RCG

I met Really Cute Girl in January at a Latin dance party. "Met" is an overstatement - the encounter consisted of one dance and finding out her name and that she was psychologist who worked with drug rehab unit.

She is almost perfect. Merely being in close proximity to her turns me on (trust me - this is a much rarer happening than when I was 15). Her scent, her touch, the flash of her blue eyes, the angle her dark red hair makes to her face, the freckles on her pale skin, the sound of her voice... It'll get very scary when she realises how much power she has over me. She's 23 and she's as cool as.

Then I found out she had started dance classes at the same school, and I joined her beginner class as a helper. Strange that. The whole class went to coffee two weeks ago (Valentine's day), and I sat down next to her and talked.

"Where were you last week?", she said at this week's class dance class when we were partnered up.

I'm onto a winner: she'd noticed I wasn't there; which means that she was looking out for me; which means that she is interested.

"Lets have coffee after class and I'll tell you."

Two hours into great coffee conversation...

"Is your name pronounced like ____? I was asking my friend who is also Indian how to say it correctly."

I'm so in here - she's been talking to her best friend about me.

She paid for the drinks whilst I was visiting the Gents.

"That's Ok. You can buy me a drink back."

Clever girl, good way to ensure second date.

"How about I raise your drink to dinner?"

What gets me is this: Why have I taken 15 years to get to the stage where this is so easy? All those wasted years!