Symmetry.

She slid into the aisle seat. The middle-aged, well-dressed man between her and the train window was staring into an e-reader.

She wondered whether the man had ignored her. Was his book an escape or was he contemplating ordinary details of life while blankly staring at pages? Who did he live with? Did he miss them or was the silent train a respite from daily chaos?

She silently berated herself for her insatiable curiosity about the life of strangers. She turned to her phone.

The man’s eyes darted towards her. He wondered who she was texting.