Though I had always thought that my neighbor, Ava, was cute, it took the loneliness of quarantine for me to finally summon the courage to ask her out. She was in her late twenties, had shoulder-length red hair and wore glasses. Though she dressed somewhat conservatively, her skirts, dresses and cardigans couldn't hide the nice curves of her petite body. In the three years that I'd lived in the building, I had often bumped into her as I entered or left the apartment, as she lived just a few doors down from me. We usually exchanged smiles, but our shared shyness kept either of us from having much of a real conversation. Now that I was stuck in the apartment all the time, it was a good time as any to find out whether we had any chemistry.
Members of the apartment building had exchanged numbers "in case of emergency," and I debated to myself whether the sexual frustration of quarantine qualified as such an emergency while I typed out a text to ask whether she might want to chat with me in the shared garden space behind the apartment some evening in the coming week. It was hard being single at a time like this, I thought to myself, and though I'd found myself masturbating more often, my libido felt particularly distracting with little possibility of an outlet.
"Ava, this is Dan from upstairs. Hope you're holding up. I was wondering whether you'd like to have a drink with me out back after work sometime. Not sure if you're feeling as stir crazy as I am with everything going on."
In the two hours that it took before she wrote back, I worried that I had crossed a line. I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed, saying that she was feeling rather bored stuck inside herself. I realized that it was unclear whether I was inviting her on a date or simply asking her to meet me as a friend but figured that I could see how things went and take it from there.
We met the next evening. She looked well put together as always in a summery dress, and I wore jeans and a t-shirt. She accepted a beer that I had brought down from my apartment, but insisted on rubbing her hands down with hand-sanitizer before taking a sip. She admitted that she was a bit of a germophobe, and the virus was only exacerbating her usual paranoia. Though she seemed a little uptight and straight-laced, the conversation flowed easily enough as we learned more about one another.
I discovered that she had done a year or two of nursing school before deciding that it wasn't for her. She wanted to do something nurturing, but all the blood and guts had been too much. She dropped out and became a librarian instead. The conversation turned to dating, and she admitted that she had been too focused on work to start seeing someone before quarantine began, a decision she now regretted. Plus, she added, so many men just had one thing on their minds.
I was enjoying her company, and it was getting darker, so I figured I would be a bit more obvious about my intentions:
"You know Ava, I'd always thought that you were cute, and I'm so glad that I finally took the risk of asking you to join me for a beer."
When I saw her look away and blush, I regretted my decision.
"Oh Dan, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that this was..."
Her voice trailed off, she looked up sheepishly, then stood up.
"It was nice chatting with you, but I really think that I should be going."
Before I could say anything more, she turned and walked back into the building. I couldn't help but stare at her cute, round ass as she walked away. I felt bad that I had possibly made Ava uncomfortable. Oh well. I hadn't been too forward, and if she wasn't interested, that was perfectly ok. It might be awkward bumping into her in the hall, but surely that awkwardness would fade eventually.
To my surprise, I got a text from Ava early the next morning. She apologized for leaving so suddenly the night before, she had just been caught off guard. She told me to stop by her apartment that evening and she would make it up for me. I was a bit surprised by the vague instruction. Did she reconsider and want to hook up or was she going to gift me a loaf of banana bread? I was just glad that I hadn't offended her.
I approached her apartment that evening nervously. Again, I dressed like I would on a date. She answered the door looking a done up herself, wearing a floral dress. I smiled and thanked her for inviting me over. She nodded and told me that I should have a seat on the couch in her living room.
I sat down and began to apologize if I had been too forward the day before. She quickly cut me off.
"Dan, it's really ok. I shouldn't have acted so startled. I realize that I can sometimes be a bit naive. Maybe that's why I've been too distracted to date. You seem like a nice guy. I've thought about it, and I understand that we all have the responsibility to help one another out during this scary time. I understand that men have certain desires, and that it can be difficult to find sexual release during a time like this."
The way she said "sexual release" felt strained, but I had to say that seeing my very proper neighbor make this vague sexual advance was turning me on. I could feel my cock hardening. I tried to think of some way to interrupt, but she continued before I could think of anything.
"I care deeply about helping others, and I learned a thing or two in nursing school and would like to make sure that everyone's needs are taken care of. I'm not as innocent as I may seem. If you take off your pants and underwear, I can give you relief."
I was shocked and confused by what I was hearing.
"That's very generous of you," I finally managed. "What, um, do you have in mind? Are you sure about this? We can just keep talking if you'd like. Really, I can keep myself 'satisfied' sexually Ava, it's not a problem."
I was hoping she wouldn't back down, but I wanted to be polite.
"Yes, I'm sure," she said as she stood up. "Most men do not understand how to drain themselves completely and acting out like you did yesterday is a sure sign that whatever masturbation methods you're using are not entirely adequate. It's ok."
She hadn't answered my question about what she was going to do, but I wasn't going to protest and possibly miss out, even as she seemed to be lightly scolding me. I reached down and unbuckled my pants, then began tugging them down. It was only then that I noticed that she had a towel, a pair of latex gloves, and a small bottle sitting on top of her coffee table in front of us.
"Could you please sit on this towel? I don't want any messes."
She picked up the large, fluffy towel and spread it out under me on the couch. Everything felt a bit too proper, but I was intrigued. Were the gloves for what I thought they might be?
I put my now bare ass down on the towel. My cock was fully hard and pointing straight up. I watched her look it over, then saw her pick up the pair of latex exam gloves and slip them over her hands with a practiced motion probably learned in nursing school. The gloves were tight on her, and she took a moment to make sure that they were snug over her fingers. Satisfied, she gave the wrists a light snap. She then picked up the small bottle of lubricant. I'm sure she could see by my expression that I was a bit surprised.
"Are you comfortable? I hope you don't mind my taking precautions."
Her voice trembled, it sounded like nervousness but it could also have been sexual excitement. Her face was flush. I nodded.