7 - Drinks (1)

Suddenly Celine felt this prickling sensation behind her neck, as if someone was watching. So she looked around, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was her mystery guy in the dark suit. 

She stared right back, issuing a challenge. ‘Hey there. Took you forever to notice me,’ she thought. 

‘Let’s see who gives up first?’ She raised an eyebrow, and he grinned, so she smiled back. Celine felt like some communication passed between them in the few seconds they stared at each other.

‘He has a cute smile, maybe I will say hi… later,’ she smiled again as she averted her eyes, playing coy. 

Celine never had luck finding anyone in the club. Most men wanted hookups and booty calls, something to boost their egos. Half of them are probably married, trying to get an easy lay. 

‘What made me think this is going to be different? Oh well, we’ll find out later.’ She took one more glance, before turning and began listening to the conversations happening around her.

After playing what seems like the longest game of cat and mouse ever, looking back, then turning away. She brought her attention back to him to evaluate his level of interest. 

Whenever she used this tactic, men grow bored and search for easier conquests, forgetting about her altogether. 

It was all a test, Celine wouldn't let men get to her that easily. If they can’t be bothered to wait for her to pay attention to them, then they’re not worth talking to. 

‘I wonder if he’ll follow if I go to the ladies' room?’ she thought as her nerves started to unravel her. 

‘God, I don’t even know what’s come over me, blatantly seeking his attention as if I wanted him. As if I knew what I was doing. If something bad happens to me, this is all my fault.’

‘No, it’s going to be okay.’ She took a deep breath.

‘I’ll make the first move and come to him instead of waiting for him to approach me. I really don’t want my co-workers to talk to him. They’re too much, and they’d probably just hit on him, anyway.’ 

‘I don’t think I’m okay with that.’ 

She frowned, ‘What’s with this guy, anyway? Why am I crushing on him so hard?’

Suddenly, she was freaking out. ‘What if he follows me to the restroom? ‘

‘Omg, this would be my first time. What if I get tongue-tied? Omg, why am I so nervous?’

‘It’s going to be okay, just play it cool.’

Celine does an inner monologue before she takes one last drink and suddenly stands up, telling her friends that she needs to go to the ladies’ room. 

When they offer to go with her, she declines. It is something Celine wanted to do alone, preferably without an audience. If she makes a fool of herself, then there'd be no witnesses.

Celine makes a beeline for the guy with the dark blue suit purposefully, making eye contact as she brushes past him to get to get to the opposite end of the room.  

‘Come, follow me.' Celine issued when she smiled.

-=-

A long hallway leading to the restroom offered the perfect venue for them to talk without getting interrupted. The music in this area wasn’t too loud either, so there would be no need to shout or get too close to each other. 

Celine hated it when drunk men got too close. They had that unpleasant odor of intoxication seeping from their pores, which disgusted her.

Max called out. “Excuse me!” He said while running catch up.

Celine looked back for a second but then kept on walking but with a slower gait so he could keep up.

“I’m Max. If it’s not too forward, I want to get to know you and ask for your number,’ he finished as he reached her side. Max was going for the direct approach, eliminating any sappy pick-up lines he'd heard before. 

Celine was too nervous, but she wanted to play it cool, so she glanced at him and pushed the door to the ladies' room before she stepped in. 

‘Shit! Shit! Shit! I froze! Dammit!’ Celine paced in front of the stalls and bit her nails.

‘What do I do now? I hope he’s still out there. No, I hope he left. No. Ugh!’ It was getting hard for her to think because of her nerves.

She took a deep breath and applied the calming techniques she's learned over time.

‘Let me rehearse what I’m going to say.’  

While rehearsing, Celine gathered enough courage to face Max, but when a couple of women came in, she lost her nerve to go out. She waited until they left so nobody would hear her babbling.

‘Here we go. Don’t be too easy, but don’t play too hard to get. We want him interested, so don’t talk too much.’ 

When Celine came out, she was ready to be disappointed. 

She took too much time and knew Max had left. But there he was, leaning against the wall, playing with his phone, waiting for her. 

He smiled as soon as he got a glimpse of her, his eyes twinkling. “So about that number?”

“My name's Celine,” she had her hand out to take his phone. 

“If you stalk me or try to sell me something, I will give your number to the sex hotline,” she warns.

Max laughs and almost drops his phone as he passes it to her. He suddenly felt like a lovesick puppy. Her beauty was even more striking up close. 

He had surmised that it was the dim lighting and alcohol buzz that was causing such an overpowering attraction, but he knew this was something more. 

‘Her eyes are very lovely, like melted milk chocolate. I feel like I’ve seen eyes like those before,’ Max shakes his head for a moment, removing the images of other women’s faces from his thoughts.

“She has very long lashes, and her mouth looks so inviting,’ he gazes at her very intently, memorizing every feature.

Max wasn’t paying attention to what Celine was doing on his phone because she mesmerized him. 

The distance between them grew smaller as he moved closer, inch by inch. 

He inhaled discretely to get a whiff of her perfume. ‘Hmmm... I know that scent. It smells a little like Clara’s, but a little more fruity,’ he smiles and closes his eyes, taking another whiff. Her scent was invading his heart.

Celine fumbles with the phone when she noticed Max’s eyes locked on her face. ’Damn! We even have the same phone, but his nearness is making me nervous.’

When she finally figures it out, she hears him take a deep breath. 

‘Is he trying to sniff me, or is he bored?’ 

She glances at him, amused, and he shrugs and smiles back.

‘Good thing I smell good today. That fresh daisy perfume really makes you feel fresh.’ 

It took a while to convince herself to get this particular brand because she had to splurge for it. She recently started working and splurging on that tiny bottle of perfume was not a good way to spend a hundred of her hard-earned money. She could afford it, but she'd never spent her money on something that frivolous.