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bsp; Next, make a plan to do better in the future. I do solemnly swear that all communication about my deal to teach you how to socialize shall henceforth come via encrypted memo, which is not sexy at all, but I’ll do my best.
Last, ask for forgiveness. Dr. Anna Fernstone, can you forgive my carelessness and accept my apology?
* * *
Sincerely,
Eric
* * *
Anna covered her mouth with one hand, trying to smother her smile. Drat that man, he couldn’t even let her stay angry at him for a decent amount of time, could he? But beyond his own apology, she had to admit, the lesson itself was a good one. She’d made plenty of social flubs and had no idea how to recover, and this was an excellent guideline. A little more flirty than she’d been going for. But…that was what she was trying to do, wasn’t it? Learn how to flirt? She’d discovered in graduate school that if she wanted to learn something new, it was best to throw herself into it, not spend all day dipping her toes in the water and trying to get up the courage to take the plunge.
So she put her hands on the keyboard, took a deep breath, and dove in.
* * *
Dear Eric,
* * *
Thank you for your memo. It was very helpful. I accept your apology. If I might make a request for our second lesson, I would like to learn more about flirting. In particular, how to know when a man is interested in me, and how to let him know I’m interested in return.
* * *
Best,
Anna
* * *
She re-read the memo. Yes, this was what she needed. Back in Chemistry II during her undergrad years, she’d been interested in her lab partner and hadn’t known how to let him in on that fact. When she finally asked him out, he’d been shocked, and had revealed he’d had something going on with another girl in class the whole time. She needed to figure out how to read the signs so she could handle that sort of situation better the next time.
She sent the email, then—because she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus on research right now—picked up her needles and some nice sport-weight yarn and spent the next ten minutes knitting while she waited for Eric’s reply. When her inbox dinged, she had his memo open in two seconds flat.
* * *
Dear Anna,
* * *
Flirting 101 is an excellent choice of topic. Men usually aren’t subtle about who they’re attracted to, so that part’s fairly easy, and it’s also pretty simple to let a man know you’re enjoying his attention. Just to use the two of us as an example, were I attracted to you I might find excuses to be around you, and to touch you. I’d focus on you to the exclusion of other people around me who might merit my attention more. Watching where a man’s gaze goes can also be very useful. I might stare for just a moment too long at your lips, wondering what they would taste like, and maybe also turned on by the way you drop your mouth open a little when you’re caught off guard. Or maybe you might catch me looking at your hair, fantasizing about what it would feel like to touch it.
If you’re attracted to a man who shows these signs, you can flirt back physically by leaning in toward him and touching him lightly on the knee or arm. You can also flirt verbally by complimenting the man, a technique that can never go wrong.
* * *
Sincerely,
Eric
* * *
Anna stared at the screen, feeling a little bit naughty and excited and also a little bit worried. If she didn’t know better, she would say the memo had made it sound like Eric might actually have a thing for her. Had he really noticed that she opened her mouth when she was flustered? And yesterday at the restaurant, she remembered him staring at her hair. She’d felt awkward then, sure that he thought her new haircut was weird or something, but judging from this flirting lesson she could re-interpret it as flirting.
She pressed her lips together, torn. She’d chosen the format of memos in part to put more professional distance into this arrangement and make herself feel more comfortable, but this was starting to feel even less professional than before. And she’d practically asked for it, with her request for a flirting lesson. She should end this now, before it got out of hand.
She tapped her hand against the mouse. Or…she could ask for critique on her flirting skills, and use Eric for live practice. In for a dime, in for a dollar, right?
