Let's be bold
It didn’t take long for Vi to get lost in her work and lose track of time. With loud music playing throughout the gallery, she was focused on making exact measurements on pieces of plywood and putting them together based on a sketch they had worked on with the artist. She usually had a small team helping with the assembling, but she had given them the day off to make up for them working extra hours in the past couple of weeks. It was a small but very dedicated team, and Vi figured that a break would be great before things got crazy again with the upcoming exhibition.
As she was hammering a couple of plywood pieces into the structure she was working on, she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She took a couple of minutes to finish hammering before pulling out her phone. As soon as she saw the notification, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Caitlyn sent you a message”
She put the hammer on her tool belt and read the message.
"Clearly, excellent taste is our baseline. Although I doubt I could out-race you in push-ups, maybe we could start by bonding over drinks and go from there?”
Vi continued to smile at the message and her fingers quickly started to type a response.
"Drinks to kick things off sounds like a solid plan—no push-up contest required (for now)! Let’s see if our excellent taste extends to cocktails. What's your go-to order?"
She sent the message and decided to step from the structure for a minute to grab some water. Vi continued to stare at her phone as she gulped on the water, but after a few minutes, there was still no response. She looked at the time and it was about 5:25 pm.
Vi locked her phone and looked at the structure she’d been building, she’d made a lot of progress on it, but she had promised her team she’d take it easy on their day off. Vi looked around the gallery with a satisfying nod and made up her mind to end her day and head to the gym.
She took off her tool belt and placed it on a table nearby. She then went to pick up any left-off nails or plywood pieces and put them in a bucket, tidied up the area and once everything looked put together, she turned off the work lights and started to head back to her office. As she was walking back, she opened her phone to turn off the music and check for any messages from Caitlyn, but still, there was no response. She put her phone in her back pocket again, grabbed her gym bag, her jacket, and her motorcycle helmet, and headed out to her bike.
The gym was about a 10-minute drive, but Vi usually made it in 5 minutes on her motorcycle. Once she arrived, she headed to the lockers to change clothes. Once she hopped on the treadmill to warm up it was almost 6:00 pm. As she unlocked her phone to select her workout playlist, she saw she had a new message from Caitlyn.
"Solid plan—no push-ups means I can focus on what really matters: cocktails! Are we talking about classic cocktails or something more adventurous?”
“My go-to is an Old Fashioned—timeless, a little bold, and always a conversation starter. ;) What about you?”
Vi let out a small grin as she put on her headphones and selected her music before typing back.
"Ah, an Old Fashioned—timeless, bold, and clearly a reflection of your good taste 😉. I’m all about the classics too, but I wouldn’t say no to something adventurous if the company’s right.”
She paused for a minute after sending her response and remembered Powder’s words, “...if conversation starts to flow, invite them out and just be yourself. Once in person, you can decide whether they’ll get a second date, you take them to bed or never see them again…”
Okay, let’s try this out. Vi thought as she started to type another message.
“Maybe we’ll start with Old Fashioneds and see where the night takes us?"
Vi smirked and felt her cheeks blush. She shrugged and shook her head to try to brush it off and increased the speed to start running. About 10 minutes later she hopped off, cleaned the treadmill, and headed towards the weight as she took a couple of sips from her water bottle.
She greeted a couple of the guys who also were regulars and briefly chatted with them. She grabbed one of the empty benches and was getting ready for her first set of exercises when she felt her phone vibrate. She looked and saw a new message from Caitlyn and her face lit up.
"Old Fashioneds and a bit of adventure? I’m in 😉. The real question is—where’s the perfect spot to kick things off? Somewhere with a killer cocktail menu and just enough vibe to match your confidence and bold taste?"
Vi continued to grin as her mind started to think of possible options that could meet Caitlyn’s demands.
"Ah, you got me thinking now!”
Vi replied as she kept thinking. Then she remembered this place she had gone with Powder a few months ago. The owner was the dad of one of Powder’s friends and they had invited them for opening night. The place had a modern speakeasy vibe and did have a great cocktail menu. The music was also at a perfect volume where you could still have a conversation without having to yell. Decided on her choice after a few seconds, Vi added.
“How about Alchemy & Oak? They’ve got Old Fashioneds that could rival your charm, plus just the right vibe for a bit of adventure. Trust me, it’s the kind of place where the cocktails are as bold as the company.”
She chuckled at her response before remembering she was still at the gym. She looked at the clock, took a deep breath, and decided to take it a step further as she once again started to type.
“I still have a few minutes left at the gym. So how about we meet there around 9:00 pm?”
Vi usually wasn’t this bold to meet someone in person. But if she was going to engage in conversation and make a connection, what better way to do it than face to face, rather than through messages?
She locked her phone, threw it on the bench, and grabbed a pair of dumbbells to start her workout.
After a couple of sets, she grabbed her phone again and saw a new message from Caitlyn.
"Alchemy & Oak sounds like the perfect choice. 9:00 works great. I’ll sneak in a quick run in the meantime. I’m definitely looking forward to the company. See you then!”
Vi felt a sudden rush of excitement and smiled at her phone. Trying to keep it cool, she simply locked her phone and used the feeling to finish her sets. About an hour later, she was done with her workout and riding back home.
As soon as Vi got to her apartment, she put her gym bag in the laundry room and headed to the shower.
By 8:20 pm, Vi was ready. She had decided to wear black pants with casual leather shoes a black short-sleeved button-down batwing shirt and a gold chain on her neck. Her pink hair messily brushed to the left showing her buzz cut on the right—and a bit of smoky make-up to accentuate her baby blue eyes. She applied a few sprays of perfume and headed out.
Vi had decided to drive to the bar. She could hold her liquor, but she wasn’t planning to drink much. Besides, if her date didn’t have a ride, it was the perfect excuse to take her home.
She put the bar’s address on the screen and started to drive. According to the directions, there was a bit of traffic, but she would make it just in time.
A few minutes into the drive, she heard a notification from the dating app. It was Caitlyn.
Once she got to a stoplight she opened her phone and read.
“Traffic’s playing hard to get, but I’m still on my way! I’ll be there soon, promise I’m worth the wait. ;)”
Vi quickly typed and sent her response right before the light turned green again.
"Looks like traffic is just as unpredictable as us ;). I’m on my way too. See you soon!"
Vi continued to drive and a few minutes later, she arrived at her destination and parked by the back of the bar.
She made her way to the entrance and once inside, she looked around to try to find a good spot to wait for her date. Fortunately, the place wasn’t too crowded, and there were a few tables available. Vi headed towards a table on the right side of the entrance and sat on one of the leather chairs.
She then pulled out her phone. It was 9:02 pm. She opened the app and sent a quick last message to Caitlyn as she waited.
“Just arrived and got us a nice spot on the right side of the entrance. Absolutely no rush. I’ll eagerly and patiently wait. ;)”
Vi then grabbed the QR code from the table in front of her and scanned it for the menu. She spent a few minutes going through the great variety of cocktails. As she came across a section called “The Classics” and spotted the Old Fashioned, Vi wondered if it was a good idea to order two of those as she waited.
As Vi lifted her gaze to make her way to the bar, she saw a woman by the entrance, and as soon as she made eye contact, she saw those beautiful blue eyes and a warm smile making their way toward her.
She felt her heart rate increase and time stop as the beautiful, slim, toned, long-legged woman started to approach her.
Oh God, help me! She’s even more beautiful in person.