Our Stop(19)

Daniel took the book.

‘Fine,’ he said. ‘I’ll look at it.’

Lorenzo clapped his hands, thrilled to have charmed yet another person into bending to his will. Daniel wondered if that’s where he’d learned to do it – from the book.

‘Chapter six, buddy – that’s the one. I double dare you to try it.’

‘Chapter six,’ Daniel said. ‘Fine.’

As he travelled to work, Daniel felt like there was a huge spotlight on his backpack illuminating the fact he had a dating guide in his possession. He’d be mortified to be caught with it, and worried one wrong move could see his bag slip from his shoulder and its contents splay out for the judgement of everyone else on the underground. What if she saw it? Nadia? His paranoia was so great that he’d almost managed to convince himself that The Dating Guide police were going to search every carriage, demanding anyone with a dating guide on them step forward. He had visions of having to declare to everyone, including Nadia, that he had a hardback copy of Get Your Guys! and he’d never be able to get on the tube again. He’d got the guide to help with Nadia, but if she saw he had it he would lose her before it had even begun, he was certain.

He was relieved that she wasn’t actually on the train today.

‘My man, how’s it going today?’ Romeo asked him, as he slipped through the glass doors of his office tower.

‘I HAVE A DATING GUIDE!’ Daniel declared, desperate for somebody – anybody – to know. He couldn’t carry the guilt. He needed to be absolved.

‘Good for you!’ said Romeo, totally unfazed by Daniel’s non sequitur. That was the thing about Romeo: he was just happy to be alive, and happy that everyone else was alive too.

Daniel fumbled around in his bag, pulling it out for Romeo to see. ‘It’s called Get Your Guys!’ he said, panicked. ‘Lorenzo forced me to take it.’

‘Oh,’ said Romeo, taking it. ‘Have you got to chapter six? My sister read this and said chapter six changed her life.’

‘Chapter six? No, no, I haven’t read chapter six. I haven’t read any of it!’ Daniel shook his head. ‘I don’t need to read a dating guide!’

Romeo shrugged, thumbing through it. ‘Well then, what harm can it do?’ he said, not unreasonably. ‘If you don’t need it, why are you freaking out about having it?’

Daniel scowled. ‘I have to go,’ he said, taking the guide and slipping it into his bag again. He leaned into Romeo and lowered his voice.

‘Tell nobody,’ he said, walking off.

Waiting to find somebody you like to flirt with is like waiting to go on stage to learn your lines, chapter six told him. Daniel had sat at his desk for ten minutes before asking Percy to book him a meeting room – the most private meeting room, in the corner, where nobody would walk by its glass front on the way to somewhere else. That’s where he sat now, nursing the guide. The introduction had explained that it was a book meant for heterosexual women, but that in actual fact Grant Garby worked with men as well, because at the root of all connection is humanness, and we are all human.

Except for Lorenzo, Daniel thought darkly, which in turn made him feel guilty.

Chapter six was basically a long list of tips on how to flirt, and what’s more, how to flirt with strangers. Daniel was engrossed, in spite of himself.

When you haven’t dated in a while, it can become easy to think that there is a dearth of men out there to date, the book said. But opportunity to make friends out of strangers is everywhere – you just have to have the nerve to talk to them.

The first tip was simple: make eye contact. Daniel weighed this up. Catching the eye of people was actually quite a bold thing to do: typically, Daniel would keep his head down and get to where he was going, barely conscious of who might be around him on the way. Wasn’t that … normal?

Okay. I can do that, Daniel thought to himself. Eye contact. Easy.

He slipped the book onto the chair beside him, piling some papers he’d brought with him on top of it, and flipped the sign on the meeting door to ‘occupied’.

He headed for the staff kitchen at the far end of his floor. The book was right – his instinct was to keep his eyes fixed on his shoes as he walked, or maybe firmly ahead, on his destination. The book had asked how friendly this must make him seem, or how approachable. Valid point, Daniel reflected. Okay. He got to the kitchen, pretended to look for something for a minute, decided on getting a glass of water, and then turned on his heel, heading back towards the meeting room – but this time at a slower pace. He forced himself to let his eyes roam, which felt vulnerable and exposing. But then his gaze met Meredith’s, a perky thirty-something who had a similar role to him, but on a different team.

Gah! thought Daniel, looking away quickly. Eye contact!

The book had said to smile, to not be afraid to acknowledge the other person, and maybe say hello. That in itself wasn’t a radical idea – essentially Grant Garby was advocating politeness – but it felt exposing. Like holding up a sign that said ‘Single and Looking’, which was a turn-off, wasn’t it? Daniel kept walking. He sneaked a glance over his shoulder, but Meredith had gone. At least she wasn’t staring after him, thinking what a freak he was.

Okay, the next person I make eye contact with I will smile at, Daniel coached himself. He looked up to Percy staring at him. Daniel smiled broadly.