We stepped back. Ellen took my hand, and we went inside. I checked in to her room with the monitor, and we collected clothes and things and went on to the shower. We found a place, and soaped each other quickly but thoroughly enough, both enjoying the sensuality of soapy hands on sensitive areas. We shared some rather wet kisses, and to my surprise Ellen giggled kind of a lot. I thought and hoped that was pure enjoyment and happiness.
I picked her up by the thighs and carried her the foot or two to put her back against the wall. She put her hands down to guide me in, and then got her arms around my neck again, her legs around me, helping her move, pulling me to her, or herself to me. She came almost at once, without much preliminary buildup, and then a couple of minutes later again. And she did let herself go somewhat with her vocalizing, still pretty quiet compared to a lot of girls. I came as she was in the throes of her orgasm. She was wonderful to me. I pulled out and carefully set her down, and she kissed me with verve. I noticed that Sam was finishing showering nearby, alone, and to my surprise Jenny was as well.
Once dressed, we hurried back to Ellen's room to collect our stuff for the day. We had enough time for a few more kisses. I told her, "Ellen, I heard what you said, more than once. But even if Jenny stays with the current policy, essentially no sex at all, um, if you were to take her place, the whole problem is that lately it's not all that big a place. Bigger than anyone else's, except Sam's, OK. But you once said you'd take all of me over all of Brian, but all of him over a little piece of me. I think I need to warn you that you might be as unsatisfied with Jenny's place as she has been. That piece is still pretty little."
She kissed me once more. "No decisions until the dust settles, no matter what. I'll keep what you said in mind. You keep what I said in mind."
We went to breakfast, and she sat by me, on the other side of me from Sam, where Jenny had always sat. Once again, I didn't spot Jenny anywhere. To my relief, most of the servers seemed to have given up on trying to reward me by fattening me up.
When we were all three done, and had cleared our share of the detritus, Ellen and Sam both kissed me goodbye at some length. Ellen told both of us, "Thank you, it was my most wonderful night lately, maybe at all. If we do it again, I'll try to let you sleep a little more." I was yawning at that very moment. "Please, ask me again sometime soon."
Jenny came and sat by me in history. Maybe we really were heading back toward normal, except for sex—which of course was a huge exception. But I had started with Jenny as friend, and losing that had hurt a lot more than losing sex with her had. And that would have been true even without Sam and Ellen and others. We both seemed to have it together today, at least to the point of answering questions and contributing, coherently and maybe correctly. We hadn't spoken to each other, except a cautious "Hi," in the brief break time before class started, which we both had spent in last-minute review, but that hadn't felt like rejection. To me, anyway.
In fact, at the end of the class, Mr. Henley asked us to stay a moment. When everyone else was out the door, he said to us quietly, "I'm very glad to have you two back among those present, mentally as well as physically. You know we try not to interfere with students' lives beyond our classes, but I'm glad you've at least declared a truce in whatever it was. I hope you survive the fallout. You're both among my favorite and best students, and it would be a great shame for you to crash and burn this late in the game. Or the war, I suppose—three military metaphors and one athletic one are a little much, aren't they? And I know your other teachers feel the same." This kind of thing was unheard of, and it looked like Jenny was as shocked as I was.
As we walked a little hurriedly to our next class, I said, "I owe you an answer, and I meant to give you one this morning, but we both talked about more important things." She shot me a look full of question marks. "There's no real mystery about how I've known when you've had a busy night, but you said it bothered you. There are probably some subliminal factors I'm not aware of, but sometimes, yesterday for example, you're way too sleepy-looking to have gotten the sleep you would have by yourself. And more obviously, you look tousled. I think that's mostly your hair, and I'm hard put to pin it down more, but that's my main cue. I suppose I may be smelling your perfume and sweat and semen or something, but if so I'm not at all aware of it. I didn't mean to be mysterious, ever."
Jenny looked at me, and then took my arm. "Thank you. It did bother me, it felt like you must have been spying on me or something. But I know you're that perceptive, at least some of the time. Phil, it's only been a day and a bit, and sometimes there were two or three days we didn't have sex, but I'm already missing you horribly. Tonight, if we can manage the time, please can we talk a little more, during study time?" By this time we'd reached the classroom, and we were kind of hanging outside.
I said slowly, "I'm missing you a little less, I think, so far. Time with Ellen had been postponed so long, and that kind of filled the void for a while. But I do love you and want you. Yes, talk tonight, and we'll make time somehow if we don't have it. But we need to go in now." And indeed the signal sounded as we were entering the room. There weren't two seats together, but someone got up and moved, someone not a close friend of mine, nor of Jenny's as far as I knew. I was touched by this gesture.
So the day went on. Jenny sat elsewhere at lunch, presumably with whoever was occupying her nights. My guess was Jim, and at some point I needed to ask her, but I was afraid right then of breaking her fragile return to friendship with me. I really thought she was still hurting pretty badly, and even appearing to be spying on her couldn't possibly help.
But Ellen sat by me again. I wondered what Brian was doing. And in fact I said, as quietly as I could, "Ellen, I love having you here. But I don't want to rip you and Brian up too. Should I be doing something to send you back to him?"
She said just as quietly, "We're taking a little vacation from each other. It's not quite the same as you and Jenny, but I don't think anything you could do would make any difference. Even if we stopped eating to screw on one of the tables and I really screamed when I came. I don't think I should talk about it to you now. Sam knows a little more, but I hope you won't ask her."
Afternoon classes also were better. One swallow does not a summer make, but to someone tired of winter it can bring a lot of hope.
Gym continued with swimming, mostly finishing the measuring, but ending with two very abbreviated games of water polo, players being selected by the instructors without explanation, the rest of the class simply watching. Fortunately, no one was injured. In the past injuries had sometimes occurred in almost every sport, but water polo had had more than its share. Injuries were usually minor, but always caused trouble. Neither Jenny nor I was chosen to play. Nor Sam, nor Ellen.
I showered and collected clothes and other gear, and as soon as it was legal I went to Sam's room. Sam and Jenny were there already, studying.
I sat down and put my stuff down. "Jenny, I apologize for bringing this up while you're here, it's rude of me, but I haven't had a chance to talk to Sam since Ellen and I left last night. And I kind of need to know. Sam, are we on tonight? I have nothing else planned, but I don't mean to take it for granted that you don't."
Sam said, "Actually, I made an arrangement for you again. This one's a little different and a little more complicated. I think we'd better talk alone, but it doesn't have to be yet." So I got busy on my classwork. We all worked as we had been, in many cases studying the same material, Jenny and I often doing the same assignments, but in any case offering comments and questions, occasionally asking for help.
About ten minutes before the ten-minute warning, Sam said, "Jenny, I guess he's my partner alone now, and we have some things to talk about. And except at breakfast and lunch and a class—well, and watching in the shower—the only time I've seen him today is whenever you two passed me running. I'm sorry, but we need you to leave so we can discuss things you don't want to hear about." Jenny kind of glared at her, but then seemed to think about it. She gathered her stuff, then gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She did the same for Sam. "That hurt a little, but you're absolutely right, I'd rather not know whom he'll be with tonight. And related topics. Thank you." She went out, closing the door gently.
Sam came and hugged me. "You'll be in your own room tonight. Tomorrow is one of Ginny Milliken's two days off per week, so that she doesn't need to be reporting for work by 4:00 AM. About an hour before curfew, she should be knocking at your door. If you don't answer, she will use her housekeeping master key to go in anyway. The rest is up to you two."
