Her Little Comment

So my sister called me up today and asked me to lunch. About five minutes later, Party Girl comes into the back and asks whether or not I'll introduce us. "How did you know I was going to meet her," I asked with a stupid look on my face. "I didn't tell you."

"It doesn't matter," she said, grinning at me. "So, are you going to bring her by?"

"Maybe. It depends on where we're going."

"Well, I have to meet my future sister-in-law, right?"

I dismissed the whole thing as she walked out the door. The I popped out my head and said, "Well, we have to start somewhere, right?" She smiled back at me and went back to attending clients.

It's obvious we like each other. Later today, we were talking about later plans. Party Girl asked me if I wanted to go out to a hotel bar. That way I could meet the guy she's been dating. We then joked about a devious plan to incite jealousy by pretending that I was her "Monday-Friday" guy. I painted a scenario where I would swoop in, kiss her a little too friendly, then go for the snatch-and-grab, all the while looking at him like we were cool like that. Pretty asshole-ish, but you get the idea. The whole time she kept egging me on, like it was a good idea.

It's really funny. She definately likes me. And I know she's thought about me in that way. But still nothing's happening. There's the jokes and all, but something's in the way. Could it be work? I know I have my reservations about that. She has a way of singling me out, though.

And I doubt myself, too. The protective side of me says that I should wake up and smell the red flags. She's dating somebody else. Nah, I say to myself, she's not exclusive. There's still a chance. And I argue with myself like this about women all the time. She's got a boyfriend. But she's unhappy. There's still a chance.

I'm just tired of fighting like this. I like her. That's established. But maybe that's just how I feel and that's the end of it. There are other girls. It could be that now's not the time, but if things were different...

Whatever. But her comment today. It leaves me thinking there's something more. The cynic in me thinks that it was designed that way, that it's her nature to flirt like that. But how much do we say that we don't mean? And how many times have I been guilty of flirting like that? But the difference is, I wouldn't take it that far. I try not to say things I don't really mean.

But as they say, you know: There's a little truth in every joke...