They viewed each other surreptitiously from behind their steaming bowls of curry laksa and shared plate of spicy crab rangoons.

She had chosen the sushi place not because it was the hottest new trend in town, not for the ambiance, the lively patrons, or the divine cuisine...none of these attributes interested her. It was the almost nonexistent mood lighting and the inability to hear anything above the constant stream of chatter competing with the amped up volume of Sis and Zero 7 that was the appeal.

With any luck, she and her equally reclusive compadre wouldn't be able to barely see or hear each other all evening.

And after a few rounds of hot sali, they found they were comfortable in the space of each other's silence, and after the last drink shout out, they scrambled dizzily up the fire escape to watch the thunderous sky awash with lightening, and she told him that being with him was just like being alone. He smiled and gripped her tight and agreed to meet again tomorrow night, where they could coexist without having to get to know each other at all.