a city moment

as i stood there waiting for the bus, he walked over and started waiting for the bus, too. he wasn't unattractive, but i did sort of notice how his tight button-up shirt and his messenger bag brought out the fact of his slightly-protruding tummy. he looked at me, but when i looked back, he turned away. then his friend came; then the bus came. i got on and walked to the back, because for some reason i felt like it. i sat down in one of those rows of seats that doesn't face forward but faces the interior of the bus instead--postioned vertically instead of horizontally. he sat down exactly opposite me, so that i had to look everywhere else except at him. it was easy while his friend was still on the bus--they were talking and i could look, turn away, look again. once his friend got off, we alternated looking and pretending not to look for a while, until we both sort of gave up and put on our headphones. i laughed a little, quietly, because it was funny. it was funny again when we both rode the bus out until the end of the line. he got off directly behind me, and three blocks north, we switched places. i was now walking behind him. finally, approaching 110th st., we separated: he went down into the subway, and i stopped and stood on the corner, waiting for my date to arrive.