“Hi.”
Toby stood there until the awkward silence became unbearable. “Hi,” he finally repeated.
“Sorry. I thought you were talking to somebody else.”
“No, just saying hi.”
“Do I know you?” the woman asked. She took a long drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly.
“No, not yet. I was just seeing if you wanted to dance.”
“With you?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“Yes.”
“This is your first time talking to a woman, isn’t it?”
“No, not at all. I’m just, you know, nervous.”
“Well, I need a man who’s confident.”
“Oh. Okay. Sorry to have bothered you.”
“I wasn’t ruling you out. I was just saying that you have to be confident.”
“Do you want to dance?”
“You’re really not very good at this.”
“I guess not.”
“Practice. But on somebody else.”