The waiter’s smooth voice soothed both my nerves and ears. “My name is Ernest, and I’ll be at your service this evening. What would you like?”
My voice was dreamy, not quite mine. “Flowers when it’s not my birthday, walks in the rain. Someone who likes animals.”
“And you, sir?” he asked my date.
“A lady who knows what she wants. If it’s me, great. If not, I’ll keep looking. I’m tired of playing games. Unless it’s with my dogs.”
After Ernest (I’m pretty sure he wasn’t our waiter) poofed away, I was afraid to open my mouth again, so I just smiled. And couldn’t stop smiling.
¤ ¤ ¤
Sylvia Heike is a speculative fiction writer from Finland. She
likes hiking, nature photography, books, bunnies, and birds. Her stories
have appeared in Flash Fiction Online and elsewhere. To find out more,
visit her website, https://sylviaheike.com, or follow her on Twitter @sylviaheike
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