Flirting

So.

I was dining alone at Blackbird this evening, while working on some Java code.

Across from me there were two tables. At one table sat two girls, at the other a guy and two girls. I thought I noticed one of the girls at the first table glancing at me, but I wasn't sure. Anyway, they got up and left eventually.

As I was eating my dessert, I noticed one of the girls at the second table looking in my direction. Eventually I caught her eye and then a smile. Sure enough, she was looking at me. Exciting.

At one point she gets up and goes somewhere - presumably to the ladies. When she comes back she steals a glance in my direction, which I meet with a smile. She continues to steal glances in my direction then reaches for her wallet and gets up again. Her friends notice she has gone. In a few moments she comes back with a packet of cigarettes which she puts in her bag.

We continue stealing glances at each other and during one such moment, I mouth "Pontoon" while gesticulating with my finger in the direction of "Pontoon" the bar. She smiles and nods. Then she gets up again and disappears behind me. 3rd time. I figure I _have_ to get up and follow this time. After a discreet delay I get up too and head in the direction I think she has headed - towards the lavatories. I wait around a few moments, hoping she will appear but when she doesn't I head back to the table. Eventually she returns to her table.

I order another cognac which eventually arrives. The glances and smiles continue, but then I run out of cognac and then my battery runs out. This leaves me in the embarrassing position of not having anything to pretend to be doing.

So, I pull an old tram ticket from my wallet and when I catch her eye again, I slip the ticket under the salt and pepper shaker on the table. She smiles. The only problem - I don't have a pen with which to scribble my name and phone number. No problem. I'll use the pen that the waiter gives me when he brings the bill.

The bill arrives and I hand the waiter my credit card. He returns with the receipt and a pen but instead of leaving the bill for me to sign, he stands in front of me while I sign it. Very unusual for Blackbird, because they usually disappear for ages. I think all the cognac I had been drinking made him nervous that I was going to scarper without paying!

The fact that he is standing around flusters me a bit. So I gesture that I want to speak to him and ask him to see that the tram ticket doesn't disappear from the table until she leaves.

I sign the credit card receipt and hand the receipt and pen back to him. He disappears. I then realise that I haven't written my name and number on the tram ticket

Disaster!

She catches my eye again and I gesticulate with hands raised in exasperation as I search desperately for a pen in my bag. Of course, I don't have one. So I start giggling and she does too.

So I decide there is nothing else for it. I am going to have to say something to her as I leave. I get up and as I walk by her table, I say: "I have only one thing to say: Pontoon.". She says: "Pontoon?". I say "Pontoon", laugh and then leave.

So, I head to Pontoon and wait around for 30 minutes or so, hoping she will appear. Sadly, she doesn't.