A few minutes earlier I walked past a vintage store. There were two girls sitting on the steps of the store having a conversation. One of the girls acknowledged me, looking at me as I passed.
I've got a high from the encounter I just had with "James." I think, "what the hell, let's try for eye contact again, right now. Let's do two approaches back-to-back." This will be a first for me.
I proceed directly back to that vintage store, hoping to find the girls still sitting on the steps. I figure that the girl who made eye contact with me earlier will participate in the experiment.
They aren't on the steps, so I walk into the store. Ah, there she is, and I approach her.
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: "Hey. You were sitting out on the steps earlier, right?"
Her: "Yeah. I'm Angie."
Me: "Hi. I'm Josh."
Angie has long, straight brown hair and thick, black-rimmed glasses. She's about my height.
This time I choose not to lead in with the "unusual" bit, or talk about the experiment. I go straight for the ask.
Me: "I have a request. Will you make eye contact with me for 60 seconds?"
Her: "What's it for?"
Me: "An experiment."
Her: "No..."
Again! But, her "no" isn't like the previous guy's. She's... Nice. She isn't irritated by me. I'm curious about her response.
Me: "Why?"
Her: "It's too much. My eyes say too much. Too much in the last few days. I don't want to put it on you."
I say something like "I can handle it." She says something else, I can't recall, and I ask her if she is protecting me or herself.
"Both," she says.
I ask her if she'd say "yes" if it was only for 30 seconds. Again, she says she wouldn't do it. Still too much.
Me: "OK, in any case I am going to give you this," and I put a leave-behind in her hand, telling her that she can see what I write about our encounter at this blog.
She introduces me to the other girl who was sitting on the steps, who, I am guessing, also works there. Her name is Ashley.
I thank her for talking with me and leave the shop.