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"When a woman is in love, you see it in her smile. When a man is in love, you see it in his eyes."
She remembered the day when he told her that he loved her. And it had sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn’t how he had said it. Or even the deep tone of his voice that did it. That would come months later. It was his eyes. His beautiful green eyes. It was them that voiced what he did not. What he could not.
It had been an ordinary Tuesday morning. They were sitting in Jitters as was their custom every morning before work. As he took a sip of his decaf, the oversized cup hid most of his face. But his eyes, oh those eyes, the way they were looking at her. Looking at her like she was the only person in the world. No, the world was too small. Perhaps the only person in the universe. For those few seconds, he could see only her. He wanted to see only her. And she knew. He didn’t say anything. She just knew. What was it that they said? When a man is in love?...
“What?” he had said, breaking into her reverie.
She had smiled. “I was just thinking about how beautiful your eyes are”.
He had blushed. But recovered quickly.
“Were you meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a handsome man can bestow”?
Iris had burst out with laughter, coming dangerously close to spurting her coffee out everywhere. She had swatted his arm affectionately.
“You read it”!
“Of course I read it. Pride and Prejudice is your favourite book, and you’ve been telling me, nay, nagging me to read it for years. I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal my Darcy knowledge”. He had grinned smugly at her.
She had smiled again, resting her face in her hand as she looked at him across the table.
“Well you picked the perfect moment”.
…………..
He remembered the day she told him that she loved him. And it did things to him that all his scientific knowledge could not explain. It wasn’t the words she chose to use. Or even the way her hand had lay softly against his chest as she said them. That would happen months later. It had been her smile. That smile that was reserved for him. That smiled that radiated all the feelings she had, without her having to utter a word. That smile that had told him there was only ever going to be him. That he was everything to her. Always had been, and always will be.
“Well you picked the perfect moment”, she had said.
She had said it while looking at him, smiling that smile. How was a man not to be affected by that?! He had blushed he remembered, rubbed the back of his neck and took another long sip of his decaf. What was it they said? When a woman is in love….
“Anyway Allen”, he had heard her say. “We better get going if we don’t want to be late”.
He had groaned.
“why can’t it be Saturday already?”
She had laughed at her best friend. “Barry it’s only Tuesday. The week has only just begun; how can you be sick of it already?”
“Singh is driving me crazy! I am starting to dream about case reports now. I’m not only taking my work home with me Iris, I’m taking it into my dreams!” he complained.
They were outside now. She had laughed again before hugging him.
“Ill see you tonight Barry. You spend most of your day texting me anyway. You’ll get thru it”.
“Very true. I think I will dedicate my efforts today into convincing Joe to buy us some Chinese tonight”.
“A day well spent”, she had replied.
He had looked down at her then. At this beautiful face that he hated parting from. I love you.
She had broken his gaze for a moment, looked at the ground before smiling back up at him. I love you too.
But the words would come months later.