A short story about a man trying to relax with his thoughts along a busy path.

He watched her cross the room / motion languid and smooth / figure firm and poised / ...

She sat across from me. Her eyes scanned the menu, recognizing familiar characters while not finding an acceptable recognizable pattern...

I looked at her smile. At first it seemed resolute and unmoving, but slowly it began to unbend and fade into a stoic straight line. My gaze inevitably picked itself up and delved into her eyes. Light sparkled on greens, browns, and a hint of blue. Darkness surrounded them, but I was at a loss as to whether it was artifice or purely natural. Her brows held steady. Her hair was up slightly, but fell partly over her face as if done in a rush.

He wanted to say, “I love you.” Instead he saw sadness in her eyes and watched her figure slowly fade from view. He stood still, not hearing or seeing anything. Slowly his surroundings made their way back into his consciousness. The daily hum of traffic in the street and the loosely overheard conversations of people walking and talking on their mobile phones. Occasionally one human interacting directly with another human even occurred.

She leaned over her drink, staring at the depths of whiskey and ice entwined in a dance to death. She gave the glass a sudden swirl, grimacing at the resounding clink. Her eyes remained focused on the ice as it revolved and eventually resolved into a stable position. The whiskey remained mostly unharmed, if a little cooler and slightly diluted...

I'm not sure what I saw. She sat across from me, toying with the cup of coffee in front of her. Empty bags of sugar and mini-cartons of cream lay nearby in tatters, shadows of their former selves. A spoiled spoon lay nearby, spilling remnants of coffee and cream on the parchment of the ad-splattered table cover. Her eyes were focused below, but on nothing. The theme song of her mind purred along without interruption.

A short story looking back at someone I met in college, and unrequited something.