behind so he could come and stand next to me. I looked up at him as he took the spot to my left. He was almost as tall as Clint. Hmmm Clint, I wonder who he is talking to right now?
“Yeah I’m Eric, and you stunner are?”
“You are all about the compliments aren’t you?” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’m Norah.”
“I like that name.”
I looked at him doubtfully. “Oh, I’m sure you do.”
“That wasn’t a line.” I continued to roll my eyes at him, trying to make it obvious I didn’t like cheesy pick-ups.
As he leaned in to get close to me, I noticed he wasn’t just looking at me, but also at the faces around me. It was as if he needed to make sure no one could hear what he was going to say. He seemed nervous yet quietly calm. I found myself a little intrigued by his behavior but also wary too. He was probably just figuring out how to approach me, but he didn’t look like he had to work me out at all. His confidence felt unnerving.
“OK Eric, I will play along. You said I wasn’t the ‘Alice’ type. What did you mean? Is she some ex-girlfriend who didn’t swallow?”
Eric almost toppled over when he heard me say that, like he had to catch his breath as well as adjust his scattered thoughts. I think he was laughing or was just shocked. Either way, I couldn’t tell, but when he stood up to look at me again, eyes beaming, he said, “Wow, you just go straight for the throat don’t you? Interesting approach. Ummm no, no ex-girlfriend reference. It was a book reference actually. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything. I will get back to work and leave you alone.”
He turned to leave, but I grabbed at his back, making him spin back around. A book reference. Seriously. Was he for real? Now this piqued my interest. I wanted to know what he meant because I was suddenly interested in what book he was talking about. This was not the normal pick-up line. This was something very different, and I wanted to hear more.
“Wait, you have me curious now. Book reference? Which book?”
He smiled, knowing his approach was working. “Alice in Wonderland. You know it?”
I coughed, completely taken aback. Not only did I know the story of Alice in Wonderland, it was my favorite childhood story of all time. How could he possibly be making reference to that right now? The sheer fact he had referred to the story changed my brazen demeanor to friendly and warm. I slipped my hand onto his arm and slowly pulled him closer to my face. “You have my full attention Eric. What does this shot have to do with Alice in Wonderland?” Yes, I was curious indeed. Curiouser and curiouser.
He glanced down to my hand still locked on his arm and inched his face right so it was up next to my cheek, his mouth near my ear. Feeling his whole body push up against me, I released his arm. This was getting a little too comfortable for my liking because all I wanted was an answer to that question.
He noticed I had let go of him, creating some space for our bodies, but he still kept his mouth close to my ear so I could hear him talk. “Well Norah, Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, she was a risk taker, a jumper if you will. The type of girl that isn’t scared to follow the impossible in search of answers. It’s just been my experience here that girls normally fall into two such categories, those who want to go down the rabbit hole, and those who just stand at the edge looking down, always wondering what’s on the other side.”
Oh I got what he was doing now. He was calling me chicken and using a children’s story to do so. I looked at him, not impressed. “Are you implying that I won’t drink the truth serum because I’m scared? That’s stupid. I’m playing safe and I don’t accept drinks from strangers. That’s all.”
Eric made a face like he didn’t believe me, and nodded like he understood, although it was obvious he was thinking I was still a scaredy-cat. “Oh I understand your logic Norah, but some people would still risk it anyway. I guess some people want to follow the white rabbit no matter what the consequences, just like Alice in Wonderland. Hence the term beautiful.”