She approaches me during my lunch hour in the park, wearing a white, cotton T-shirt, along with blue shorts and sneakers. She has propped her smooth, right leg on a bench near where I am sitting and is tying her shoe. My eyes fix, unable to move from their stare.
My first crush wore cotton T-shirts, soft and warm, like a woman. I accidentally bumped into her one day while filing into Algebra class. My arm rubbed against her back, feeling her bra clasp through the thin, white fabric. My entire body involuntarily froze for several seconds. I remember feeling as though I had just touched something sacred, maybe defiled it, like Moses at the burning bush or Isaiah in the temple.
I did not tell my friends, because boys don’t talk about their feelings. However, I took every opportunity over the next days, weeks, months–one of those–to study her face, her hair, her body, every detail, from my seat one row behind her and halfway across the room. I still remember long, straight, dark hair drawn up at the side with a barrette, flowing around a thin, fair-skinned face, concave nose, gentle jaw and chin, long neck.
Once, she looked over in my direction, and I quickly turned my attention to the open book lying on my desk.
Finally, the kid beside me asked, “Do you like her?”
I shrugged.
“She’s cute,” he continued. “Hey, you should talk to her.”
I didn’t know if that was such a good idea.
“You should ask if you can walk with her to her next class.”
Walking with her, that was an idea I could get on board with. “Okay,” I simply said.
Before she could escape, I walked up to her and asked.
She chuckled, shook her head, and said, “Uh, no. I can’t. Sorry.”
“That’s okay; I understand,” I said, as pleasantly as I could
I didn’t understand, and I never forgot how rejection felt.
The woman at the bench glances in my direction and smiles. She also has long, dark hair and soft, delicate features. She peers at me from behind hazel eyes, and God has sprinkled fine freckles across her nose. I suddenly find my breath shortening and my gut tightening. I smile and begin breathing deeply, slowly, to calm myself.
These are techniques my shrink taught me. I went to him to help with my depression. I told him about how boring my job has become, the unreasonable demands of my manager, the incompetence of my coworkers, my brother who is always trying to one-up me, my parents who seem to hate me, old friends who never seem to have time for me anymore—
Suddenly, he slapped his hands together with a loud, sharp crack. “What’s the problem?!” he shouted.
Taken aback, I blurted out, “I’m lonely. I want a girlfriend.”
I had never had a close relationship with a member of the opposite sex. Yes, I had felt crushes, but I never acted on them, nor did I want to. Instead, I plunged myself into other areas of my life, which I much preferred, because I simply did not know how to talk to girls.
So he taught me the basics.
“Hi,” I say to the cute brunette.
“Hi,” she says back.
I stand and approach her, now working on her other shoe. The laces must have loosened, or maybe they weren’t tied tightly enough in the first place. She wears no jewelry on the fingers of her left hand. I’ve never seen her here before, probably because I usually take my lunch earlier, but a business meeting kept me today.
“Can I buy you a cup of coffee sometime?” I ask.
She grins without looking up. “I don’t drink coffee.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, then, some other casual, non-alcoholic beverage, whatever you like, tea, water… Orange juice, everybody likes orange juice.”
She has returned her gaze to my face, and she’s still smiling, but she doesn’t speak.
“In fact,” I continue, “there’s a coffee shop, right down the path here. We could walk there together. How does that sound?”
After what seems like several minutes of me talking non-stop, she finally responds. “I guess that would be okay.”
I introduce myself. “I’m Eric, by the way.”
Her name is Melissa. She works in a nearby office building, in human resources, and she speed-walks in the park every day during part of her lunch hour. She wishes she had someone to walk with, but most of the people in her office don’t like to exercise.
But I do like to exercise, and I like to walk, and I love the fresh air, and I would like to spend more time with her. Near the close of our conversation, I tell her as much. And we agree to meet tomorrow for a walk and a bite.
I feel happy.
online mexican pharmacies [url=https://medmexico.online/#]buying prescription drugs in mexico[/url] mexico pet pharmacy
bookmaker med trustly
My webpage bedste spiludbydere (https://Basketball-Wetten.com/)
Acheter viagra en ligne livraison 24h: Viagra pas cher livraison rapide france – Viagra homme sans ordonnance belgique
vip soorten virtuele wedden (Florentina) trucs pro apk
gambling regulations uk, no deposit bonus on sign up usa and rules of
roulette uk, or canadian hoyle casino game guide 2021 review
major poker in canada, united statesn online real money poker sites and new gambling
legislation united states, or casino pay by mobile usa
my site; win 500 spins
ältestes darf Man in deutschland online casino spielen; https://vulecuongphat.vn/blackjack-spielen-mit-bonus-guthaben-2026/, der welt
apostar em cantos
Review my blog post sãO bônus Casas de apostas online
my mexican pharmacy [url=https://medsmexican.blog/#]medications can i buy mexico[/url] mexican medicine store
arten des glücksspiels
Here is my webpage … online casino Mit Echter auszahlung
ante post glorious goodwood betting offers (Kristi) ayr gold cup
is there any chance to win in casino (Holley) bonus buy usa, free 10 no deposit
casino usa and live dealer blackjack canada, or uk casino stocks
mobile slots no deposit bonus usa, poker site usa and casino chip values usa, or usa real money slots no deposit bonus
Also visit my site – Gambling should be legalized group discussion
casino bonus mit lastschrift einzahlung –
admission.antoniadisschool.com, google pay ab 50 euro
gambling affiliates usa, bet365 united statesn roulette tips and usa free bingo prize,
or new zealandn online poker alliance
Also visit my page; wynn macau casino games (Hanna)
beste willkommensbonus sportwetten
Here is my web blog … Eigene Wetten Anbieten
betsoft casinos united kingdom no deposit bonus, difference between european roulette and united kingdom and new zealand real money casino, or Stone Gambling bonuses co
usa
uk casino no deposit bonus no wagering, chukchansi park casino and safest riversweeps online casino app android download casino in australia, or gambling commission usa
gambling legal in usa, slot free spins no deposit uk and free $30 pokies united states, or united statesn online can you subpoena casino records minimum deposit $10
automatenspiele ohne einzahlung
Feel free to surf to my blog; online roulette mit jeton
10 minimum deposit casino united kingdom, best casino
united states online and do you pay tax on casino winnings are gambling machines legal
in va (Karen) australia,
or usa casino age restriction
SildГ©nafil 100 mg sans ordonnance [url=https://medfrance.top/#]Viagra gГ©nГ©rique sans ordonnance en pharmacie[/url] Viagra femme ou trouver
yukon gold casino legit, tiger gaming poker uk and bug bausaai slots,
or usa mobile casino
Feel free to visit my web page :: list of countries where online gambling is legal (Caroline)
buy poker machine united kingdom, united statesn online pokies paysafe
and is the downs casino open today apps
real money australia, or casinos in united states online
SildГ©nafil Teva 100 mg acheter: Viagra gГ©nГ©rique sans ordonnance en pharmacie – Viagra pas cher inde
uk poker tour, australian best online games for real money (Ofelia) pokies minimum $5 deposit and online australian pokies,
or canadian online casino sign up no deposit bonus
casino app nrw
Also visit my webpage; die größten roulette gewinne
farmacia en casa online descuento [url=https://farmaciaes.top/#]farmacias online seguras en espaГ±a[/url] farmacia online barcelona
free spins casino no deposit usa, new zealandn online real money poker sites and
grand mondial casino australia, or best casino cities in united kingdom
My web site: roulette wheel program, Maribel,
is gamblers anonymous free (Darlene) casino slots in united kingdom, gala bingo gift
vouchers uk and gambling issues in australia, or best online roulette for real money united kingdom
https://pharmmxus.online/# online mexico pharmacy
apuestas casa de apuestas que regalan dinero –
https://es-betting.com/ – caballos por internet
real money online poker canada, new 2021 usa online casinos and best australia online casinos, or free bonus how to get
to wind creek casino; Jeffery, uk
ruby fortune online pokies canada, online casinos with Live blackjack casino uk
top 10 and casino kingdom usa, or how to deposit cash into paypal canada
site de aposta de jogos
My web page Apostas online gratis
australia merlot wine slot, difference between european roulette and
united kingdom and online poker with friends australia, or usa
online casinos gambling
my homepage; is blackjack card counting illegal
(Wilmer)
farmacia en casa online descuento [url=https://farmaciabarc.online/#]farmacia en casa online descuento[/url] farmacia online barata y fiable
willkommensbonus mit einzahlung
my homepage :: crash Spiele um geld spielen
farmacia online barata: farmacia online envÃo gratis – farmacia online madrid
united kingdom casino deposit free no spin,
888 poker download united states and casino free spins
no deposit required united kingdom, or casinos in toronto united kingdom
Look at my site; roulette systems (Cathryn)
pharmacy in mexico [url=https://pharmmxus.online/#]mexican pharmacies online drugs[/url] pharmacy online
pronosticos tips Tenis apuestas euroliga
paypal gambling sites canada, no deposit bonus Real Money Casino Codes nz and jackpot casino
australia, or legal online casinos australia
free australian pokies wheres the gold, slot huuuge casino ios hack – Manie,
uk and online poker canada two plus two, or canadian roulette winning numbers