'Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?'
Looking up from my newspaper I see a young, early 20s, woman standing on the opposite side of the table to me.
I'd seen her before, this young woman, on a number of occasions, including today, upstairs in the gym. But I'd never had anything to do with her other than noting her presence. And she was always noticeable for wearing very short spray-on shorts and a tiny sports top whilst doing squats - I noticed things like that. She is also noticeable for being quite diminutive, around 5', slender, but not skinny, and attractive with high cheekboned Eurasian features.
The table we're on opposite sides of is in the sports centre cafe. I'm drinking coffee and reading a newspaper, or at least I was until she'd asked the question. She's standing with her hand on the back of a chair looking down at me, waiting for my answer. She's dressed the same as I'd seen her earlier but with the addition of an oversized, for her anyway, sweatshirt.
She looked around then back at me. 'It's very busy.'
She was right, it was.
She smiled. 'And I'm only little.'
I chuckled. 'But perfectly formed.'
Her smile fades. 'Sorry?'
'Small but perfectly formed. It's a saying. Of course you can sit down.' I gathered my too big newspaper together to make room.
My comment seemed to fluster her. 'Oh.....thanks.'
She pulled out the chair, dropped her bag on the floor beside it, and sat, then, without another word, turned her attention to her phone. Seemed to be the way of it these days, no conversation, just endlessly scrolling through whatever. But that's just me being old(er), and totally uninformed as to what sprinkles Billy Nobody had just had on his skinny latte. But then I'm probably just doing a disservice to the young lady sitting opposite me, and to Billy Nobody.
So I looked back down at my paper and did my own scrolling through my memories of her.
My first sight had been relatively recently. It had been from behind as I'd walked into the gym a couple of weeks before; she'd been doing her leg work, which she seemed to do rather a lot of; I later learnt that she did rather a lot of everything associated with a gym.
My first thought had been around how small she was, my second, but only just second, was something along the lines of 'that was a sight worth walking through a door for'; long toned legs, topped by a perfect little arse encased in a pair of grey, micro Lycra shorts, her muscled back was split by her, equally micro, top and long blonde hair braided into a ponytail that reached all the way down to a very narrow waist. And that was pretty much all I could see, but it was more than enough as an introduction.
A little later and I'd seen her from the front, it didn't disappoint; her thighs were deliciously muscled; all hail squats, with a distinctly diamond shaped gap at the top, her small chest was covered by that matching grey sports top that fully exposed the sculpted muscles of her stomach. Her Eurasian features weren't unusual but they added a real delicacy to her that suited her size. And yes, she was diminutive but her body was totally in proportion with her height, everything was slender but not thin or bony, she was toned and muscled but also delicate, it all worked. She was lovely and I bet she broke hearts.
Back to today and the cafe; it was perhaps ten minutes since she'd sat down that I next looked across at her, she was still engrossed in her phone. I'd heard the counter staff call the name twice already but she hadn't flinched so I'd figured the order wasn't hers, but when they shouted the name a third time and she still didn't have anything in front of her, other than her phone, I spoke up. 'Excuse me, but are you Addy?'
She jumped, startled, and dropped her phone, it fell to the floor, screen up, she scrambled to get it, grabbed it and covered it with her other hand, but not before I'd seen what she was looking at.
She flushed and looked at me, not sure what I'd seen. 'Sorry?'
'Are you Addy?'
'Err, yes?'
I nodded towards the counter. 'They're calling your name.'
She looked over her shoulder. 'Oh thanks.' Stood and walked over to collect her order.
She returned with her coffee and, somewhat hesitantly, sat back down.
She still looked a little embarrassed, presumably believing that I'd seen her phone screen.
I decided to say something. 'Does it work for you?'
She blinked and looked at me. 'What?'
I smiled. 'You're right, I did see your phone. Does what you're looking at work for you?'
Either she wasn't sure what I was asking or she was playing for time. 'In what way?'
Not really wanting to say the name of the site out loud in the crowded cafe I said, 'Well, when you consider what the site is for, does it work for you? Do you get what you're looking for? I used to be on it and I'm curious, that's all.'
Her eyes scanned my face, she was still embarrassed but she smiled a little half smile, looked down at the phone still clutched in her hand, then looked back up and put it on the table.
'No not really......mmmm, sometimes, in fact rarely.'
I laughed. 'That good huh.'
She returned my laugh then grinned. 'I don't like it much, serves a purpose I suppose. When, as you say, it works that is.'
'I didn't like it either.'
Her eyebrows went up questioningly.
'Yes. Older people are on there.'