Fictional Love Story #4

I steal a glance at you

while someone’s cell phone rudely whistles.

My knuckles dully crack.

Your laptop whispers tippety tap.

Olivia’s cackle rings across the hall,

HYUR HYUR HYUR!

The cell phone whistles again.

Beep beep beep goes the microwave;

Paul’s burnt his popcorn.

I crane my neck to peer at you again,

but you’re gone.

Someone’s watching some video in their cube.

I can hear the oonce-oonce-oonce

of dance music,

but I can’t hear the melody

or decipher the lyrics.

I teased you about your shirt earlier,

about how the stripes were giving me a migraine.

You looked annoyed.

I wrote you an email to apologize

but deleted it because it sounded dumb.

Someone is angrily dinging the bell up front.

I swear to God if I find you laughing

with Rebecca again,

this crush is over.