Flirting With Fear

My laptop charger refuses to work for me anymore (it handed in its resignation sometime a few weeks ago), so last night I came to campus to get on a computer.  Everything was fine and dandy for a while: I was in here by myself, typing to my little heart's content, and not worried about a thing.

Then he came in.

A stranger got on a computer at the far end of the room.  I studiously ignored him because societal rules have always told me that if you don't look at someone you don't know, they won't bother you.

"Hey, I have a question..."

Somebody's been lying to me.

This guy asked me a question about the computers, so I looked over to give him a quick answer.  He had this sprout of something growing out of the top of his head.  I'm pretty sure it was hair. 

After giving him the answer and him telling me that he "appreciated it", I thought that I had done my duty.  Sure enough, after a little while, he left, allowing me to soak up my peaceful oblivion of solitude once more.  So everything was fine, right?  That's the end of my story?  No, sir.  He came back in a few minutes later, and this time, he took the computer beside me.  The rest of the computer lab was empty, but he was right there, close enough for me to poke.  Good thing I had no urge to do that whatsoever.

After a moment or two, he started up a conversation.  They were little questions, so I thought he was just being a friendly stranger, since I've encountered people like that before.

"How long mumble been mumble?"
"What?"
"How long have you been going here?"
"Oh, a year."
"mumble mumble taking classes mumble mumble mumble"
"I took some in May, and might take more later this summer.  You know."  (I thought that asking "what" too many times in twenty seconds might get me stabbed or something.  I mean, I still didn't know this guy.)
"You drive?"
"Umm, yeah."

This went on for another minute or so.  I was kind of thrown by the randomness of this stranger talking to me, but it's in my nature to be nice to people and not to rock the boat, so I was trying to be polite.  After I'd let him go on for a few more sentences, I decided it was time to leave, so I stood up.

"Well, I'm gonna get out of here now."
"mumble mumble have your number?"
O_O

I don't usually use emoticons in blog posts, but that's the only way to describe what I said.  Because I didn't say anything.  Because I was too busy making the face that a person makes when they're caught completely off guard. 

I would have been willing to give up chocolate for two weeks if I could have teleported away at that moment.  Instead, I had to settle for the way I actually reacted after I'd had a few seconds to recover.

"I...ummm, I don't actually know you, so..."
"That's why I want your number, so I can get to know you."

Great.  Now I could understand him perfectly.

"mumble mumble mumble..."  This time, that was me.

At this point, I was standing in the doorway, because I had been taking cautious steps backwards during the conversation.  I turned to leave, but I had to figure out a way to say "goodbye" without being too friendly or telling him I'd see him around.

So I waved awkwardly.  Then I shot the heck out of there.

That's the first time I've ever been "hit on" that openly.  I mean, there have been times when we'd leave a place and my friend would say "he was flirting with you, by the way", and I would be surprised, because for some reason I seem to have trouble picking up on that.  But this was completely different.  I've never been asked for my number before like that.

But I got out of there without giving it to him.  And he got a wave.  I think I handled it well.