There she was.

Tristan looked at the woman sitting on the steps of the building across the street. The busy four-lane road congested with cars and the equally busy pavement didn’t make a great setting to lunch in but she made it all worthwhile. Just like him, she was sitting on the steps of the building she presumably worked in. Reading a book outside in the nice spring weather while having lunch.

He first noticed her a month ago. He had been eating and reading outside for a couple of days in the early spring when he looked up once and saw her sitting there. His heart skipped a beat before making up for the lost beat by going in overdrive. His tongue had dried and he was just baffled. He must have stared at her for minutes before he realised he was staring. She hadn’t noticed, he thought, but he had blushed nevertheless.
The next weeks, whenever it was dry outside, he kept having his lunch on the steps of the building and, much to his delight, so was she.

*

There he was.

Sarah glanced towards the building across the street. Yes, he was looking in her direction again. Her lips curled upwards in a slight smile. She could see he was holding a book and it was obvious he was having lunch outside just like she was. She was pretty sure he worked in the research facility across the street. She didn’t really like the noise from the traffic but everything was better than to sit in in the library’s canteen listening to the endless chatter of her co-workers.

She had first noticed him a week or two again. With the distance between them, it was difficult to make out much but she almost felt him looking at her. Much to her amusement, every time when she locked eyes with him he diverted his back to his book real quick.
Every day, when she was having lunch on the steps, she tried to look as stealthy as possible in his direction and had noticed he sat there every day if the weather allowed. Sarah lifted her head and looked at the man directly for a few seconds before she got up and entered the library again.

*

She looked at him.

He almost choked on air when his heart rate went up. A blush crept up and his eyes shifted in every direction for a few seconds. When he noticed she got up and went back inside he sighed and also gathered his things and entered the research facility.

He walked back to his floor, put on his lab coat back on and went through all mandatory proceedings before sitting in his chair with a sigh.

His co-worker and friend nudged him. “And? Was she there?”

Tristan nodded and sighed again.

“You should walk up to her and ask her out,” he said. “It’s obvious you like her, take the chance.”

Tristan glanced at Duncan, “I-I know…” He took a breath. “I-I j-just don’t k-know how or w-what to say.”

Duncan grinned after he waited patiently for Tristan to finish the sentence, “How about ‘you’re the most beautiful woman I ever saw, you are a dream come through, an Angel descended from Heaven, would you do me the honour of going out with me?’ That usually works.

Tristan shook his head. “M-maybe for you. I-I’m just not that eloquent.”

Duncan chuckled, “And yet you know words like eloquent. If you can think them, you can say them. You’re a smart guy, probably the smartest in the entire building.”

Tristan nodded, feeling more and more uncomfortable. Luckily Duncan noticed and dropped the subject. Again.

*

He was also going inside.

Sarah put her hand against the door but waited with entering until the man from across the street had entered his building. She put her things away and walked to the stack of books that needed to be put back.

Unfortunately, her co-worker was already standing next to the cart looking expectantly at her.
“And?” she asked, “was he there again?”

Sarah sighed irritated and nodded. Christine had the ability to not notice any irritation, hints to go away or any sign Sarah would much rather not talk. Christine had deemed them friends and therefore friends they were.

Christine looked through the windows at the research facility. “And?” she asked impatiently.

“And what?” Sarah asked. “I had lunch, I assume he had too, I read my book. Nothing happened,” she said while she rolled her cart and continued her work.

Christine looked at Sarah and shook her head. “Oh Sarah, we don’t live in some costume drama or regency era book. You know in this modern time it is allowed for women to walk up to the guy they fancy and ask them out. You don’t have to wait for men. Just cross the street, wrap your arms around him, kiss him like you two are the only souls on the planet and ask him out.”

Sarah groaned. “Christine, please. I’m definitely not doing that. The guy already doesn’t know where to look when I look at him, what do you think will happen if I march up to him and declare my interest in him?”

Christine’s eyes started to sparkle amused. “So you are interested in him, good to know,” she said. Christine turned triumphantly around and walked to her check-out desk.

Sarah felt like banging her head against the wall.

*

After work, Tristan waited for the bus.

His bus would stop at the library bus stop.
He looked at his watch and his eyes drifted to the underground parking exit nearby. Any minute she would emerge from there on her bicycle.
Standing even more upright when he saw her coming from the exit. He looked at her when she passed him, he started to raise his hand to greet her but decided otherwise halfway and let his arm drop again.

He stared in the direction she went and jumped back startled when the bus stopped in front of him and opened the doors to welcome the tired people and help them on their way home.
Tristan took his usual spot near the door in the middle, next to the window. The first street they crossed he could just make out a flash of her dancing hairs in the distance to his right.

*

After work, Sarah went to the underground parking to get her bicycle. She unlocked it and walked to the exit.
In the shade, she could see him standing at the bus stop. But he couldn’t see her, a precious minute in which she could observe him from closer.
She knew which bus stopped there, when it stopped there and what it’s route was. She had studied it and learned it by heart.

She mounted her bicycle and cycled out of the underground parking. She noticed a weird hand movement in the corner of her eye and wondered what it could be.
Sarah looked over her shoulder when the bus stopped and he entered it before turning right.

*

The next week was rainy and Tristan had to eat inside. He looked longingly to the library more than once.

One day he had an hour of free time because his project was finished but his supervisor needed to check it once more. His friend had urged him to go to the library, even if it wasn’t to talk to her he could always lend a book or do some research there. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of her.

It took Tristan fifteen minutes to decide, ten to cross the street and five to get enough courage to even enter the building.

Christine looked up when he asked her stammering if he could see some research papers.
When she learned he worked across the street she smiled knowingly and would have fetched Sarah right then and there if she wouldn’t have other people to help, but for now, she could only give him directions.

Tristan looked around more than he was looking for whatever he asked for, he couldn’t even remember what he had asked the lady behind the desk.
He returned to his work after walking around aimlessly and gave a brief report to Duncan, who was trying to get every bit of information out of him.

*

Sarah detested the rain, she couldn’t read with her co-workers constantly talking to her. She couldn’t sit outside and see whoever might also be outside.

One day she was working on the floor upstairs and, when she looked through the window, saw him standing outside his building, crossing the street and linger in front of the library.
she felt a peculiar shortness of breath and was sure her heart beat faster for a couple of minutes. He was here!

She slowly walked to a window where she could see the ground floor entrance and Christine’s desk. She followed him as well as she could with her eyes when he was walking all around the building, stepping back if his gaze lifted upwards.

When he left again she walked downstairs to get the inevitable over and done with.
Christine looked at Sarah. Letting her know her mystery guy had been here and that he looked very cute but awfully shy. Couldn’t utter more than two words properly, the poor guy.
Sarah listened silently and when Christine examined her friend she was very sure she could see a faint blush and her friend definitely seemed more out of breath than the exercise of walking down the stairs could explain.

*

“I’m going to do it.”

Duncan looked up from his work and lifted his eyebrows. “You are doing what Tristan?” he asked.

Tristan swallowed hard. “I’m going to do it,” he repeated a bit less sure of himself.

Duncan grinned and raised his thumb up. “You got this Tristan,” he said encouragingly.

Tristan grabbed his book, took a sip of water but left his lunch as he was too nervous to eat. He walked outside and almost ran back in but Duncan had followed him down and motioned him to go forward.

Slowly but steady he made his way across the street, toward the steps leading to the library and to the woman of his dreams.

*

He was coming.

Sarah looked up from her book and her jaw almost fell. He was walking down the steps of the research facility, crossing the street and walking towards the library.

Sarah swallowed as she put down her book and reached for her water bottle to take a sip.
She tried to keep her composure but her rapid pulse was visible in her neck and a slight colour on her cheeks gave a hint of her turmoil inside.
A quick glance over her shoulder learned that Christine saw it too and put her two thumbs up grinning as big as she could.

*

He stopped a few steps away and tried to find the right words. He looked in her eyes and forgot everything he had been rehearsing while coming over. Stuttering even worse then usually he managed to press out a greeting.

*

She was glad about the hesitation of the other and his looking for words gave her time to recollect herself and look at him from up close. When he looked in her eyes she felt a strange sensation in her stomach. She hoped she looked calm on the outside but feared she failed that enormously.

*

Tristan cleared his throat. She looked so calm and examined him quietly, his anxiety levels rose and he tried to speak a couple of times but had to break it off as he stuttered too much
“I’m Tristan and I work over there and I wanted to meet you.” he managed to push in one breath. He blushed and stared to the ground. After, which felt like hours, he heard her reply he looked up again and felt he was doing something he hardly ever did, grinning.

*

Sarah instantly fell more at ease when Tristan finally spoke. She liked the sound of his voice, didn’t mind the stammering and when he looked down she smiled.
“Nice to meet you Tristan, I’m Sarah. I work here in the library. I’ve seen you having lunch across the street.
Sarah tapped on the step beside her. “Do sit down, what have you been reading?”

*

Tristan was thankful Sarah didn’t mention the stammering and as exalted when she asked him to sit down. He was immensely grateful to start a subject they could converse about.
After talking a bit he glanced at his watch and was surprised to see that the lunch break was nearly over. “C-could we perhaps, ehm, c-continue this later today, after work p-perhaps?”
he asked, mentally crossing his fingers.

*

Sarah enjoyed their conversation and when Tristan looked at his watch Sarah examined hers and instantly her mood dropped, she didn’t want it to end now.
When Tristan asked if they could go out Sarah smiled and nodded. “I’ll meet you at the park after work,” she said, knowing the bus would pass there and it was only a slight detour for her. She got up and slowly and reluctantly she went back inside. She prepared herself mentally for the questions Christine launched at her. She turned to look at Christine when she stopped to take a breath and grinned with sparkling eyes. “I have a date.”

*

Tristan somehow managed to squeeze out a coherent reply before he walked back. It felt like he was walking on clouds. When he entered the building Duncan was still there, waiting to hear from Tristan what happened.
Tristan grinned with sparkling eyes. “I did it! And she wants to go to the park after work to continue our conversation!”