I Want to Fall in Love When I Least Expect it

I want to fall in love when I least expect it

like when I am shopping at a green marketplace or something…

It would be grand if we end up both in the same section and look at each other, like, "Hmm…This looks delicious…."

You could be wearing frayed blue jeans, 

and still, look stylish.

I would try to put a word in your head.

"She's exquisite," I'd say silently.

As if you're thinking that about me.

You'd be holding a bunch of radishes.

And I'd be like, "Radishes, huh?"

You'd go, "Yeah," and smile sheepishly.

"They are my favorite," I'd say like a fool

and we would laugh.

I'd make some crack about how bodegas are my favorite kind of cafe. You'd say you've never even heard of a bodega.

I'd say, like, "Ohhhhh, I should show you."

You'd laugh and drop your radishes on the floor, and I'd lean down and pick them up for you. 

We'd feed each other homemade sauces with the tiny spoons at the testing table and laugh so hard we couldn't breathe.

When we left the market, you would ask for my number.

In the parking lot, I'd say, "I never got your name…" And I would look at you expectantly. You would smile coyly.

"It's David," you'd say. "David Smith."

I would smile back, like, "Wow, that's simple."

We would get in our cars, drive away in different directions, waving goodbye. But when I got home I saw your text saying something like…

"Bodega, tomorrow?"

And I would be like, YES.

A million times yes.

Is this what it feels like? Falling in love?

Maybe. I can't tell.

But it doesn't matter.

Even if I'm wrong, I want to anyway.

. . .

- by Irina Patterson January 17, 2022

Thank you for reading, my other stories are here.

Love, Irina