Which one is the right one here? ('d / 've) / (gathering / meeting) / (before / until)

Question

I'd had a high school reuion party at Hongdae, but the party was over too early. So, some of us decided to drink more at a park located in Hongdae. At the park, there were a group of girls sitting on a bench, holding a bottle of beer. And, most of them were pretty, so we decided to go there and talk to them. It was a lot of fun because I ('d/'ve) never done that before. The (gathering / meeting) was over about an hour later. We had been talking to them for about an hour (before/until) the time when I had to go home to be on time for the last bus.

1. I think 'd is right because I'm talking about my experience until I met them.

2. I don't know what I should choose. can you give me an advice?

3. I think until could imply that we had been talking more than one hour, so that I missed the bus. but before would never imply that because the event of talking to them has to be finished before the time I had to go home. I think depending on what I mean, I can choose which I should use, right?

Answer 1

1. 'd is indeed correct

2. Meeting- An assembly or conference of persons for a specific purpose.

Gathering- An assemblage of people; group or crowd.

So for Number 2, I think Gathering would be better between the 2 options, but since you had never met them before, I would suggest the word encounter to be substituted into that place.

3. I believe for this part neither of your two options will fit nicely into that sentence. I suggest you instead replace the options with till.

Till- up to the time of; until

You can still use until in your sentence by restructuring it to:

We had been talking to them for about an hour until it was time when I had to go home to be on time for the last bus.