A warning: For those of you looking for a quick fix, you probably won't find it her; I believe in character development. For those of you that like a good story, I hope you enjoy this. Comments are always welcomed. Oh, and I dedicate this story to my husband, the nylon-lover.
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"I hate her," Joe muttered as he watched Natalie bounce through the crowded college courtyard. Two years, they had been together. Two years of wasted emotion, compromises, and plans. Hell, they hadn't really started making love until these last few months, and that's why he had thought she was the one. "'Let's save ourselves until we're sure,'" he grumbled. She had said that for the first eighteen months, and when she had finally given in . . . it had been glorious. None of the girls he'd been with before had made him feel like that. Of course, none had ever ripped his heart out of his chest and danced over it like her, either. Now all he had left from those two years of supposed love were memories, a few pictures, and that sweater she'd given him for his birthday that was two sizes too small. Oh, that and a rented tuxedo. What kind of heartless bitch breaks up with you just days before the Spring Formal, thereby completely humiliating you in front of your peers? Joe scowled at his thoughts. Enough self-pity for one morning. He had classes to attend . . . and a Limo and tux to cancel.
Though he scolded himself every step of the way, he couldn't banish every ill word he could think of from springing up in his mind and attaching them to his dear ex-girlfriend's name. He scowled as he passed Natalie and took a seat in the back of the classroom. How convenient. He'd forgotten they had philosophy together that morning. Yet another hour to burn her slowly in effigy. Joe stared at the back of her head. He imagined her demise by various means; fire, drowning, strangulation. He only looked away when she glanced back, feeling his stare and obviously not appreciating it. He glared when she leaned over to whisper to the girl next to her. Again he looked away, missing the look of her friend in his direction. Kerri was her best friend; he didn't need to add her to his hate list at the moment. Instead he tried to concentrate on Socrates vs. Plato or some other crap he couldn't care about at the moment. Maybe he could salvage everything. Maybe she'd reconsider. Greg Dawson, Natalie's new love interest, was a pre-law with a possible NFL career in his future... he could contend with that, right?
"Mr. Pisano?"
Joe jerked to attention in his seat; the pencil he had been absently tapping against his desk top slipped from his fingers and rolling across the aisle between seats.
"That's got to be your most annoying habit, Mr. Pisano," his professor remarked, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I don't know, sir," Joe said, smirking as he glanced at Natalie. "My girlfriend always said my snoring was the real problem." It was her turn to scowl. It was gratifying to know he bothered her, and so, with a feeling of superiority, he leaned out over the aisle to reach for his pencil.
His good feelings faded as he glanced towards the head of the class again. Through a forest of chair and human legs, a particularly voluptuous pair caught his attention. Long and slender, they began at the hem of a short lavender plaid skirt that had ridden up, exposing way too much thigh. As he watched, those legs shifted and slithered to cross again, revealing another curiosity: a lavender high-heel on a nylon clad foot. As the professor's voice droned on about metaphysics, those legs began to move and that raised foot bounced. Joe stared, fixated. It made him think of Natalie again, but this time he wasn't mad. She used to do this sometimes, teasing him across the room or under the table with her slender feet. She'd always laugh and tell him he was a pervert, but he found feet very attractive. Supple toes, well-formed arches, soft, smooth heels... he shivered, remembering for a moment the feel of Natalie's feet gripping his cock. He shook the memory from his mind in time to watch the heel of that foot pop free from its lavender prison, revealing a perfect arch.
"Mr. Pisano!"
Joe let out a yelp of pain as he hit the floor. Startled, he looked up, his eyes wide. Whatever reprimand his teacher had this time was lost under the sound of the class bell and the shifting of bodies and books. He scrambled to his feet, feeling his dignity was already lost, so why try for a graceful recovery. Glancing around as he gathered his books, he noticed another peculiar thing: Kerri was smiling at him. She looked about to say something when Natalie grabbed her arm and pulled her to the door. The last thing he noticed as Kerri left the room was the way her hips swayed under that lavender pleated skirt she was wearing.
***
"This is nuts," Dave, his room mate, chuckled. "You want to ask Kerri out? Your ex's best friend? Isn't there some rule about that, Joe?"
"I'm telling you, she wants me." He grinned at himself in the mirror. Running his fingers through his short brown hair, he flashed his friend a smile. "I mean, how could she resist?"
"Natalie sure resisted," Dave cracked. Moments later, he nearly fell off his bed to avoid the pillow that Joe launched at him. It took him a while to right himself; he couldn't stop laughing. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll help. I've got physics with her in an hour."
"Great!" Joe slid out of his shirt, glancing over his chest, arms, and abs. He was no football player, but his body was aesthetically pleasing by most standards. His time on the swim team was finally paying off; he was tan and well-toned. "Just tell her to meet me alone in the courtyard. I'll take it from there."
"Whatever, man. It's your funeral."
"No, it's my salvation," he muttered. Joe tussled his chestnut hair again, put on some cologne, and grabbed another shirt. He had a plan; for the first time in a week, he felt determined, hopeful, and, well, happy. Now all he needed was some flowers.
***
Two hours later, the courtyard was far from empty. Ranging from stray studiers to large loitering groups, students flooded the area for their lunch hour. The central fountain, however, was deserted. Not a single person sat on the edge of its deep, marble basin. Its green copper figures played in their familiar pastoral scene; centaurs and satyrs chased nymphs and maidens at the feet of Dionysus while Athena looked down on all this with dignified distain. Joe always thought this was a pretty accurate depiction of the two halves of college life: partying and learning, but any teacher to whom he mentioned it said it was an expression of the school's policy to frown on unsanctioned soirees. That's why Joe never took art appreciation; no one seemed to appreciate art quite the way he did.
Joe had been waiting for a half hour now. He was pretty well hidden in the shade of an oak tree and had a good view of the walkway from the science lab to the fountain. He was just waiting for Kerrie ... if she really was interested in him. He was trying to remember the first time they'd met when she finally came into view, her hips swaying under those lavender pleats.
"The Christmas party," he muttered. He distinctly remembered being introduced to her at the Sigma Tau Delta Christmas party last winter. His relationship with Natalie had been pretty strong then, though the strain of his forced celibacy was starting to show. Kerrie had been dressed up like an elf, complete with fur-lined green mini skirt and feathered hat. He had liked how she commented on how Natalie was improving in her taste for men, how she tended to touch his arm when she laughed at his jokes, and most of all, how she had insisted he kiss her when that had wound up under the mistletoe after a few drinks. It hadn't been a long kiss; it couldn't have been more than a five seconds long; but he remembered her knee brushing up the side of his pant leg, making his skin cover with goose bumps.
"Kerrie?"
She swirled around, her blue eyes wide with surprise. Good. Surprise is good, especially when it makes her pant that way, he thought. Joe emerged from the shade, waving to her.
