I noticed her before she noticed me.

She was sitting alone at the bar with a glass of wine, looking completely comfortable in her own company. She was probably a little older than me, dressed elegantly without trying too hard.

Then our eyes met.

It was brief at first. Then it happened again,

And again.

Eventually I caught her smiling when she realized I’d noticed.

I figured I might as well take the hint.

“Mind if I join you?”

She looked at the empty seat beside her, then back at me.

“Go ahead.”

The conversation was easy.

Work, life, the usual things you talk about when you’re pretending you’re not really interested in the person sitting opposite you.

But there was definitely something there.

At one point I noticed the ring on her finger.

She caught me looking.

“You’re wondering,” she said.

“Maybe.”

“Good.”

She smiled and took another sip of her wine.

I laughed. “That sounds like trouble.”

“Perhaps.”

The rest of the evening became a game of little looks and teasing comments. Neither of us said exactly what we were thinking, but we both knew where the conversation was heading.

When we eventually said goodbye, she gave me a smile that made it very clear this wasn’t necessarily goodbye.

“Maybe I’ll see you around,” she said.

I watched her walk away, wondering exactly what I’d just gotten myself into.