Finally scheduled some time today to get my car maintenance done. I brought papers that students submitted recently, figuring that time waiting in the lobby for my car to be serviced will provide good opportunity for grading.

So I drop off my car at maintenance and head into the lobby. Grab some coffee and spread out across a couple chairs with my stuff, get down to grading. After the first (small) cup of coffee goes dry I get up to refill, and as I'm doing this a girl walks into the lobby.

She's maybe 5'7", wearing a white sun dress that cuts off about halfway down her thigh (so it's short, not slutty - simply attractive). She's got these white suede boots on with cool leather lacing up the front. Top it off with a nice leather belt and a small nose piercing (stud). I have pretty high standards - living in the beach cities of California. This girl was easily an HB8.5. I'm going to guess She's 22 based upon our upcoming discussions.

So as I'm getting coffee and am out of my seat, I watch her wander into the waiting room and... hold my breath... she sits down in the chair right next to my stuff. We'll be sitting side by side when I come back in.

I get my coffee ready and wander back into the room, but I'm careful not to act like I've noticed her (I am sort of naturally watching where I am going as I walk into the room, navigate the chairs). I sit in my chair without really acknowledging that she's taken a seat next to me - she's on the phone.

I pick up my grading material and continue my work, still not even looking to my right (she's sitting to my right).

Her on phone: "I've had my car towed to the dealership, I'm there now." ... "Yeah, they say it may be an hour or an hour and a half." ... "The boys are blah blah blah?" ... "Well thank you for being so understanding, I'm very sorry about this." And she hangs up.

Me immediately: "Sounds like a rough morning."

Her: "Oh my gosh. Terrible. I lost my keys last night!"

Me: "Somebody is expecting you?"

Her: "I'm supposed to be babysitting today!"

Me: "I bet you were out late last night."

Her: Looking caught red-handed "Yeah."

So now I'm pretty sure she was partying last night. I decide to roll the dice and tell her I was out last night too.

Me: "I was at <local dance bar> last night."

Her: Looks surprised "Wow, I was almost there last night. We were going to go there, but ended up getting stuck at <skeezy dance bar>. We could have met last night!"

I give her some trouble over her selection of dance locations. She evades a bit. She makes some comment about last night being fuzzy, she has lots of messages from worried friends.

Me: "Sounds like last night was expensive" - I'm referring to not just the bar time, but the towing and key creation this morning.

Her: "Not really, I bought for a girlfriend last time we went out so she covered me last night. And some guy friends were buying the drinks... It must be really expensive to go out as a guy." She pauses, thinking, and I can tell she is wondering if she should have said that. I laugh in my head.

Me: "When I go out I have a rule: I cover event tickets, the woman covers alcohol." Trying to say to her: I don't blindly pay for everything. Oh and by the way, I do events frequently enough with women that I have a policy for these things.

I don't want to act too needy for conversation and I do have work to do. So I let her get at responding to texts and email while I return to my work.

She gets up and grabs coffee, comes back and sits down next to me again. I decide that's not a bad sign. Maybe far from an IOI, but not an IOD!

So she gets a phone call and seems to be the type of considerate person who leaves a common room to talk. As she's leaving the lobby front doors she notices that a service employee was exiting right behind her and she tries to turn back and hold the door for him. These two acts made me think she actually had decent character - at least early signs are positive. This HB8.5 might be more than a pretty girl... at least maybe.

So I figure she'll be back - but 30 minute later she hasn't returned. I continue working.

A latino HB7.5 walks in wearing her exercise clothing (love women who exercises). Takes all the guesswork out of her body shape too, which I'm all over. I give her solid eye contact but there is no easy access to her (seats are taken near her) and I'm getting work done, still waiting to see if HB8.5 comes back. But this HB7.5 knows I see her. I'm hoping the eye contact I make comes off as confident and satisfied with what I see, not creepy. Seems that's accurate, as you'll hear shortly.

40 Minutes later the HB8.5 walks in with the service manager, he's rushed her key creation it appears (aah, to be an HB8.5 - the world just struggles to make things happen easier for you). I wonder if she'll stop by and say goodbye... but no - she pays at the front desk 20 feet away and then heads outside to wait for her car to be pulled up.

I decide that if I want to continue this, I'm going to have to go to her. Unfortunately, she's not coming back. So I get up and leave the lobby, step outside next to her on the curb.

Me: "I didn't get your name. I'm <electronPUA>." Hold out hand.

We shake.

Her: I'm HB8.5!

Her: "Is your car being brought out also?"

Me: "No, I came out to get your name."

She looks happy to hear that. And I think she blushed slightly.

Me: Pull out cell. "Can I get your number?" Poor phrasing there, should have used the whole 'enjoyed convo, how can we continue this' line that is advocated on seddit - I've used it before and it seems to work well. Oh well, I wasn't exactly together at this point. I went direct and maybe a little weak.

Her: "Yeah, it's 555-555-5555"

I comment on her lack of sleep last night, tell her not to do anything stupid today. She laughs. I eject.

Then I text her from the lobby: "<electronPUA> here. Maybe you need to have a spare set of keys made for a girlfriend. Or feed more drinks to plants on big nights :-P" Smiley face was perhaps gratuitous. And I could have just shortened it to the plant-feeding line IMO. Oh well.

20 minutes later she texts back: "Haha thanks for the tip"

I plan to follow up with her, but not immediately. I think I'll invite her to one of my events I mentioned (perhaps another First Friday event at the Nat Hist Museum in a few weeks). I don't find I have much success with the fast call-back / invite to bar settings. Personally, my response rate is much higher for invites to cool outings, even if they come week(s) after first contact. Your mileage may vary.

Ok, so as I number closed the HB8.5 I noticed that the HB7.5 is 20 feet away, sitting outside now. There is no way she didn't hear and see what happened. Interesting. I return inside to work more, but after maybe 10 minutes want to use the restroom (access is outside). So I pack up my things and head outside, use the restroom. As I'm walking back to the lobby I catch HB7.5 eyeing me again and I smile. As I'm grabbing the door handle to the lobby (15 feet from HB7.5) I say to her...

Me: "sitting outside and getting some fresh air?"

Her: "It's more interesting out here. I was bored inside."

Me: "THIS is interesting?" She's sitting at the car drop-off area. And it's pretty slow by this hour, like a car arriving every 5 minutes.

She laughs.

I let go of the door handle and walk over to her, sit on the bench. I don't sit right next to her, there are two benches and they form an L. She's in the corner of one bench, I sit at the near corner of the other - not aggressive, but this is day game and she did just see me number close the HB8.5. I'm close, but not within touching distance (no Kino..).

Ok so we start chatting and it's flowing really easy. She's enjoying the company. Maybe ten minutes into chatting the service agent comes out of lobby: "<electronPUA>! There you are. I've been looking for you."

Service agent: "Is this a good time to chat?"

Me: "Sure."

I turn to HB7.5: "My name is <electronPUA>"

HB7.5: "I'm HB7.5!"

I get up and follow service agent. As we get 40 feet away he says: "Things were going pretty well there, I felt bad about breaking in."

Me: "Don't worry about it. She'll miss me."

So he tells me I need additional work done (no surprise, this is a 10 year old vehicle) and offers me a rental car for the day. I agree, he calls it in and I walk back to my bench.

HB7.5 and I pick back up the conversation, I know I'm on a limited timeline before the rental car guy arrives to drive me over to Enterprise. Car comes, I get up and decide not to # close (a moment of indecision). I should have asked for her number because 1) it would have been interesting to see if she would give it, after she saw me get HB8.5's number (this is day game after all) and 2) she might have been worth pursuing, though I didn't feel strongly about it at the time.

Continued in comment below.