Jasmine's iPad chimed with Sasha's ring tone precisely at 8pm. Typical Sasha, she thought, as she sat up on her couch and pressed "accept". Though they were alike in many ways, adherence to a clock wasn't one of them. If Sasha said "call me at 8", she would angrily call at 8:05 and demand to know what was keeping you. If Jasmine said the same thing, she would woke up the next morning having a vague recollection that someone was supposed to have called. A few moments later, her best friend's face appeared on the screen.
"Hi honey. How's it going?"
Jasmine smiled and sighed "I'm great. Really really great. How are you?"
Sasha frowned, "Uh oh. I know that voice. And face. Did you just fuck Clark again?"
"So, when you say 'fuck', do you mean the physical act, or can that include thinking about it?"
"You are funny. And impossible. When are you going to see him again?"
"Tomorrow. We are having lunch. I am going to his office for the first time since I've been back, and I am more than a little nervous. What do you think I should wear?"
"For starters, panties. And not the hot pink 'I want to have sex with you now' type either."
"Oh please! I can manage to keep my undies on when I am visiting his office."
"Yeah, but there's not been a lot of history of you and him staying fully clothed in their either."
"You know, sometimes I wish I didn't tell you everything."
"Perhaps. So what are you gonna do?"
"I really think I want to see if it is our time."
"OK. He's still a lot older, and white, and what about all the drama of the past?"
"That's the past, and besides, I've had more than my share of drama in relationships."
"True, but take it slow, which frankly I don't know how you will manage given your history with him. And the last thing I want is another 'Sunil' incident."
Jasmine had thought about that, as she did any time she considered taking a relationship to the next level. Sunil B. Kumar was Jasmine's first love, and it had started out rather typically. She began spending more time at the ice cream shop where he worked until he took notice, and they began dating soon after. The intensity escalated dramatically when they became intimate, and Jasmine discovered how important passionate love was to her. Soon she found that she could not get enough of him, from making out in his car at virtually every mile marker on Route 17 to spending entire weekends in bed, only leaving to eat. While the highs were sky-high, the lows were abyss-like, and Jasmine found herself losing control. Fights became wars, and she would drink alone and cry for days on end. At the end, she considered committing herself, but with Sasha's help, she was able to recover. Thereafter she vowed never to hurt that way again, even at the cost of ever loving that much. That promise had been kept, resulting in more than a few relationships ending before they went far.
Then Clark happened.
And in spite of the age difference, and his skin not being brown, and the pleas of Sasha and common sense, she fell in love with him. And she didn't go completely crazy. She did cry, and want to throw things, but nothing that was, in her mind, certifiable. And that was nice.
"I hear you, and all I can say is that I would do my best to walk away before it ever got to that."
"See that you do, and know that I will be extremely skeptical along the way. I still don't know what you seen in him that is so special."
"I know this will sound clichΓ©, but I feel a connection with him. I know him inside and out, even the things he thinks are secrets to the world. And when we are together now, he seems to notice every little thing about me. And I have never been with a man who cares as much about how I feel as he does."
"You're right about one thing β that is uber clichΓ©. I hope you are half as right about him."
"Me too. I do know that I will end up wondering about the 'what might have been' if I don't give it a try."
"Whatever. I can tell that I am not going to change your mind, so let me know how lunch goes. New subject, how's you Mom?"
With that, the conversation switched gears, and went until well after midnight. As she drifted off to sleep, she was reminded of how grateful shew was for Sasha. Although they weren't sisters, she was certain they had been related in a previous life.
The following morning, Jasmine's alarm was routinely annoying, but she resisted the allure of the snooze bar, rolled out of bed, and began to get ready. She had settled on a royal blue dress which stopped just below her knees, and the aforementioned hot pink thong. Her shower took longer than usual, as she spent extra time shaving, making sure that there was not a hair to be found anywhere south. Although she had waxed recently, she took no chances, and lathered her entire groin. As she carefully guided the razor over her vagina, she remembered the first time Clark had touched her "naked", and how erotic it had been for them both. She had surprised him with it, arriving in his office before classes one morning wearing a summery dress. As the door closed, he hugged her from behind, and she responded by leaning back into him, while moving his hands to the hem, encouraging him to lift it. As his fingers moved inward, he was greeted by the smoothest flesh he had ever felt, and audibly gasped. It was the perfect tease, as they both had to be in class before it could go any farther. It was not Clark's best teaching performance, as the presence of a pantiless Jasmine was beyond distracting. One student had even commented that it was the first time they remembered Dr. Archer lecturing from behind the podium for an entire class. What happened after they returned to his office for "lunch" remained a favorite memory.
The morning seemed to drag, and Jasmine found herself becoming increasingly anxious as the clock slowly wound its way to noon. With the last patient of the morning cared for, she exited the clinic, and quickly made her way to the college. As she got off the elevator, her heart began to race. It had been years, but she instantly felt as if it had been just yesterday that she rounded the corner, shut the door to Clark's office behind her, and fell into his arms.
She found his office with the door partially open, as it usually was, but unoccupied. As she entered, the years slipped away, and Jasmine was struck by how little had changed over time. Clark's desk chair looked new, but everything else appeared to be just as it was when she first came to campus. His couch β a beat up relic from the 80's that had been with him since college β was there, still looking entirely out of place and time. Jasmine ran her fingers over the arm, warmly remembering the time spent in on β and bent over β it. She then turned her attention to a worn IU baseball hat on the top of his bookcase, and moved to investigate whether it was still as she left it. Sure enough, tucked inside the rim, was a neatly folded five dollar bill. It has been left for her, long ago, as she had often stopped by to ask to borrow money for lunch or a coffee. Clark found this endearing, and had never realized that it was her way of finding a reason to see him.