//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: The Power of Portals 
// by Flames173 
//------------------------------//

	"So. Uhh, how's it going?" I asked, a little uncomfortable with the position I was in. Jodi and I were sitting across from each other at a table in our own private car.
"I told you five times already, I'm fine." Jodi laughed.
"Yeah, well, I'm not good at talking to girls." I admitted.
"I can tell."
"So, how's it going?"
"Ok, I'm done with this." Jodi got up and walked over to her bed just as a mare walked in with a plate of food. She set it on the table.
"Thanks." I said with a smile. She nodded and left the car. "There's food if you want it." I said as I took a good looking tomato from the salad and put it on my plate.
"I swear they always wait until you do something." Jodi put something in the backpack she took with her and walked back. She took another plate and put some salad on it.
"What were you doing over there anyways?" I asked between mouthfuls of tomato.
"Nothing you need to worry about." She said with a smirk, then took a bite of lettuce.
"All right, whatever." We finished our dinner in silence. There was a lot of salad too. We could barely eat it all, and it was getting late by the time we finished.
"Well, I'm going to turn in." I said, putting the dirty plate on the edge of the table.
"Me too." Jodi pushed her plate to the center of the table. She stretched back a bit and burped. We looked at each other for a second then broke out laughing. We got out of the seats by the table and went to our beds. I felt confident that nobody would watch me while I slept, but I shut the curtain anyways.
"Good night Jodi." I said before setting my head down.
"Good night." I heard her say with a yawn.
I fell asleep fairly quick, Jodi must have too, I didn't hear her make any noise.


***


When I woke up, I yawned. I tried to stretch right away, forgetting that I was in a cramped box. I opened the curtain, the only thing between me and the train car, and I sprawled out on the floor. I lied there for a minute or two as my muscles got used to being  fully stretched out.  I eventually decided to stand up. When I got up completely, I felt a warmth against my lips, and all I could see was Jodi's face. It took me a couple seconds to realize what happened, then I backed away. I braced myself from the torrent of shouts and screams that was bound to follow, but they never came. I looked at Jodi, and she shied away from me and was blushing.
"Jodi?" I asked. "Is, everything alright?"
"He kissed me." she said just loud enough for me to hear.
"Uhh, Jodi?" I asked, slowly walking up to her.
"He kissed me." she said again.
"Jodi?" I poked her shoulder.
Jodi turned around and put her hooves behind me, she pulled me in and forced another kiss. She let me go after a few seconds. I backed up immediately. I could feel the warmth of a blush reach my cheeks.
"Joe, do you like me?" she asked.
"Me? I, you, ehh." I was having trouble deciding to answer truthfully or not. "Yes." I said eventually. "Uhh, do you like me?"
"Yes." She said without hesitation.
We looked at each other for a few seconds before we leaned in for another kiss. The conductor walked between us before our lips touched.
"We have arrived in Hoofington!" He shouted. He paused and looked at me. "You got a pretty mare there." he said. "You're one lucky stallion." he winked at me then said something quick to Jodi and left.
"Well, I guess we should get our stuff then." I said when the conductor left to annoy the rest of the train's inhabitants.
Jodi went over to the little box the train company passes off as a bed, and she got a bag of stuff she filled with stuff from Twilight's library that she thought may be helpful. She threw it over her back and went over to the door and she waited for me before she'd open the door. "You coming?" she asked me.
"Uhh, yeah." I said, taking my eyes off of her flank. I went up to her and we stood side by side. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she opened the door and stepped into Hoofington.