Moving in Together
The holiday & Christmas break was upon us before we knew it, and finals were soon just a memory. Of course, me being ever-compulsive about grades had me looking in the mailbox daily, waiting on pins & needles. Finally the slip came, and it turned out I'd scored exactly average in my GPA range: really good, in other words. No hassles from the 'rents!
Andrea and Shiela were delighted, and we were soon at the Frontier Bar and Grill planning the next semester. The first thing on the agenda, given our most recent sexual escapades, involved getting me out from under my parents' roof and into something more reasonable, like a three-bedroom apartment or a house, preferably within a safe walking distance of the campus.
I dropped this on my parents one night at dinner, that we were looking, and was met with a stony silence. "Well?" I asked.
My dad cleared his throat, and my mom finally spoke. "How do you plan to afford it, dear?"
"What? Seriously? Have you seen my grades lately? I see another scholarship in my future, Mother. Besides, I'm 22! I'm thinking it's about time to get a place of my own."
"On your own?" my dad asked.
"No, with Shiela and Andrea."
"Have we met them?"
"Yes, early last year. I'll bring them by again," I offered.
What, you now have to approve my friends, too?
I thought acidly, but I held my tongue. Barely. This was really getting out of hand. What was going to happen when I decided to get married?
* * *
I reported this back to Andrea the next day.
"Good. Fucking. Grief. Let's go house shopping anyway," she said. "And you go ahead and apply for that scholarship. Or whatever other financial aid you can find. This is bullshit. You're not a teenager anymore."
Shiela said much the same thing. All three of us - especially me - were of a similar mind that I had to move out.
* * *
Amazingly, we found a cute little bungalow (actually I guess I can't call it that, since it would make you think of the tropics, and we were definitely not in the tropics, but squarely in the Snow Belt), with three bedrooms, a comfortable living room, and a workable kitchen. It wasn't furnished, but the local Goodwill store supplied all we needed.
We spent the rest of the break moving in, and after the first day of classes, dined on home-made spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and some of the best wine I'd ever tasted. Yes, it was going to be a good semester!
* * *
Besides the class load, although I was only carrying 15 hours this time, my focus was on finding a good boyfriend and getting laid for the first time ever. Perhaps it was a long shot, but Shiela and Andrea encouraged me I could do it! And of course, or at least that's what I imagined, that was the biggest thing the 'rents were afraid I was gonna do... On the other hand, they'd never know!
My second of four Psych classes started, with the same guy in the back row. After the conversation with Shiela back in the fall, I was a little self-conscious. Was he really ogling me (creepy), or was he just "enjoying the show" I was putting on? He was certainly "easy on the eyes," I'll tell you that much. He'd been on and off my mind over the weeks and months, but here it was school time again, and I was curious. But how to get his attention, without coming across as a total slut? That's if I was even reading him right, which I think I was. So if one and one makes two, or two singles make a couple, who was going to make the first move? And how?
We were still in the depths of winter, and since I was walking to class, I frequently bundled up in a formless hooded parka and gloves. And boots. I'd bought a pair very similar to the pair that Andrea had loaned me in early fall for our Haus Brau trip. Mostly I wore them with my jeans over them, but sometimes I tucked my jeans inside. It made me think of my experience at the Haus Brau. Besides that, when I tucked the legs of my jeans into my boots, it was a lot warmer. Or maybe I was just hotter for the experience. My gloves were my favorite piece of the outfit. They were fine black leather, soft and perfectly fitted, coming about half way up my forearms. The thing I love about gloves is the way they hold and caress each finger, and the way you can feel the stretch of the leather against the palm of your hand when you open your hand and spread your fingers, and then the stretch over the back of your hand, as you curl your fingers into a fist.
My dear anonymous friend was still in the back row, and I was in the same seat as in the fall, closer to the front of the lecture hall. I caught him once or twice licking his lips, but maybe it was because he was cold and had chapped lips. Or maybe it was a subtle sign that said he was interested in me, thinking about me, my body, what it might be like to enjoy it. I often thought of how Shiela had described me as, "Eminently fuckable." I imagined this guy shared her thought and felt the same.
Regardless, I didn't change my routine: come into the lecture hall, take a seat near the front, take off my parka and gloves, and lean back and stretch. Mr Leather Bomber Jacket was usually there, and I imagined anyway, taking in the whole show. As I said before, definitely "easy on the eyes." There was something about this guy's attention, focused on me, that had me really turned on. I imagined he was undressing me with his eyes. Did he sit in the back of the room, getting hard under his desk, imagining the same things I was?
Many nights I'd go back to our house (out from under my 'rents, yes!) and masturbate myself to exhaustion. Mr. Cox didn't care, but it was getting a little old. I couldn't get Andrea's words, "hot and slippery," out of my mind. I could scarcely wait for the real thing!
It happened that for a few days late in January I got sick and couldn't make it to any of my classes. I knew I was going to have a lot to catch up on, and I hoped I could do it. Then it occurred to me that this might be a very good excuse to meet my anonymous friend in the back row and ask to borrow his notes for the two days I'd missed class. Perfect arrangement, or what? You'll see!
A Study Date Gone Bad
My first day back in classes was a Wednesday. I knew what I had planned, but to say I was nervous would be an understatement. On the one hand, I knew I had a lot of catching up to do, but on the other, I wanted to know a whole lot more about him!
I was so nervous I nearly had to hold my hands together to keep them from shaking. After class I grabbed my gloves and books, and practically ran up the stairs before he could get away. "Hey," I started, "would it be OK if I borrowed your notes from Wednesday and Friday last week?"
"Um, sure," he answered, a small smile growing.
I don't know who was more nervous, him or me.
"Thanks!" I said, as he got out his notebook.
"The professor announced Monday that there's a quiz coming up next week, Friday. Thought you should know," he said.
"Thanks," I said. "I'm Meesha, by the way."
"Hi Meesha. I'm Frank." He extended his hand, which I took. Was he trembling as well?
"Hi Frank. Say, if it doesn't sound too forward, could I get your phone number so I can get this back to you as soon as I can?" I smiled at him and tried to make flirty eyes, in the hope he'd pick up on the sub-text.
"Sure," he said, and gave it to me.
"Thanks! You're a big help."
"You're very welcome, Meesha. Best of luck with my notes. Hope to hear from you soon!"
Yeah, you don't know the half of it! I thought. I could hardly wait to call him!
He went out the door on his way to his next class. I set down my backpack and stuffed everything into it, then pulled on my gloves. Then, with my mind still adrift with thoughts of Frank an idea hit me: what would it feel like to give a handjob in these? I headed out of the lecture hall.