A smile across the room

Sato night. I give Kamikaze a call. He's at the Verandah. Still. We were meant to meet up earlier in the day but I was working. My body was telling me to go home but my mind wanted to experience something other than work or home. It prevailed.

I check into the pub and see Kamikaze, 0.5 and one of the resident doctors. They're looking all relaxed and happy, seated at a table with like 10 women. I want to run away. My mind isn't prepared. I reluctantly join them. I'm surprised there's space to sit, given it's an end month weekend. We sit, talk, catch up.

I don't fail to notice the number of striking women all around. I still get amazed. One in particular was seated at a table across ours. And she kept looking in our direction. Not glancing. Kamikaze looks at me, I look at him. Ala? I'm terrible with names and faces, but this one I would not have forgotten.

On a couple of occassions as I was looking around the place, our eyes meet. She smiles. I smile back. She holds the gaze. I start to blush. I look away. There was a time when I would have walked up to her and said something. Now I just looked down and drew circles with my feet. At some point she was pointing, as she talked to one of the guys seated with her. Probably pointing out the shy guy at the corner.

We finally upped to leave. Passed by her table to find out what the intrigue was about. "You're leaving?". "Yes. Would you like me to stay?". She replies in the affirmative. I look at her, then at the guy she's with. My mind is looking for a response. Looking really hard. It only manages to come up with my favourite excuse. Fatigue. Plus I'm working on Sunday. From early. Besides, I console myself, I don't like being a third wheel. Or is it a third leg. "I thought so", she goes. I've become too predictable. I mumble something to the effect that we could meet each other some other time, some place. We both know this will likely never happen.