The Laundry Room

"Hi! Do you happen to have change for 2 dollars?"
Her eyes were sharp. Chin held up, hair tied back and a very courteous smile across her face. The 2 dollar note remained clenched tightly between her fingers as she extended her bare hand towards me. The strong yet sweet smell of the laundry room suddenly seemed to come from her. She stood there next to the coin machine that had a sticky-note on it - 'EMPTY'

It took me three whole seconds to absorb the interaction before I could respond to her.
"Nope!" my voice came out way calmer than I had expected it to. "But I happen to have a 1 dollar coin if that's what you are looking for."
"Oh! That would be great. You can keep the two."

"That won't be necessary." I reached out to my wallet lying in my laundry bag. "Here you go"
"I insist!" she said assertively with her face broadening as she smiled. I watched a strand of her hair interceding the visual connection between us. I nodded and we quickly made the transaction, my fingers barely daring to touch hers.
"Thank you!" her face lit up. "I looked under the doormat at first actually. You always have some naive person drop them there. But no luck today!" She waited for no response, as though she was just speaking to herself. She immediately picked up her laundry basket and moved to one of the machines humming a famous regional song in my mother tongue.
I smiled and stayed there for a few more minutes pretending to check on my clothes until her voice was drowned by the unison roar of the washing machines.
As I walked out, I let out a heavy breath. "What the hell was that?" I asked myself. I pulled my laundry bag towards the elevator and made my way to my room.
It took days to get the laundry girl off my head. 'Laundry girl', that's a funny identity to give someone. What else do I call her?  'The girl with the white basket?" Nah. 'Laundry girl' it is. Why am I thinking of a name anyway? This is insane.

So that was about it. That's what you would expect now, won't you? Quick infatuation that dies out in a week or so. That's what I expected. However, within a week I found myself walking to the laundry room for no reason at all. The strong fragrance tickled my throat as my mind swayed back and forth. I smiled foolishly as I walked out of the doors. Well, at least I got it out of my system.
It was Sunday the 15th, two weeks after my mind slipped. I got out of the elevator when I heard a voice from behind- "Hey laundry boy!!!" There were gazillion violins playing in my head when I made a dramatic turn. "Remember me?"
Remember you? I have not been able to get you out of my head since that evening. I have been beating myself up for not having sustained a conversation with you. Above all, the smell of detergent makes me smile! And you ask me whether I remember you?

"Erm... I guess... wait, the second floor laundry room, was it?" Way to go lover boy.

She smiled rather excitedly. "YES!"
Then there was silence which I found too hard to break. Her eyes widened and I felt like she was trying to read me.
"Nice to meet you. I am late for class though" The violins died out. I was sure I would be going back to my room to bang my head against the wall for that. 

She continued to smile as my social awkwardness made me walk away from the scene.
"Hey laundry boy!"
I stopped and reciprocated the smile.
"You owe me a dollar!"
"Oh!" I reached out for my wallet.
"But you know what? Never mind. Maybe some other time."

"Oh!"

She laughed as she walked away. Before I could even get my thoughts together in one place she merged with the group of students leaving the hostel. I paced up and down the hallway for sometime waiting for my heart rate to slow down without realising that it was just getting worse. 

That night I looked outside my window; my room over-looking the entire University Campus. The brief episode of that evening kept playing in my head along with the visual display of every single thing I could have possibly said or done. I threw my fist towards my side table and accidentally knocked my coin box. There were dollar coins rolling on the floor upto the most inaccessible corners of my room. With my pent up frustration I started picking them up one by one, trying hard to keep my calm. All of a sudden something struck my usually sedated brain. I quickly ran down to the laundry room. The coin machine had no sticky-note this time, until I placed mine. Feeling mildly proud of my action I was expecting to have a good night's sleep. Well, one should not be surprised to learn that it backfired. The whole night I remained awake second-guessing my deed that now seemed pretty silly.
First thing in the morning I found myself floating towards the laundry room. I reached the coin machine and I knew that very moment that this smile on my face is going to remain for a long while.
Hey laundry girl,
      If you need your one dollar coin, you know where to find it.
Your naive laundry boy

I walked towards the door mat and pulled it up. The coin was missing. Instead there was a note; a note I knew is going to be the starting point of several such moments.

Dear naive laundry boy,
   If you ever want to learn how to flirt, here's my number-()
Your laundry girl.

PS- This was a good move! First level cleared :)