Always - Part 1
After much re-writing and editing, I finally have part one of the story ready to go. It didn't start out to be so long, but Mike and Tiffany kept talking to me, and so their story kept going. This is a slow burn, so please be patient for the sexy parts. As always, votes and constructive comments are welcome at all times.
Trigger warning - there is an upcoming scene where several characters are involved in a sexual assault. It is not highly descriptive, but it is there nonetheless. In no way do I condone this type of action, but the scene exists. Thanks, and please enjoy my story.
Mike Wilson looked around at the other students in his business accounting class and thought to himself 'I'm almost old enough to be these kids' father. What the hell am I doing here'? What was he doing there, indeed. He had had a rough past few years, and was finally on his way to starting anew. He had dropped out of college years earlier, and thought now was a good time to finish what he started. He was very much an introvert and usually kept to himself during and after classes.
As he looked around at the chattering students he noticed one that looked older than most of the others. Her name was Tiffany, and he had seen her in several of his other classes over the last year where she seemed to really care about what she was learning. She often engaged the professors in dialogues that were more intellectual than the usual college student banter, and had caught his eye several times and smiled. And right now was another of those times, as he realized he was staring at her and she was smiling back. As he began to stand to sit near her, the professor entered the room, ready to begin his lecture, so Mike sat back down, hoping to catch Tiffany after class.
After a long 45-minute lecture, the professor gave the class a 15-minute break before heading into their lab session. Mike thought this might be a good time to talk with Tiffany, but before he got to her seat several classmates, mostly women, surrounded her. Not interested in engaging in the usual chatter, he instead left the room to refill his water bottle and get ready to work alone - as usual - during the lab.
As the students began to re-gather for the lab, Mike was surprised to see Tiffany standing next to him. Looking up in surprise he saw her smiling at him.
"Care to work with a partner today, Mike? If so, how about if I join you?"
"Yes, I'd love to work with someone today. Grab a seat, Tiffany."
As the lab went on, their interactions were mostly about the class work, but also a little bit of small talk. Neither was willing, it seemed, to disclose much about their personal lives just yet. When the class was done, Mike asked her if she wanted to get some lunch, maybe just stopping at the McDonalds on campus.
"Normally I'd love to, but I have a meeting with my advisor in 15 minutes. Can I take a rain check for another time?"
"Absolutely. It was fun working with you today, Tiffany. I hope we can do it some more."
"I'd like that very much, Mike. See you next class."
Their next class wasn't until Monday, so Mike had the weekend to kill first. His usual weekend routine was to get up early, do either a five-mile run or a workout in the gym, shower and then have a leisurely breakfast; sometimes he went to a local diner and other times to a coffee shop. He always read the morning paper front to back and prided himself on keeping up on the news of the world. When he was done, it was time to finish any class work he needed to do. A lonely existence, for certain, but one that was to his liking.
He didn't see Tiffany in class the following Monday, so he was anxious to see her again on Wednesday - but once again, she wasn't there. He was beginning to worry, since he had never known her to skip class, especially two in a row. He decided that if she wasn't in class on Friday, he would try to find her number and give her a call to see if everything was ok.
Friday's class came, and several friends once again surrounded her. Mike caught her eye and she smiled at him, and began to come his way.
"Mind if I join you today?"
"Not at all. I was beginning to worry after not seeing you in class all week. Everything ok?"
Tiffany gave him a forced smile and nodded her head.
"Yeah, just some family things that needed to be taken care of. Hopefully everything is good now. Thanks for asking."
Before Mike could answer, the professor stepped in and class began. It was a short lecture, for a change, but that meant a longer lab period. Mike didn't mind, as that gave him a better chance of talking with Tiffany.
The lab session proved to be more difficult than usual, so their chance of talking about anything other than the lab work was mostly impossible. Finishing up, Tiffany looked at Mike and asked if he wanted to cash her rain check.
"Absolutely. I'd like the chance to get to know you more. MickeyD's, here we come."
As it was a beautiful late summer day, they decided to sit on the patio and enjoy the weather. They chatted about their classes, their majors (he was in business, she was undecided), and the outlook for the college football team (dismal, as usual). When they were done, Mike cleared their wrappers and bought each of them ice cream. Finally Mike looked at Tiffany with a serious look.
"Is it ok if I ask you a serious question, something a little personal? If you don't want to answer, that's fine."
Tiffany looked at him with a serious look of her own, and nodded her head.
"So what's the deal with you here? You look older than most of the other students, you are seemingly always surrounded by a gaggle of pretty girls, and you ask some of the most sophisticated questions I've ever heard, ones that sometimes stump the professors. You're smart, well read, and seemingly a good student, but you seem out of place sometimes."
Tiffany looked at Mike with a small smile on her face when she replied.
"My deal? You
are
older than everyone in the class, you almost never talk to anyone, yet you're also smart and engaging in class. And you certainly seem out of place here."
"Fair enough - but I asked you first."
Laughing, Tiffany got up to refill their drinks.
"What's my deal? Simple, really. When I was in grade school, I was "a handful". In middle school I was a complete bratty bitch. In high school I was out of control. I seldom did any homework, often skipped class, and started hanging out with the wrong people. I stayed out later and later, partying all the time. Alcohol was my best friend, but as crazy as I got, I never got into the drug scene. How I graduated was beyond me, and my parents were happy to ship me off to college. My first two years I kept my bad habits, doing only enough to stay out of academic probation. And then things changed.
"The summer before my junior year, my best friend died...in my arms. She was in an abusive relationship, and one night she and her boyfriend got high on meth and he started to beat her. He was so fucked up, he had no idea what he was doing; he said later the voices in his head were telling him she was the devil and had to be killed. And that's what he did - he beat her to death. The worst part was she died in my arms, crying and asking why he did that to her. We were all supposed to go out that night, and when I happened to stop by early, I heard what was going on. I called 911, but by the time the cops arrived, it was too late. When they entered the apartment, I was on the floor, holding my friend, covered in her blood, crying. Andrew was calmly sitting on the couch, watching us. He was also covered in Pam's blood, but cackling about killing the devil, so it was pretty clear to the cops what happened. He was arrested and finally convicted of murder, so he will spend the rest of his life in prison - and I hope he rots in there."
Tiffany was crying softly and Mike had no idea what to do or say, so he slid next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Oh my god, Tiffany. I'm so sorry. You didn't have to tell me that story, especially since it's so traumatic."
Tiffany sobbed for a while longer. When she stopped, she looked at Mike and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"You are only the second person I've told that to. The other one was my shrink. But as horrible as that all was, it set me straight. I stopped drinking and partying, dropped most of the people I was hanging out with, and began to take my studies seriously, even though hours-wise I was still a freshman. I realized I'd been given a gift - a gift of a second chance, and I wasn't going to blow it. Since then I've dedicated myself to becoming the kind of person Pam would be proud of. And so far, it's working. And as for the girls hanging around me, they are my sorority sisters. Joining one wasn't my idea - it was something I did for my mom, as she was in the same sorority.
"Now, there are many more parts of my life I haven't told you, but I'm saving them for another show and tell time. Now it's your turn."
"Another time?"
"Yep, another time. I like you, Mike, and I hope we can become good friends as the year goes on. Now talk, buster."
"Unlike you, I've always loved school. I was valedictorian of my high school class and on the honor roll all four years. I earned an academic scholarship to UNC, and all was good. My second day on campus I met the woman who would eventually become my wife."
"Wait - you're married?"
"No, not anymore. Please, let me go on.
"Beth and I were introduced by some mutual friends, and we hit it off right away. From that point on, we were inseparable. I was going to be an accountant and she was going to be a teacher - and everything was great. Then life happened - Beth got pregnant. Both sets of parents were disappointed, but both said they would support us any way we needed. One semester short of graduating I dropped out to get a job while Beth stayed in school. She graduated with her education major and I got a job at the local Ford plant. It was difficult at first, but we were determined to make things work. And we did.
"She got a job teaching high school English and I stayed at the factory, building F-150s. Three years later our son David was born, joining his big sister Grace. And life was good.
"Several years later, Beth was driving the kids home from the local pool when a drunken, entitled asshole decided it was better to drive drunk than to call a taxi - and he drove his SUV through a red light, t-boning Beth and the kids. Her car flipped five or six times, coming to rest on its side. The paramedics later told me she died instantly, along with my kids. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I was given a leave of absence from my job, and once the funerals were over, I fell into a deep depression.
"For six months I barely left my house, as I couldn't bear to see people anymore. My parents, and Beth's parents, were wonderful during this time, bringing me groceries and checking on me. Eventually, the case went to court, as the driver was charged with numerous counts, including DUI and three counts of vehicular homicide. His daddy was rich and well connected and his lawyers tried to make it Beth's fault. My lawyer was the D.A., and he'd been trying to get this kid convicted of DUI several times in the past, but daddy always bought the kid out. But not this time. Witnesses were the cops who responded, the paramedics, and numerous people who saw the accident happen. And they all corroborated that the kid was at fault.
