Here's a small tale.

When I started working where I do, I noticed a man. He stood out, I think, because he was so damn manly in that sort of Gerard Depardiue way - large, gruff, handsome in an ugly way. Men are rarely like that in real life.

Anyway, I work in a large complex and have only seen him a handful of times in the past year. Each time, I notice him, without, I think, obviously staring, or behaving in a way that would be embarrasing for a wise mature married woman of my 35 years. But the bastard always caught me looking!

Anyway, there was one particular occasion when he was giving someone a quiet yet intense dressing down up the corner of the staff canteen, which was a bizarre place to do such a thing, but I have to say it was somehow quite sexy. I averted my eyes as much as possible, glancing up at the scene perhaps only two or three times as I waited in line for my soggy semalina. Each time I did look up though, he looked back at me. I was bothered by this because I felt I had been found out for the nosey parker that I am, and was quite glad to be able to leave the canteen before he shouted over something like 'and what are you looking at?'

Since that event, many months have passed, and I'm not sure if I've seen him much. This past week however I was entering my office block and he was over the way, stood in a group, having a fag, and he seemed to be watching me. This gave me a thought - what if he's 'noticed' me too?

It may be a sign of my insecurity, self-doubt and/or lack of esteem when it comes to how I look, but all the times we've swapped eye contact over the past year, it has only just now occurred to me that perhaps all those times he's 'caught' me looking at him, I've actually caught him looking at me too!

That could be rubbish of course, but I've been thinking things over. You know, I'm not that bad to look at. I'm tall and slim (albeit a bit chunkier than usual at the mo!), I have a funky blonde haircut, I make an effort effort with my dress, and I keep my face pleasantly made up. It is not actually beyond the realms of possibility that one other male in the whole world apart from my husband, might think me attractive.

Whether he does or he doesn't, it doesn't really matter and I shall never get to know anyway. But, I have to say, it's given me something to smile about!