Boy bus, part 2

I don't know what it is about riding on the bus that makes me so willing to project my hopes and dreams onto another person, but it happens--and quite frequently. Maybe its because I'm still in some sort of sleep state. Slowly rising to full consciousness. Or maybe its because my morning wood strains at my briefs for at least an hour before I finally wake and relieve my bladder. Or maybe its because I realize that I've woken up alone, yet another morning. Whatever the reason, I do this thing--play this game--with the people with whom I ride the bus. This morning, at the bus stop, a nerd had his copy of A Feast for Crows open in his palm. His bespectacled eyes shot from line to line as he read the fantastical story. Now, he is a nerd, but not as much of a nerd as the ponytailed nerd that wears his "Han shot first" shirt all the time. So I imagined myself approaching the guy and saying something like, "You might want to read that more slowly. The next book isn't coming out until 2007." Of course, I didn't.
That's ok, though. My headphones were on under my cap and trying to carry on a conversation would have been complicated. So the local comes and he boards. Minutes later, a full express comes and I eke my way to the back hitting only a handful of people in the face with my bag. I take a seat and this other guy sits next to me.
I've definitely seen him before. Not in a while, perhaps, but I remember him. He says, "Nice bag," about my crappy old Gap bag. Then I realize he has the same one and I reply, "Thanks, yours is pretty nice, too." However, I have said this perhaps ten decibels too loud (damn headphones!!). His face turns red. My face turns red. He pulls out his book--some play. I pull out my book--A Feast for Crows. A few times on our journey to downtown, he slides into me. Every time he makes a point of making eye contact with me. I'm generally the scared bunny-type and avoid eye contact, but I can't help but return his gaze and smile.
So I play my little game, where its so much easier to have fantasy relationships with people you don't even know than it is to have real relationships with people you do. He's the best boyfriend I've had all day.

see also:
Boy Bus
Books Need Rubbers, Too