The Fifth Date

Chapter 3

When I first saw you walk in on that door, I had to admit, I was mesmerized.

I couldn’t believe that an utterly handsome man like you would choose to buy a coffee at this shabby place than at the famous Starbucks.

I, for myself, liked hanging out at Green Leaf, not because they had great coffee nor do they have an inviting ambience, but because it was almost empty. And the solitude it brought to a loner like me was fascinating.

You gave the shop an appraising look and I saw you smirk before walking towards the counter, examining the sloppily written menu on the blackboard.

I watched you carefully.

You amused me in a not so romantic way then. Micky received your order and you handed him a bill.

To be honest, I rarely liked handsome men.

I actually never liked a handsome man.

No, I never liked a man.

Only because I couldn’t bring myself to trust men.

Let me rephrase that.

I couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone at all.

I continuously stared at you as you sat on the table at the far corner. I scrutinized your profile as you did to the shop.

A small smile tugged on my lips as I saw you fish out a wide black notebook and pencil from your messenger bag. I could tell that you were drawing by the way you stroke the pencil along your notebook.

I looked down at the book I was reading and my eyes landed on: “Loneliness is a gift of grief. Happiness is a gift of love. Companionship is as sweet as sorrow. Take the risk for what it’s worth. No man is an island.” I blinked my eyes in disbelief. What was I reading? Was the book directly talking to me?

I scanned the shop and it was just you, me, and the barista named Micky.