Our relationship had begun just before the end of the fall semester, so this would be our first Valentine's Day together despite having been friends for our entire college careers. With just one more semester of studying and testing and applying to grad schools nationwide, we knew that we needed to make the most of our time together in case Jenni and I were to be separated by multiple states – or even multiple time zones – come September.
That thus formed the backdrop of our Valentine's Day. As seniors, we both had single dorm rooms, so we did not need to wonder how to enjoy some intimacy without scandalizing any roommates. Neither of us had any night classes for this final semester, and our earliest Wednesday class was at 11:00AM, so we could spend the entire night truly enjoying ourselves romantically if we so chose.
We so chose.
As we had agreed, I made my way across the snow-covered campus night to her dorm. As I approached her building, I happened to run into a mutual friend, Cherry, who winked at me and simply said with a wicked grin, "Don't stay up all night!"
I actually wondered if we would, as Jenni and I had yet to make love. She had confided in me about a year earlier that her one and only sexual experience had been very dissatisfying. On the night before her high school graduation, she had gone out with a number of friends for one final celebration together, and everyone had paired off. Although she had long been interested in Don, she had tried to simply fool around with him, but he had somehow talked her out of her clothes, then forced himself inside her, taking her precious virginity and climaxing so quickly that she had barely felt anything good from the experience. What had made the experience worse was that several of her friends had witnessed the entire situation.
I intended to give her a very memorable experience to override those unpleasant memories. I would not be able to give her another first time, but I wanted to at least help her to banish that terrible event from her mind.
As I slid my student identification card through the reader to open the door to the building, I pictured Jenni nude, kneeling in the near-darkness upon a furry rug close to a glowing fireplace, her smile betraying her nervousness as she looked toward me. To make love before a burning fire was a fantasy she had admitted to me a few weeks earlier, which – perhaps unbeknownst to her – gave me the knowledge of how to make this an even more enjoyable time for her.
I mounted the steps, meeting Josephine and Chuck on the second-floor landing. They held hands as the three of us chatted briefly, then they headed out to see a film together. I stood there for a moment, watching them descend the stairs, proud of them for having a relationship that had survived the trials and tribulations of both high school and college, especially as an interracial couple in a very unsympathetic town in terms of race relations.
I finally stood before the door I desperately wanted to enter. Unlike the other students on this floor, Jenni had never decorated her door, so it simply bore the room number: "304." So non-descript, which in ways was a good reflection of her personality. Jenni was not someone a stranger would pass on the sidewalk and remember three seconds later. She could be standing in the middle of a boxing ring, well before the fight began, yet no one would take notice of her. She had a quiet voice, sweet and melodic. Dressing casually yet conservatively, not many people would look at her twice. And she had relatively few friends on campus, because after her experience with Don, she found it very hard to trust anyone, especially guys.
And that was why it was a true honor to be the one knocking upon the plain-looking door, especially on this particular night.
"It's open." I barely heard her voice permeate the wood. With a deep breath to quell my slight nervousness, I opened the door, stepping into the near-darkness within.
In the small dorm room, only a single candle upon her desk provided any light. Across the small space from her desk was the single bed, upon which Jenni and I had often cuddled. This time, Jenni sat upon the bed wearing a beautiful white dress with a lacy neckline and similar hem just above the knees. A wide black belt made her hips a little more pronounced. Her legs were clad in white, whether from pantyhose or stockings I could not tell. She finished the outfit with white low heels, her usual tiny hoop earrings, and her straight brown hair flowing over her shoulders and brushing the tops of her breasts. If she wore any make-up, it was very light and difficult to see in the candlelight.
"Happy Valentine's Day," she said softly with a smile as I closed and locked the door. When I turned around, she stood before me, her arms spread wide. Even though I still wore my backpack, we embraced, sharing a long hug interrupted only by an occasional kiss.
At last, I stepped back, holding her at arm's length by the shoulders. In the dim candlelight, I gazed deep into her eyes. "I just want you to know... I won't do anything you don't want me to do, okay?"
"I know," Jenni replied, her voice even softer than usual, her eyes never wavering. "I trust you, immensely, more than I've trusted anyone outside my immediate family."
I released my girlfriend and removed the backpack, setting it on the floor in front of her closet door. "Why did you bring that?" she asked.
"You'll see," I replied, slipping out of my coat and hanging it on a hook embedded in the wall.
"Do you want to exchange presents first or cuddle first?" she asked, her tone making me think she was hinting at something which was not included in the vocalized options.
"Your choice," I replied. "As far as I am concerned, this night is all about you."
Jenni took my hand and towed me to her bed. She sat again, motioning for me to sit beside her. I did, and then, as if we were sharing the same mind, we reached for each other, our lips joining as our hands held each other's head in place. Somehow, I was able to remain the gentleman, my hands remaining upon the socially-acceptable places of her body instead of gravitating toward her chest or attempting to reach up underneath her dress. Her tongue danced with mine, first in my mouth, then in hers, as she slowly melted, leaning against me, her breasts pressing against me and drawing the focus of my mind away from her lips and her tongue and her exploring hands.
In the hallway, I heard a pair of girls pass by, chatting loudly. Outside, an impatient driver in the parking lot below blared a car horn several times. But the best sound was Jenni's quiet breath as she pulled away, our lips finally parting so she could rest her head upon my shoulder for a moment.
The car horn silenced and the noisy student conversation having faded away, my girlfriend extricated herself from my hold and stood beside the bed, looking down upon me with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. She turned and went to the small portable CD player with the portable plug-in speakers, and moments later, the opening notes of a violin solo reached my ears.
"Dance with me?" she asked quietly, her arms outstretched toward me. I certainly could not refuse, even though I am admittedly a lousy dancer, and when the violin solo ended perhaps ten minutes later, I had proudly succeeded in not stepping on her toes. The dance ended with a kiss which lasted well into the next piece, a violin-piano duet.
