A Place To Draw Blood Laughing

On the platform of the Inner West line at Central station a few nights ago, May grabbed my hand and pointed. “Look!” he said excitedly.

A few yards ahead of us, a tall, skinny boy dressed in black was walking slowly. He had long arms, long legs, broad shoulders, and his face, turned briefly, was pale-skinned and pretty. These things, however, I noticed only in retrospect.

He had thick hair the brilliant color of red gold. It cascaded off his shoulders and trailed down his back in wavy sheets, thick, curly pools of hair that ended just below the small of his back. It was the most beautiful hair I’d ever seen.

I stared, open-mouthed. My body tingled in simple lust.

May started off, deliberately tracking the boy down the platform. I hissed at him to stop, but followed. The boy paused by some benches, and May and I took up places a little ways away.

May was watching me, grinning. “Why don’t you go talk to him?” he said.

I shook my head. “I’m not going to go up to some totally random stranger.”

“Come on,” he urged. “Just say hello.”

I stood awkwardly, watching as the beautiful boy took his headphones from his bag and began to fiddle with an iPod. Behind me, our train started pulling into the station. My stomach felt tight, knotted up like wet rope. I dipped a hand into my bag and pulled a card from my wallet.

Almost collapsing from the sudden stage fright, I crossed the platform and edged into the boy’s vision. I flashed him a smile, and he returned it as he took his headphones from his ears.

“Hi,” I said. “I know you must hear this a lot, but your hair is really remarkable. I think it’s gorgeous.”

“I do hear that a lot. Thanks.” His voice was light. My eyes edged the clear lines of his cheekbones. His beard precisely matched the red-gold of his hair. “I hope I brightened your evening,” he said.

“You definitely did.” I held out the card. Behind me my train’s doors were opening. I could see May watching me, smiling. “Give me a call sometime if you’d like to get coffee or something.” I held out the card, and as he took it skipped back across the platform and nipped through the closing doors of the train.

I followed May to a pair of seats and collapsed, suddenly shaking. “Oh God,” I groaned, “I can’t believe I just did that. I’ve never done that before.”

“What’d he say?” May asked eagerly. I focused on relaxing the pit in my stomach as I told him. Suddenly I started laughing.

May was startled. “What’s funny?”

I wrapped my arms around my middle as I laughed. “Is that what meeting people is usually like?” I turned to him and made a face. “God, that sucks.“