So, there I am, waiting for my train on a dimly lit station platform. On my right, beneath the only working light, stands a very very good looking man, in his early twenties, kind of Italian looking. On my left, a mulleted woman bites her nails. Betweeen me and the hot man is a clunky monitor showing various times at which my train might arrive. None of which is the time the hairy station guard told me the train would turn up. Below me is a tiled floor and some old bits of chewing gum.
I give him a cursory glance, smile, then get distracted by the mulleted lady asking me for a light. I put her off with broken spanish and, looking up, find the hot Italian looking guy still looking at me. Green eyes. He smiles, I smile, he does not break the look. I don't break the look. He moves towards me and my pulse speeds up. He comes close enough that I can see the unused piercings in his ear, then he stops, turns, and checks out the monitor.
He turns back to me again and starts to say something when my mobile rings. I curse mentally, answer it, get rid of them and find he's retreated to a more respectable distance. I move towards him this time, thinking desperately what to say. We exchange greetings in stunted spanish, before reaching a linguistic common ground with english, when a train arrives. It is not my train, but he shrugs and moves slowly towards it. Still not breaking the look.
I board the same train, and he moves through the carriage to sit opposite me. He looks at me, I play with my phone to give him time to look, then text Imogen. Big mistake. She wrote Are you sure he's looking at you sugar? Maybe he was looking out the window, or it's because you were staring at him and he's worried you might suddenly attack or something. Mwah.

Next day after making my way back to a recognisable area of Barcelona I ring someone less apathetic. Purely theoretically. "Dave. What would you have done?"
"Well, I have no experience of pulling on public transport. Not being, y'no, that way inclined. But if we were in a bar I'd have bought you a drink."
Good boy. That's what I want to hear.

Barcelona was amazing.

Toby x x x x