Back in September, I posted about a PETA ad I found distinctly unsexy because of its earnest and clichéd tactics. More recently, I stumbled upon the opposite—dead sexy—only feet away from me.
It was in December, at the height of Christmas shopping madness. Craig and I had nipped into a restaurant around the corner from us for a quick bite. The main dining area was packed, so we had settled for a spot in the lounge. As we munched on calamari, an attractive couple walked in and made their way to the bar just in front of us. The man, who had distinguished salt-and-pepper hair and a fit, lean build, helped his female companion off with her coat, revealing her stunning cream-coloured crochet dress that hung just so—not too tight, not too loose. The woman had a lovely body, yes, but it was how she wore the dress—confidently but without too much thought, without any self-aware movements that would have belied her comfort.
They sat down and ordered drinks. She turned on her stool to face him, so that her legs nestled up against his under the bar. The drinks came. She took a long, indulgent sip, then began telling him a story or some important news, I imagined, because she looked quite serious and kept up a steady monologue. As she spoke, he listened intently, nodding sometimes, with his hand grazing her leg. Sometimes the hand remained still, sometimes it stroked her knee gently—not insistently, not with ulterior motives, but responsively and lovingly. In no way did his hand distract her. If anything, it encouraged her to keep talking. The man seemed unconscious of his gesture. It looked like something he was used to doing, something instinctual summoned by his being with her.
When we were finished our meal and walking toward the door to leave, I was unable to resist pausing briefly at the bar to tell the woman how much I loved her dress, and how great it looked on her. She thanked me happily, but it was her companion who really beamed. Not in a yep-that’s-my-trophy-wife, cock-of-the-walk kind of way, but with an expression of genuine delight that someone else had thought to compliment this beautiful woman.
Now, that’s sexy.
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