Travis saw a woman sitting at the table near the self-checkout, books in front of her. She had her earbuds in while she read a paperback. When he came around to the other side, he saw that the book on top had the type of generic picture that you often see on textbooks, and the word "Chemistry" in large type. Travis had a good job, but it wasn't challenging him, so he'd put up signs at the community college for tutoring in math and chemistry just to keep his mind active. She had freckles and looked like she was in her late twenties, the same as Travis; she'd sounded younger on the phone. He sat down across from her, but she didn't respond. He tapped the table and asked, "Are you Andie?"
Travis was accustomed to having some success with the opposite sex, so he didn't think it unusual that her eyes seemed to light up. "Yeah. You Travis?"
"Mm-hmm." Andie turned her player off and took out her earbuds. "Is this a good place for you?"
"Yeah. Plenty of people walk by, but not many sit down and have conversations to distract us."
"What are you studying right now?"
"Alkaloids, but I need to get caught up on metals."
Travis proceeded to explain the chemical properties to her. He briefly checked his watch when they finished metals. Andie never diverted her attention. When they finished alkaloids, she noticed the clock in the background. "Wow, it's been two and a half hours!" she said. "I've never been able to stay focused on this stuff much more than an hour. How much do I owe you?"
"45," Travis said.
Andie opened her purse and took out a billfold. "Here's forty ... Nothing else but a ten. I'll probably want more help next week 'cause of midterms. Pay it forward?"
Travis smiled. "Great!" She handed him the bills and he put them in his wallet. "Same time?"
"Can't, I've got a group exam that night. Night after?"
"Yeah, I'm free that night."
While Travis was putting his wallet back in his pants, Andie never stopped watching him. "I like your shirt," she said. It was the cover of
Dark Side of the Moon
. "You a fan?"
"I like the classics," he said. "I got this for five bucks at a garage sale. Teenage girl says she likes Pink, asks for a T-shirt. Mom got confused, I got a bargain."
"Oh. Well, I asked because there's a Pink Floyd tribute band playing at a bar a couple blocks down from here Friday night, and I was planning on going. Want to come with me?" she asked, awkwardly drawing out the end of "come."
Travis was oblivious. "Sure. Meet here?"
"No, by the front door," she answered.
On Friday, Travis was outside the door when Andie walked through. She almost walked past him, but he said, "Hi!" just loud enough to get her attention. When she turned toward him, he noticed that her jeans were newer-looking than what she'd worn when he tutored her. The gathered collar on her blouse emphasized the nice shape of her medium-sized breasts. She was several inches shorter than him, and he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. When he did, she took his hand. "My car's in the green lot by the book store," he told her.
"We don't need a car," Andie said. "It's only a couple blocks in the other direction."
They had walked almost a block when they heard sirens getting closer. Andie stopped walking, and they saw a fire truck stop just within view. "Looks like the show's over," Travis said.
He thought he caught a smile as she turned around and said, "Yeah, we'd better head back." She didn't take his hand again on the walk back, but he felt her fingertips brush against his several times. "Did I tell you I've got a brother named Travis?" she asked at one point.
"No, you didn't," he answered. He thought, "You've hardly told me anything about yourself."
"You even look a little like him," she said. Suddenly she ran ahead. "Is that a quarter?" she asked. She bent over, giving what she thought was an informative view of her butt. "Nope, just a bottle cap."
Travis caught up to her. When they got close to the library parking lot, she turned right when he expected to go straight. When they got to her car, he wasn't sure what she expected, and he started, "So, umm ..."
Andie was more certain. "Wanna come to my place?" she asked.
"Sure!" he answered. He pulled his car around and followed her to a two-story house that had been converted into apartments.
Andy opened the front door to the house and told Travis, "It's on the top floor." She took his hand and let her index finger draw a line across the palm as they took the first steps. Travis felt the beginning of an erection. "I don't know how long you'll be able to stay," she told him. "My roommate's the night manager at a QuikTrip, and she usually gets her sleep beforehand."
When they got to the top floor, she opened the door slowly and peered in. Travis felt emboldened and put his hand on her back. "Brandy?" she asked. There was no answer. Andie turned around and told him, "She's not in. Come on in." She reached in with her right hand to turn the light on, and Travis took her left to follow her in. Andie saw a folded piece of paper on the kitchen table. She opened it and read it. "Someone canceled, so she's working both shifts tonight. Great!"
They entered Andie's bedroom. Travis noticed the pictures on Andie's desk. He noticed a wedding photo of a couple where the groom looked about 25 and had a square jaw like his own. "That your brother?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's Travis," she said with a smile. She pointed to other pictures and said, "Those are me and my sisters. Julie's 25, and Zena just graduated from Southern Indiana. Those are my parents."
When Andie walked back to the middle of the room, Travis pulled her chair out from the desk. "Since Brandy's out for the night, can I sit down?"
Andie sat on the bed. "Sit over here," she said, and she patted the spot next to her. Travis obliged. When she put her hand on his knee, he could feel the boner getting a little stronger and hoped he wasn't too obvious. She lifted the hand and ran her finger under his chin. "You're cute, you know that?"
Travis tried to think of an answer that wouldn't make him sound smug. "Um, thanks! You got nice boobs." The words had barely left his lips when he was kicking himself inside.