Sounds Good

I checked my computer (in the game). Inventory.

Heather - In Love

Wow - talk about progress. We'd skipped from boyfriend/girlfriend (with a question mark) to full-blown lovers. Oops. I only realized afterwards that I'd made an unintentional pun. A bad one.

Unfortunately, my next date with Heather was a crushing disappointment. It was an identical repeat of our last date - right down to the oral sex ... and the moaning.

I had the feeling, then, that I'd reached the end of the content for Heather in this version of the game. Maybe I should've expected it.

I thought about starting over, to pursue one or more of the other girls, but decided to just keep playing. After all, I'd accumulated a bit of money, and my relationships with Michelle and Nalani were reasonably well-advanced. Why not just carry on?

The next time I spoke to Nalani, she asked me straight out - just as Michelle had -

How are things with you and Heather?

My options were:

We're dating

Heather who?

We're just good friends

I think I'm in love

I don't think it will work out between us

If I'd had the rest of a completed game ahead of me, I'd have chosen the fourth reply. Heather was a nice, sweet girl (who'd given me my first handjob, and my first blowjob). She didn't deserve to have me deny my interest in her.

A bird in the hand, and all that.

But given that I couldn't make any more progress with her until the next release, I clicked on the last option (though the 3rd made some sense, too).

-

That's too bad.

said Nalani.

I liked you two together.

Remarkable. I saved the game, and called it quits for the day. But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't think about what had just happened for a long time afterwards.

***

When I went back to the game, I discovered that all of the roommates knew that Heather and I had ... been intimate.

Had they heard us, through paper-thin walls? Or was there some sort of psychic telegraph, that immediately informed the other girls when one of them had sex?

I decided to gradually move Michelle and Nalani to the same level - Intrigued - one step past 'Close Friend'. I would also wait - to find out how long I could ignore Heather before our relationship dropped from 'Girlfriend' - would it go back to 'Intrigued'?

No - not realistic at all. But I had a few suspicions about the mechanics of this unusual game, and I was very curious to see if I was right.

I was already impressed by the replay potential of the Apartment: 5 very different girls, with 5 separate occupations for each one - not to mention the 4 other occupations I could have chosen for Tristan.

Nalani, it turned out, loved gifts -

any

gifts. Her

Thank you!

, and

OhmyGod -

thankyouthankyouthankyou

were a delight to listen to. Her voice was smooth, almost silky. She also enunciated every word extra carefully, just as someone who had learned a second language might do.

Heather had only liked certain gifts. Michelle didn't seem to care, one way or the other. I tried a few different gifts on her, without success. When I gave her the perfume, there was a funny illustration of her walking away from me, looking back over her shoulder.

I could clearly hear her, singing softly into my headphones:

Can't buy me lo-ove ...

Admittedly, I didn't have all the information. Would Michelle's attitude to gifts change if we were boyfriend / girlfriend? Or was she simply that rare kind of individual - a non-materialist? At this point,

I

was the one who was intrigued.

Two weeks of game time. That's was how long it took for Heather's relationship status with me to drop back to 'Intrigued'. In that same period, Laura and I had progressed to 'Close Friend', while Ronnie and I were still relative strangers.

But both Michelle and Nalani were 'Intrigued'.

***

Real life

I had a series of online tests, and a paper due at the same time. Far too much of college and university education seems to consist of stress and ridiculous deadline pressure.

Deadlines make sense, of course. I understand that. But does every job involve dealing with near nervous breakdowns? My own stress wasn't out of control, but I'd had friends who'd gone through incredible pressure two or three times a semester. If this was all in aid of preparing for us for a 'real' job ... well, I wasn't sure that I wanted that kind of work.

The steroids make me hyper, as I think I mentioned. That's not the best way to handle pressure and stress. I got the work done, but it came with a cost.

For a couple of weeks, I had to stay away from the game almost entirely. I did send Mike and his friends an audio critique, with a few observations (and several more compliments). I also apologized for what I knew was coming.

I may not be able to play much for the next week or so. Sorry about that - it's no reflection on your excellent game.

Patience responded the next day:

No need to apologize, Cyrano. Real life takes precedence - always. Good luck with your tests and your paper.

Mike replied a couple of days later.

No worries. Do what you gorra do.

***

When I returned to the game, I was looking forward to dating Michelle and Nalani.

Well, you win some, and you lose some.

Nalani needed help again. Her computer was on the fritz, and she had a paper due (Hah! That, I could relate to). I offered to lend her my computer, for her assignment, while I tried to figure out what was wrong with hers.

Turning it on and off again didn't work (you'd be surprised how often that's all it takes). She might have picked up a virus, so I ran a diagnostic, which took a hell of a long time. Maybe she just had too much garbage on her computer, or insufficient memory.

I checked her browser history, to see if she'd downloaded something nasty. There were travel locations, family photos ... and quite a few searches of ... my name.

She'd googled me repeatedly.

In the end, I discovered that she just needed a re-frag, and a re-boot. Meanwhile, she'd managed to complete her paper on my computer.

-

You're a lifesaver

. she said.

-

It wasn't that hard.

I explained her computer issues to her, and advised her to delete a few unnecessary programs from her hard drive.

-

My hero. How can I possibly reward you?

-

Umm ... a coffee? And maybe a bagel?

- Done

. she said. Snogg came through with a wonderful illustration of Nalani, smiling.

We agreed on Saturday at midday.

Nalani was tiny - 5', or possibly 5'1". She was adorable, though, with perfectly-proportioned little curves. Her make-up was always perfect. She also had a tiny diamond stud in her nostril.

Nice to look at, for sure - and her voice sounded good to me, as well.

My options, for that first date, were very similar to the choices I'd had with Heather; I went with asking Nalani about herself, and how she'd come to be studying here.

-

I was in a long-term relationship.

she said, softly.

My family chose him for me.

- Oh? You didn't have a choice?

- No - but it wasn't like ... whatever you were thinking. He wasn't cruel, or mean to me, or anything. I was in love. I thought we would be together forever. Marriage, children ...

- What happened?

- He cheated on me. Two months before the wedding. My parents told me to get over it; it was too late to cancel everything, anyway. They would lose their deposit.

Besides, they said, I should understand - men have certain needs.

- That's awful!

I said

. Is that why you came here?

- Yes.

Snogg's next illustration showed Nalani bravely smiling through her tears. It was really quite touching. I immediately saved a screenshot.

-

Can we talk about something else for a bit?

she asked.

I asked about her classes, and she told me what was going on at school. Not in detail - there was a box of script that informed me that Nalani talked about her classes.

Not at all what I'd expected for a first date. The game had thrown me a curve again. But I wasn't disappointed. I was impressed.

***

Real Life

- "Mom ... I can go by myself."

- "I know you can. I just want to make sure that you get home safely."

- "I'm not a little kid anymore."

- "I never said you were. But I would much rather have you underestimate how much you can do, than overestimate it."

Damn. It was hard to argue with her when she was so rational and sensible about everything.

- "I understand." I said. "But how about this? You drop me off, and I'll call you when we're done, to let you know that I'm on my way home."

She didn't immediately say No. Instead, she thought about it for a minute.

- "Alright, Daniel. We can try that."

A partial victory, then.

I could order her gifts online; I could even have a cake delivered. But I just wanted to get out on my own and buy her a traditional birthday card, for a change.

***

My second date with Nalani was not at all like Heather's. Sometimes, the choices in this game weren't difficult at all. If you were paying attention, there was no need to guess.

Nalani had already told me that she didn't drink - asking to her to go to the pub with me didn't make any sense.

We went to the museum. She loved it. There was a lovely illustration of little Nalani pointing at a huge painting, looking back towards me with a huge grin on her face.

She'd been here before. In fact, she was more than qualified to be my private tour guide, telling me interesting anecdotes about the various exhibits.

And she giggled. Now, I wouldn't have thought that I would like the sound of a feminine giggle. There had been a few gigglers at the school Mike and I attended. Maybe I didn't like the way they sounded because I suspected that they were laughing at me, or my braces.

But Nalani was different. I'm not saying that I wouldn't have tired of her giggle after ten or twenty years ... but in the short run, it brought a smile to my face.

-

You're an awesome tour guide.

I told her.

-

You make a pretty good tour group.

she replied.

-

What's next?

- You're not tired of me, yet?

- Hardly.

- Okay. I have one more thing to show you, then.

Nalani took me back to our apartment - and to her room.

My only complaint - if I'd had one - was that this happened so quickly. Two clicks, and we were back in the apartment.

In real life - what would it have been like to walk home together? Hoping - or maybe even anticipating - that we were going to be ... intimate. Something I couldn't do in real life, but which this game was allowing me to experience, vicariously.

Nalani's room was very girlish, with pillows and plushies and frilly things. But the next screen showed a close-up of her face. The little diamond stud in her nostril was sparkling.

Her dark brown hair partially obscured one eye, but she was looking towards me. Her lips were moist - lip gloss? Her mouth slightly open ... it was a lovely portrait of a beautiful woman, showing ... lust?

-

I wanted to show you ... this.

The next render nearly blew my mind. Nalani had undone the buttons on her black silk shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra.

Her breasts were small, but her little brown nipples were hard, and prominent. She was looking away, as if too shy to meet my gaze - or perhaps she was letting me gaze my fill, without feeling shy or embarrassed myself.

You step closer, and take her in your arms. Nalani buries her head against your chest.

You tilt her head up, so that you can taste her lips. She is soft, and moist, and yielding ... she lies back on her bed, and you follow.

The script took over, again. I had no choices - but did I really need them? Nalani's eyes were clouded - with arousal, I assumed. Her lips were parted - I noted that her teeth were bright white, but Snogg had gone to the trouble of showing that they weren't perfectly aligned.

If anyone could appreciate imperfections, it would be me. Her little breasts and delightful nipples were exposed to my gaze. So was her flat stomach, and her pierced navel - she had another small diamond stud there.

Patience's description took over. I kissed Nalani, and sucked on her tongue. I fondled her breasts, and kissed her erect nipples.

Then I slid my hand over her smooth skin, and under the edge of her lacy black panties. I ran my finger over her moist slit, discovering that she was wet ... aroused.

There were no options - only description. I teased Nalani with my fingers, while she moaned softly.

-

Ah ... ah ... ahh

I teased her. I frigged her. I inserted a finger into her pussy, and then a second. My thumb rubbed lightly over her clit.

Nalani's orgasm was quiet, but intense.

And that was that.

Wow. I was impressed again, by the visual and audio components of the scene. I was also pleased to see that the progression (for lack of a better word) with each girl was quite different.

Heather had given me a handjob. But it was me who brought Nalani off ... manually. Perhaps I'd been afraid that each girl would follow a predictable, identical sequence of intimacies. The variety was excellent.

And I had no complaints about Nalani's scene. Hot. Very hot.

***

I composed another audio review. I had more praise for Snogg, as always. But I told Patience that I was really pleased with the story line, and emphasized how glad I was that the sexual scenes didn't all follow the same predictable pattern.

The girls had different personalities and preferences (from their taste in gifts to their favourite spots for a date). It was also very interesting that they knew about the player's relationship status with their roommates.

Trying to have sex with multiple girls was likely to backfire. The player would be well-advised to concentrate on a single love interest - exclusively. A bird in the hand, apparently,

was

worth more than two in the bush.

Finally, I suggested that they seriously reconsider their title. In my opinion it didn't say much about what type of game this was. 'The Apartment' was just too generic.

In the meantime, I continued to woo Nalani. I discovered that she was a bit 'clingy' - she liked to touch me, or hold my hand. She also wanted to be told that I liked her, or that I found her attractive.

I didn't mind the touching. After all, I was only reading about it. I'd never had a real girlfriend (or even a near approximation); maybe I

would

like to experience frequent physical contact. As for her apparent insecurity ... well, everyone needs reassurance, now and then.

There was another surprise in store for me: I'd accumulated more than enough money to take Nalani on a restaurant date - all I was waiting for was the conversational option to ask her out again.

I got the option to ask - what I didn't see was the usual choices: museum, cafe, pub, restaurant. That's because Nalani had something else up her sleeve.

-

Of course I want to go out with you, Tristan.

she said (well, everything except the name).

But ... there's a special performance in the park this Saturday. Would you be interested in going to the concert with me?

What a wonderful idea.

Laura and Ronnie were working, but Michelle and Heather were also going to the park. There was nice illustration of Nalani sitting on the grass, hugging her knees, with a shy smile.

-

Isn't this wonderful?

she asked.

It was. She was so sweet, so pretty. Nalani had a cute little smile, but I think that I preferred illustrations that showed her in profile, when she was looking elsewhere, rather than directly at me.

After the concert, she suggested that we go back to the apartment. Then, she followed me to my room, and closed the door behind us. After that, though, she let me take the lead.

There was a bit of text, describing how I unbuttoned her shirt, and removed it, along with her lacy little bra. We kissed, and kissed some more as my hands roamed over her small breasts and their hard little nipples.

She was moaning softly in my ear, which was very ... encouraging.

Then I was presented with a choice. That was odd - it broke the immersion rather suddenly. One moment I was caressing Nalani's breasts, the next, I was wondering why the game had been set up this way.

Basically, I was offered the option of dropping my pants, and guiding her hand to my erection, or gently removing

her

pants, and going to one knee in front of her.

Of course, I was metagaming. Sometimes, that simply means that a player is using information which their character wouldn't have. But it can also apply to thinking about the game as a game, and wondering about the rules and limits, instead of just role-playing and doing whatever felt most natural.

It was unlikely, I thought, that this scene with Nalani would lead to intercourse. It was probably - just like the scene with Heather - limited to oral sex (not that there's anything wrong with that).

So I was probably being given the choice between sticking my dick in her face and hoping that she would get the message, or going down on her. In this case, role-playing and metagaming were in near-perfect alignment: the second option was the best.

I was rewarded with a truly lovely illustration of Nalani on her back, her wide-open shirt still wrapped about her upper arms and shoulders. Her breasts and belly were bare ... and so was something else.

She had one leg slightly raised, with her panties still clinging to her ankle.

That was, hands down, one of the best pieces by Snogg that I'd seen so far. It had anticipation. The prospect of pleasure, and intimate sharing. So much potential ...

Of course, that was how I i

magined

it. I had no actual experience of anything at all like this. I'd seen plenty of porn, of course. I knew what naked women looked like - and I was well aware that there was great variety in female bodies.

But how it felt ... or smelled, or sounded? Reading, watching porn and a vivid imagination can only take you so far.

Still, Nalani's scene

felt

realistic enough. I think.

The text described my painstaking oral attentions, and her rapturous enjoyment of said attentions. Nalani had a highly satisfactory orgasm - judging by her vocal reactions.

She then repaid the favor, going down on me. She was a little more tentative, almost hesitant. But she seemed determined to give me as much pleasure as I'd given her.

Snogg's render of Nalani performing oral sex on Tristan was very good. But I didn't masturbate to that scene.

In fact, I didn't even save at that point.

***

What I did was shut my computer off, and then make my way to the bathroom.

I can't speak for others, of course, but one thing that steroids do to me, is to play havoc with my moods. The doctors gave me chapter and verse about the potential side-effects of corticosteroids; they were all, without exception, physical symptoms.

But I

knew

that I was on steroids. Maybe it was some kind of placebo effect, but I

felt

different. That played tricks with my head.

And then there was just ... my situation. It wasn't going to change - not for the better, anyway. It doesn't prey on my mind, on a daily basis, but sometimes the realization comes crashing down, all at once.

My sister had had a friend who suffered from severe mood swings. A chemical imbalance, they called it. The girl had described what it was like for her.