Part 1
"Hey, we're meeting up at the Beer Garden after class tonight." Veronica's reply text came back swiftly: "I love that place! I'll be there!" Her reply came with approximately one too many smiley face and heart emojis to count.
Earlier that day, I'd told Veronica that we were going to meet up after class - we didn't know where quite yet, though. I'd used that as a pretense to get her number. Obviously, she was very much a part of the class and was just as likely as I to discuss where to meet. But an in was an in.
It was the second day of a "leadership" training course that my work had sent me to. Although I never let it be known, I cynically figured the course to be business-speak bullshit. But it was an excuse to go to a different city and do something different for a while.
The first day of class, I'd been looking forward to seeing the participants. In particular, if there were any sexy women in the course. Given that it was an "executive preparation" course, I knew that I could safely assume the women to be in their early-to-mid 30's. Sure enough, the women that I saw on the first day of class fell into that exact category. And while the women were certainly smart, charming, and fun, I couldn't help but be disappointed on day one. I did not find any of them attractive.
Day two - Tuesday - was a different story. When I arrived to class in the morning of the second day, there was a new woman. I immediately noticed her chatting it up with another woman whom she seemed quite familiar with. As I sat down at my seat, I tried not to make it too obvious that I was admiring this new woman. She was - undoubtedly - one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. She was, like the rest, in her early 30's. It was hard not to notice her: she was fashionably-dressed in a purple satin shirt and short(ish) skirt, her light-skinned beautiful face was accentuated by dark brown hair to her shoulders...and she was curvy. With her sitting down, I could see that above a pair of black heels were a pair of deliciously-thick calves.
She noticed me, too, though. As I sat down, her and her friend looked my way and giggled. Their body language looked like that of schoolgirls. I have been called handsome more than a few times, so I assumed that my looks were the reason they were covering their mouths and giggling in my direction. Their schoolgirl flirtations couldn't last long, though, before class had to start.
The class was nothing memorable. Like I suspected, it was full of business-speak buzzwords that didn't really mean anything. But it didn't mean that I didn't have fun. I frequently shot glances towards this new woman, taking time to admire her. More often that not, when I made a point of admiring her...she was also looking my direction with a barely-there smile.
Fortunately, most of the students in class were just as cynical as I was about the course. Since most of us were from out of town with nothing else to do, we all agreed to meet up after class to have a few drinks and make fun of the buzzwordiness of the course. It gave me an in with this beautiful new woman and I definitely took advantage.
During a break in the course, I walked over to the woman and introduced myself. She was so beautiful that I almost couldn't bring myself to do it. What would a beauty like her want with a mere mortal such as myself? Regardless, I introduced myself. And as I did her she flirted none-too-subtly. "Hey, I'm Ted! You weren't here for the first day of class for introductions, but you've been here all day. I guess you're stuck here like the rest of us now, huh?"
Playing with her hair, she responded playfully "Hi Ted! I'm Veronica. Well, I'm not stuck as much as everyone else - I live in this city. But yes, at least for several hours out of the day I have to be here." "Damn", I thought, "Did she mean anything by letting me know she lives here?" I felt a flush creep up my neck - this was the sexiest woman I think I'd ever met, and I'm pretty sure she is into me.
"That's a lovely accent you have. Where are you from?" I asked in the friendliest tone I had. Truthfully, her accent gave her away as Colombian, though she tended to emphasize certain words with her accent in what must have been a regional mannerism.
"Bogota, Colombia!" she said, with no small amount of pride.
"Wow, beautiful place - I'd love to visit. So hey, maybe you heard, but a bunch of us are in a group chat to meet up to out and have a few drinks after class. If I can get your number, I'll add you to the group! I wouldn't want you to miss out."
She obviously knew my true intentions - she made it abundantly clear in her coy response: "Group chat, huh? Well, I'm glad you asked. If you weren't going to ask for my number, I was going to ask for yours!" It may have been my imagination, but I could have sworn she leaned in and seductively whispered the final part of her response in my ear. Likely, I was just intoxicated by the luscious scent of her perfume and imagining things.
When the group settled on the "Beer Garden", I made sure to text it to Veronica in a one-on-one text. If nothing else, it was a not-too-forward excuse to start texting her. Her reply was a confirmation full of enthusiastic emojis. A good sign.
Part 2
The end of class hadn't come soon enough. Many of us made our way to the Beer Garden immediately after class. Even those who didn't go immediately showed up having not bothered to change our of their business attire. But in this city, it apparently wasn't unusual - every patron was wearing their work clothes. This seemed to be the place for professionals to hang out to have a quick drink after work.
As I arrived, I ordered a beer, scanned for my classmates, found their table, and sat down. Sitting down at the table, I looked around and decided that the Beer Garden was actually a pretty nice place. It wasn't much more than a lot of land near a metro station walled off by a white picket fence...but it had charm. Each table was accompanied by an umbrella for shade. The entire area had a floor of fake green grass - a cheesy yet charming touch.
Walking in, one couldn't help but immediately notice the delicious aromas - a couple of food trucks had also set up shop within Garden. I noticed several patrons ordering food from the trucks with beers in hand. Many patrons seemed to be holding baskets of local "fusion fries." The place had a decidedly...hipster vibe to it.
When Veronica walked in though, I barely noticed anything else. She was wearing the same fashionable clothes from before. As she walked, though, I could admire her goddess-like features from a different angle. I had not realized just how slim her waist was before. Her curves were even sexier than I had initially realized. Her heels made her butt and calves pop out, and I had to force myself not to stare.
As she sat down, she began scanning the class and only stopped when she found me. She sat across from me, told me to hold her spot, and got up to grab a wine. When she arrived back at her spot with wine in hand, I felt as if the night could finally start.
To my surprise, the night was a lot of fun. Normally, those sorts of social gatherings could be awkward at best. Perhaps due to the nature of the people there (cynical-yet-successful young professionals), there were many laughs and ironic stories to be had. We were all having a good time so not one of us stopped at a single drink. In fact, most of us went overboard. Myself and Veronica included.
Throughout the afternoon and into the evening, I occasionally glanced towards Veronica to admire here ethereally-beautiful face. More often than not, she met my glance. More than a few times I noticed her take a drink, tilt her head down, and stare at me seductively. Every time she did, she smiled... And I couldn't help but admire the youthful creases of her eyes accompanying each smile; the sexy accent each time she spoke. I found myself had never been so attracted to a woman before.
Spending time with Veronica and our classmates, the afternoon quickly melted into night. Before long, I realized it was quite late. By this point, the Beer Garden had their lights on and the group had steadily shrunk into only a handful of people. Realizing that the group had dwindled down, and that the night was late, we all decided to head back to our hotels. Except Veronica.
