This is a work of fiction. Always use good judgment and approach real-life situations with safety in mind.
I HEARD A RUMOR - PART 1
Back in college, I was a member of a large but relatively close knit, co-ed "team". It was a very active and spirited group, with great fun, many parties, and great friendships. Like any large group, it included several social circles, with some overlap between the social circles. It wasn't too cliquey, though, and the group overall got along very well. But, we are human. People would gossip, and you would hear things - mostly about relationships - but sometimes you would hear other things. One particular rumor caught my attention.
It was about Cassie. I didn't know her too well and she was definitely in a different social circle - one that included the more popular people. Cassie and I may have had one or two prior interactions, but they were insignificant, and though we had been around each other, we had never really spoken. Well, that autumn, the rumor about Cassie that was floating around was that she was into bondage. Now, this was a few decades ago. Back then, society was certainly less open and accepting to deviations from "normal" behavior. Cassie's outward appearance gave no hint that she was into bondage, though. She appeared quite normal, in fact. She was cute, in a plain-looking way. She was always dressed nicely, even when in casual clothes. You would never see her in old, worn-looking clothing. If anything, it looked like she came from a more affluent family. She seemed nice. She wasn't boisterous, but rather, she was somewhere between introvert and extrovert. Hers was a friendly smile. I never saw her with a guy, and nothing coming out of the rumor mill indicated that she had a boyfriend. Now, with this rumor, I was intrigued.
Quite some time had passed. It was now the spring semester and I again heard someone casually joke that you shouldn't mess with Cassie because she might "tie you up and do things to you". There was no evidence to support the rumor, but at the same time, Cassie never refuted it. She just smiled her friendly smile. It didn't seem to impact her friendships, which left you wondering if the rumor was true. Was she just a good sport who could take a joke? Or, was she just comfortable with people knowing her exotic preferences? Perhaps, allowing people to know this about her was her way of finding someone with similar interests?
So was my thinking when I had a chance encounter with her in a hallway one day early that semester.
With a lack of eloquence that typifies a last minute decision to say something, I said, awkwardly, "So I hear you're into tying people up."
She looked up at me, someone she hardly ever regarded before, and with that smile, said, "Yes, I really like using those little leather cuffs."
"Very interesting," I replied, thinking to myself how dumb I sounded as I said it.
I knew exactly what she was talking about, though, and I think she could tell. But she might have been joking. There was no way to know. Nonetheless, our brief encounter ended and we just continued on our separate ways.
Near the end of spring semester, a larger group of folks from the team met at a local diner for dinner. We would all be leaving school for the summer, and the group would not be together again until the fall semester. I noticed Cassie was there, but that would not have been unusual. She sat there surrounded by the popular folks, as usual, and she didn't seem to notice me. To my surprise, though, just before leaving for the evening, she approached, discreetly handing me a little, folded note. I then went to my car and opened the note. It read, in cheerful writing, "Wanna have lunch one day?" followed by her phone number.
Whatever I was thinking about prior to that moment was totally lost. I was completely intrigued. It had been a while since I had dated anyone, and I thought it would be fun to go out with someone and perhaps even have a girlfriend again - even more fun if the rumors about her exotic tendencies proved true.
She seemed excited when she handed me that note, and now I, too, was excited, so I thought it best to call her that same evening. When she answered the phone, she sounded glad that I called.
She asked, "So, do you want to have lunch with me? How about tomorrow?"
Tomorrow was a Saturday and I would be off from work for the weekend.
"Sure. I'm looking forward to it," I replied
"Great! I'll pick you up at noon."
I was surprised that she wanted to drive.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" I asked.
"Nope. I asked you to join me, so I will do the driving!"
I concurred, and told her I'd see her tomorrow. I sensed that this girl liked to be in control.
She arrived to pick me up right on schedule. She was driving a very new-looking car - atypical of college students back then - and looked adorable in her pony tail and a little shorts outfit. She was beaming with an enthusiasm that was quite alluring. I had never seen her this way and I was thrilled to be with her.
I was a little nervous when she drove us to what looked like a fancy and expensive restaurant that was adjacent to a beautiful park. It was quite clear now that she must come from a well to do family. I had come from more modest means, so to speak, and she could sense my discomfort.
"Don't worry," she said. "I asked you out, and lunch is on me."
I tried to refute her, but she would have none of it. She just grabbed my hand and enthusiastically led me into the restaurant.
During what was a wonderful lunch, we had a joyful, getting-to-know-you kind of conversation that made the time pass quickly. Afterwards, she asked if we could take a walk through the park, and she held my hand warmly as we strolled through fields of springtime flowers and blossoming trees in spring green.
At a quiet corner of the park, she turned to face me in a beaming smile and asked, "Well, are you going to kiss me?"
I obliged, and she melted in my arms. It was one of those wonderful, perfect moments that can be so infrequent in life.
"I guess this makes you my girlfriend," I declared.
"I guess this makes you my boyfriend," she replied.
With this, my outlook on the forthcoming summer season became much more optimistic than it had been just a couple of days prior. A happy, new relationship would make it much easier for me to get through a summer of living at home and working 40 hour weeks in a warehouse as my summer job.
"Would you like to see where I live?" she asked.
I did want to see.
She drove towards the heart of the small city where our college was located, parking at an apartment complex that was not part of the school. Well, now I knew she lived off campus, and I figured that I was just about to meet her roommates. When we entered her apartment, though, it looked more like the apartment of a young professional than that of a college student. It was neat, clean, and even fresh smelling, with new, nice furniture. There was also no evidence of any other inhabitants. Perhaps they were away?
"Do you live alone?" I asked.
"I sure do!" she replied.
We sat and talked again for a time. She removed a bottle from a wine rack, also not typical of a student back then, and proceeded to uncork it, asking if I wanted a glass. The whole scene made me realize that she really did come from a more well to do background. But, she was still a young, fun college student.
As we sat together talking over our glasses of wine, she asked, "How would you like to play strip poker?"
This seemed like a great idea. So, she produced a deck of cards and two velvety satchels with string ties that were pulled shut. She referred to the two satchels simply as "bags".
