Lost Love

14. Flirtations

As I wander around the library to try and find a spare computer (my last piece of coursework is due in under a month) I grin when I find one, rushing across to snatch it up before somebody else does. As I place my bags on the blue seat, I hear a cough from the person at next computer and see Leon, smirking at me. He turns his body to face me and comments brightly, ‘Good morning, Imogen. I haven’t seen you about since last week at the bar. How have you been?’

I grimace at the memory. I don’t think I’ll be making a repeat visit to that bar anytime soon. ‘Oh don’t remind me about that,’ I tell him, still feeling embarrassed from the humiliation. I can feel my cheeks tinge just think about it.

‘Are you okay after, you know...?’ He trails off, leaving me to figure out what he means.

I nod, assuring him that while I’m not mentally scarred for life, I don’t want to go into great detail about what happened. Ozzy and I haven’t brought up that night and I’ve yet to feel comfortable around Emma after that. ‘How long have you been working there for?’

‘Just two weeks,’ he tells me with a grin. ‘Did I do an alright job?’

I grin at his quick response. ‘A great job.  I never would have pegged you as being a bar man though.’

He raises his eyebrow as I say this. ‘Really? Thought about that a lot?’ He questions me with a smirk. ‘Bartending is a decent enough job; though it’s not a career I’m going to be making my living in. Well I hope not anyway.’

I type my username and password into the computer and let it load as I continue to talk to Leon. We breeze through our work, whilst going into a long and in depth conversation about his song writing, which absolutely fascinates me and it’s not just because it’s incredibly creative and talented, but it interests me a lot. I’m only just starting to get into music again, trying to discover what type I enjoy and which singers and bands, and it’s really eye opening.

I watch as he glances down to his phone before reclining back and saying in amused shock, ‘Imogen, we’ve been working solidly for nearly two hours, that’s more than long enough for me today. What about you?’

I nod, reclining back in the chair after sending my work to the printer. ‘Agreed. I’ve even managed to get all of my work done,’ I tell him with a smile.

I watch as he stands up, coming over to my side with his hand stuck out. I give him a quizzical look, before he chuckles lightly. ‘Give me your student card. I’ll go to the printer for you while you pack up.’

Looking at the mess I’ve made in front of me, I smile, handing it over to him. ‘Thanks,’ I say kindly, before arranging all my papers into the correct folder and put my sketch book away. Leon was really interested in some of my latest sketches and designs, which made me feel very proud, as I’ve been researching a lot around what I want to draw and design.

‘Nice picture,’ he says referring to my student card before walking off. I’m quite fortunate that the picture on my card is actually quite flattering. My hair is nicely styled, my makeup looks at its best and I have the longest eyelashes which makes my eyes pop.

A few minutes later and Leon comes back with my printing, handing it to me before he logs off of his computer. ‘Are you busy now?’ I hear him ask, in a gruffer voice than his usual.

Turning to him, I give him a brief shake of my head. ‘No, why?’

‘Wondered if you’d like to grab something to eat for lunch? It’s a nice day outside so we could mull about the park for a while? Unless...’

My grin widens at the thought. ‘That sounds great. We definitely deserve it.’

So Leon and I head off to grab some lunch, me a Caesar salad and Leon a sandwich of egg mayonnaise and ham, with crisps to share and a brownie each. We walk down the little roads I’ve become more familiar with, before we find a nice spot out in the sunshine in the middle of the busy park and sit opposite one another, before I mention my link to brownies.