The morning commute was a fresh hell, as usual. The train was packed tighter than a sardine can, and the stale air hung heavy with the scent of a thousand barely-awake people. Sarah glared at the back of the guy's head in front of her, wishing she had the power to make his meticulously styled hair fall out. She’d been up until 2 AM chatting with "StarryEyed" online, venting about her awful boss, Mr. Henderson. Now, the thought of facing him again made her stomach churn.
Later that afternoon, after a particularly unpleasant meeting where Henderson had belittled her presentation, Sarah trudged towards her favorite coffee shop. A loud, boisterous laugh erupted from a nearby table. She rolled her eyes, already anticipating another irritating encounter with someone who clearly had too much joy in their life.
She approached the counter, the caffeine fumes doing little to soothe her foul mood. "Large black coffee," she snapped at the barista, her voice sharper than she intended. She barely registered the order.
"Sarah? Is that you?" A voice, familiar but unexpected, called out. Sarah whipped her head around and saw him. StarryEyed. He was grinning like an idiot. And he lived here? In her city? This was too much.