| who just seemed to stand out, if you know what i mean. I noticed her immediately, purely on the grounds of presence. She absolutely knew what a good deal she was and i couldn't help but agree. I fought off the clenching in my stomach and walked over, offered to buy her a drink.
She was amused, probably at my sheer presumption. After all, what was this skinny, pale beanstalk of a boy (I didn't yet look anywhere near my age) doing? But who cared? If nothing else, i got to hear that voice, smooth cultured tones over the faintest of west country burrs. I got to watch the mouth peel back to show those tiny white teeth, i got to hear her laugh. No idea what i said. All memory space is devoted to her from that evening. I fetched her the drink, Bucks Fizz in a champagne flute from the overly pretentious bar, i tried not to act like a complete dick, i did what every man in this situation has always done and took a chance, trusted her not to publicly crush me as we both knew she could.
She was a month younger than me, interesting to talk to, supremely confident. Lean, muscled from cycling, (her explanation anyway) with reddish-golden hair and a light dusting of freckles matched up one of those pinball machine smiles. I was lost.
I made inane jokes and hoped my luck would hold. It only held for four months, but that girl's in my head forever. | 
