"Hi - do you mind if we jog together?"
The female voice took me by surprise - I had not noticed another runner coming up behind me. But my heart pounded when I saw who drew up alongside me.
"Why, no, not at all - but I'm near the end of my run," I replied, quickly drinking in this beautiful girl. Her blond hair pony was tailed through her college baseball hat, and she had the bluest, bluest eyes. I had seen her running before, and secretly fantasised about making out with her - the quality of guys where I'm finishing my Masters in the IT department of a mid-West university makes me glad I'm a happy bisexual.
"Me too" she answered, picking up my pace. "I thought we could just do a lap of the track, and then finish. Okay with you?"
"Sure," I answered, trying to keep my breathing steady and not give myself away. We cut across the park and headed towards the athletics track, jogging easily together. "Had a good session?" I asked, pulling back to let her get through a gap in the wire fence ahead of me.
"Real good - I'm aiming to do a half-marathon in a couple of weeks, so I'm training quite hard." She pulled ahead; her tanned legs were topped by her black running shorts which clung perfectly to her neat bottom. Squeezing sideways through the opening in the fence, her small breasts were in beautiful silhouette.
"You're hardly out of breath," I replied, following her, "You'll do fine."
"Hey - thanks for the encouragement" she laughed, turning to face me. I had to force myself to begin running again: I could have swept her up right there and then, kissing her neck and cheeks and lips before hungrily opening her mouth with my tongue and savouring her taste.
Somehow, I managed to look past her, and we headed for the track.
"I'm Miranda," I said, "and you?"
"Hi - I'm Bobbi, with an 'i'."
"Okay, I'll remember that" I laughed back. As we crossed the grass onto the dark red athletics track I wondered whether we might, just might, be running together into something wonderful.
"You name's unusual," she said, "how come?"
"My Dad teaches Eng. Lit. at State uni. - he's a Shakespeare fan. He identifies with all the characters, especially Prospero in The Tempest. In the play, Miranda was his daughter."
"Wow - that's really cool. I'm afraid my name -"
"- with an 'i'" I interrupted, smiling,
"- isn't so literary. I'm not an arts student either. I'm doing business studies. Just one year to go."
So - she was enrolled in the business school, probably rooming on campus, maybe we could arrange to meet again somewhere...my thoughts raced ahead of me as we came round the track bend and finished the circuit.
"I've seen you in the library," Bobbi said, slowing down. "You're something to do with computers, aren't you?"
"Why, yes," I answered, caught off guard. "I'm doing a Masters in computer science. I guess I'm a geek!"
She laughed, and my blood raced. We had slowed to a walk, and headed off track towards some sports buildings.
"Wow - does that mean you could help me with my computer? It keeps crashing and it's driving me nuts."
I tried to keep my voice level, hoping she'd mistake any tremor for breathlessness. "Sure - I expect I could. I've had to sort out my machine enough times to have figured out almost every reason for it going wrong - but there's always a new one. Where's your dorm?" I asked, hoping my voice was neutral.
"Just over here - the Westgate building. Why not come up?"
*** *** *** ***
I followed Bobbi up the stairs and along to the end of the passage; she was slightly smaller than I; she wore a thin, silver, thumb ring; her room mate was on an extended field-trip, and wouldn't be back until the next semester; she hoped I wouldn't find the room too messed up; she was enjoying herself; work was going well - upper quartile grades; and she had lovely ears that I longed to nuzzle and kiss. She opened the door.
"Come on in, Miranda," she said cheerfully, gesturing towards the room. "Welcome to Xanadu!"
I stepped in, looked around quickly, and then laughed. "Bobbi - you're a real Heidi-Tidy. Everything is immaculate. You were setting me up for a really messy dump!"
"Okay - I confess. I did do a quick sweep round before I left. Look- there's the computer. See what you think." She grimaced, and arched her back. "Ouch. I've just got to do something about this new sports bra - it's been rubbing all afternoon." She pointed to her computer on the work desk, and moved through into the other room, leaving the door half open.
I tried to concentrate on booting the PC and noting the error messages without being distracted by my imagination of the lovely girl getting undressed only yards from me. But I needn't have bothered.
"Look - can you help with this?"
Bobbi had come back, wearing only her dark shorts, white socks and sports bra. She looked stunning - toned arms and legs, a thin silvery chain around hr throat.
"The bra's too tight and I can't adjust it properly when it's off. Can you just loosen the straps at the back for me?"
Her voice was so natural, so even. Her body was so attractive, so sexy. And I just knew that, as sure as a salmon understands water and an eagle rides the air, her life and mine were about to change irrevocably.
"Let me see," I answered coolly, pushing back my chair and moving behind her. She raised her arms and pulled up her ponytail so I could gently manoeuvre the bra straps. I slipped my fingers under the thin white material and felt the warmth of her back. "Hmmm - I don't think your boy friend would be able to fix this. Most guys are complete idiots when it comes to getting these off!"
"Miranda, honey," she answered quietly, half turning her head, "I don't have a boy friend. I'm not in a relationship at the moment. And, just so that you know," she continued without a break, " - I'm into girls." So saying, she leaned gently into me, so that my lips were only inches from the shallow valley nape of her neck, with just some light downy hairs shining in the sunlight.
I breathed slowly, and slid my fingers down the bra strap towards the clasp, pulling her towards me. I stepped off the edge of the cliff. "Bobbi," I whispered, breathing in her scent, "so am I." And then I kissed her neck, opening my lips so that I could taste her, so I could make the moment last as long as possible, force time and eternity to cease their action as I gently undid her bra strap to reached around under her arms and cup her small breasts in my hands.
For a moment I wondered it I'd blown it - Bobbi didn't move; it was as if she had frozen. Them with a slow, deep sigh, she lowered her arms and covered my hands with her fingers, so that her hard nipples where pressed against me. Then she slowly turned round in my embrace, reached up, and kissed me full on my lips.