Exposed

It was Monday morning after the fateful Friday and she was laying out her clothes for the day. She was careful to pick the right length skirt that was short enough without being too short and showed her shape without being too tight. She picked a black sleeveless blouse because on Friday night he said he liked her arms and because this particular blouse had been successful in the past. She showered and combed her long straight black hair. She looked in the mirror and was happy with what she saw, a fairly tight body for 35 but at the same time there was no denying the effect of age and gravity.

She kept the makeup light, tied her hair in a bun, and made her way to work. She floated through her morning waiting for the opportune time to say hi to the man from Friday night. Friday night, what an unexpected turn of events. It started out as a night out with the girls, hitting the expat scene. At a small pizza joint, hidden down a back alley and with a tree running through it's center, she saw her co-worker. Saw and didn't see. He seemed different. Relaxed. More confident. Handsome. And when she stopped by to say hello, another surprise. Charming. Since he had a couple of men friends and she had a few woman friends they decided to join tables and the night continued past dinner and into a night club where they watched Russian dancers and drank vodka out of a lava lamp. Everyone was getting along well but there was a special connection between the two of them. They kissed near the restroom and well out of sight of their other friends and the energy was so strong the rest of the club seemed to disappear. But that was as far as it went that night as she was still a three date girl and the kiss was good enough. More than good enough.

She stepped into his office and sat down. His work persona had returned, he seemed stressed and hurried. She tried to bring out his charming side but he was cold. "Lunch? I'll treat" she playfully said to which he replied "no, got to finish this review. super busy today". A similar plea for a starbucks run was shot down. She later brought him a snack from 711 and at best he seemed annoyed.

She went home, defeated. Wondering what happened. What had she done wrong. Why was he so cold. She wrote him a letter telling him all about her feelings and then tore it up into little pieces.

The next Friday night came and he asked her to dinner.

No.