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hot_pastrami · 03-01-2005, 04:54 PM

When I was eighteen, there was a lovely and unspoken-for young co-worker name Rachelle who unwittingly turned up the color saturation in any room she entered (for me, anyhow). She was gorgeous, but charmingly shy. I was striken.

At the time I was of a rather shy nature myself, and lacked the resolve to overcome it and ask her out. I remained in this forlornly happy state for some weeks, finding any excuse to pass through her department to catch a glimpse, or a smiling hello, and I unfailingly walked away with shortness of breath and a spring in my step. She had the sort of smile that made her eyes sparkle. Ah.

Valentines day shortly arrived, and I came to work early. At her desk I deposited a half-dozen red roses along with a fanciful, complimentary note which confessed my preoccupation with her. I had even managed to overcome my inital cowardly intent of leaving it anonymously, and scratched my name on the bottom in blue ink. I hurried off before she arrived, and spent the remainder of the day trying to scrape up the courage to walk through her department, drinking gallons of water to stave off the cotton mouth. I cursed myself for the senseless, romantic lapse of shyness which put me in such a bind.

Near the end of the day, I "happened through" her area, part of me hoping she'd be away and I could have her co-workers tell her that I had been by. She wasn't away. When she saw me, she motioned me aside as her female co-workers smiled and giggled amongst themselves. The next bit was an oxygen-deprived blur... she thanked me, I asked her out, she said yes.

This story is getting long, isn't it? So sorry.

We went on our date a few days later. I tapped my small reserve of outgoingness, and managed to be not shy, and to in fact keep up a decent conversation on my end, but she was quite the opposite. She scarcely smiled, avoided eye contact expertly, and responded to my humor with the dreaded, fun-killing "polite laugh." She was nearly paralyzed with shyness from the moment the date started until the moment it ended. I had not anticipated this. I was unprepared.

I dropped her off, she thanked me for the lovely evening, and embarassed, she scurried into her house. The drive home was long and riddled with mild disappointment and bewildered reflection. I was still interested in her, but the evening had not gone terribly well.

After that, she seemed painfully embarassed and self-conscious to be around me. Being shy myself, I had no idea how to assure her that her embarassment was misplaced, and that I was still interested. Not only that, but her embarassment caused me to be embarassed, causing a feedback loop like the screeching of an active mic next to it's amp. Over time I tended to find routes that didn't intersect with her department at work.

I never asked her out again.

03-01-2005, 04:54 PM	#55
hot_pastrami I am meaty Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,119	When I was eighteen, there was a lovely and unspoken-for young co-worker name Rachelle who unwittingly turned up the color saturation in any room she entered (for me, anyhow). She was gorgeous, but charmingly shy. I was striken. At the time I was of a rather shy nature myself, and lacked the resolve to overcome it and ask her out. I remained in this forlornly happy state for some weeks, finding any excuse to pass through her department to catch a glimpse, or a smiling hello, and I unfailingly walked away with shortness of breath and a spring in my step. She had the sort of smile that made her eyes sparkle. Ah. Valentines day shortly arrived, and I came to work early. At her desk I deposited a half-dozen red roses along with a fanciful, complimentary note which confessed my preoccupation with her. I had even managed to overcome my inital cowardly intent of leaving it anonymously, and scratched my name on the bottom in blue ink. I hurried off before she arrived, and spent the remainder of the day trying to scrape up the courage to walk through her department, drinking gallons of water to stave off the cotton mouth. I cursed myself for the senseless, romantic lapse of shyness which put me in such a bind. Near the end of the day, I "happened through" her area, part of me hoping she'd be away and I could have her co-workers tell her that I had been by. She wasn't away. When she saw me, she motioned me aside as her female co-workers smiled and giggled amongst themselves. The next bit was an oxygen-deprived blur... she thanked me, I asked her out, she said yes. This story is getting long, isn't it? So sorry. We went on our date a few days later. I tapped my small reserve of outgoingness, and managed to be not shy, and to in fact keep up a decent conversation on my end, but she was quite the opposite. She scarcely smiled, avoided eye contact expertly, and responded to my humor with the dreaded, fun-killing "polite laugh." She was nearly paralyzed with shyness from the moment the date started until the moment it ended. I had not anticipated this. I was unprepared. I dropped her off, she thanked me for the lovely evening, and embarassed, she scurried into her house. The drive home was long and riddled with mild disappointment and bewildered reflection. I was still interested in her, but the evening had not gone terribly well. After that, she seemed painfully embarassed and self-conscious to be around me. Being shy myself, I had no idea how to assure her that her embarassment was misplaced, and that I was still interested. Not only that, but her embarassment caused me to be embarassed, causing a feedback loop like the screeching of an active mic next to it's amp. Over time I tended to find routes that didn't intersect with her department at work. I never asked her out again. __________________ Hot Pastrami!