Two Words

So I was in the Dollar Store today (temporarily satisfying my addiction to cute stationary) and a guy stopped me in the decoration isle and asked if I attended the nearby university, which is my university's rival school. I said no, he must be mistaking me for somebody else...and then he proceeds to hit on me (in very bad English, might I add), asking me all sorts of questions ranging from impersonal ("which university do you go to?") to stalkerish ("what will you put in the Tinkerbell folder?").

Now, I'm all for being friendly with strangers (hey! don't give me that look - you know strangers have the best candy), but there comes a point when a very uninteresting, desperate guy should wise up to the fact that his 'pick up line' (if that's what that was) has fallen flatter than a pancake and take the hint that answering each question with "actually, I really have to go" is a sign that I'm not all that interested (shocker!).

However, it's flattering how persistent some people are... Creepy. But flattering.

P.S. Picking up girls at the Dollar Store? Two words: cheap date.

Casual Flirtation, Isle 3

So someone’s checking me out. I turn slightly and feel their eyes on my back. And I wonder “is it me they’re looking at?” Hardly matters though, at least they’re looking in my direction. Easy enough to work with. Not that I’m an attention whore (much...), but as long as I’ve got their attention…

Under the pretence of absentminded scanning, I slowly turn so they can get a better look at me. Eyes scan me up and down. Good sign. It’s always nice to know I’m not a complete heathen. Widen Bambi eyes, purse lips slightly and continue my pretend search down the isle. I just so happen to find what I’m looking for on a lower shelf. Shameless, I know. But as predictable as a puppy, he’s definitely looking. Mental note to self: wear short skirts while grocery shopping more often. I start walking back up the isle towards my would-be voyeur and once again flash the Bambi eyes and blink in surprise as we make eye contact – ‘oh my, I didn’t notice you standing there before, handsome stranger’. Innocent surprise turns into a very brief moment of slight school-girl embarrassment (occasionally accompanied by a downward glance) followed by a smile which starts off more laugh-at-myself but ends up sitting comfortably at a nice-to-meet-you smile. Transitions so smooth and brief they seem genuinely spontaneous. Looks so classically textbook, he feels like he knows you already, can read your mind.

The slight ego boost accompanied by the self-satisfaction of believing he has some great interpersonal skill, or heaven forbid, ‘a connection’ with you, makes him feel confident, the ringleader, ‘the man’. The feeling of control over the situation, obviously including the belief that he orchestrated this casual but interesting encounter, allows him to feel he divided and conquered, despite the fact that he had no idea he was actually pursuing a quest (i.e. you) in the first place. The next logical step, whether he consciously realizes he’s acting on it or not, is to go in for the kill on this until-a-moment-ago unsuspecting girl. It’s biology, evolution. So natural, instinctive. Predator and prey. Seductive and seduced.

Little does he suspect that while he thinks he’s playing with a full hand, you’ve got a few aces up your sleeve.

xoxo

Nyx, Goddess of the Night