First Crush

I rushed out of the office last week, making a quick trip to the ladies and spending no more than a second looking at my reflection in the mirror. A trip to a friend's house had been arranged for the evening so I was eager to start my journey home as soon as possible.

As I reached the platform, I jumped onto the train that was being held at the station. It wasn't until the next stop that I realised it wasn't a direct train home, and I would have to make a small change towards the end of my journey.

30 minutes later, I walked over to to the opposite platform and squinted at the digital display. 4 minutes. Once I'd stopped squinting (something my optician friends will probably pick on when reading this), I noticed a guy smile and move towards me. It took me a second or two to realise who he was and when it hit me, I instantly wished I'd spent a bit longer checking my reflection. He was my first crush. He was the guy whose name would appear in the pink hearts on my work books, who made coming into school that little bit more exciting, the guy whose birthday party I somehow managed to forget one year and spent the rest of the day sulking.

My memory can be a bit fish-like at times, but there are somethings that I don't think I'll ever forget. I still remember the day he retrieved my stolen pencil case for me - going against the boy code and snitching on the thief when he saw how upset I was. And the time he asked on my behalf if I could get a glass of water when I had the hiccups in class. It's ironic that a 10 year old is more attentive than the majority of the guys that I've 'dated'.

We've seen each other a few times since our school days - a class reunion, mutual friend's birthday drinks, and a spontaneous group dinner last year - so we're not complete strangers, nor are we the best of friends. I do sometimes wonder if he remembers an online conversation we had a few years ago - a conversation in which we made one of those pacts and agreed to marry if we're still single at 30. He probably doesn't remember, and I doubt I would ever mention it to him. Even if he did, and with less than five years to go, neither of us would actually follow through..I don't think..!

I returned his smile and said hi as he walked towards me. We spent the 4 minutes talking about work, old friends and life in general and as the train approached the platform, I noticed how busy each carriage was. When the doors opened, we joined those struggling to get on and as we were forced to stand close together, I become extremely self concious about my unkempt eyebrows and hoped this morning's perfume was as long lasting as the advert promised. He looked good. Perhaps more so than I remember, and I liked that we could instantly pick up where we left off - there was no need for small talk and definitely no mention of how the weather had been holding up recently. Unfortunately, the journey was quite a short one, but this time when I got off the tube, I took my time and we agreed to organise another group drinks. The brief trip down memory lane was a nice way to end a less than interesting day in the office.

As I walked home from the station, I smiled to myself and thought that the 10 year old me would be quite happy too. I then got my mobile out of my bag and made a phone call to my beautician - next time me and my eyebrows will be prepared!