By the time I returned to the living room she had stopped shivering, but, was still sitting in front of the fire. Still wrapped in the blanket.
"Here you go. Careful it's hot."
She looked up at me, for the first time. I think both my heart and breathing stopped, simultaneously.
"Bev?"
Her eyes wide, as she took in who was standing before her.
"Bill?"
My brain did a quick 'flashback' to my high school graduation party in 1968. It was the last time I saw her. (If you're interested, see my previous story 'Graduation Summer Chapter 1 page 2, to read the brief encounter that night. If not, I'll just repeat a little here).
Bev was beautifully HOT and was featured in many of my high school 'self-pleasuring' sessions. She was petite about 5 foot 4 inch, 95 pounds, shoulder length straight brown hair, tiny waist, flawless lightly tanned skin, tight little bottom, and beautiful small apple-sized 32A or small B breasts.
I remembered that Bev had done some ballet in her early years in high school. Hence her, always, petite/lithe body. I also remembered that she had always flirted with me when we were alone. She knew I had a major crush on her. I could have/should have asked her out in those last years of high school; but, was too shy and kind of felt she was out of my league. She was very popular and always hung out with the 'cool' crowd. I was not a 'Social Butterfly'. At the time, I was too dense to pick up on her flirting to realize that she would have gone out with me in a heartbeat, if I had asked.
That night, at the graduation party, she pulled me behind an unknown pickup truck, turned, locked her arms around my neck, pressed her whole body into me as our lips met and locked, for the first time. I remember thinking, 'Man that girl could kiss!!'
I remember telling her that I had dreamt what would have been like to have dated her. To this day, I'll never forget her next five words.
"It would've been like this," as she moved in for another, and final, round.
I was still in a daze. I didn't notice that she had stood, and came over to me, until I felt her wrap her arms around my neck and press her firm petite body into mine. Even through my cotton flannel shirt, I could feel those wonderfully firm little breasts against my chest. My arms instinctively embraced her as she pressed her face into my soft cotton shirt.
"I can't believe it. Of all the places in the world, to get stuck on a cold and blizzardly night, I get stuck in
your
driveway, show up at
your
door shivering... freezing, and find myself warming in front of
your
fireplace."
Stepping back a bit, so that I could look at her. I lost myself in her soft smoky-gray eyes. The same beautiful face that I remembered so well, from years ago. She hadn't changed. Those soft pink lips that I had briefly kissed that night. The flawless completion that I remembered, so well in high school. Her cheeks a flushed pink, both from the earlier cold and now from the warmth of the fire.
"Bev, what were you doing out, on a night like this?"
"I was on my way to see my girlfriend. The main highway was blocked, I think there was some kind of accident. I tried to find a way around it on the county roads. I thought I knew where I was going. I got lost in all of the blowing snow. And when I tried to turn around, I got stuck in your driveway. I tried to rock the car out, but I think the snow from the snowplow had piled up so much under the car, I couldn't get out. I just sat there and cried. I didn't know what to do. Where to go. Then the wind died for a moment, and I saw your yard light, and thought, 'If only I could make to the house. Maybe I can get some help. Otherwise, all I could think of, was waiting for a snowplow to come by to, maybe, pull me out, or something."
"But, didn't you know that it was going to get
really
bad out?"
"Yeah, I heard that last night, and earlier today. But, it wasn't too bad when I started and I thought I could beat the worst part. I kind of wanted to be with my girlfriend during the storm, instead of just sitting at my apartment by myself. I guess I messed up."
"But how did you know that some kind of axe murder or serial rapist didn't live here?" I grinned.
She casually shrugged her shoulders and grinned back, "I guess, I figured it was better than freezing to death."
"Bill, I hate to ask; but, my suitcase is in the trunk with all of my stuff. Would it be possible for you to go out and get it for me? I know that's miserable out there. I'll even go with."
"No. You stay here. Keep warm. I'll go. It'll be fine. Call your girlfriend to let her know that you're OK. You can stay here until they get the roads clear. I'll get you dug out when the weather breaks. I've got enough stuff to eat and everything. So, we'll be fine. Hopefully, the power will stay on. If you're hungry, there are frozen pizzas in the freezer. Help yourself. I ate earlier."
I got my hooded parka, insulated snow boots, insulated gloves, and ski mask on. I was ready to brave the brutal elements.
Her car was
really
stuck. By now, the snowplow had made another pass, and there was snow piled up behind the car, about a foot and a half deep. Luckily, she had pulled in far enough that it wouldn't get clipped by the snowplow. It was a bit of a chore trudging through the piled-up snow, fumbling with the key to get the trunk unlocked. Careful not to drop the key. In the deep snow and the dark, that would have been a disaster. Ever try using a thin key with heavy insulated gloves on? I finally got it open.
By the time I got back, Bev was on the phone with her girlfriend in the other room. I tried not to eavesdrop; but...
"He's a friend that I knew in high school, so I'll be fine... Yeah, I was lucky.... I don't know what time I'll get out of here tomorrow, or the next. We have to dig out my car. I'll let you know.... Yeah, who knows what will happen.... Maybe. I got to go. Talk to you later... bye."
I had just finished getting out of my snow stuff when Bev appeared.
"Thank you. I didn't want my makeup to freeze and to have something to wear. I really...
really
appreciate it. Was it bad out there? Was it too hard to get?"
"Not really. It's good you pulled in as far as you did. Out of the way of the snowplow. It's going to take some shoveling in front to get to where you can drive up here. Then, I'll clear a path to the road. And for the record Bev, you don't need makeup. You've
never
needed makeup."
My comment was sincere, and came from my heart.
She blushed. It was cute as she quietly said, "Thank you. It's been a long time since somebody has said something like that to me."
That puzzled me. I was curious as to what would make her say something like that. If she wanted to talk about it, fine. If not, I wasn't going to push.
"Why don't you go and get comfortable? There's some stuff in the cabinet for your knees. I'll keep an eye on the pizza. Want a beer?"
"I could use a beer... or two... or three," she grinned.
My brain working... reflecting, as I took a long sip.
'OK. You love gods. I hope this isn't some kind of cruel joke for your amusement. Pulling the rug out from under me over a year ago. Smashing my heart into a million pieces. Now; bringing a girl that I admired, and longed for, years ago, back into my life.
'On the other hand, maybe I should thank you. I guess it was good that I saw Terri, for what she was
really
like, before it was too late. The circumstances of me being here. In this house. The storm. Not accepting Jeannie's inviting invitation. Bev appearing at my door, in need of help. My roommate out. Is this your way of helping me heal? To move on? Finally. If it is. I will
always
be in your debt.'
Just then the oven timer went off. Even though I had eaten earlier, my stomach growled, at the aroma of the pepperoni, onion, and mushroom pizza.
Bev appeared, dressed in sweats and a loose sweatshirt, so I couldn't tell it there was a bra there, or not. It didn't matter. She could wear a burlap bag, and still be beautiful and sexy, in my eyes.
We sat at the table, as she devoured over half of the pizza. I had a couple of slices, as we filled each other in on the past five years of our lives.
Bev had gone over to the University of Iowa and majored in Education. She was currently teaching third grade in an elementary school a couple of towns over. She had been there since the beginning of the school year, so really only about five months. A couple of towns over, put her about 30 minutes away from where I was living.
She said she didn't want to go to any of the Illinois universities. She knew that a lot of our classmates would be attending the various universities around the state. It was main reason she wanted to go somewhere away from everyone. Not that she had any problems with anybody, just wanted to be away, for something new. She knew I was going to Southern, which was considered to be a good 'teaching' school; but, it was way too far away.
The town was small, maybe a bit smaller than the one we grew up in. It was the major reason of why she wanted to teach, and live, there. She said it was nice and friendly. Everybody seemed to know everybody, be that 'good' or 'bad'. The town had four schools: grammar school, with kindergarten through third grade, elementary school, with fourth through sixth grade, a junior high, with just seventh and eighth grade, and then a senior high. There was talk about building a new school and combining the grammar and elementary grades, but, taxpayers didn't see the need, and it never got off the ground.
She got along well with her students. Got to know the parents. Would run into them, casually, outside of school, in the local grocery store or whatever.
Weekends, she would hang out with some fellow teachers, from both the elementary school and the middle school. Sometimes drive over to see the girlfriend that she was on her way to see earlier. Had a few dates. Nothing serious. She wasn't looking for anything serious. It was her first year of teaching, and she didn't want any distractions.
She did have a close 'guy friend', her last year in school. That went on for a couple of months. She thought, she had 'found the one'.
Bev, even confided in me that she had lost her virginity with him. The fact, that she was so comfortable, and open, with me, warmed my heart. I was being drawn into her, the more she talked. And I think that it was mutual, as I could feel her level of comfort, as she sat across the table from me.
Then one night, when she was out with some of her classmates and saw him with a 'big-boobed' platinum blonde that was hanging all over him. When she saw that he wasn't resisting, that was that, especially after, he kissed her. She swore off guys for the rest of the school year, and just concentrated on her final classes.
I remembered that our whole senior year, she had been going out with a friend of mine, Gordon, who I also worked with at a local grocery store. You could tell that they had a 'thing' for each other.
"So, what happened with you and Gordon?"
