It was refreshing to sip a cold beer and slurp oysters in the shade after spending the morning on a fishing charter out in the southern European sun. The cafe was on a little plaza fronting the ocean, where the whitewashed buildings of the town hemmed in the cobbled square. On this summer afternoon, it was covered in a forest of tables with umbrellas and packed with holiday makers having a cool drink in the shade between bouts of sun on the sandy beach.
Dave and I had been in town for two days already. I was in love with this sun-drenched little community surrounded by green hills, yellow sand, and blue sea. This was my first time in Europe, and I was surprised by the swirl of tourists from all over the world. In the streets and bars, I heard French, German, Spanish, Italian and something that might have been Russian. I met visitors from other parts of the world too, like Asia and North Africa, but we had not run into any other Americans. It didn't seem like many of our countrymen had found this town, although we heard English spoken often. The locals in the tourist industry all spoke excellent English and most of the other tourists who did not speak the local language got by on what English they possessed. We also heard British and even Australian accents.
I noticed the two women as the host ushered them toward the empty table next to us. I was glad I was wearing sunglasses, or they might have felt like I was staring, because they were both stunningly good looking. The taller girl was heavily tanned with bright blonde hair. She was wearing a back tube top that showed her flat and tanned belly over a long black skirt that was thin and clung to her figure. Her makeup was a bit heavier than I preferred, but she was very sexy.
Her companion was a little more conservative in her appearance but was perhaps even prettier. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled back in a shiny ponytail and she wore a white halter top that showed just a little bit of her midriff over a knee-length red skirt. The brunette was very thin and a bit shorter, while blonde had ample tits and curvy hips. They both looked like spent a fair amount of time in the gym.
I heard them thank the host in what sounded like British-accented English as they settled into the table beside us. The blonde ran a hand through her hair as she got comfortable in her chair, apparently forgetting that she had rested her sunglasses on her head. They fell and clattered onto the cobbles of the plaza and came to rest at my feet. I bent over to pick them up as she turned to look for them.
"Oh, thank you," she said as I handed them over.
"Of course," I said, "no problem." I gave her the best smile I could muster.
She smiled back. "Would you mind taking a picture of me and my friend?" she asked. "A selfie just doesn't look as nice."
"Of course," I said again. I stood up and took her proffered phone. The two girls put an arm around each other as they posed for a picture at the café table. The blonde made a bit of a kissy face at the camera while the brunette just smiled. I showed them the picture.
"Oh, that's grand," said the blonde. She turned the picture back toward me "What do you think? Do we look fit?"
I couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little. "I think you know you do." The blonde laughed but her friend went a little red in the face.
"You're an American, aren't you?" asked the blonde.
"Guilty as charged," I acknowledged with a nod.
"I don't think it's a crime yet," said the brunette, smiling.
"Are you from England?" I asked, keen to keep chatting.
"Yes," said the blonde, "from London. We've just popped down for a short holiday. I'm Natalie and this is Chels." The blonde gestured to her friend.
"Chelsea," said the brunette extending a hand, "but all my old Uni friends do call me Chels."
"Lovely to meet you both," I said. "I'm Pete, and this is Dave." I gestured to my friend at the table. "Is that how you know each other? From school?"
"Originally, yes," said Chelsea with a nod, "but we share a flat now. London's too expensive to live alone."
"Chels keeps me out of too much trouble, and I keep her from being too boring," said Natalie. Chels rolled her eyes at this, but she also nodded to show it was probably true.
"What about you guys?" asked Natalie.
"We're roommates, as well," said Dave. "We met a few years ago in the city."
"Which city?" asked Chelsea.
"New York," Dave said.
"Nobody really lives in New York, right? Isn't it, like, just a mythical place?" Chelsea teased.
"I assure you they do," Dave said. "About eight million."
"I guess that's a few," allowed Chelsea. She gave Dave a smile. "But London's bigger." Dave smiled back and chuckled.
"Size isn't everything," said Dave, blissfully unaware of the obvious double entendre he had set up.
Natalie and Chelsea both laughed, but Dave still didn't realize what he had said.
Natalie cast me a sidelong glance. "Does he say that to all the girls?" she said. Dave finally realized his error and joined in for a laugh at himself.
"Would you two like to have lunch with us?" I ventured.
Chelsea and Natalie exchanged a quick look before Natalie nodded. "Sure, that would be nice," she said.
Dave and I jumped up to push the two little café tables together. I noted that he quickly snagged the seat next to Chelsea, but Natalie gave me a nice smile as I sat next to her. The waiter returned and we put in more orders for drinks and food. Before long we were enjoying a nice lunch and a chat. It was pleasant to have some attractive company. Dave and Chelsea spent most of the meal in a conversation with each other. I could tell Dave was trying to crank up the charm, and Chelsea gave him a lot of smiles. Natalie and I got along alright on our side of the table too. I liked her wicked sense of humor. More than once she cracked a dirty joke than had me laughing out loud.
