I shift slightly, suddenly aware that I’ve been standing here longer than intended. That I haven’t even considered leaving.
That I don’t particularly want to.
“Do you want to sit?” I ask, nodding towards a small table in the back. “Before someone else claims the idea of it.”
He glances over, then back at me. “Yeah.”
We move through the crowd together, not quite touching, but close enough that I’m aware of him in a way that feels new.
I set my glass down and sit. He takes the chair opposite.
“So,” I say, leaning back slightly, “tell me something interesting.”
He watches me for a second.
“I’ve got a place by the sea,” he says.
I blink. “That’s your opening line?”
“You asked for interesting.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of hobbies. Or a mildly tragic childhood anecdote.”
“Those can come later.”
I take a sip of my drink. “Where's your place?”
“Whitstable.”
“Nice,” I say. “Very… oysters and weekend escapes.”
“Something like that.”
“And you just casually drop that into conversation with strangers.”
“Not usually.”
“Right. Special case again.”
“Yeah.”
I shift slightly in my seat, aware of the way the air between us has changed without quite being able to pinpoint when it happened.
“And what about you?” he asks.
“What about me?”
“You always this easy to talk to?”
I let out a short laugh. “Absolutely not. This is highly unusual behaviour.”
“Good to know.”
“And what are you suggesting?” I ask, quieter now.
He leans forward slightly, resting his forearms on the table.
“Come away with me,” he says.
