That One Smile

10:30 AM.

It was thirty minutes past the hour of ten in the morning. The sun was beaming glaringly everywhere. I rushed to my building and swiftly glided across the room, so not to catch everyone’s attention. All I could hear were strokes of the keyboard. I was late. I was thirty minutes late. I told myself, ‘maybe everybody’s just a little early’.

I jumped onto my seat, pushed the lever up to elevate my position. I turned my laptop on and checked a pile of emails waiting to be read; each one was tagged ‘highly important’.

My morning was busy, I started the day with the usual routines I often do at work. I moved out from my desk and hopped into a meeting; it lasted two hours.

12:45 NN.

Fifteen minutes before lunchtime, I got back at my seat with a deep breath. My stomach has been out of control and its sound has become more noticeable and inevitable. I was hungry. I haven’t eaten other than a piece of bread I took from the pastry basket at the pantry.

I gave a quick turn while seated on my red chair. I stumbled upon her seated a meter away from me, she looks unfamiliar. I was puzzled and my face has shown profoundly. She was talking to this guy and has changed desk from one to another.

I was looking at her delicately. I examined her gestures, her movement, her smiles. I constantly gazed to see her face, yet I couldn't look for so long. For some reasons, I was a little shy even though she is unaware of my secret stares.

Suddenly, I felt a quick force from my back. My boss tapped me and said ‘Yeah, she’s a new hire’. I looked at him and laughed. He must have noticed me looking at her.  

I immediately went to my pal’s desk. ‘Since when did she got here?’  I asked.  She’s been there since this morning, I saw her when I came in’ she said.

She left the office that day without me noticing her descent again. But the next morning, she sat at the same seat, exactly a meter away from me. When I got in, I gave her a quick look. But she caught my eyes at her. I looked down, as if nothing happened. She had bright cream skin, her eyes were chinky and innocent, her hair her were well brushed down. She wore a black cardigan with a tucked navy blue top.

During lunch, I looked at her swiftly, she looked back at me. And I looked down in embarrassment again. I kept my eyes away since then.

6:50PM

It was almost seven in the evening. I was packing up my things for home. I turned back, but she was already gone. She must have gone home ahead. I continued packing and started my way to open the door to the lobby.

I was surprised to see her waiting for the lift.  The door opened. She came in, I followed. It was just the two us. She pressed the ground button and I looked at her hand and gracefully shifted my sight to see her eyes. An awkward silence wrapped the space. She smiled. I gave back a shy smirk.

‘Hi.’ The word involuntarily slipped my tongue.

‘Hi.’ She said back. Thank goodness.

‘I’m John’. I offered my hand to shake.

‘Anna’. She took my hand. 

A cling sound suddenly interrupted and the door opened. ‘I’ll see you around, John’.

She stepped out and gave me yet again, that one smile that melts me every time...