I had begun to regret mentioning my little secret on Match.com. At least before I'd been getting a fair amount of dating proposals from fairly good-looking women looking for a fairly good-looking man. But now my inbox was completely empty. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXvWnvL2FJ 維尼
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96d0TT6aQE 維尼
A little shakily, I reached for the disgracingly small cup of tea sitting on the brown tray next to my laptop. I stared at the Costa Coffee symbol printed on it for a few minutes, almost entranced. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHaiTem0Jn 維尼
I often went to Costa's for the occasional treat, or in the mornings when the coffee ran out at home. I would usually get a milky latte or, like today, just a plain tea. Not wishing to break my little age old tradition, I'd also purchased a small slice of carrot cake to nibble on alongside my drink. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡunLeD5vQof 維尼
I'd taken one of the seats closest round the window, as usual, and decided to plant myself there for a little bit of quality thinking time. I stared out of the window, not really focusing on anything particular, but just admiring the fantastic view of the street. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bllF4ejfC 維尼
It was a surprisingly sunny November morning and, despite the wonderful weather, I was stressed, mainly for two reasons, a) because of the little Match.com incident and b) because I didn't have the foggiest idea what to write for my very important news article. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1d3QScqzTJ 維尼
I had plenty of time - three weeks, in fact - to find a special story for our special Christmas edition of The Inferno. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmkyWTMD4W 維尼
In case you haven't already worked it out, I am a journalist for the weekly newspaper (The Inferno - all the hottest stories, right here for you) and I will probably lose my job sometime in the next three months. I've already missed two deadlines and got forgiven for both of them due to some miracle or another; but my boss warned me that the third time I wouldn't be so lucky. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡdt4uuxohnD 維尼
I sighed again and hit my head on the laptop keyboard, quietly, so as to not get strange stares from the people around me. I picked up the teacup again, staring down at the translucent brown liquid a little sleepily, and carefully took a sip. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBXoFvS9qA 維尼
I drank a little, coughed, and forced myself to swallow, realising that I'd forgotten to add the milk. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5nEuG05g3 維尼
Hastily I closed the laptop, picked up the tray and headed towards the trolley in the far end of the café, where the cutlery trolley and the little pots of milk were situated. I hardly felt awake, and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and as a result, I collided into another man heading towards the bin. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzcOv71qR4 維尼
I looked up him and my face turned red. He was a fine specimen of a human male, with glossy brown hair and a handsome face. In his right hand he held a brown tray with a plate and some rubbish on it, and in his left he held a trademark Costa Coffee cup. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gqUeJK2sL 維尼
"Oh! I'm sorry, my friend, I wasn't looking where I was going...!"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCLOYwdHdW 維尼
He spoke with a tinge of an accent, put I couldn't put my finger on which. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2ihbOPWdE 維尼
"Ah... Um, no, it was my fault... I wasn't fully awake..." I stuttered, swiftly turning away to hide my rapidly reddening face. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡer5d86tmSO 維尼
"Uh... Excuse me, but you forgot your... Leche," he called. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjFprsqcuN 維尼
I turned again, red as a tomato, and looked at him, trying to work out what he had just said. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡfl3fkSAMpA 維尼
"Um... Milk! I meant milk!" he corrected himself quickly. He passed over three pots of milk and grinned sheepishly. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6HiCtWwjp 維尼
"That's... Spanish, isn't it?" I said slowly. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡwldVk1WJYD 維尼
"Yes, yes, I, uh, grew up in Spain," he answered. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyj3ZXgRoG 維尼
So that was what his accent was. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡsvUum8Zy5w 維尼
"You speak good English," I smiled. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYXdFarFLE 維尼
"Um, thank you..."8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWLqn5tHgO 維尼
He disposed of his rubbish and suddenly I felt a strange pang in my stomach. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1G8fBZ0Ne8 維尼
"Uh... Are you going anywhere in a rush?"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIr6wZSBeH 維尼
He looked at me, full of astonishment. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgTcQgCbit 維尼
"No, no. I just came here today because I felt like it. I don't have anywhere to go after this..."8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGRkqHwCM9 維尼
"In that case, would you... Like to sit down with me?"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGrBH2mTXI 維尼
I hesitated, already guessing the answer to my in question. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡwohqxwbDXj 維尼
"Of course!"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5eYsbBwfW 維尼
It was my turn to be surprised. I hadn't expected him to be so friendly towards me. I had more expected him to politely decline and run from the café. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡge1rK0jn39 維尼
He gestured to the table I was sitting at and I nodded; he sat down, staring at my laptop like a curious child. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡagbcW6hSIG 維尼
"I... Haha... Needed some help with my newspaper article..."8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzMZvFjkj3 維尼
"News?"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kDB1iGZsH 維尼
There was that grin again, like a little boy who had eaten all the chocolate. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0Eoet19qz 維尼
"Have you written about the church Christmas fair yet?"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSHtpP8JGv 維尼
I shook my head. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡto5VfgLHsI 維尼
"I'm not that much of a religious man, but that church on Abbeywell Road is having a Christmas fair to raise money for British Red Cross," he explained. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoIFdkuKD8 維尼
He stopped. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4T271MApy 維尼
"But I suppose... That's not much of a story, is it?"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtuFXVrVUF 維尼
"Right now, I'm desperate," I told him, "and I'll take anything I can get."8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ39TpoP8Hw 維尼
He smiled once more, and I felt that pang again.8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IKm6eAMGx 維尼
It felt like... Longing. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDxfZNIAl3 維尼
"By the way, what's your name?" he asked, suddenly. 8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpLDZMgJL8 維尼
"Darren. Yours?"8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhRVjbimft 維尼
"Antonio. Nice to meet you."8964 copyright protection685ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8M4Juj2Hi 維尼
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