The Project

She thought for a moment. "Well, if she's smiling, that's a good start. And if she touches you, it's a very good sign." Julia demonstrated by touching him gently on the arm.

Understanding dawned in his eyes. "Oh, she did do that," he said, a little embarrassed.

"Yes, I noticed," Julia smirked.

"She was probably waiting for you to flirt back." Julia leaned closer to him. "Do you want to know how to tell if she wants you to kiss her?" she whispered.

Steven looked nervous, but eager too. "How?" he asked.

"Like this." Julia leaned even closer and put her hand on his shoulder. She concentrated on his mouth and slowly closed the gap between them. He took a startled breath. At the last possible moment he turned his head away, blushing furiously. Julia felt a bit miffed, but his reaction served to illustrate her point. "You see what you did there? If someone backs away instead of leaning in, that's a strong signal not to kiss them," she explained.

Steven stared at his shoes and she couldn't really see his expression in the dim light. "But, couldn't it mean the person does want to kiss you, but is just afraid to?" he asked plaintively.

Julia considered this idea. "I suppose that could be a possibility," she admitted. "But even then, it would mean 'not yet' rather than 'yes' ".

"It's all so complicated," he complained. He sighed and leaned back against the wooden seat.

Julia smiled understandingly. "Tell me about it. Let's have another drink," she suggested.

They talked some more about the potential future for Steven's software. Julia was pleased to discover she actually understood how it worked, after he spent a while explaining it. She had never done any computer programming but found it interesting nonetheless. As the night wore on she had lost track of how much alcohol she'd had and was definitely starting to feel the effects. Steven must have noticed the unfocussed look in her eyes because he looked at her in concern. "Hey, maybe we should call it a night," he suggested.

Julia stretched and felt a curious sense of dislocation from the rest of her body. The edges of reality felt fuzzy, as if in a dream. "Oh god, I really have had too much to drink," she said in embarrassment. She looked at him accusingly. "You drank just as much but you seem to be fine."

"Yes, well I am a bit bigger than you," he pointed out.