The wind was chilly against what little skin Sarah had left exposed to the elements. A small hole let her see from the bundles of her parka, but it also provided a location for the cold to seep into her bones. Hefting the grocery bag back up onto her shoulder, Sarah pushed herself into the apartment complex lobby and made her way to the elevator, carefully avoiding the furtive looks the young male receptionist was throwing her way.
Once inside, she used the time spent waiting to be lifted up to her floor to unbutton her clothing and give herself some relief from the sudden difference in temperature. The complex wasn't heated, but the insulation protected everyone from the harsh weather outside very effectively. Untangling her scarf from around her neck, Sarah shivered as a drop of melting ice slid off the scarf and landed on the skin above her breasts.
She was wearing a V-neck sweater that showed some cleavage, and Sarah shuddered as the droplet slid down between her tits and disappeared down the front of her body. Growing accustomed to the weather had been the hardest part of studying abroad for her. She had grown up on the beaches of both the east and west coasts of the United States, so the harsh winter was a tough experience for her.
The elevator door dinged open, and Sarah muttered a hasty hello to the people waiting to enter the elevator at her landing in the local language. It had been a few months, and the conversational German that had initially deeply embarrassed her and prompted locals to humor her with their perfect English was finally beginning to improve towards actual fluency.
At least they were always replying in German now, even if they sometimes smirked at her pronunciation. She had always enjoyed the language classes in school and when the opportunity arose to study abroad for a semester at one of the most prestigious schools in Germany, Sarah had known that she had to take the opportunity.
Walking down the hallway towards her apartment, Sarah felt her mind wander to the nerves she had felt prior to asking her Father for permission to apply for the trip. She knew he would never have kept her from something she wanted but all the same, she had harbored nerves about the implications of what six long months apart would entail for their blossoming relationship. She felt similar nerves now, anticipating what she was about to go do.
Evan Marks had been understandably reluctant to see his Daughter and newfound Lover venture forth to a foreign country without him, but in spite of this he had been remarkably supportive of her trip. She remembered seeing the look of pain in his face as he hugged her and reassured her,
"Babe, I want you to have every experience you need to succeed in life and if you think this program will help you grow, I'm all for it. I want you to make sure you make the most of it."
Sarah had told her Father that she intended to stay monogamous and maintain their relationship long distance, but Evan had shaken his head and told her that he could not in good conscience demand monogamy from her, especially on a trip where a variety of forms of self-exploration were more or less expected. College and travel were rights of passage he didn't want her to miss out on. The two of them had disagreed, even having a rare argument about the subject before Evan asked that they table the discussion. Eventually they came to the mutual agreement that Sarah was in the driver's seat of her own sexual choices. If that meant Sarah wanted to stay monogamous, that was her own decision.
His words had hurt her at the time, but ultimately, Sarah was grateful and cognizant of the fact that her Father wasn't controlling or jealous of their relationship. She knew that they both meant the world to each other and that he would always be there for her. As she walked up to her apartment door, she repeated that fact in her mind, trying to avert the feeling that she was doing something horribly wrong.
The keys jangled as the door unlocked and swung open. The smell of something spicy and delicious wafted to meet her nose, growing stronger as she walked to the kitchen, shedding clothes as she did so. She rounded the corner to see Felix bent over, pulling something out of the oven. She smiled and gave him a pat on the back as she set the shopping bag down on the small counter space.
"Welcome back! Looks cold out there."
"That smells amazing Felix!"
"Thanks Sarah, it is my mother's special recipe. I making it with a special paprika that is from my hometown."
"I'm excited to try it."
Sarah smiled and leaned back on the counter, watching Felix prepare the meal they were about to share. Felix had been Sarah's assigned roommate since the beginning of their stay in Germany. It had taken two months for Felix to finally build up the courage to ask her out. Sarah had initially politely turned him down much to his disappointment. But to his credit he had dropped the issue and continued to be a perfect roommate and good friend. As the final weeks of their stay abroad approached, Sarah had decided to take him up on his offer of companionship.
Dinner with Felix wasn't the first date she had been to during her adventures in Europe, though it was the first time she had felt this nervous and guilty about doing so. All her other dates had not resulted in follow up experiences, though her last time going out clubbing with her classmates had resulted in a one night stand she could barely remember.
She had spent the whole night turning down men who bought her drinks and tried their pickup lines on her. Eventually, a tall handsome older man that reminded her of her father had approached her. He had been less rabidly horny than most of the young men who drooled over her at the clubs and his suave demeanor, subtle but ostentatious wealth and kindness had her leaving the club that night on his arm. For a few hours she had felt like she was living someone else's life.
The feeling of not knowing the name of the person she had slept with bothered her deeply however, even if the sex had actually been pretty good. Sarah thought of the experience as a lesson learned which taught her that what she truly wanted from life was someone she was familiar with. Youthful binges of sex and alcohol were for someone else, fun as those things might be in the moment. After they had been done, she waited 'til the man fell asleep in his hotel bed and snuck out in the wee hours of the morning.
Sarah snapped out of her reverie as Felix put heaping plates of steaming food on the dinner table and waved her over. She excused herself to the bathroom to quickly check her makeup and then sat down, ready to eat. The food was incredibly delicious. Felix was a good storyteller and had a lot of fun, if exaggerated, stories about his hometown in Hungary.
As they talked and ate, Sarah felt her guilt slowly dissipate. By the time they had finished their meal and were sipping wine and talking, she felt relaxed and happy. This wasn't the same thing as a one night stand at all. This was just another experience, something to enjoy and learn from. There was nothing wrong with that.
Sarah looked up at Felix, who was telling another outrageous story, and caught his eye. He had a nice smile and a good personality, even if the idea of having sex with him still made her a little uncomfortable. He wasn't exactly her type in terms of looks, but his personality and actions spoke to her in a way many of the most gorgeous men often didn't. The uncomfortable feeling would probably pass, Sarah thought.
Sarah smiled at him and stood up, picking up the dishes and carrying them over to the sink. As she walked, she took another sip of wine. She felt his eyes on her as she moved and suppressed a small shiver as his gaze lingered on her ass. Setting the dishes down, she reached out and grabbed the bottle of wine from the counter and refilled both of their glasses.
As she turned around, she nearly bumped into him, the glass bottle slipping from her fingers and clattering to the ground. She watched him catch it and place it back on the counter before leaning against the sink and putting his arms on either side of her, blocking her in.
His hands gripped the edge of the counter as he looked into her eyes, and she could tell he was trying to control himself. She was surprised by how forward he was being. The last time she had seen him so close, she had rebuffed him. The last time they had gone out together, he had left the bar alone, disappointed and heartbroken. He'd shown nothing outwardly but kindness since, though the glimmer of lust in his eyes had returned with full force.
He looked at her for a moment longer, as if waiting for her to push him away. When she didn't, his expression became hungry. He leaned forward and kissed her. Sarah felt his stubble scrape against her cheek and she gasped slightly, the shock of the sudden intimacy giving her butterflies in her stomach. She let him deepen the kiss, her arms finding their way up around his neck.
She felt his tongue slip into her mouth, tasting her and dancing with her own tongue. It wasn't the best kiss she had ever received, but the feeling of his hard body pressed against hers and the sensation of his closely trimmed beard tickling her chin and lips was pleasant. As their tongues swirled around each other, Sarah felt a slight bulge press into her stomach. She felt her nipples harden and rub against the fabric of her bra.
