Discovering Jade
I'm Diego Ramirez, and my life took an exciting turn just before my sophomore year at university. At the end of my freshman year, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment in a building catering primarily to international students, mainly from East and Southeast Asia. While I lived there during the summer, most move-ins happened the week before the start of the Fall semester. That was when I met Jade. I saw the stunningly beautiful Asian woman get out of a taxi as I was enjoying my morning coffee in the building's lobby/common area. On an impulse, I went out to help her bring in her luggage. Walking toward the taxi, I saw she was wearing loose-fitting blue cotton pants and a white t-shirt. When I arrived, the taxi driver had just pulled out three large suitcases from the car's trunk. I introduced myself to her and offered to help bring the luggage inside. She said her name was Jade, and I could see she was very happy to accept my help. I took two suitcases and led Jade to the service desk, where she could sign in and get her apartment key. I made some small talk with her as she completed her paperwork. I learned that Jade was from Taipei, Taiwan, and was starting grad school. Once she checked in and had her apartment keys, I helped her take her luggage to her new place at the end of the building's left wing, which had a great view of the building's entrance and volleyball court.
My eyes glanced over her body as we rode the elevator up to her floor. Jade was about 5'6", with an athletic body, black, shoulder-length hair, brown almond-shaped eyes that drew my attention to her beautiful face. Jade had a petite nose, fair, tanned skin, and nicely shaped lips that I could easily imagine kissing. She was wearing minimal makeup, which only highlighted her natural beauty. I could see that she was wearing a sports bra under her t-shirt, but I could still tell she had nicely shaped medium-sized breasts. When we reached her floor, I realized how obvious I had been while checking her out from the mischievous grin on her face. She asked if I approved of her looks and trying to hide my embarrassment, I replied, "Very much." She laughed easily while exiting the elevator. Despite having been caught once already, my eyes glanced down to enjoy the gentle sway of her ass.
We brought her suitcases into her apartment. Jade's third-floor, one-bedroom overlooked the central court of the u-shaped building. Like my apartment, there was a living room/dining area, with bay windows, a small kitchenette, and access to the bathroom via the bedroom and living room. I wanted to spend time with her but could see Jade was tired from her trip. So, I asked Jade if she wanted to go to a nearby café after she rested. She gave me a curious look, as if trying to discern my motives, before accepting the invite. I gave Jade my cell phone number and told her which was my apartment. I asked her to give me a call when she was ready to go to the café. I said goodbye and returned to my place, thinking about Jade's beautiful smile and enchanting eyes.
I was working on my laptop when Jade knocked on my door about mid-afternoon. I invited her inside and asked if she was ready to go to the café. She smiled as she sat beside me and asked why I wanted to take her to a café. "I'm much older than you, and I'm sure there are women your age that are willing to go out with you."
I considered my answer before saying anything. Jade obviously knew I found her attractive, and I suspected the attraction was mutual. I told her, "Age doesn't really matter to me. I like being with women that are interesting and fun to be with."
"And who wants to share a bed with you," she said with a knowing smile. "How do you know I'm fun or interesting after only helping me with my luggage?" She raised an eyebrow waiting for my answer.
"When I look at you, I see a woman that is confident and beautiful. You are someone I would like to know better and see what chemistry we have."
"I'm not interested in casual sex if that is all you want. I will go with you to the café, but I want you to understand that first. If the invite was just to get me into your bed, then we don't need to waste our each other's time."
I bit my lower lip, trying to organize my response. It was hard to stay clearheaded while her brown, almond-shaped eyes watched me intensely. "I just want to spend time with you."
Jade looked at me without saying anything as my heart tried to beat its way out my chest. Then she asked, "Come get me in ten minutes. Don't disappoint me. I saw how you looked at me and undressed me with your eyes. Remember, I am not interested in casual sex."
Ten minutes later, I knocked on her door. I was wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and casual shoes. When Jade opened the door, my eyes nearly popped out she looked so sexy. Jade wore a light red sundress cut low to reveal her cleavage with her breasts in a red lace bra. The hem of the dress went to mid-thigh and was snug about her waist and then gently flared to a looser fitting below the waist. She wore matching red flats. The high hem of the sundress showed off Jade's toned legs and I took it all in as my eyes roamed over her body. Jade put a hand on my chest as she smiled mischievously at me. She could see my reaction and the hungry way my eyes washed over her.
"Do you look at all women like you look at me?"
"No. You are not like most women.""
She laughed good naturally and said she couldn't believe she was thinking of giving me a chance despite her better sense.
We headed out of the apartment and made small talk during the 10-minute walk to the cafe. I told Jade the café was a popular hangout for students. I told Jade the café was large enough for students to study together, work on homework, or simply meet before heading elsewhere. The café was about a quarter full when we arrived, and I could see Jade liked the café's atmosphere. As she looked around. Jade pointed to a series of photos of landscapes and sunsets displayed on one wall. I told her that the café liked to highlight the work of students and then tried to steer her to a booth away from the photos. Jade sensed I didn't want her to take a closer look at the photos, so she went up to one. She read the citation below a photo of a beach at sunset, then looked at me. "You took this photo?" I nodded, oddly shy about it.
"Photography is a hobby of mine and the café is kind enough to use some of my photos for their exhibits."
Jade looked at the series of photos, "You take beautiful photos. Do you only photograph the outdoors?" I took her hand and began to lead her to a booth. I thanked her for her compliments and told her I photographed various things besides landscapes, including people and still life."
We ordered drinks, an Americano for me and black tea for Jade. We found a table to the side and settled down. I began asking Jade about her life back in Taiwan. I learned that she had worked as an accountant in a multinational corporation for almost four years after getting her bachelor's degree in just three years. She met a guy from Denmark working there and started dating a couple of months after she started with the company. It was her first serious relationship, and Jade thought after three years together, they were headed for marriage. Then he received a promotion last December that included a transfer to the corporation's headquarters in Amsterdam. Jade was happy for him when he told her about the promotion and took her out for a celebratory dinner. Jade had thought he was going to propose that night. Instead, after an evening in bed with her, he broke up with her. He was gone before Christmas. Jade said she felt humiliated by him as people in the office gossiped about how he had ended things. Brokenhearted and not wanting to continue working with that company, Jade applied for grad school in the United States.
"I'm glad you didn't let that asshole have the final say. It is good you are moving on with your life." I said, not knowing the right words.
"But not in the way I imagined. I expected to be engaged or married by now, not single, and alone." Jade replied.
"I'm sure there have been a lot of guys interested in dating you since your break-up. After all, you are smart, interesting, and very beautiful."
