Michael looked up from the short menu and once again scanned the street outside the café. There was still no sign of Kate, but he tended to be patient; especially when it came to this woman he had known for years but had never actually met before. They knew each other well; in a way that few people would understand. Spending so much time talking was one of the advantages of an online friendship. A mental and emotional closeness had developed that actual dating would never have left time for.
He cradled the warm coffee mug in his hand, and thought back to the many mornings that he had spent with Kate in video conference; watching her delicate hands caress her coffee mug as they talked of life, and the pains and passions that accompany it. His eyes took on an extra sparkle and he smiled slightly.
Sometimes he was sure that he spent too much time thinking of Kate. She was, after all, married. She had a family who depended on her for everything. She gave herself selflessly to her family, yet was neglected in her marriage. She was willing to sacrifice an important part of herself for her family, and Michael admired her for it. It made it easier for him to make sacrifices of his own when it came to Kate.
Michael had been through 2 marriages himself. He knew what it meant to be taken for granted and neglected. He had come to realize that the most giving people are often taken for granted in relationships. He hadn't planned on getting involved with anyone again; but you can't plan your heart or your soul. They make their own connections.
The tinkle of the bell over the café door interrupted his thoughts. He looked up expectantly, and shook his head slightly when the new customer turned out to be a young woman in a hurry to grab her coffee and return to the currents of strangers flowing down the streets outside. That glance inside the café, however, had given Michael a chance to notice something that he had missed before. With his attention so focused on the sidewalk leading to the café, he had paid little attention to the people already seated inside. He had given the tables a cursory glance when he first arrived, but since he was over an hour early for their meeting, he knew Kate would be arriving later. That was something he had planned. He wanted to watch her walk in. He wanted to see her eyes and her expression as she got closer to something they had waited for so long to experience.
What he now noticed, however, was a woman seated at a small table in the back corner; her face and most of her body hidden behind the newspaper she seemed to be reading. That wasn't unusual, and was not what had caught his eye. What had caught his eye was the way she had one leg folded in front of her on the chair, in almost a semi-lotus position; except in this case, the heel of her shoeless foot was pressed close to her beneath her loose skirt. He couldn't see the heel pressing against her panties: it was too dark under the table for that, but he watched closely and noticed a slight rocking of her hips.
Michael got up from his table, and walked over to the woman in the corner. He noticed the newspaper trembling slightly as he got closer, and he was now able to see that one corner of the paper was heavily wrinkled; as if it had been quickly folded down and back up many times.
"The news must be interesting today, I couldn't help but notice how much you are enjoying your reading." he said as he reached the table.
A soft and lyrical voice replied from behind the paper, "Yes, I have been enjoying myself, but it wasn't the news as much as other things that I was observing."
Michael sat down at her table and asked, "What other things?"
"Oh, things like how much you seem to want to meet whoever it is you keep looking out the window for; how you smile so sweetly when you think of her; and how your eyes, reflected in the window, smolder with promises that you yearn to keep." was the soft reply from behind the paper.
