A Fleeting Encounter

I first met him on my way to work, handsome stranger, I was sure I had met him somewhere before. I bumped into him as I got onto the tube, and our eyes met for one fleeting moment. As we claimed our separate seats, I tried not to look at him, not to meet his eyes; holding up my edition of the Metro as high up as it could possibly go. I heard someone cough, or perhaps stifle a laugh, and I looked up furtively, it was him, he was staring at my paper. It was upside down, I was mortified. I tried to laugh as I turned my paper the right way up and looked away, flicking back my burgundy braids with nonchalance, who was this idiot anyway? He didn't know me.

I tried to become absorbed in what I was reading "cancer patient wins Herceptin battle...", but it was no use. I could feel his eyes on me, and it was beginning to unnerve me. Suddenly self-conscious, I felt as if everyone was watching me, every eye deliberating each movement I made. It was with embarrassment that I realised that my foot had suddenly begun to tap involuntarily, it was making a hell of a racket. I cleared my throat and tried to look out of the window, but all I could see was darkness. End, end already, I said to myself, now beginning to feel quite flustered. This man whose stare was like a bee's sting upon my skin was starting to have a profound effect on me, but I wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad one. Suddenly the train drew to a halt, and I let out a deep intake of breath, this was my stop. "This is Mile End, change here for the District and Hammersmith and City..." I did not even wait to hear the rest; I was out like a shot.

Glancing at my watch I realised I was late and cursed repetitively under my breath, why me? Why today? The day when some big shot manager was supposed to be visiting our office. I blustered into the board room, half an hour late and petrified, my colleagues were not at all impressed; I might just have cost them a pay rise. Before I had a chance to sit down, someone came towards me and extended a firm hand "I do believe we've met" He said, "I'm the Senior Manager". As I permitted myself to look up, the shock was written all over my face, it was the first time I had met his eyes with ease during our whole encounter. My face relaxed into a smile as I sat myself down and reassured myself that all was going to be well. It had been a strange, yet fleeting encounter.

Learn more about this author, Lola Sodeinde.
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