Laura had noticed Bryan immediately. He was quite good-looking, but did not have the arrogant air of some handsome men who believe that their male-model looks should automatically result in adoration and deference from less-favored individuals. She found herself close enough to him a little later to overhear him talking with a couple of others, and she liked what she heard. He made witty, intelligent comments, and when supporting his side of an argument, did not raise his voice or ridicule the other's opinions, unlike many when the first few wine bottles have completed the journey from refrigerator to recycle bin.
Wither through accident or artifice, or a little of each (for Bryan had also noticed this woman, a stranger to him, who was well above average both in height and in looks), they had found themselves in the same little group. When they had each made a few contributions to the conversation and had individually decided that the other appeared to offer something more than just a strong physical attraction, a couple of people had wandered off to refill their glasses, and they found themselves alone.
They made the usual introductions, names, occupations, where they worked - he was a corporate law lawyer with one of the major insurance companies headquartered in Montreal. When he learned what her field of expertise was he had some questions about difficulties encountered with software on the home computer he'd just bought, and was impressed with both Laura's quick grasp of the problem and her ability to explain clearly and concisely what he needed to do. She, in her turn, was impressed by how well Bryan had stated the problem, and how easily he grasped the concepts required to master the software. The mutual admiration of intellectual abilities enhanced the already-strong appeal each had felt based on physical attributes. The indefinable elements which make up the chemistry of human attraction were all present, and it was the start of a wonderful relationship. They moved from the overly-warm interior out onto the roof deck and talked for an hour in the warm summer night, looking out over the city spread out below, the distant St. Lawrence a lengthy black hole running through the Milky Way of the city lights. It was a magical night, and when they exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses at night's end, Laura knew that she'd hear from this man again.
Bryan had called on Tuesday to ask if she'd like to see the new Spielberg movie next weekend, and they discovered a mutual love of movies - action, romance, foreign, the genre didn't matter as long as the writing, acting, and directing were above par. But the relationship developed slowly, since both were deeply involved in important projects at work, and some dates got canceled when work demanded more than the normal 40 hours. The level of intimacy was raised slowly, too, because Laura had experienced several short-term flings in college and wanted this to be different, and Bryan sensed that he shouldn't rush this woman and was quite happy to share her company without involving sex. But finally the time felt right, and when a friend offered the weekend use of a cabin on a lake up in the Laurentian Mountains, Bryan asked if she'd like to go, and Laura accepted. Both knew that the relationship had moved to a new level.