She’s “one that got away” that I remember fondly from time to time. A lovely person as well as being nonchalantly hot in such an easy, elegant way. I know she made an effort, sure, but it always seemed like the healthier kind — in that it was more for her own appreciation of herself rather than putting it out there for others’ attention/validation.

Now that I think about it, there was a time years after the scene above when she came into my restaurant as a health inspector (I knew she worked as one, but it’s a big, food-centric county and I’d not run into her on the clock before).

I did everything to play it cool, as if I’d not been low-key wondering for years what it’d be like to make her laugh, spend hours in her company, etc. Even tried the ol’ hypothetical angle of “if I weren’t at work, and you weren’t actively inspecting my business here, what would you say to catching up over a drink later?” She blushed when she replied that she wasn’t too sure [name] would take that very well. I went with “Fair enough, but that’s why I figured it was best to not invite him.”, and we laughed it off.

At the very least, I can safely say that she knew and implied that she appreciated my attention, but it was a non-starter for reasons. Ah well. C’est la guerre. 🤌🏼