Tell Me I Can Hope

Alex de Kok, (c) 2002

Author's Note: Essentially this little tale is a sequel to 'A Date for the Prom'. However, both stories stand independently and are complete in themselves.

My sincere and grateful thanks to Quint and Margo for editorial input. To them is due a lot of the credit. Any mistakes remaining are mine.

* * * * *

"Jim! Jim Bartlett! Wait up!" Running feet behind me, and the voice was familiar, but here? I stopped and turned.

"Alison! What are you doing here? I thought you were in New York." My heart gave a funny little lurch.

"I was. I didn't like it so I transferred here. Whoo-ee, you're a fast walker." She stood, uncertain, breathing heavily.

"I spend so much time at the computer that walking is just about my only exercise outside the pool," I said. "Want to grab a coffee? There's a little place along here. It'll give you a chance to catch your breath and then you can tell me why you're not in New York."

"I'd love to! Is this place any good?"

"I dunno. Let's find out." We went in and I ordered two coffees, then joined Alison at the corner table she'd found. We each took a sip and I sat back.

"So, give. Why are you here?" I didn't really care, but I had realised that I was very glad to see her again and just wanted to keep her there for a while.

She shrugged. "I couldn't settle in New York. Too big. I managed to get a transfer down here. I'm pleased, it's a lovely campus." She looked at me and smiled. "You're looking good, Jim. It's great to see you again."

"You too." And it was. Seeing her for the first time in almost a year made me realise how much I'd missed her since our stupid break-up. I sat and just looked at her for a moment or two. She was as lovely as ever. "How long have you been here?"

"Only since Monday. I missed a couple of classes trying to get myself sorted out. I'll need to do some catching up."

"Anything I can help you with?" I wanted an excuse to spend some time with her, but I wasn't sure whether she would be interested in taking up with me again.

"Oh, Jim, could you?" she said eagerly. "I'll tell you what I need most, some help on C pointers. I must have missed a week somewhere or something, but they've got my brain all tied in knots."

"You're not the first!" I said, laughing. "Sure, no problem. It might be best in one of the labs, if they're not too busy. I have a couple of demo programs that will help. I'll need to go to get them, so I'll meet you at what, say four-thirty? I have a class at three so I can't do it sooner."

She grimaced. "Okay, I guess, but Jim, I don't really know my way around the labs yet. I'm still new around here and I don't know anyone except you and my roommate. Did you say you have a computer in your dorm?"

"Not dorm, no. I'm sharing a duplex with a couple of other students. But, yeah, I have my own computer there and I have to go to collect the demo programs anyway. If you want to come out, you'll be welcome." Please come out.

"You've got a place off campus? That's wonderful! I'm jealous as hell." She pulled a face. "I'm living in a stupid dorm. Listen, I found this Chinese restaurant that has fabulous food. Why don't I pick some up and meet you at your place at four-thirty?" She stopped, embarrassed suddenly. "I mean, if you can stand to be alone with me after what happened last time," she said hesitantly.

I ignored her embarrassment. I liked her. I liked the thought of being alone with her again. Perhaps...? Aloud I said, "Ha! You remembered I love Chinese food. That would be great. The duplex is on Lee Boulevard. Number 1224. Would you make it five, rather than four-thirty. It will give me a chance to shower and change before you get there. Okay?" I wanted to be clean and fresh. Okay, nothing was going to happen, but I'd feel better if I didn't stink.

"Five o'clock it is. I'll see you then. 'Bye." Alison stood to leave and I stood, too. She paused. "This is very good of you, Jim. I mean, after, well, you know...? It is really very sweet of you to help me like this. I really appreciate it."

"We're still friends, Alison."

She stood on tiptoe and gave me an impulsive kiss on the cheek. "It's still very sweet of you. 'Bye for now."

She turned and walked away and I watched the long red hair swing and that tight round swimmer's ass of hers rolling in her snug denim skirt. The waitress had to speak three times before she caught my attention, but she was smiling.

Alison arrived promptly at five, bearing a veritable feast - enough for four, rather than two, but we ate it all between us. After we'd cleared up, Alison sat back in her chair and patted her stomach.

"I need to sit quietly for a while after that. Talk to me about pointers."

So I did. I knew from back home that Alison was quick-witted and intelligent. It didn't take long before she had grasped the principles and we moved up to my room where I had a couple of useful tutorials on my hard drive. We worked through those together and she had no problems after the first couple of exercises.

"Thank goodness for that!" she exclaimed. "I feel much happier now." She turned to me and smiled. "Thank you, Jim, thank you very much. I think I half expected you to say no when I asked you."

I shrugged. "New beginnings. There's no point in wondering about what might have been and regretting the past. Good or bad, it's gone and there's nothing we can do about it."

"True," she smiled, then, in a rush, "How's Cheryl?"

"Fine, last I heard. She went home."

"You aren't seeing each other?"

"No, we aren't." And we never will, unless Catherine decides to don her blonde wig and alter ego again.

"I'm sorry," she said. She didn't look sorry, she looked pleased, although she tried to hide it.

"No need. I had a date for the Prom and Cheryl and I had a good time." A very good time.

Alison nodded thoughtfully and looked at her watch. "It's only nine. Mind if I hang around for a while? My roommate's not likely to be back until after midnight. Heavy date. What about you? You seem to be alone here."

"Yep."

"Nobody else in the house?"

"Just me." I looked at her quizzically. "Why all the questions?"

She grinned. "Come on, Jim, you've known me long enough. You know I have to know everything."

I laughed. "You haven't changed. Okay, if you're staying, want to watch some TV?"

She shrugged. "Why not? What's on?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

The usual rubbish, it turned out. I got us some sodas and popcorn and we sat together on the couch, making disparaging remarks about the programs just as we used to do before we broke up, gossiping, talking about mutual friends, easing ourselves back into something resembling our old relationship. I began to wonder if she would say 'yes' if I asked her out.

'Basic Instinct' was due to be shown again on HBO at ten, so we switched over and actually watched that for a while. It got to the sex scene between Michael Douglas and Jeanne Tripplehorn and for some reason we turned to each other at the exact same moment. Our faces were about six inches apart and I stopped, mesmerised by the flush on Alison's cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes.

Whatever we might have been about to say died unspoken as we leaned slowly towards each other until our lips met in our first kiss for nearly a year. It was a gentle kiss at first until Alison moaned deep in her throat and her lips parted, her tongue easing out to wrestle with mine.

I had my left arm behind her neck, my right on her hip. Hers were around my neck by now and we hugged each other fiercely as our lips bruised. At last we broke apart and she looked at me wonderingly, her fingers lightly trailing over my lips, along my jaw, down my cheek. She shook her head, then looked at me, a glisten of tears in her eyes.

"Tell me I can hope," she whispered.

A vast joy filled me and I smiled at her. "I've missed you, sweetheart."

I'll never understand women, for Alison burst into tears. I reached out and drew her to me and let her cry herself out. It didn't take long, and as she pushed herself away I solemnly handed her a box of tissues. She smiled wanly, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "For all those terrible things I said about you, you know...." Her voice trailed off.

"You already apologised for that, after the Prom, remember," I said gently.

"I do. I didn't know if you would."

"Yes, I remember." I remembered that night for other reasons, too. My first blow-job. My first fuck.

"I'm surprised you remember anything other than Cheryl," she teased.

"Careful," I warned her, laughing. It was true, my memories of that night were almost all about Cheryl. Or Catherine, perhaps I should say, as they are the same person.

Alison surprised me. She flushed scarlet and said, "I still owe you a hand-job." She smiled wryly. "One that I actually finish."

I stared at her for a moment, then grinned as my prick twitched in my under-shorts. This night was turning out better than I dared to hope. "I guess you do. The last one didn't turn out too well, did it?"

She giggled. "You can say that again." She looked around. "Here?"

"Better in my room, I think."

She nodded. "Lead on."

We went back upstairs. Anticipation was beginning to thicken my prick and it was a tad uncomfortable walking up to my room. We held hands all the way up. In my room Alison looked around as if she'd never seen it before, never mind that less than two hours earlier she'd been working on my computer. I guess before it was the computer on our minds. Now it was the bed. Alison looked sideways at me, then looked away for a moment. She turned back to me.

"We are alone, aren't we?" she said, obviously something on her mind.

"Absolutely. Definitely. There's only me here at the moment. The others are at the beach for the weekend. They left at noon. Won't be back until Monday."

Alison gnawed at her bottom lip for a moment, colour high in her cheeks. "Last time we tried this, it was a disaster," she said hesitantly. "I don't want you coming all over my clothes again, so I either put a condom on you, or I take my clothes off. Which do you prefer?"

"Ah, I...," I began, swallowed , and tried again. "Um, the clothes one..."

She looked at me, gave a lopsided smile and began to unbutton her blouse. She glanced down and grinned, bright colour in her cheeks. "I think you'd be more comfortable without clothes, too."

I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat to match the one in my pants. "I guess I would." I watched her as I dragged off my tee-shirt, loosened my belt and unzipped my jeans. Her blouse was unbuttoned now and she pulled it out of the top of her skirt and shrugged it off. A half-cup bra supported her lovely breasts, although there couldn't have been much support involved, for when she unfastened it there was no downward movement of them that I could see. Her nipples were erect and she smiled vividly as she saw me staring. I guess I was staring because her breasts were - are - lovely. They're not large, but they're beautifully shaped, with nipples the size of my little finger-tip on conical areola. Her hand was on her skirt zipper by now and I pushed my jeans down and stepped out of them as she discarded her skirt. Her panties echoed the downward motion of my boxers and suddenly we were naked together for the first time.

There was a moment of awkwardness; then I reached out and drew her gently towards me. I hugged her, her breasts flattening enticingly against my chest, and then eased her away until I could hold her at arms' length.

"I want to look at you," I said softly. She took a step back and waited, all of her weight on one leg, the other slightly bent, her hands moving to tie her hair back, her breasts lifting in echo of the motion.

"You're beautiful, Alison," I said, my voice suddenly hoarse.

"You are, too, Jim," she said, gazing at my erection, now rock hard and pointing firmly skywards. "I never saw it in the light before." There was a smile in her voice as her eyes met mine. "Remember what Cheryl said to me on Prom night?"

"When you came over to be introduced?"

Alison winced. "When I came over to put you down to her, you mean, to tell her you came too quick."

I shrugged. "So? That's in the past."

"I can't get what Cheryl said out of my head. You remember?"

I laughed. "I don't think I'll ever forget. You said, 'he's a quick shot', then 'he comes too quickly', or something like that."

"Or something, but I'll never forget what Cheryl replied. 'Only the first time; I swallow that. The second and third times he's much, much slower'." Alison shook her head. "That really rocked me, and then when you asked me what you'd ever done to me to make me feel that I had to hurt you, I finally began to realise that you hadn't done anything, that your excitement that night was a compliment." She smiled ruefully. "I felt this big," she said, her thumb and finger an inch apart. "I'm glad I was able to apologise later that night." She paused. "Did you and Cheryl, I mean, oh hell, sorry, Jim, I'm sorry, it's none of my business."

"Did we fuck?"

Alison nodded.

"We did, and it was wonderful, and yes, she swallowed the first and then we fucked twice." I laughed. "The first and second, and so far only times I've ever fucked."

Alison stared at me for a long, long moment, then cleared her throat, a spot of colour burning on each cheek. "I'd like..." she began, then cleared her throat again. "I'd like to be your third," she managed to say, "If you'll be my first."

I looked at her, speechless, my own throat suddenly blocked, excitement building in me. "Are you sure? Really sure?"

She nodded. "I am, Jim."

"Please, Alison, I would really, really like to make love to you," I said hoarsely. Oh, God, yes!

A radiant smile lit Alison's face and then she hesitated. "Jim?" she asked earnestly, "can we do it Cheryl's way?"

"You mean...?"

"Yes. I want to go down on you first, instead of a hand-job."

I didn't answer her at first; instead I asked her a question. "Can you stay tonight? I mean, all night?"

She looked surprised, then pleased, then anxious. "Do you want me to?"

"Very, very much."

Her face cleared and I saw a longing anticipation there. "Yes. Please. I'd love to stay," she said softly.

"Okay then, but you still owe me a hand-job."

She laughed and pouted. "But I want to suck you off," she said in a little-girl voice, and sniffed. "I'll give you a hand-job in the morning, if you really, really, really want one."

I frowned in mock irritation. "Oh, all right." I grumbled, but Alison wasn't fooled. She was used to my teasing, and she knew that no red-blooded male in his right mind would want to turn down a blow-job in favour of a hand-job, but then I threw her the curve. "But only if you let me eat you, too."

She looked at me in surprise, then shuddered. "God, yes!"

I lay back on the bed, my erection pointed firmly somewhere up near the ceiling. Alison knelt beside me and bent over to kiss me. As she did so I cupped her breasts and let my thumbs rub gently over her nipples, enjoying the contrast between their hardness and the warm softness of her breasts. She broke the kiss and sat back on her heels, knees together. She grinned ruefully at me.

"I've never actually done this before. What do I do?"

I laughed. "Don't just suck; that won't work by itself. Sort of fuck me with your mouth, as if your mouth were a pussy."

She gave a delicious shiver, her breasts quivering delightfully. "Mmm, that sounds like fun."

She bent and extended her tongue, like a cat, pointing it and licking the underside of my prick from balls to crown. It twitched and achieved the impossible by getting even harder. Alison giggled, that warm, fruity gurgle that I remembered so well, and did it again. She looked up at me, eyes sparkling, and opened her mouth to envelop my prick. I was lost in a sensation of warmth and wetness. Alison had only taken the first inch or so of me into her mouth, but those sensitive nerve ends around the glans were working overtime in giving me sensations. She was kneeling to one side, leaning across, a hand on either side of my hips. I spread my legs, nudging against her and without missing a beat she moved so that she was kneeling between my thighs, her lips never leaving my prick.

She was better balanced now, so that she could lightly grip the base of my pole with one hand and stroke my balls with the other. She was moving smoothly, her lips a warm, wet 'O' around my prick. I was excited, and I knew I wouldn't be long in coming.

This was a far cry from our last time, when Alison had freaked as my premature ejaculation splattered her face and dress. Being caught and grounded by her mother hadn't helped and Alison put the final nail in my love life coffin when she told all the other girls.

I'd barely seen her since then and her transfer had surprised me. But that surprise was nothing compared to the position I found myself in now, with a naked Alison sucking my prick, and quite skilfully too, despite her protestations of inexperience.

She was bobbing her head now, her lips moving smoothly over my aching pole. I hadn't jacked-off that day and I knew I couldn't last. I stroked Alison's head and jumped as her teeth caught my glans. She looked up, horrified.

"Jim, I'm so sorry!"

"Okay, just be careful." I laughed, and took in a long shuddering breath as her lips closed over me again. "You're doing great, sweetheart."

She glanced up at me and winked, never ceasing her ministrations to my prick. She had an easy grasp on my rigidity and began to gently bob her head again. Her lips were snug around me and I began to wonder what her pussy would feel like later, after I'd eaten her in my turn and I fucked her for the first time. Thoughts like that didn't help my equilibrium and I could feel my balls begin to tighten.

"God, Alison," I managed to say, "I'm getting very close. You're going to make me come, very soon now."

She took her mouth from my prick, replacing her lips with her fingers and keeping the momentum going. She smiled. "I want to taste you, Jim."

I groaned at the thought and exulted in the feel of her lips closing around me again. I knew it couldn't be long now and it wasn't, for I could feel that exquisite agony building in my prick, that breathlessness.

"I'm almost there, baby, very close," I gasped, almost coherently.

She winked at me and resumed her gentle bobbing. If I'd been jacking-off I would have been stroking faster by now, but Alison kept up the same easy pace and I was suffering exquisite torture. I knew, though, that it would be but moments and I felt the explosion about to happen.

"Alison," I said urgently. "I'm going to come, baby, I'm going to come now. I'm goi... Oh shit!" I cried as I came.

But she knew that by now as she was swallowing frantically as my semen filled her mouth. Gradually I slowed, the pulses slowing to nothing as Alison licked gently over the super-sensitive head of my slowly shrinking erection. She lifted her head off me and sat back, licking her lips, an absorbed expression on her face. She caught my puzzled look and grinned.

"Just trying to analyse the taste. I've decided it's unique, because you're the first I've ever tasted, so I have no basis for comparison. Did I do it right?"

"Very much so." I reached out and took her hand, tugging gently so that she came to lie beside me, my left arm under her neck, my right stroking softly over her erect nipples, letting my fingertips roam over her loveliness. I bent to kiss her, my tongue pressing between her lips. I could almost feel her surprise but she responded urgently, her arms clutching at me. I gently broke the kiss and she moved back in the circle of my arms, her eyes all over my face, bright, curious.