he sat watching all the smiling, laughing faces, sunk into a couch resting along the wall, sipping a warm beer put in his hands so he knew what to do with them. it had been dark a while but he didn't figure it was late. the crowd slowly got larger as they do, and he just sat back, giving off a disinterested demeanour that left him alone. he was interested, though just in watching, as conversations murmured along he heard nothing and saw a lot. focused on subtle body language of the various pods that had collected. a hand on a shoulder, elongated eye contact, uncomfortable laugher, he categorized and brushed over it all. taking the last sip, he noticed a girl sitting on the kitchen counter watching him. she sat with her legs dangling, feet drifting gently, knees tight together and red sundress hanging loosely across her thighs. it was a modest, comfortable thing that made it impossible to miss her warm skin and long blonde hair. she was still looking as he assessed her casually, unabashed that he had caught her watching. he got up from the couch and walked toward the fridge, as he moved closer she finally looked down, probably more calculated than shy. he opened the fridge and grabbed another colder beer. closing it, he looked at her again, smiled as she smiled and sauntered back towards his seat. more calculated than shy.
B.Alexander