New job started, pay was good and hardly complicated,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How long it\u2019ll last up to chance, working life\u2019s taken a\nturn for the nomadic,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Woke up anxiously then put on my best suit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Headed out the door, braved the road, caught the train,\nfuelled by oatmeal, eggs and fruit,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the station traipsed towards the building, a giant\namong skyscrapers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collected my lanyard from the receptionist, headed off for\nthe elevator,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when she appeared, dressed nice and smart,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Glanced at her, eyes didn\u2019t linger, we exchanged not a\nsingle word,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lift doors opened, like a gentleman let her in first,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She complied with a smile, could\u2019ve sent pulses racing for\nmiles,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then in rushed behind me a sudden train of humanity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rat race had started early, victims running on that\nwheel already,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We ended up side by side, crammed towards the back wall,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shoved my way through when the doors opened at my floor,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stole her gaze once more upon departing, before the elevator\nclosed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emboldened by positive first impressions, hoping we\u2019ll meet\nfor a proper \u2018hello.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crossed paths with her two days later, \u2018twas the end of the\ngrind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From different departments keeping similar hours, happily\nfound some common ground,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Hi\u2019, said I, \u2018nice to see you again,\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She seemed to remember me, thankfully, \u2018fancy running into\nyou here,\u2019 said she,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yours truly on the way to catch trains, her to the bus\nterminal,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three-to-five minute walk from the building, no time for\nlengthy conversation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introduced ourselves to one another, formally, made small\ntalk before parting,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Nice to meet you, have a good evening, see you tomorrow\u2019,\nthat sort of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rode home feeling chuffed, glad to have made a friend,\nmaybe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contact finally achieved, still counts as a minor victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ran into her again the next morning, waiting outside the\nbuilding,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifteen minutes early, expanded last night\u2019s small-talking,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Twas just a coincidence, I promise, ain\u2019t nobody stalking,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps it\u2019s a sign of two kindred spirits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Starting time arrived rather quickly, covered plenty of\nground already,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Promised to meet for lunch break, off we went to our\nrespective workplaces,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turned up bang on time outside that noon, she was already\nwaiting,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a good five minutes it turns out, but really who\u2019s\ncounting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Got half an hour to kill, went to the mall across the\nstreet, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Off to the food court, got some grub, sat down to swap life\nstories,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conversation flowed like a smooth stream, but so did the\nminutes on the clock,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walked back towards the building, side by side, just in the\nnick of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Met her again at five-past-five, again walked her to the\nstation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Day by day met her between working hours, a pair of desk\njockeys sharing a daily ritual,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Started at mere friendship, ain\u2019t nobody catching feelings,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then one day the heart started trolling, ceased to be\nplatonic,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For one party anyway, that would be yours truly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her interactions with others exposing chinks in the\nproverbial armoury,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The working day consumed by thoughts of her, running on high\nrotation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All but melting like Olaf before her, internally, that smile\na bright light on a barren wasteland, truly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018We\u2019re just friends\u2019 that\u2019s all there is to it, don\u2019t even\nhave each other\u2019s numbers,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That would be a start, just gotta ask her permission,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simple as that, seems straightforward, so why do we turn\nsimple things into complicated puzzles?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ran through the gamut of feelings, whether pleasure or\ntorture,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully she\u2019s none the wiser, my straight-face game as\nimpenetrable as ever,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Counting my blessings, daily, that an angel entered my life,\nwillingly,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps someday in the long run I\u2019ll strike it lucky,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She ain\u2019t mentioned a co-pilot in her life, she ain\u2019t\nsomeone else\u2019s wife,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gotta keep the big guns holstered, resist the temptation,\nplay it cool and collected,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gonna ask to exchange numbers first, seems like a harmless\ngesture,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s what friends do, should make plans to hang outside of\nwork,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set the date to ask her the next day, nerves won at the last\nminute,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then aimed for the one after, but turned out she was absent,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weekend followed, can\u2019t believe my mind\u2019s consumed with\nplanning for this,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It ain\u2019t rocket science or a rescue mission, boy do I feel\ndesperate and pathetic,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to ask her a simple question without coming off creepy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mind continues overthinking, the cause of many an\nindividual\u2019s great follies,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust be straight with her, stop fretting about it, the more\nyou think about it, the more you\u2019re liable to make a mess of it,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Easier said than done, love does things to people,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even the strong rendered helpless against its influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Come Monday morning, \u2018it\u2019s now or never,\u2019 whispered that\ninner voice,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At lunch time the moment of truth arrived, time for the bomb\nto be deployed,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEyes up, chest out, exude an air of confidence,\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGet it over with, Brother, you\u2019d wracked your brains too\nlong for this,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sat opposite her as she munched away, hoping her eyes won\u2019t\ncatch my nervous gaze,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally mustered the strength and audacity required to get\nthe mission underway,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked her for her number, to keep in touch during off-hours,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And maybe hang out too as pals, ripped the bandaid off\nwithout second thoughts,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Braced for impact, as though trapped in a falling jet, fire\nstreaming from the engine before hitting earth in a massive explosion,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heart beating fast, can feel the sweat coming, how will she\nreact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thankfully she agreed, removed a pen and notepad from her\nbag,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scribbled on it that paper the precious digits, handed it to\nme shortly after,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just like that put me at ease while euphoria took over,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hard part\u2019s over now, continued eating while conversing,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All the while keeping the contents within from bursting,\ncould barely keep the lid on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kept that precious piece of paper close like a rare and\nsacred text,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Got me acting like Gollum, can\u2019t believe it feels like life\nitself depends on it,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shot her a text a few days afterward,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing too serious, just a simple greeting to get the ball\nrolling,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Objective completed, now we play the waiting game,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That ELO song come to life, the one about telephone lines,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hopefully it won\u2019t end in vain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New job started, pay was good and hardly complicated, How long it\u2019ll last up to chance, working life\u2019s taken a turn for the nomadic, Woke up anxiously then put on my best suit, Headed out the door, braved the road, caught the train, fuelled by oatmeal, eggs and fruit, From the station traipsed towards the … <\/p>\n