There was something about this place. The deep blue swings by the wall or the colourful green and white chairs with attached coat hangers. It had a fun vibe to it. And she often crept away from work to come here and reboot herself from the monotony. But today she was here for an entirely different reason. She sat at her table with a book in hand. Left. Right. Left. She stole glances at him every now and then. There he sat. Just across her. A mop of perfectly silky chestnut hair falling on his forehead. All she wanted to do was sit there all day. If only lunch time lasted a lifetime. And then, something pinched her back to reality. It was his piercing stare. He was looking directly back at her. A little part of her was excited. Finally, he had noticed the lonely freak from office. But a bigger part of her was scared. The Freak Cake was sitting right in front of her. Only seconds ago, the delectable combination of salted caramel, whipped cream and a piece of cheesecake blended into a milkshake was tickling her tastebuds. It had successfully made a place somewhere in the cosy corner of her heart. But with his gaze penetrating her very soul, the pleasant daydream suddenly turned into a nightmare. The bubble burst. And her hands trembled as she fidgeted with the cutlery, making more noise than necessary. He sat on a table of four, filled to capacity. Now, she felt four pairs of eyes on her. She squealed out to the waiter to get her the bill. He looked at her quizzically and said, “Ma’am it’s already paid for” She looked at him and he smiled. This couldn’t be happening. Did he do this? This means he had been noticing her all this while. It wasn’t a one-sided crush after all. Her heart was beating harder than ever. She saw him walk towards her. Her face went scarlet as he stopped in his tracks right in front of her. This was it. He was here. She couldn’t believe it. And he said, “this is a self-service place. You paid for it when you came in, remember?” And almost involuntarily she exclaimed, “D:OH!” He laughed as she controlled the urge to crawl under the table. But instead, she turned a deep shade of purple.