text: This morning when I saw her, she was sitting at her desk in the HR department, wrapped in a sweater that made her form shapeless. She looked cold. Her grey eyes were unfocused, staring into the distance, and her eyebrows were furrowed slightly. She lifted her right hand to her lips and chewed on a nail. She stood up and stiffly walked towards the coffee pot. Her hands ripped open the sweetener packet gracefully, and she leaned against the counter to take her first sip. I was infatuated with the way she held her cup, two hands wrapped around the warmth emanating through the porcelain. Those intense eyes were scanning the room, without registering any of it. She undoubtedly had something on her mind, and what I wouldn’t give to know what it was, or how I could help. I knew I only had a split second before her eyes met mine, and I took this moment to take her in. I hadn’t truly studied her since we both started working at the company. She looks more tired than she used to, and her weight has fluctuated a little, but she hasn’t lost her good looks. She’s conventionally beautiful, with those light eyes and blonde hair, but something about her in unconventional, too. Her body doesn’t fit current standards of beauty, but it fits her. I took a deep breath and braced myself for impact. Our eyes met, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat. 1...2...3... a smile spread across her face, and her eyes lit up as bright as the NYC skyline. I couldn’t help but shoot her a toothy grin. God, in that moment, there was nothing more beautiful. We just smiled at each other for what felt like an eternity, until I finally stood up with my coffee cup and walked over to her. She slid down the counter, indicating I could lean against it with her. She pulled the cup to her lips to take another sip, and I found myself staring. Who knew something as simple as taking a sip of coffee could be so captivating? Per usual, she asked me all about how I’ve been, how things are going with me, focusing on me. She never brings herself up, and doesn’t often like to talk about herself even when asked. She makes me feel like I’m at the center of her world, and I know I’m not the only one. She is often the person people turn to when they need to feel included and cared for. For those few minutes that you have her attention, she makes you feel like the most important person in the room. When I look at her, everything else fades. Work, stress, anything. It all disappears. I ramble on, and she never judges or makes me stop, or makes me feel like I’m intruding on her time. I was grabbing at anything I could to keep our conversation going, anything I could think of to monopolize her time for a little longer, and then it hit me. I could ask her out. Then she’d spend time with me, uninterrupted, and I could get to know her. Maybe even ask her questions about herself. I told her that I was thinking of going for drinks that night, and asked if she’d like to go. She said she’d be happy to, and I told her that I’d text her. I never did.