I was there ahead of time and saw her approaching from the Strand. She was wearing the same dress that was pressed against her body as she hurried towards me, and the same scarf blowing behind her. She came right up to me.
“Hi,” she greeted me. “Good to see you’re eager. Let’s get a drink shall we.”
We settled on a bar and ordered Pinot Grigio. She chatted away inconsequentially, talking about her day, my day, what I enjoyed doing, what books I’d read, what films I’d seen. Every so often, her leg touched mine and stayed in contact. Every so often, her hand touched my arm and lingered. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I knew her, but couldn’t place her and for some reason I didn’t dare ask.
When we had finished our wine, she leant forward and whispered in my ear.
“I need the bathroom.”
I sat back and waited. My sink tingling from her touch, my body aroused by her warm breath in my ear. After a while, my phone pinged. I glanced at it and saw the eleventh text.
It read: “See you tomorrow.”