"Crosswords"

A man and woman cross paths and crosswords
He is 27 and down,  an eleven letter word for “unlucky”
She 28, across with her ex but a ten letter word for “Seeing cloudy days as sunny”
“Delusional” he thinks… but then he remembers “Optimistic”
This girl is much different than the five letter “female dog” 
Or how he refers to his former misses
The ex that went for his marrow but shrouded the bite in kisses
But wants to regain his ten letters for “trust” and to lose his 8 letter “suspicion”

But see this girl can six letters for “empathize” but is eleven letters for “guarded”
Her ex was a “brother to homo sapiens” and a “boy without a father”
That’s a “Neanderthal” and a “bastard” but, he could translate this verbal fodder
Told her she was 4 letters “attractive” and thought to go a few syllables farther

He pauses…and thinks…
“What if a simple graze upon her arm is taken as an assumption of promiscuity
If I order her another drink will she think the bedroom is the only goal for me
As if I’m offering an introduction to reproduction
To take the adult actress to the mattress
I just want to gesture that I’m attracted…”
But In all his over thinking his confidence collapses 
So he stares at his melted cocktail like a snow globe 
Only to find flurries instead of gin
He leans against the bar like a snowman
And hopes his clumps of coal can form a grin

Then she pauses… and thinks…
“I told the story of my ex and ended with kind of a nervous laugh
Now he thinks I hand carry my baggage into the future 
Instead of checking it into the past
He lost his interest
He’s distant and he’s staring into his glass
Does he need to be inebriated to flirt with me 
Because my hand bag conveniently matches my dress
It was a 2 hour preparation of beautification
To go from warm smiles to winter draft”
Maybe they weren’t crossing words, they were only crossing paths

So she sat, upon the bar stool uncrossed her legs then crossed them back
He read the drink menu like a comic book and checked if his spine was still attached
The conversation hung in the gallows, it was midnight
5 hours behind Greenwich Mean
They both considered hitting eject
because there’s always other fish in the jet stream

But then he read the wine list, and a smirk appeared upon the horizon of his face
The bar offered a Rioja wine with a birth of 2008
That was the same year he left his job and went to visit a friend in Spain
He remembered tapas in Barcelona with a Rioja flowing through his veins
With this trip on his mind, he told her this tale
And watched spring blossom upon her face
For she had traveled to Barcelona the same year
But behind him about 2 months late
So they ordered a bottle…
The conversation went from parked to throttle, 
and the cork lay murdered with burgundy stains
With fond memories fermented
and awkwardness lamented, 
their crossword returned to play

 Twelve letters for “rekindling” and eleven for “finding value when it wasn’t sought”
A “rejuvenating” relationship when “serendipity” pops the cork
When eleven letter “insects fly in your lower abdomen” 
Due to the insecurity of a broken heart
When your confidence is eight letters for “quieted” 
And a nervous ten for “how you first come across”
Allow the wine to four letter “soothe” you
And play your conversation like marionettes
Then you’ll know the terms to cross your words, instead of just crossing paths…
So gentlemen, give your girl a second kiss and let us all raise a glass
Here’s to tasting the seconds of our futures, as we ferment our seconds passed…