Thanks for waking me… and, by the way, sorry for staring at you.”She laughs. Softly. My heart thumps.We make small talk about commuting, which ban...ks we work at, blah blah, blah. She’s called Claire and said she knew I’d watched her applying makeup all these mornings past. So, could I make myself useful and hold her coat while she applied it now… please?I told her it was fascinating to watch her change from clean and uncluttered to a polished professional with just a few licks of lippy and. After sometime everyone was sitting for dinner. Then all our class boys were sitting beside the girl they are interested. I, being an introvert I was a bit shy to sit beside her. I sat on one side alone and to my surprise Priya herself came to me and asked.” Shall I join you?” I was shocked and didn’t talk for a second and then I said,” oh sure… My pleasure.” Then she started asking about me, my schooling and everything. We came to know each other up to some extent. Then while going I called. Well, to say I was taken speechless would be an understatement. He was gorgeous! Tall, broad and tanned, he worked without a shirt, wearing only a small pair of rugby shorts and workboots. His thick, dark shoulder length wavy hair was tousled around his face, he pushed a muddy hand through it as he smiled. “Hi, I’m James, nice to meet you.” “You too, I’m Michelle,” I managed to stammer back. As I shook his hand, I couldn’t avert my eyes from his wide, smooth chest, and I felt myself blush when. The wit and charm that had so attracted me had disappeared, to be replaced by a cold formality as he turned into a paunchy middle-aged 30-year old. The box marked ‘have children’ remained unchecked, and I was determined it would remain so. I love teaching kids, but I’ve never really felt a maternal instinct. Anyway, as I sat in that class room, desperately trying to master my emotions, Alison’s voice trailed off and she sank in shock back into her seat. I felt eight pairs of eyes staring at me.