He saw her five days a week.

She saw him five days a week.

They would see each other every day after class on their school bus.

He always got out of his class earlier than her, so he would eagerly wait every day for her to get on the bus. He would admire her, and he would smile. But when she would look his way, he would look away.

In the same way, she would be eager to see him in his seat whenever she got on the bus. But when she would catch his eye, she would look away.

He sat on the left side of the bus in the fifth row; on the window's side of the seat. She sat on the right side of the bus in the fourth row; on the aisle side of the seat.

They never talked. They didn't even know each other's names. But both of them felt like they knew one another.

Today is the day I'll talk to her, he would tell himself every day. But he would never go talk to her. An invisible monster would always pull him back.

I'll sit next to him today, she would tell herself on most days. But she would never sit with him. A wicked monster would always lead her to her seat.

They sat by themselves on most days. Neither of them had friends on the bus. On a few occasions a roaming visitor would land in the seat with them like an autumn leaf hitting the concrete. Small talk would occur on some occasions, but nothing would really come from it.

On one occasion, she dared to smile at him. But in his nervousness, he quickly looked away. And she felt hurt. And he thought about apologizing that day, but someone else sat next to her on the bus. And he didn't get a chance to talk to her. And the day after, he flashed a smile at her when she got on the bus, but she wasn't even looking.

But one day, he would take courage.

He would kill the invisible monster with a sword, and he would talk to her. He would get up from his seat and ask her if he could sit next to her. And she would say yes.

And he would tell her his name. And she would smile and tell him her name. And they would start talking about their school and their classes. And about how tired they were of it all and about how much they wished to graduate so they could go to college. Then they would talk about their interests, and they would both realize they liked the same type of music and the same television shows. And that would get them excited.

That one time would turn into an everyday thing. Them sitting next to each other on the bus and talking. They would talk about their dreams and their goals. He would tell her how he wants to be a journalist, and she would tell him how she wants to be a singer. And she would share with him about how unsure she was of following her dreams because her parents didn't approve and because she didn't feel she was good enough, but he would encourage her and assure her that she would be successful.

And after a couple months, they would start dating.

And they would see each other every day. And they would go to coffee shops, and to the town's movie theater, and to different outdoor sites.

And he would be with her after she found out her parents were divorcing. And she would tell him how she was going to move to another state with her mother. And they would promise to each other that they would make it work.

And she'd move. But they would still talk every day. And when it became time to apply for a university, they would both apply to the same one. And they'd both be accepted. And for three and a half more years, the would continue to date.

Until finally, at the end of senior year, he would propose. And she would say yes. And they'd get married after graduation.

And they'd move to a big city in a different state because he would be hired by a large news company. And she would continue singing. She would even send a demo of herself to a recording company. And even though they'd reject her demo, he would tell her how proud he was of her.

And after three years, she'd become pregnant. And they would both be excited. And they'd have a boy. And all three of them would be really happy.

And after a while, she'd send her demo to another recording company. And this one would accept it. And she would tell him. And he would pick her up and jump up and down with her. And they would laugh.

Then she'd start singing for events around the city. And he would go to most of them.

And he would tell everyone that that was his wife.

And after a few years, they would move to a small town. And they would have a baby girl. And he'd work for an online magazine company, and he would write weekly articles. And she would become a music teacher at the local school.

And they would take their kids on adventures. And they would watch their kids grow up.

And after a few years, their kids would go off to college. And they would stay alone in their house.

And they would grow old and retire. They would spend a lot of their time reading and watching television.

They would become grandparents. And both of them would look back at their lives and be satisfied.

But one day, he would get sick. And she would be there next to him holding his hand on the day he would die. And they'd remember the school bus. And he would tell her how it took him a lot of courage to talk to her. And she would thank him for talking to her that day. And they would look into each other's eyes and tell each other how much they love each other.

And he would die.

And she would die two years later.

And that would be their lives...

But, the reality is that this would never happen.

Because he never talked to her. And she never sat next to him. And her parents divorced, and she moved. And he wondered where she had gone to. And she majored in economics because her parents convinced her to not pursue singing. And he stayed in his hometown and ended up writing for the local paper. And both of them married different people. And both of them had different lives.

Because in the end, they both let the monsters win.