Love Among the Stacs

This is part 2 of James and Kellie's story. There's actual sex stuff in this part, although it continues to be a slow burn story.

Since someone asked, the phrase " This is a story not of what was, but what could have been" at the beginning of part 1 referred to how James' story diverged from mine, had I only met a Kellie then. It all worked out in the end, though. Don't worry.

---------------------------------

March 15, 1990

1.

The alarm went off, waking me from what clearly wasn't enough sleep. Then again, what 18-year old ever got enough sleep when they had to get up at 6:30 to get ready for school? I splashed water on my face, brushed my teeth, and was out the door by 7, a pair of waffles in my teeth. We didn't live close enough to the lake for the lake-effect winds to be a problem, but it was still plenty cold on this late-winter morning. We lived a lot closer to school than when we were in Michigan, and I was at the front doors and into the throngs 15 minutes later.

Going to a school with 2000 students instead of 400 had been an adjustment, but no more or less than anything else that had changed about my life in the last few weeks. At least here, nobody had 12 years of preconceptions about me. I was the New Kid, but they only needed to deal with me for a few months, so by-and-large, I was left alone. Getting up to speed in classes had been the bigger challenge - they went faster here than what I'd been used to, and I'd had to push myself in a whole bunch of ways.

The conversation with the guidance counselor I'd had that first Monday had given me a kick I didn't know I was waiting for.

"Mr. McKinley, welcome to your new school. I'm Mr. Collins, your new counselor. Have a seat. How are things going so far?"

"Well, I found the school." That got a laugh. "And my mom had all the paperwork organized, so I'm all registered. I guess that's about as good as it could be going so far."

"Good. There are a couple of things I wanted to talk to you about, and then you can head off for your day."

I nodded. I'd decided to come in here with a confidence I'd never really felt, at least not until I met Kellie. Though she was a couple hundred miles away today, I thought about what I could tell her when we talked tonight, and I wanted it to be something good.

"I've looked over your transcripts - a 2.92 GPA, no D's, which is good - and your test scores. A 34 ACT and a 1440 SAT, both of which are very impressive. But I don't see any colleges listed that have received your scores. James - is it James, or Jim, or Jimmy, by the way?"

"James. Well, Jimmy to my parents."

"Okay, James. I have a question." He paused. "What the hell is wrong with your old school?"

My mouth fell open. He didn't look angry, per se. More...confused. And I wasn't used to teachers talking like that. "I uhh, don't know. In what ... way?"

"You've got great test scores. A solid GPA - I'd like to see if you can pull that over 3.0 by the end of the semester, but it's not bad. The reports from your old school say that you haven't indicated interest in anything after graduation, much less college - not the military, not professional school, not a job to make money. I'll bet you could have a lot of options if you wanted. Didn't they tell you any of that?"

"Uhh, yes, kinda? I mean, we had someone come talk to us about college and all, and we knew where the military recruiters were and stuff. I guess they figured if we wanted to do something, we'd ask about it."

"And did you? Ask, I mean?"

"Not. Not really." I didn't much want to talk about how messed up much of my life had been, not to someone I'd just met, so I stayed quiet.

He just looked at me for a bit, thinking, and then nodded. "Okay. Let's try this approach. What do you want to do?"

"I guess I figured I'd go to college, but we've never had much money, and I'm not a good enough student to get a full ride, so I'll probably end up getting a job. Maybe community college, if I can do both."

"That's not what I asked. What do you *want* to do?"

"Like, as a job?"

"Like anything."

I talked for a long time with Mr. Collins that day, both before classes and after school. And then I talked with my parents. And by the time I hung up from my nightly call with Kellie, we had a plan.

First, I needed to pull that GPA up. I could sneak it up over a 3 with a strong semester, and that would open up some scholarship possibilities. Then I'd get a part-time job - after school and on the weekends, going full-time in the summer. That money, along with the extra money my dad's new job was bringing in, would be enough for me to go to the state school downtown.

It did, however, mean that I was in for a bear of a semester.

2.

Surprisingly, it only took me a day to find a job, and one I liked. I'd sought out the local public library in the Yellow Pages, and it was almost, but not quite, in-between our new home and school. When I stopped in to check it out, I saw a "Help Wanted" sign at the registration desk, and that was that. When I told Kellie about my new job, she laughed and told me not to knock over (or pick up) any cute girls. I stammered, and she laughed again and told me she loved me.

It was tough being away from Kellie after spending so much time with her. She was still my only friend, on top of being my girlfriend (I always felt a little giddy when I realized I had a girlfriend), and the short nightly calls (longer on weekends) weren't really enough. But in the pre-internet, pre-cell phone days when they billed long-distance calls by the minute, we did the best we could.

Since my parents were usually around, I only had so much privacy on the calls too, so even when we had some time to talk, I had to be fairly cautious about what I said. That meant that even though we'd escalated things just a bit physically right before I left, that part of our relationship wasn't able to grow.

That didn't mean, however, that my desire for her wasn't growing. The hug she'd given me in that nightshirt was burned into my brain, and I came quite often thinking about the feel of her body against mine. I knew it meant something to her too, from the little bit she said, but for the most part, all we could do was desire...more.

Given that we met in October and spent time together from then until February in the cold of a Michigan winter, it wasn't like I'd even gotten to see much of what she looked like. I knew that I liked the way she looked in tight blue jeans, and that she was on the skinnier side with not exactly the world's largest breasts. And I loved her smile.

True to her word, Kellie had put applications in at the major Chicago-area universities. Not the one I was targeting - her GPA was a lot higher than mine, and her dad's life insurance was enough that she could choose most any school (although I knew that she'd have traded every penny to have him still around) - but close enough. And it wasn't long after she sent in her applications that she started to get acceptances. First to one, then another, then all three. I was very proud of her. Mildly jealous, but more proud.

The day after the third acceptance arrived, I got an unexpectedly early call from her - at the library.

"Hey James! How was school today? Is it okay that I'm calling you at work?"

"Hi sweetie! School was fine. I got an A on my history paper and an A- on my math test. And it's fine, I think. We're not that busy today. Spring break starts next week, and I think a lot of teachers are assigning 'Today in class we will watch a movie' instead of actual work. Not much research going on."

Kellie giggled. "Here too. Spring break is actually why I called. Umm, what days will you be working?"

"They're letting me pick up some extra shifts, so I'll be here Saturday, Sunday, and then Wednesday through Saturday again. Only like 6-7 hours a day, but that will be good money."

"Can you take Sunday off?" Her voice was excited. I had a hope as to why, but I didn't want to guess.

"Maybe. Probably. Why? Is something special happening?" I hoped she could hear the smile in my voice.

"Yes!" Kellie nearly squealed, and the rest came out in a rush. "Aunt Jenny and I are driving to Chicago Saturday night and staying until Wednesday morning so I can go on campus visits! We're going to get a hotel in the city, but she said that we could spend some time together on our own, plus as a group if you want! And if it's okay with your parents and job!"

It was what I'd hoped for, and I shared every bit of her excitement. "That would be so awesome! I'm sure it will be okay, as long as we plan so they know where we'll be. Hang on a minute and I'll ask my boss!"

I hadn't meant to hang up on Kellie when I ran to find my boss, but she understood, and giggled at me when I called her back. My boss did too, and I traded this Sunday for the next one with one of my coworkers.

We were going to get to spend three days together!

3.

My parents obviously understood why I wanted to spend time with Kellie, but that didn't stop them from laying down a long list of ground rules (in collaboration with Aunt Jenny). I couldn't see her Saturday night or Wednesday morning because of timing, and she had campus visits in the morning on Monday and Tuesday. I wanted to see the schools too, but the logistics just wouldn't work. Sunday, they'd come out to visit us in our apartment, and I'd get to show Kellie around where I lived now. Monday and Tuesday, I'd take the train in to meet Kellie after her college visits. I had a couple of options each night on trains to take back, but nothing too late. We were all pretty new to the big city and a little wary of the whole thing.

By Saturday morning, I was a combination of freaked out, excited, scared, and hopeful. It was driving my parents batty and, other than a few lectures about Safety, they let me stew in my room. I'd done as much research on what we could do as I could - sometimes it helped working in a library - and I'd written out options for museums, restaurants, interesting buildings to visit, and some of the major shopping areas. We weren't going to Ferris Bueller our way around Chicago, but we had options. I'd gotten maps of the L trains and bus routes, made sure I had cash - both change and enough money to do some fun things, and talked to my boss about where to go for a relatively inexpensive date dinner.

I waited anxiously for Kellie to call and let me know they'd arrived, but eventually the phone rang.

"We're here! Oh, James, you've got to see the view from our hotel. It overlooks the lake, and it's gorgeous!"

The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. "You're gorgeous, Kellie. You are. I can look at Lake Michigan any day. I'd rather see you."

I could almost hear Kellie blushing through the phone, although I'm sure she couldn't have been redder than I was - my parents were like 5 feet away from me. Her voice was quiet when she spoke again. "You have no idea what that does to me, when you say something like that and really mean it."

"What does it do?" I whispered.

Kellie giggled. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

We talked for a little while longer, but her aunt wanted to go to bed after the long ride, so Kellie and I said goodnight.

I wasn't anywhere near ready to fall asleep, though. I finished all of the cleaning that was on the to-do list, tried to read but couldn't focus, went for a walk, and then finally fell asleep after jacking off a couple of times. I kept remembering how Kellie had felt during that hug and thought about how good it would feel to hold her again in the morning.

4.

After being awake so long the night before, I actually slept until my alarm went off. The plan was for them to arrive for a late-morning brunch, and I could already smell the muffins mom was baking.

I spent entirely too long in the shower - looking for every stray hair when I shaved, scrubbing every inch of me until I couldn't take it anymore, and getting myself off again. I came so hard I saw stars picturing holding Kellie in the shower and feeling her naked, wet body against mine while we kissed. I knew that nothing even close to that was a possibility this week, but it was a powerful image.

I got dressed and went to help my mom with brunch. She had it mostly done, but it gave me things to do. What seemed like hours later, but was more like ten minutes, the buzzer went off. Dad pushed the button to let them into the building, and I waited for the knock at the door, my heart racing much faster than I think it really needed to. The knock came, I opened it, and Kellie launched herself into my arms, giving me a sound kiss on the lips. The grownups waited patiently while we hugged. I'd been worrying about so many things, but they all went away when I was able to put my arms around her.

A cough brought us around, and we sheepishly ended the hug, though Kellie hung on to my hand. Thankfully, the hug hadn't lasted quite long enough for me to get fully erect, so I didn't have to hide from anyone.

Everyone said their welcomes and thank yous, and we moved toward the table to eat. As we started to sit, Kellie whispered in my ear, "You did it to me again."

I turned to her, worried, but her eyes were twinkling and she was blushing. "Later," she said with a smile.

Trying to remember my manners, I asked Kellie's aunt about the drive and told her about my new school, the neighborhood, and my job, while somehow not choking on my food or making a total fool of myself. I called that a win.

We also talked about colleges - where I was hoping to go and the two schools Kellie was visiting. She'd decided that she wasn't going anywhere other than one of those two places (assuming, I guessed, that the visits weren't beyond horrible) - they were world-class, so they'd have been great choices even if we hadn't been dating. Kellie talked us through the schedules for her campus visits. I was so excited for her. I wished I could accompany her on those visits, but since we only had the one car and my parents needed it for work, I couldn't use it to get to the schools, and getting there on public transportation was just going to be too complicated.

The weather was chillier that Sunday than we'd expected, so our original plan of walking around the new neighborhood didn't seem quite as good a fit. Mostly, I wanted to spend time with Kellie where we could talk about whatever we wanted (as well as getting some quality kissing time in) and show her my new life. I knew she'd love the library, and we'd definitely find some time there to hang out.

The question was what Aunt Jenny would do while we were doing that. She was planning on visiting one of the large shopping malls in the suburbs, but they weren't open late on Sundays - even if she'd wanted to shop for many hours - and Kellie and I weren't exactly subtle in our interest in hanging out as long as we could. After some brainstorming, my dad stood up and called me into the kitchen.

"Jimmy. Calm down."

"I'm calm." I was anything but calm. I was trying to be, but it really was difficult. Because of first our friendship and then our relationship, Kellie's role in my life had become a big one, and I'd been really missing her. I knew that was true for her, too.

He smiled. "You're not, but I get it. I remember being 18 and in love. You think I'm full of shit, probably, but I get that too."

Dad reached into his pocket and held out the car keys, keeping them tight in his hand. "The two of you are about to pop out of your skins. Take the car. Show her the library or the playground or the moon. I don't care, as long as when I see you next - in two hours, not a minute more - the car's not damaged, you're not in the hospital, and there's not a clump of cells that will one day call me grandpa. Got it?"

I nodded, afraid to speak and mess this up.

"Good." He lowered the keys and then paused. "And don't leave the tank empty for your mom in the morning."

He put the keys in my hand and smiled. "Go. I'll talk to your mom and Jenny about how later today will go."

5.

A few minutes later, after a rush of getting shoes and going to the bathroom, Kellie and I were sitting in the car, staring straight ahead. I hadn't yet started the engine, and our breath fogged the air. There was so much tension and electricity and nervousness in the air. We hadn't really had the chance to be alone since we acknowledged that we loved each other, and we'd just spent weeks not saying the things we wanted to say. But now that we were here, it almost felt like too much.

I put the key in the ignition and started the engine. It roared to life with a rumble and a blast of cold air. I slid the vent lever to low - it would take a minute for the car to get warm enough that it would blow hot air. Kellie giggled at my reaction, and I turned to look at her. That was all it took.

We were on each other instantly, our mouths open and our tongues wrestling with a passion new to our kisses. I was well on my way there, but when Kellie moaned, deep and throaty, my cock hit full hardness in near-record time. Our hands went everywhere we could put them, although given that we were wearing jackets and sweaters, it wasn't like we could feel anything.

"Oh god, Kellie. I've missed you so fucking much." I gasped out the words in between kisses, and Kellie nodded in response, nearly attacking my mouth and sucking on my lower lip.

"Mmmm. Mmm. Mmm. Me too," Kellie said, trying to get the words out. "But ... oh, you feel good ... can we go somewhere that's not your driveway at noon?"

"Uh-huh." I couldn't think of where at that moment, but we'd figure it out. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and tried to catch my breath. "Yeah. Umm. Whew. Umm, yeah. Not where they can watch us."

Kellie buckled her seatbelt, similarly bemused. "Well, they got a show if they did watch."

I put the car in gear and started backing out of the driveway. "At least it was still PG rated."

"I don't think they want to see the premium cable version." We both laughed at that.

The tension was broken, and I was euphoric being there with Kellie. I was also rock-hard, and I'm sure my cock was leaving a nice wet spot at the tip inside my underwear. Kellie had a goofy smile on her flushed face. She'd told me that kissing me got her "worked up," but given my limited (zero) experience with women, I could only imagine what that entailed.

"Do you, umm, know where kids go around here when they want to be alone?"

"Oddly, that wasn't covered in the orientation."

"They should fix that."

"I know." I was kind of driving aimlessly, hoping that something would come to mind.

Neither one of us spoke for a moment, and then Kellie asked, "James, do you remember me telling you that I'd tell you 'what you did to me' when we were in person?"

"Yeah? I mean, yeah!" Kellie put her hand on my thigh, just a couple of inches away from my cock. I jumped and laughed.

"Do you want to know?" Her voice was soft, but breathy. Holy fuck, was that sexy.

"Uh-huh." My voice almost cracked.

Kellie slid her hand up my thigh, almost, but not quite touching my balls. It felt so good and yet agonizing at the same time.

"Good." She licked her lips. "You make me so damned wet, James. Like sometimes you say just the right thing and I feel so much for you that I worry I'm going to leak on my jeans. And today? I've been wet since I knocked on your door. I'm wearing a pad today, not because I've got my period, but because you turn me on so much and I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of your parents."

Oh fuck, was hearing Kellie tell me that hot. She *wanted* me. When we kissed, I could feel her desire, but this was a level I'd only dreamed about. My brain and mouth weren't quite connected, though, so all I could get out was a "Yeah?" that sounded almost like a grunt.