New School

This chapter is dedicated to the readers who have followed Brinna & Zach through their adventures in Chapters 1-12. Your time and feedback have been greatly appreciated.

Lessons Learned, Ch.13: New School

I sat at the only picnic table located next to a small natural spring, watching the slow trickle of the water over the rocks. The shade of a tall, sprawling oak tree protected me from the summer sunshine of early June. Using my fork, I shoved bits and pieces of my lunch around inside takeout container, not very interested in finishing my meal. With a sigh, I closed the lid of the container and shoved it to the side to dispose of later.

The campus was quiet; spring classes had ended two weeks ago, and the June summer classes wouldn't start for another week. I didn't have any summer courses aside from a one-hour independent study with my future graduate advisor. I'd spent the spring term taking two pre-requisite undergrad courses, required by my upcoming graduate program, which had not been offered at my old college. The rest of the time I worked a part time job to keep myself funded and busy. I'd made a few casual friends, but for the most part, I had been keeping to myself for the past few months as I adjusted to my new school.

Lost in thought, I was startled when I heard a soft, familiar voice speak from behind me.

"Hi, Brinna."

I twisted around on the bench, and there he was, standing just a few feet away. He had his hands tucked in his front pockets, smiling shyly at me.

"Zach!" I cried out in surprise, leaping to my feet. "What are you doing here?" I didn't wait for his answer before rushing toward him.

His arms opened wide as he stepped forward to intercept me, sweeping me into a tight hug. I felt tears prickle in the back of my eyes as I threw my arms around his neck.

"Why are you-, I mean, what..." I trailed off, flustered, reeling from the shock of seeing him here. I drew back enough to gaze at his smiling face.

"I missed you," he said simply.

"Zach," I said softly, moved by his words. A single, embarrassing tear rolled down my cheek. He gently brushed it away with his thumb. "I missed you, too."

"No kiss for me?" he asked.

I cupped his face in my hands, noting a slight trembling in my fingers. I wondered absurdly if I now looked as nervous as Zach used to look in our early days together. I pressed my lips lightly against his, intending the kiss to be a friendly greeting. The soft, familiar feel of his mouth set loose a wave of longing inside of me. I had missed him, more deeply than I had been willing to acknowledge to myself, for the last five months.

Instinctively, I tilted my head and the kiss became more.

"I missed you," he repeated when I lifted my mouth from his.

"But what are you really doing here? How did you get here? How did you find me?"

"Maybe we could sit down?" he asked. "There's a lot I want to say to you."

We sat on the bench, our backs to the table. We faced each other at an angle, our knees touching.

"Um, well," he said, clearing his throat gently before plunging ahead. "The thing is, Brinna, I have a relationship problem, see? And my friend that I talk about these thing with, she went and moved away to another university out of state."

I felt my brow furrow, confused. Zach was here because he was in a relationship? My breath caught in my throat, and my heart clenched ever so slightly.

"See, last semester, I met this fantastic woman, and we spent a lot of time together. I really fell for her, but because of some complications, I couldn't figure out the right way to tell her. When the semester ended, she left for a new school. Very stupidly, I let her go without saying anything, and without trying to find out how she felt about me. It was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done. For a while, I tried to tell myself that maybe she didn't care about me as much as I'd hoped, and I should just move on."

My lips parted, though no words came out. I stopped breathing.

"I also tried to do what she told me before she left. I went on some dates. I had sex with college girls. I stayed busy with school and with my new social life I had. It was just never quite right. I tried hard not to compare them to her, but being with other women was never really as good as being with her. There was like...like an empty feeling

,

in me." He put his hand over my own that was resting on my knee. "I talked to my grandpa about it. I talked to Matthew about it. I talked to my advisor about it." His eyes shifted, looking upward. "And I even talked to my new friend, Lee." At that last part, he grinned.

"Zach," I said patiently, "how did you get

here

? How did you find me?"

"Welllll," he drawled out, eyes shifting left and right, "I, uh, hacked the school's computer and found your address. Your old one, at your mom's. Then I went and talked to her."

My eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't tell her about the, um, you know,

project

. She knew who I was though." His smile broadened. "So I talked to her, and she told me a little about your phone calls home. She thinks you're a bit, uh, down. She says you come out to some place on campus by a little spring and sit, even in cold weather. She isn't sure if you're homesick or what, but she hears something in your voice that makes her worry."

"My mom told you all that? She's never said anything to me."

"She tries to keep your spirits up when you talk." He cleared his throat again. "Anyway, I talked to her by phone a couple of times after I visited. We both think about you a lot, see? I told her I would be seeing you soon, and I asked her to keep it a secret, as a surprise."

I thought back to the most recent calls with my mom. She had sounded a bit off, asking a lot more questions than usual about my daily activities and how things were going here. Now I realized it was because she and Zach were in on this plan together.

"Why didn't you just call me? You could have gotten my number from her."

"Because Brinna," Zach said patiently, "I wanted to

see

you. I wanted to hear your voice and see your face. I wanted to tell you in person that I was stupid for the first time in my life when I let you get away from me so completely."

A warm tingle went up my arm, emanating from where his hand rested over mine. He spoke the words with such an air of confidence about him. It thrilled me to not only hear the words, but the way in which he said them.

"You came all this way just to see me," I said. Another tear tracked down my cheek. I brushed it away in irritation.

"Oh, well, I, uh, also go to school here now. Or I will, starting in August," he answered casually.

My mouth dropped open.

"You can't go

here

," I said, in disbelief. "You're supposed to be going off to some Ivy League big brain school for geniuses."

"There's nothing wrong with this school," he said defensively. "They happen to have a good program for my major." He squeezed my hand. "I've done the equation over and over, Brinna, and this is the solution for me. It really doesn't matter where I go to school. I don't even need the doctorate, that's really more for my grandpa. I already have job offers, so it wouldn't even matter if I quit school today." He ducked his head, and it pleased me to no end to see the bashful pinking of his cheeks. "I already make money consulting here and there. And, well, there's something I didn't tell you. About when I turned twenty-one. That's not so important though, not right now. Right now, I'm just glad you aren't yelling at me to get away from you and leave you alone. I thought about calling you first, I really did. But I know you, Brinna. You would have reasoned and rationalized and tried to keep me away. You would have said I was giving up too much to be with you, the way you gave up your dreams in order to get married. Your mom says you're afraid to be in love again," he added softly.

"Oh," I said, not certain how to respond. There was an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt something stirring and knotting there. I was not entirely unsure that I wasn't about to faint.

"I don't want you to think I've turned into some crazy stalker," he said, squeezing my hand lightly. "I just miss my best friend." His voice lowered as he added, "I miss my lover." He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips. "Even so, I'm not here with any expectations. I just want to spend time with my friend. If you want it to only be friendship, I'll do that. It doesn't have to be more. It doesn't have to be like last year, if that's not what you want." He swallowed hard. It was quite an offer for a guy who was planning to move here just because he missed me. "I just...please, Brinna. Please, can't we be friends again?"

We stared at each other in silence for a minute. The air around us was thick with expectation, with a subtle tension that vibrated like a plucked guitar string.

"Unless, oh uh, unless you're...involved? With someone?" he asked, sudden uncertainty creasing his features. "Maybe someone your mom doesn't know about?"

"Yes. I mean, no, I'm not involved with someone. I mean, yes, of course we can be friends again." The hand on mine tightened momentarily, then relaxed. "And," I took a deep breath and spoke softly, "and more. If you want."

A wide smile broke over Zach's face, the face I had missed and found myself thinking of a thousand times over the past few months. The face I had tried not to see or dream about as I went about my daily routine at this new school. Yet, here it was, and real this time. Real, and missing me as well.

Zach leaned in. This time there was nothing soft or gentle about our kiss. When our mouths came together, heat seared through me. I would have happily burned to ash at that moment.

"You still didn't tell me how you got here?" To the best of my knowledge, Zach didn't drive and didn't have a car. Even if he had flown to the nearest airport, he still would have needed to rent a car to get to campus.

"Oh! Yeah, um, we rented a car and grandpa drove us." He grinned, eyes dancing with merriment. "He dropped me off again today so I could look for you, then he went back to the hotel. He's really hoping you'll have dinner with us tonight. If I could find you, that is. If I hadn't found you today, I would have called your mom and gotten the address where you're living. I was trying to avoid being a total creep by not just showing up at your house unannounced."

"Phil's here, too?" I asked incredulously, my heart soaring even higher at the thought of the two of them driving here together in search of me.

"He loves to drive. He's still pretty good at it too, for his age. Even if he won't go over the speed limit." Zach chuckled. "He says I have to learn this summer though. So I'm here looking for housing and a driving school."

"Zach?" I had a creeping uncertainty of my own I needed to address with him. "You didn't do all this just for the sex, did you?"

"Brinna!" he exclaimed. "Do you think I did all this just for sex? I mean, the sex is great, but it's you. Did you do everything for me just because I have a big cock?"

"No." This time I was the one who looked away, feeling shy. "I wanted to know you."

"I've had time to think this over thoroughly, Brinna. I want to be with

you

. Not just for sex." He grinned. "But you might not believe me because I have to admit that right now all I can really think about is how much I want to make out with you. For starters."

"Do you want to come back to my place? We can talk more." I felt the heat of my own blush warming my cheeks. Talk more, yeah, right.

Zach stood, offering me a hand up. I took it as I got to my feet. He didn't release it, so we walked hand in hand across the grass, toward my rented duplex a few blocks from campus.

"I always wanted this," he said, lifting our joined hands slightly. "To walk across our school campus, holding your hand, just like this." I squeezed his hand in response. A simple dream expressed, and yet it had the ability to make my heart turn over in my chest.

We walked quietly for a bit. My brain kept bouncing back to the idea of all Zach had done to make this happen and to be here with me. It was overwhelming to think on for too long.

"So what's this about your new friend Lee?" I asked as we walked, deciding to give my brain something else to think about for the time being.

"Yeah," Zach said with a laugh, "Lee and I started to hang out some this past semester. He stopped hanging out with Reggie so much." Zach shrugged. "Reggie and I kind of got into it. Well, I'm not gonna pretend like that went well for me. I punched him and bloodied his lip, but only because he wasn't expecting it. He blacked my eye and probably would have beat me up, but Tyler and Lee held him off."

"You

punched

Reggie?" I asked, half impressed, half alarmed.

"Um, well, he, uh, said something about you," Zach said, eyes looking away from me. "I just lost it and hit him in the mouth."

I stopped walking and turned to him.

"Oh, Zach," I said, with dramatic humor, throwing my arms around his neck. "My hero." I kissed him as we stood on the sidewalk just off campus. A car going by honked, cheering us on. We stood, embracing, kissing, for a good minute before we resumed our walk. I wondered if it was physically possible for my heart to break free of my chest and fly away on little wings. I also wondered how long I would be able to stand myself for thinking such disgustingly romantic thoughts.

"Oh, guess what?" Zach asked. "Lee's bisexual." He whispered it as if we were in a crowded room and he didn't want to be overheard. "Tyler and Reggie don't know about it. I think that's funny, because they're such homophobes anyway. Oh, and Lee offered me a blowjob once." He grinned. "I didn't accept. I did think it over, because you told me I should consider exploring new things. I just decided I wasn't into dudes and said no thanks. He was cool about it. We stayed friends."

"What about Tyler? Get in any fights with him?"

"Nah. He pretty much left me alone after that night. You know," he said, a sly look on his face, "that night with us."

I stopped walking, bringing Zach to a halt. We faced each other. I swayed slightly toward him. He noticed, and dropped his hands to my hips, tugging me against him. I slid my arms around his neck, not caring that we were still on a public sidewalk.

"Zach," I said, leaning forward to speak softly into his ear, "I want to get you home and fuck you. I want to feel you inside of me again." He drew a sharp breath, his hands tightening on my hips.

"Anything you want," he promised.

Without further discussion, we resumed our walk at a faster pace, as I led him to my rented duplex. He glanced at the 'For Rent' sign in the front yard.

"Are you moving out?"

"The guy from the neighboring side moved out after he graduated last month."

This time, I was the one fumbling with my keys, trying to get the door open. Zach grinned, making it clear I wasn't the only one who was remembering our rush to get into his apartment on our first real date.

As soon as I pushed the door closed, Zach reached for me. Almost simultaneously, we began to run our hands over each other, mapping familiar territory with our fingers. I ran my hands over his chest, his shoulders, down his arms, and up again. I threaded the fingers of one hand into his hair and brought my mouth to his. As I gave him a deep, passionate kiss, his hands traveled over my breasts, pausing to squeeze them before continuing lower.

I felt his hands brush my bare legs, then he was shoving the soft material of my skirt up around my waist. I whimpered softly into his mouth as his hand cupped my panty-clad pussy, and he began to rub his fingers slowly back and forth.

He lifted his lips from mine, trailing hot kisses along my jawline, to the soft point just below my ear. He was breathing heavily into my ear when his fingers slipped beneath the elastic leg band of my panties, pulling the gusset aside.

"I remember what you like," Zach whispered, and sucked my earlobe between his lips at the same time his middle finger parted my pussy lips. "I haven't let myself cum for the last few days. I've been saving it for you, Brinna."

My nipples hardened, the material of my bra suddenly feeling like a rough irritant against them. I shifted my hips, pressing against the fingers that were teasing my damp hole. Zach inserted his finger in one sudden move, burying it as far as it would go. It glided in easily; I was that wet for him already. He began to work his finger in and out of me with long, slow strokes.

"So slick," he murmured, continuing his gentle assault on my neck and my pussy.

I reached for his waistband, unbuttoning his fly, tugging the zipper down carefully. He slid a second finger into me in response to my hand reaching into his pants to squeeze his hardening cock. His lips found mine again, his tongue sweeping into my mouth as he withdrew his fingers long enough to tug my panties off my hips, letting them fall to the floor. I kicked them aside, using the opportunity to spread my legs wider, giving Zach better access to my pussy. He took full advantage, both fingers back at work between my sopping lips.

I moaned into his mouth as he removed his fingers, then rubbed his fingertips in a hard, tight circle over my clit. I gave his member a hard squeeze through his briefs.

Feeling like I was close to bursting into flames, I took a sudden step back from him, disengaging. I looked him up and down, his neck flushed, his full lips slightly swollen.

"Lie on your back," I demanded. "I want to ride your cock."

"Do you want to get undressed first?" Zach asked, one hand dropping to his waistband.

"On your back," I repeated.

He gave me a sexy, lopsided grin, and quickly stepped a few feet away onto the carpeted area of the entry. He settled himself on his back, lifting his ass enough to tug his pants down to his mid-thigh. I watched, my own smile playing on my lips as his cock pointed stiffly away from his body.

I stepped over him, one foot on each side of his hips, and lowered myself down to my knees so that I was straddling him. Without further delay, I reached for his cock and pressed it against my damp heat. I moved my hips so that I was dragging my pussy over the length of his shaft, until the head was poised at my opening.

Looking down into his eyes, I let myself sink slowly onto his rampant cock. I gave a low moan as he filled me, stretching my tight pussy. His hands settled on my hips, the material of my skirt still bunched up around them. At last, he was fully buried deep inside me. I took a moment to savor the feel of his big cock.

"I missed this part, too," I confessed, watching him closely. "I missed fucking you. I missed the way you feel deep inside me, how full it makes me." I smiled wider. "I hope I'm not just dreaming this."

"I'm here now," Zach answered, his hands rising to cup my face. "When you cum, you're gonna know it's not a dream. Cum for me, Brinna." His eyes glowed with the heat of passion. "Fuck me, and cum all over my big cock."

"Oh, Zach," I moaned in a low voice, his words causing my pussy to clench hard. I put my hands on his chest, and using my legs for leverage, I commenced the ride I had demanded from him. We kept our eyes locked on each other as I bounced on his cock. As I began to speed up, his hands found my ass and gripped it. He used his grip to pull me more firmly down onto his dick and shifted his hips beneath me as I rode him. We easily found and matched our rhythms together.

It was probably a good thing the neighbor had moved out. It was no time at all before the sound of our bodies slapping together was intermingled with the loud sounds escaping my throat as I took what I needed from Zach. I could feel my orgasm approaching rapidly, and tossed my head back, eyes closed, drowning myself in the sensation and sounds of our fucking.