It was the first week of November, so it's not a surprise that the 12 pack of bottles in my fridge was Sam Adam's Octoberfest. There was also an unopened bottle of cheap chardonnay and one solitary strawberry wine cooler. The only other thing inside was a plastic container of pre-cut cantaloupe and pineapple chunks. I guess that is ample evidence of where my shopping priorities lie.
I called out, asking Cindy what she would like. She choose the wine cooler, so I grabbed a Sam Adams for myself and carried the two bottles across the kitchen to the window that opened onto the fire escape. Twisting the cap off, I offered her the cooler before I climbed out the window. She smiled that glorious, sexy smile that had so much to do with her being elected the college's homecoming queen and pulled it from my outstretched hand. I hesitated before climbing out onto the fire escape with her, but only because I didn't want to look away. She's more beautiful than any girl I've ever dated, and I'm still more than a little shocked that she first accepted my dinner invitation and then agreed to allow me to cook for her. There was still a few vegetables and a couple shrimp in the wok on the stove, with a slight essence of lemon and garlic being stirred through the apartment on the breeze coming in the open window.
I figured a stir fry would be hard to screw up and I guess I was right. Cindy had practically gushed over it, apparently just thrilled that I had put in more effort than calling for pizza. I made a mental note that making the effort was worthwhile and wondered why such a simple thing struck her as unusual. Surely, someone else she had dated had done far more. She was worth every moment I had spent chopping veggies and tossing shrimp through the heated oil.
I swung my leg up over the window sill and scooted out next to her, glancing down at my VW bug parked a couple of stories below. She asked me about the stop sign and post on the roof of the convenience store on the corner, and I admitted that it was the result of one of our drunken evenings. My roommate had hit it with his Bronco on the way home from a bar a couple months ago. We had scooped it up, tossed it in the back, and upon arriving at our place downtown had been mystified what to do with it. Larry had tossed it up onto the roof and there it had stayed, at least so far. There was a betting pool among the brothers about how many snows it would take for it to slide back down, but so far the weather had been unseasonably warm for this part of the country.
Even as I had that thought, the wind picked up a bit and a chill ghostly hand ruffled Cindy's skirt, lifting it off her thighs and sending a shiver up her back.
"Sun's getting low. You want to go back inside?"
"No, " she replied, "not yet. It's nice out here. But I wouldn't mind a warm body next to mine." She patted the steel grid of the step she was sitting on, and I immediately moved to the spot indicated. She lowered her head onto my shoulder as I settled down next to her and slipped an arm around her waist. I gave her a slight squeeze and she sighed. "Dinner was wonderful, Will. Thank you for inviting me. I have to admit, you caught me off guard a little."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, you aren't exactly as aggressive as most of your friends. As a matter of fact, some of the girls have wondered..."
"Oh, this again. You know, I've had a girlfriend all this time until a few months ago. Just because she's in California..."
"Yes, but it's not only that. I mean, you dress different, you drive that cute little convertible down there and you never play grab-ass at parties. You're super polite and your hair is always perfect..."
"So because I wear shirts that have buttons and know how to brush my hair, that means I'm gay? Seriously, it's not like I haven't heard the rumor, I just think it's silly."
"Well, there have been some times... I mean, Susan basically threw herself at you at the Zeta's party a couple months ago and we all know nothing happened..."
"Come on, Cindy. She was absolutely plastered. I couldn't do something like that; it would have been halfway to rape. I would never pull that, it's just not in me to take adv...."
"I know, I know! But, you know, most of the guys on campus wouldn't have held back."
"That just means most of the guys on campus are assholes."
"Well, you're not wrong. And I'm not saying..."
"Good. Because I didn't ask you out to try and heal my reputation. I asked you out because I like you. We've had a bunch of classes together and we've always got along... I just was waiting for an opportunity. So when you broke up with Robert..."
"Don't remind me. Speaking of assholes on campus."
"You were with him for two years, Cindy. People already had you two married and raising kids, which just goes to prove my point about the rumor mill. If I had listened, I'd have kept my distance until you got back together like everyone expected."
"I'm glad you didn't."
"Me too."
The moment seemed right, so I reached out and lifted her chin slightly with my fingers. I looked in her eyes and there didn't seem to be any hesitation in them. Her lips were warm and soft, and her tongue flickered out and I captured it, slightly surprised but happy. She didn't make any effort to break the kiss, so I continued, and I ran my hand across her shoulder and into the soft mass of red curls behind her neck. I pressed harder against her lips and she didn't pull away, but leaned into the kiss more firmly. Just then, the wind picked up again, but colder and with just a hint of moisture. Reluctantly, I broke away and looked at the hills to the northwest. The sun in the west was painting the edges of the clouds with silver, but they remained more blueish-gray than white.
"Looks like we've got some rain coming, Cindy. It might be time for us to move back inside."
"Alright, I guess. I don't want to get wet and need to leave. The conversation is just getting interesting. I feel like I'm discovering a lot of new things, although nothing you've told me really seems like a secret. Just answers to questions no one has thought to ask."
"I'm glad you're asking them, though."
"So am I. I don't even mind being so wrong about some of them."