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bother you," she chuckled nervously, then added, "You probably have other things in mind," she shook her head, as if she was disappointed in herself. "Hey, it's alright," Gabrielle laughed softly. She found it adorable that she had worried to the point that her beautiful face reddened completely. The woman looked up at her questioningly, still unsure, so Gabrielle added, "I'm happy to talk to you," she smiled, "And I agree with you."

The woman reciprocated her smile, "My name's Amanda," she reached out to touch Gabrielle's hand, who squeezed it softly. She had never touched a smoother hand in her life before, "I'm Gabrielle. Gabs for short." She finally took a moment to appreciate the way Amanda was dressed: she was wearing a cute knee-length flowery dress, on top of that, a gray coat left unbuttoned and ankle boots like hers, but with a slightly higher heel. She, too, was wearing a beanie embroidered with both purple and gray, absolutely adorable. She had short blonde hair that came out the beanie in soft and messy curls. Her chocolate brown eyes had made her feel at home since the very beginning, and those lips, well, truth be told, she had wished to kiss those too right away.

"What's your stop?" Amanda asked her, lightly tilting her head to the side. Gabrielle smiled promptly, "Notting Hill Gates. What about you?", she averted her gaze and focused on a series of gift packages that were laying on the seat next to hers, "I see, you've shopped!", Amanda nodded at that, tiredness was evident in her eyes as she remembered everything behind the research of the perfect gift. "I hop off two stops ahead of yours. Bond's Street," Gabrielle was delighted about the information, glad the two lived actually close to one another. Then the blonde pointed at the bags, "These are for my sister and my sweet, lively nephew," she said, rolling her eyes a bit, while stressing the words sweet and lively. It made Gabrielle giggle. "Genuinely, you have no idea how much I've learned about the world of Lego in a single day," she scoffed and took off her beanie, feeling suddenly too warm in there. Gabrielle found herself blinking in awe. Amanda was absolutely a sight for her eyes. That short blonde hair, lightly curled on the tips, framed her face perfectly.

"I don't have any children on my own, but I can understand the struggle. As a child, I was quite demanding when it came to gifts," Gabrielle wasn't sure about the reason why she confessed that peculiarity about her, but she didn't regret the choice, considering that it made Amanda laugh softly, "I bet you were adorable," she commented, getting lost in Gabrielle's hazelnut eyes. The woman blushed as consequence, she couldn't see herself but she imagined to be as red as a roasted pepper. She pretended to think about it, only to admit that she was right, "Also the prettiest," she joked and Amanda hummed in thought. Her eyebrow raised consequently, "Mhm, I don't know about that...", she trailed off.

Gabrielle frowned, partially offended by Amanda's doubts. The blonde continued, "We should compare our baby pictures to see who deserves the podium," she grinned, a playful glimmer shone in her eyes. She was just kidding, Gabrielle thought and smiled softly. She, then, swept her tongue over her lips, deciding to play along. "I suppose you're right. That needs further investigation," the two continued to talk about everything and nothing. The initial embarrassment seemed a far memory, it dissolved second after second a little more.

"Do you have any children?", Gabrielle asked point black, only after having pronounced those words, she realized that it was a rather personal question to ask someone new. She mentally called herself stupid for having such a big mouth. But surprisingly, Amanda didn't appear bothered by the question. "No, it's just me," with that being said, Gabrielle's heart pounded in her chest at incredibly speed and strength. She exhaled shakily, before mouthing, "Great," Amanda furrowed her brows in both amusement and confusion. She chuckled, "Excuse me?", Gabrielle bit her bottom lip hard, "Shit, I meant...", she took off her beanie, and racked her fingertips through her dark, shaggy hair. A habit she had whenever she felt nervous. Amanda couldn't prevent herself from being captured by the sight. Gabrielle was so beautiful.

"I'm sorry, I mean, I'm not, cause it's not a bad thing, I didn't mean it as one, but what I meant is that, ugh...", she shook her head helplessly, "Tell me you understood," Amanda, who had tried to keep a straight face all along, ended up bursting into a fit of giggles, for how hard she was trying to justify herself, "I did. Stop torturing yourself," she muttered softly and reached out to touch Gabrielle's knee. The brunette gulped at the contact. Truth be told, Amanda was dying to touch her hair, stroke it in between her fingertips. But she refrained herself form doing so, not wanting to appear inappropriate or too rushed, "What about you? Do you live alone?", the blonde asked, a part of her hoping she did.

Her eyes couldn't lie, not even if she tried. The way she nibbled her bottom lip was the further proof of her eagerness to know Gabrielle was a single woman. "Yes and no," she said, intentionally keeping vague for a bunch of seconds. Amanda's mouth fell partially agape, disappointment washed over her brown eyes. Gabrielle saw it and felt sorry. She couldn't keep up the play any further, because Amanda suddenly looked like a lost puppy. All she wanted was to smooch her with kisses, and— 'oh my God, Gab, stop it right now' she mentally scolded herself. "It's just me and Moka, a doggie I adopted five years ago," Amanda exhaled a sigh of relief even, "Oh, that's...great," realizing she had answered as Gabrielle did at the mention of her not having any children, she widened her eyes.

It was Gabrielle's turn to laugh, considering the roles switched, "m' sorry," Amanda muttered, rubbing the root of her nose as to keep control of her nervousness. But Gabrielle was more than fine, she smiled genuinely and told her everything was alright, since there wasn't an actual reason to apologize, "So we're both... I mean," she searched for the right word this time, but Amanda preceded her, "Single as a pringle? Absolutely," both ended up giggling like two schoolgirls, "You couldn't be more accurate," answered the brunette. Amanda nodded and leaned further in, closer to Gabrielle, "It's not a bad thing though," a playful glimmer lit up her eyes, a grin tugged at her lips. Gabrielle was trying her best not to stare at them too long: so plump and soft. She nodded, and a moment of silence fell between them, as they focused on each other's features.

"May I ask you, what you were doing downtown?", "Just work," she quickly replied, without much enthusiasm. Amanda, though, seemed interested, so Gabrielle decided to add some extra details, "Have you ever heard of The Queen of Tarts?", on Amanda's face, an expression of pure stupor showed up. She gasped, "Are you kidding me? That place is heaven!" Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, deciding to tease her a bit, "Really? Because I can honestly swear that I have never once saw you there...", she feigned a mildly offended expression, that for some odd reason, Amanda caught as fake. She rolled her eyes and playfully nudged at her arm, "Normally, my sister and I order take out. The bakery is always so full of people, that it's impossible to find a seat," she pointed out and Gabrielle couldn't deny that.

She nodded, "I wouldn't have forgotten a face like yours otherwise," those words fell from her mouth before she could actually switch on her brain. Since when was she so bold? She buried her face in her hands, grunting in embarrassment, "Sorry, sorry, sorry—", she half whispered. Amanda nibbled on her bottom lip, softened by Gabrielle's behavior. She lightly shook her head, before smiling genuinely. She reached out to touch Gabrielle's hands, considering she already missed those eyes, that unfairly the brunette had decided to cover up, "Hey, that was cute. Don't apologize," her voice was tender and velvety, filled with emotion and honesty. Gabrielle opened a crack with her fingertips, so that she could spy on Amanda's face.

All she could see was sweetness, comprehension and deep empathy. The blonde giggled again, "You're so precious," with that being said, Gabrielle felt like she was melting like snow in the sun. She lowered her hands, placing them on her lap. Then she looked up into Amanda's eyes, immediately feeling thousands of butterflies flying in her stomach, "Thanks," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Amanda's soft curls swayed a bit when she tilted her head to the side to better look at Gabrielle's features. She blinked so softly, in such a delicate manner, that the brunette found herself hypnotized. She continued, "You're very beautiful too," that sudden confession gave Gabrielle the courage to keep a firm gaze upon Amanda's eyes, without ever looking down, "Are you kidding me?", she chuckled nervously, "If there's a beautiful woman here, that's one hundred percent you. I've have never seen a face so ethereal and—", even though she knew to be blabbering without shame, she was enjoying Amanda's reaction.

She lifted her palm as to stop her to continue, but Gabrielle smirked in return, "Gabrielle—", she tried, but the brunette continued by mentioning the beauty of her voice, her eyes, her golden curly hair, and the way she poked her tongue out of her mouth every time she smiled. Amanda was speechless for a second, "Oh my God, have you really noticed all these things?", she asked both in disbelief and awe. Gabrielle shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a meticulous observer, "a grin tugged at her lips, while Amanda hummed amusedly. Once the controller announced the next stop was Notting Hill Gate, on both faces appeared a disappointed frown. "Dang it, time flew by," Gabrielle chuckled sadly, and Amanda nodded slowly, "Yeah, we didn't even notice," a tight smile appeared on her lips, her voice grew quiet too, less enthusiastic than before. She didn't want her to leave, but again, she couldn't keep her there to chat more. Perhaps, they could meet again. Gabrielle stood up slowly, and while doing so, her legs brushed against Amanda's, exactly how it had happened when the blonde firstly sat there, "Sorry," she knew there was nothing to apologize for, but she did it anyway, "It's okay."

Gabrielle felt she was back in the body of a clumsy teenager that could hardly say minimum two words with a beautiful woman like Amanda. She was twenty-eight years old, for the love of God. After a second of hesitation, Amanda stood up too, and in that exact same moment, both of them said in one voice, "Would you like to—", "How about we—", both laughed at the funny side of the situation. It was heartwarming that they thought of the same thing at the same time, "You go first," Gabrielle prompted her, with a light smile, "I'd like to meet you again, if you want to of course," Gabrielle started nodding without even letting Amanda finish her sentence. On the blonde's face, an expression of pure joy showed up, like a child that wakes up on Christmas day and finds a wealth of gifts under the tree. The train slowed down and Amanda offered to walk Gabrielle to the train's door.

"I work tomorrow morning, but I'm free after 4.00 PM. If you can, we could—", "Tomorrow afternoon is perfect," she took a quick look at Gabrielle's phone, partially coming out of her pocket. Without thinking too much of it, she blurred it out. The brunette knew in her heart not to worry, however, she raised an amused eyebrow at the other's boldness, "Sure, go ahead," she said, while Amanda giggled and typed her phone number on Gabrielle's phone, "Write me once you're back home, alright?", that simple request was able to melt the brunette's heart at once. No one had ever shown so much care in her regards, after such little time. It moved her. She nodded softly, "Consider it done." The train stopped, and people were now hopping off. Amanda noticed that and sighed, when the brunette said, "Seems like I have to go," she put her phone back in the pocket, swaying a foot out of the train's open doors. Amanda nodded in understanding, "It was nice meeting you, Gabs," she reached out to touch her hand, and their eyes bowed down to that delicate contact, for a second that felt like an eternity. It felt so right to be around one another.

The controller whistled one more time, announcing the train was about to take off and Amanda shook her head, muttering how annoying he was, but then urged Gabrielle to hop off. She whined childishly and Amanda chuckled, "I got it, man," she nimbly hopped off, "I'll see you soon," she promised while the doors were still open, and Amanda nodded happily. Then she tried something and she knelt royally before her, as form of goodbye. Amanda laughed softly before blowing a kiss towards Gabrielle, mimicking the same princely ways. The train's doors closed in that moment. She then placed her palms upon the windows and delicately waved her fingertips, "Bye," Gabrielle read her lips and she said the same thing. Once the train was too far away for Gabrielle to see Amanda, she spin around in pure joy and excitement. For once, missing the bus had not been bad at all. She had a lot to tell Moka that night.

#sarah paulson x reader #amanda x reader #blue jay #sarah paulson imagines #cute os #christmas #holiday season #sarah paulson

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