There was this girl at my workplace. She was insanely pretty.

Lets call her Amrita (I’ve

changed the name).

At first, it was just attraction. I used to steal a glance or two everyday and actively wait for
her reaction when she would accidentally spot me looking in her direction, desperately
hoping for some kind of signal. But none came. Her face was always expressionless when
she looked at me.

It was after a week that I realized I like her and maybe I should approach her. No sooner
after this thought came did I encounter my apprehensions. She was wayyyy out of my
league! One, she was outlandishly beautiful. Like the goddess of nymphs! Aphrodite Herself!
How can a guy like me even dream about wooing her? Second, she was a published author.
Her debut novel was amassing rave reviews on social media. Third, the conclusion that
follows from the first and second, is she must  have a boyfriend. How can someone as
beautiful as her can’t have a boyfriend? And let me assure you, the moment when a boy
realizes the girl he likes has a boyfriend, our hearts suddenly turn off and we tend to move
away from that girl.

The problem was, try that I might, I couldn’t help looking at her. After all, we worked at the
same place. It was impossible ignoring her. So one day, I decided to practice what I preach;
to approach her. The worst that could happen was rejection. It was better than not
approaching her at all.

Our first encounter went awry. Though I had repeatedly went across our conversation in my
head, I messed up. I said some stupid shit and fucked up royally. I was sure my chances
were over, if there were any in the first place, until she initiated small talk herself the next
day. When I asked about yesterday, she said she found it cute.  This time, I was calm and she
smiled more often. In fact, I went as far as asking for her number and prepared myself for a
sharp slap. To my surprise, she happily handed over her number.

Over the course of the following month, we continually chatted and talked with each other.
The biases and assumptions that I had clamoured myself with were shattered immediately.
No, she was not some nymph out of our world, she was just a simple
girl. No matter how beautiful she was, she was a human after all. And humans are appr
oachable. Girls don’t bite unless you do something to provoke them.