This is a true story. While she and I haven't seen each other since the events described, she has read (and enjoyed) my account of the night, and loved the idea of other people reading about us.
It was just another slow night at the restaurant where I wait tables, when a cute young girl walked in the door. She was a few inches shorter than me, with long blond hair, fair skin, and adorable, almost feline, eyes. I sat her at a table, and tried to be witty while I was at it, but since I've never had any luck picking up girls while I was at work, I didn't think twice about actually hitting on her. But when her waitress left her sitting for a few minutes, I came over and talked to her some more...just to be a good employee, of course.
I found out she was in town (I live in a large city) for a training seminar sponsored by her employer. Since she was from a small town in another state, and since she had her evenings free, I offered her some suggestions for fun things to do after her work meetings. I even (boldly, for me) said that I'd like to buy her a drink, except that I'd be working late shifts every evening while she was here. She didn't miss a beat, but said that she wouldn't mind staying up late for me. We made a date for two nights later, and I said goodbye.
Two days later, and I was pretty worked up, imagining what kind of things might happen on our date. Then, in an incredible stroke of luck, my manager at work called and said that she was overstaffed, and didn't need me that evening if I didn't want to come in. I wasted no time calling my companion for that evening, and asking if I could buy her dinner as well. She seemed as happy as me about the sudden turn of luck, and revealed that she had made reservations for one or two people at a fancy restaurant downtown.
With some time to kill before dinner, I picked her up from her hotel, and remembering that she had expressed an interest in antiques, took her to an area of town renowned for its antique stores. Wandering around and looking at oddities and pieces of history, we soon found that we had a lot in common, and in no time were chatting amicably. The next thing I knew, her hand was in mine, and we were standing closer. A bought her something pretty to remember me by (I wonder now what she thinks when she looks at it), and we went back to my apartment to change before our dinner date.