Every time we meet, he smiles. Sometimes, I muster the courage to smile back. Too late, he never sees. But still, he keeps smiling at me, as if it doesn’t matter whether I notice or not.

I notice.

I want to respond faster, I want him to see me smile. I want him to talk to me. He never will unless I give him a reason.

But every time we meet and he smiles, I take too long. He must think I’ll never notice. How wrong he is.

Today, he ignored me. But I saw him smiling at another woman.