***
For the next few hours, time seemed to slow down. I kept checking the time every few minutes, hoping it would be five o’clock. The anticipation was killing me. I paced around the store and caught glimpses of the people walking down the street. I wasn’t exactly looking for her, but I figured she still might be out shopping. I had a huge knot in my stomach. I wanted to be outside, but I felt trapped in this crumby little snowboard shop, listening to the same music that played over and over. My mind was completely occupied with all the crazy scenarios that could possibly unfold that night. Going out with girls was nothing new to me, but something felt different about this one; I was actually nervous.
The funny feeling in my stomach never really went away, but I was reminded of it when she walked into the shop for the second time. My heart started to pound the moment I saw her again. She looked amazing. Her tight jeans showed off her petite frame perfectly.
“Hey, Ashley, I’m glad to see you again,” I managed to say.
“You too. Do you still want to hang out with me tonight?”
“Of course. Let me just grab my things. I’ll be right out.”
As we were leaving, I proudly marched her out the front door for my fellow coworker to see. I tried not to gloat too much, but I couldn’t help it.
“See ya, Corson,” I said with a cocky swagger.
We decided to get some frozen yogurt and just walk around town. Banff is a beautiful place – the mountain peaks always have snow on them, the air is clean, and massive herds of elk roam down the main street.
I took her to a few places I knew, places the average tourist might not see. There was a nice spot I had discovered when I first moved there. It was a beautiful area just on the outskirts of town. It was a bit of hike to get there, but once we reached the top, there was a large flat rock where we could sit on and stare out across the valley. It was perfectly serene, devoid of any outside distractions – no bosses, no parents, and no drunk roommates. It was just us.
Our conversation flowed naturally as we got to know each other a little bit. Even when we were not talking, I still felt comfortable being with her. We gazed out at the landscape and just enjoyed the view. At a certain point, we both seemed to look at each other at exactly the same moment. A soft breeze blew a few strands of hair across her face. I took my hand and gently brushed it away. With my hand still caressing her face, I slowly moved in for a kiss. It was brief, but substantial.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had butterflies over a girl before. I was utterly infatuated with her. I didn’t want the ride to end, but I knew it would. The next day she would go back to where she came from and I would have to immediately deal with life without her. It was a shame, plain and simple – there was no other way to describe it. However, I took a great lesson from this experience – circumstances can change in a heartbeat.
After a while longer, we decided to leave before it became too dark. We walked slowly back to the hotel where she was staying and we said our goodbyes.
“It was nice of you to show me around tonight, thank you.”
“No problem, it was my pleasure.”
We shared a long hug and another brief kiss before we parted ways.
The Art of the Hustle Page 4