I know this isn't really a girlfriend, but it's past day 2 and this seemed like the best place to put it.

Background:

I'm 20, she's 18. I met her a couple weeks ago in a drivers ed class. She was taking the class with her friend from school, both ~HB9 but pretty young. I started talking and joking with them near the end of the class and it went really well, but I didn't make a move because she was always with her friend. On the very last day, I was going to invite her to coffee after class, but her friend (who's pretty but not what I'm looking for) started talking to me and I never got the chance. After the class I added her on facebook and asked her out to coffee.

Me: hey
Me: let's get coffee this weekend
Her: haha alright

Pretty straightforward, right? I couldn't do it on Saturday because I went hiking/rock climbing then had a cookout at my friend's place (I brought it up casually, seemed like a good DHV), so she ended up skipping her sister's event to go out with me (she suggested another date when the first one didn't work out, good sign). We met up earlier today at Le Pain Quotidien, a decent french chain. I had a bunch of different options planned out for after lunch (there's a hiking trail nearby, a cool tunnel that comes out near a park where we could talk, a movie at 7, getting gelato after) but we ended up talking at the restaurant for around 2 hours. We had a couple awkward gaps in conversation, but she'd always smile and we'd start talking again. At the end of the date we hugged and went our separate ways, about 10 minutes later she texted me

Her: today was really nice, we should definitely hang out when I'm back in town :)

Wait, when she gets back in town? Oh right, the problem.

The Problem:

On Tuesday she leaves for Europe and doesn't get back until late July. Right now she definitely likes me and seems like she wants to be in a relationship with me, but I'm not sure if she's sexually attracted to me (I'm not a great looking guy, I'm pretty self-conscious about that) and I don't know if she'll even think about me when she gets back.

What I'm Thinking:

At the end of the summer we're going to college in different states (we're actually not that far apart, but I'm not sure I want a long-distance relationship, especially in college, and if girls work anything like guys, she doesn't want to be in a relationship going into freshman year of college). I want to go out with her more, and I definitely want to fuck her before the summer ends (I'm living at home over the summer which is normally restrictive, but my parents are going to Norway for 2 weeks so I'm actually going to have an empty house for a bit). I think I might scare her off by being too invested, but I also might lose her if I don't put a bit of time into her while she's abroad.

I guess what I'm really looking for is stuff we can do together when she gets back that'll convince her I'm a high value guy, as well as advice on how to make sure she still wants me when she gets back.

You're operating under the assumption that she wants you to begin with. The "high value" you speak of is going to done while she's away, which I talk about below.

These girls expect men to reach out. They love the attention. Just because you stay in contact doesn't mean you are reminding her to stay interested. If the connection isn't secured (like sleeping with her, dating etc.) then you don't really matter that much in the end. Plus, she's going to Europe and most likely meeting a bunch of European dudes. Those accents can be deadly.

- Go hard on your DHVing (have her see how much fun you are having etc.)

She knows you're that "Nice" guy. Now is the time to show a different side. Remember, "nice" is good when in collaboration with another masculine trait. Like being "nice" as a professional snowboarder works because of the balance (obviously not all the time) in "cool" or "hardcore" and "nice." In which case, you dont even get classified as "nice," it ends up being more of a "cool" type of image.

So use this opportunity to have some fun, meet new people and do exciting stuff (like the activities you mentioned). Also helps to have some female faces around to qualify you as a man with options.

- Change the GOAL

The end game isn't to get in her pants per se. The end game is for you to come across alpha and RECEIVE attention rather than just giving it. If she comes back still thinking about hanging out...the sex is inevitable.

Either way, leave her alone while she's over there. If she felt something, she felt something. If she didn't, then oh well. You just do YOU and she'll see/feel that. If she wants to be a part of it, you'll find out.

Thanks for the detailed response.

I think I'm striking a good balance of nice and cool (she knows that I have a lot in my life like hiking, running, rock climbing, and cookouts with friends) but I'm trying to come off as approachable and when we were out she seemed happy just to be out with me.

I get that I should still be DHVing while she's in Europe to try to keep her interest, but I don't have very many ideas on how to do that. I can go out in a group with hot girls (hiking, etc.) and I can get pictures taken of us and posted to facebook that she might notice, but I don't want to

1. Seem like I'm posting them with her in mind
2. Seem like a dick
3. Text her before she texts me.

My problem is right now she's giving me attention but I feel like she's afraid to escalate and I don't want to be too needy or come across as creepy by trying to escalate too quickly in the limited time. I get that I should be just trying to seem cool/alpha is more likely to get me sex than just trying for sex, but I don't know how to try to seem cool/alpha long distance without seeming clingy or needy.

I'm not saying you should force the DHV. The DHV should come as you just live your life. You have a lot going on so this shouldn't be that difficult, so keep doing more of that.

So she's afraid to escalate prior to her leaving? Has she indicated that?

I don't see anything wrong with going in for the kiss and letting her know that you couldn't let her go to Europe without the kiss. I think this is the place to start if it seems shes that iffy about it in the first place. The romantic kiss will create a stronger connection with her than if you didn't, obviously. And if she's into you, she'll kiss you back.

The long distance throws everything off whether you are in a long term committed relationship or a purely physical one. It's never really an ideal situation because you have no control. But you'll have to come to terms with the idea that you can only do so much.

Again, I don't think theres anything you can do to "keep her interested until she comes back." Either she is or she isn't. Again, without reaching out proactively, you'll have to "show" your value.