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He lay awake listening to the faint sounds of the night. He tried to imagine her - the soft skin, the generous lips. She had green eyes, he had decided long ago. And maybe flaming red hair to match her fiery temper. Tall and leggy perhaps, somewhat like Julia Roberts, eh, he thought with a chuckle. Gosh, he felt like a high-school senior ogling her through the throng crowding the chat rooms. He knew she visited at least two chat sites every night. He could almost predict her timing and was there before anyone else could intercept her . She must be lonely. Like me, he added wryly. No partying. No one-night stands. How else could she log on like clockwork? I have to meet her, he thought desperately. What if she won't agree? What if she is married or old or ... He fell asleep before the doubts could complete their parade.

Coffee cup in hand, he turned on his machine and reviewed the records of the ten patients he was due to meet today. "Don't forget, you have to appear in court at 10 am as an expert witness in the Smits case." He grimaced at his secretary's reminder in the mail. Another of those insanity pleas! Well, he could forget about getting much work done today.

He could not stop thinking about her. What was she doing this morning? Let me give her a little shock, he thought, as he ran the program his brother,Charles, a computer science student and ace hacker, had sent for his birthday. He chose the image of a huge bunch of exploding roses from the egreetings gallery and added the message: "Don't panic, my dear. I wanted you to have the flowers. My apologies for the lost sleep." He pressed the "Send" button and sat back to watch the fun.

He had arranged with the florist in advance. He had to congratulate Charles. He had never wanted to use the hacking program but he just had to snoop around her hard disk and find out her name and address. I am obsessed with her - me, a shrink, he thought helplessly.

Now she must be holding the roses and reading his neatly printed card," Meet me today at Wisteria in Picadilly at six this evening . Ask the maitre d' to seat you in the corner table facing the pool."

Will she come? What will she look like? He could feel the excitement build up in him through the day as he fidgeted through the interminable cross-examination following his testimony . He rushed through the appointments with his patients . "Leaving early, boss ? Hot date,eh ?" Megan, his secretary called out after him.

He stood at the entrance to the restaurant and saw her at the candle-lit corner table set for two. Reddish gold hair glistening in the dark. A black chiffon gown with thin shoulder straps setting off the soft whiteness of her shoulders. She turned and he saw the glint of green eyes.

"You have no right to look so ravishing," he blurted out the first thought that came to him and watched her blush.
I am lost, he thought.

That was ten days ago. Her hands softly caressed his dishevelled blond hair as he pretended to be asleep. The wedding was a low-key affair at the church in her hometown. "Never thought you would grow crazy over a shrink" Emily, her sister, had teased him. "Never thought I would hook up with a nerd," he had retorted.
"Dreaming? About me?" he asked , noting the faraway look in her eyes.
"You should know. After all you are a shrink who calls himself 'God'," she teased.
"I do," he murmured against her lips.