Old theme, new treatment, I hope. You need the earlier chapters or you'll get confused. (Best to start with number one, but that's just a personal view). Please remember to vote. I respond to non-anonymous feedback. Satyricon.
When I woke, my morning experience turned out to be real uncomfortable, mostly because one arm was trapped under Ellen. Hell, a hundred thirty pounds is fine when it's vertical, but when it's completely relaxed and playing sleeping beauty all over you, different story. Why I don't usually encourage overnighters. That and sharing a bathroom before I'm functioning properly. Still, she looked cute. Not as cute as the night before, all fired up and sparkling eyes, working on gratitude with energy and due diligence, but still kinda nice to watch.
The arm was another matter. I eased it out from under and slid out of bed. Good God above, only six-thirty. Put a good face on it, I thought. She's got work to do, and you don't want her to be running late all day, feeling resentful. It would be nice if she thought the next piece of 'thank you' could be penciled in for next week, maybe.
Morning necessities: you gotta visitor so try not to splash, juice, coffee. Full consciousness returned and I took a cup through to her and shook her gently. She mumbled sleepily and sipped, then saw the clock and went into frenzy mode.
'Shit, good job I gotta car,' she called from the bathroom. 'Doug, you are a prince. Wanna go someplace and party, next week maybe?' Bingo. She zoomed into the front room to fetch her clothes, and I stayed out of the way, remembering the times when I had to get up early and start moving almost immediately. Jesus, how I'd hated it. She erupted into the kitchen again, kissed me cheerfully, brandished her car keys with a goofy smile on her face, and was gone. I poured more coffee and felt pretty good.
I was still busy doing that, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my watch: not eight o'clock yet. There were obviously more fools about than I thought, but the knock said "Susan", so I opened.
'Uh, Good morning, Doug.'
'Hi to you, Susan. You couldn't sleep either, huh? Want some coffee?' She looked puzzled.
'Oh, no thanks. I've been up for ages. I saw your light and wanted to ask you something.'
'So shoot.' Now she colored up. I was astonished all over again that someone who looked so fucking hot could be so timid. In her summer shorts and T-shirt, hair loose, spraying good health and sex-appeal in equal quantities, she was a pleasure to look at. She took a deep breath, which distracted me some.
'Uh, I was wondering if I can use the garden, now that summer's nearly here. Would that be alright?'
'You wanna plant something?' She stared, then almost laughed.
'Oh no, not at all. I mean, would it be OK if I sunbathed there at weekends? If I could study out there it'd be so neat. I might even get a little tan.' My kitchen and bedroom overlook the garden.
'Sure, Susan, no problem. Every year there's someone who's a sun-bunny. Nothing too provocative though: Timmy's third floor back, remember, and he's kinda susceptible. Don't want to hafta resuscitate him twice a week.' This time she did laugh.
'I think you're teasing me now, uh, Doug. Just an ordinary, decent bikini, I promise.' She spotted the wall clock and gasped. 'Oh, heavens. I must run. Thank you so much.'
She disappeared like the White Rabbit and I poured more coffee. Seemed like the world was full of cuties in a hurry today. I wondered what an ordinary, decent bikini would look like on that firm young body. Might as well hit the gym early, I thought, since I appeared to be awake already.
Later I stood and looked out of the bay window. Early rising, early gym. Shit. I shuddered as I remembered what that reminded me of: those last four months of my junior year, trying to save Judy from the consequences of me. Jeez, I'd been so glad when that bomb went off in my head and I knew the talent was going to kick in. Later I wasn't so sure.
I'd woken up in hospital. Turned out that the gym director couldn't rouse me, thought I'd ruptured something vital and called a fleet of ambulances, all the usual overreactions. A doctor came and told me I was fine, lay off the weights for a day or two, and I started dressing. I knew the next day or two were gonna be tense, but hell, if all that awful effort was gonna pay off, I was good with it. No gym today though, nor ever again, if I could help it, I thought as I strolled back to the apartment.
The campus had that end of semester feeling. People looking wiped out after partying, happy people who'd done OK, depressed people who'd flunked; an air of finality washing over everything. I went looking for Judy, like a good thoughtful guy should.
She was sitting in the wreckage of her room, projecting glum.
'I gotta pack stuff I'd forgotten I had. Look, there's photos of us.' She showed me Polaroids. Our first proper date, the morning after our first overnighter, with her looking well-fucked and happy and me looking like the cat that ate the canary, goofy pictures of college kids doing dumb things. Kinda bought a lump to my throat.
'They look like two younger people. You wanna let me have some of those? Something to take me through the next coupla weeks.' She was going home for a while, catch up with family, kick back, do some thinking she said. I knew she had a proper internship arranged, and that it was three states away. We'd talked about that some. She kissed me.
'Course you can. I got others. You really think we look younger?' She sounded a little wistful, but I nodded. Pointing out that we'd changed was gonna be important, I hoped.
'We've both grown up some since I broke your leg.' She always smiled when I reminded her of that.
'Two days Doug. What we gonna do with them?' I didn't have a clue. I was waiting for something to happen, for the clicks to butt in.
'Whatever you want. Didn't you get an invitation to some sorority party? We could go along, show off some, or we could go be private somewhere, or...' She interrupted me.
'Can we do both? The party's tonight, at Shania's sorority, and then we could go to the apartment, and then tomorrow go off somewhere for the day.' I'd done my bit, I thought. What was gonna happen was gonna happen through her, same as it had with Patty and Annie. I was there to listen for the clicks, let them prompt me.
'Sure. How formal?' She rolled her eyes.
