Everyone knows that college cuddles lead to fucking. Almost everyone. I laugh now, remembering how I must have been the only one not to know this.
I met Katya on the quad. Her dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and slim body caught my eye. She was a foot shorter than me and not an inch over five feet. When I started getting closer, my heart pumped icy anxiety through my arteries, my brain grasping for some conversation starter.
"Hey, you've got pretty eyes," she said.
"Thanks, I'm Sean," I replied, looking down at her stretched out in the grass at the top of the slope. There were three steep-pitched embankments with grey institutional brick buildings set behind them and the new gleaming wellness dorm at the far end.
My eyes couldn't help but notice her nipples poking at her white ribbed crop top. A heavy textbook lay open next to her, and the thought finally bubbled up to ask, "What are you studying?"
"Ha, well, can't say I've done much studying this afternoon, but I thought I might manage some of this psych 101 reading. What's your major?
"Undeclared but hoping to get into the creative writing program, you?"
"Oh, a creative type, huh? Guess everyone is undeclared here. Why don't you sit? I'd like to have a new friend."
Sitting next to Katya, the buzzing excitement beneath my skin overshadowed the sun's warm caress. Our bodies touched slightly, energizing each beat of my heart. It had been a long time since I had this much contact with a woman. Katya was sweet and cute.
I stuttered with nervousness as we talked. The conversation was easy as we breezed through the normal introductory conversation. After a while, she asked if I wanted to go inside for a bit. She'd had enough sun.
I followed her to her room in Crossroads, the closest of the harsh institutional brick buildings to the campus classrooms. I often heard that the designer had also done prisons. It certainly could be mistaken for one.
Girls in her hall said hellos as we passed. Inside her double, I noticed it was neat and comfortable. Soft pastel room accessories disguised the plain white walls.
"Come lay down with me, Sean," Katya asked sweetly.
"Ok," I replied dumbly. Unsure of myself.
I surrounded her petite frame in my arms, and we spooned. Our conversation quieted.
"You're such a nice guy, and I feel safe cuddling and talking with you. It's refreshing."
I wasn't sure what to make of that, "I'm glad you feel safe."
We cuddled close like that, and I didn't know how much time had passed. My excitement hadn't dulled, yet I had not considered kissing her.
"This was nice, Sean. I've got to meet some girlfriends for dinner. Why don't you come by again, and we'll hang out some more? I'm glad I met a new friend."
A few days later, I had downtime between classes, and none of my friends in my hall were around. I wandered over to Katya's and found her door open. I wrapped against the metal door tentatively, "Hey."
Katya was lying on her stomach, intent on the pages of a glossy textbook. When she looked up and smiled, I felt a buzzing warmth radiate through me. She wore boy shorts made of soft material and a sheer white shirt. Her visible nipples told me she wasn't wearing a bra.