Message-ID: <29442asstr$985137003@assm.asstr-mirror.org> Return-Path: <empath69@my-deja.com> X-Original-Message-ID: <200103202154.NAA11645@mail3.bigmailbox.com> From: "Deja User" <empath69@my-deja.com> Subject: {ASSM} "Leave It To Chance" {Empath} (MF, rom) [2/?] Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 20:10:03 -0500 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2001/29442> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: gill-bates, kelly ------------------------------------------------------------ <1st attachment, "Chance2.txt" begin> Leave it to Chance, part two By Empath Copyright, 2001 ------- Disclaimer: This story contains explicit descriptions of sexual activity and shouldn't be made accessible to minors. I, the author take no responsibility if this restriction is not upheld. Copyright Notice: Author's Note: This is the second part of a (possibly) continuing story. Unlike most, this one can't stand on its own - you'd better go find chapter one in the same place you found this... ============= I stepped out of the locker room feeling like a million dollars; not only did I just have an invigorating workout and a cleansing shower, but the conversation during the workout had done wonders for my state of mind. 'Now if she hasn't ditched me, I might have a good meal to go along with that,' I thought. As I waited, I began to think deeply about Linda. I'd only met her just...well, okay two hours before - more than I thought but still not enough to...what? What did I want from her? So far, we merely seemed to be new friends who could banter easily. It would be presumptuous to expect a romantic involvement or even meaningless sex just because we were going out for dinner. 'Hell, even if I've just made a friend, I could do a lot worse!' The way she counseled me earlier showed she was a nice person. Kind enough to reach out to a stranger and get him talk of his problems while she listened and shared their burden. Sharing burdens...that was just the sort of thing that Becca and I broke up over. I was ready to enter a lifelong relationship while she still had some youthful exuberance to get rid of. Linda was the sort of woman I had wanted for a helpmate, and she must've known it by now since I'd discussed these very things with her. Was fate giving me just what I wanted? No, I couldn't get my hopes up - it would be too much to hope for. Maybe Linda didn't want to get involved with someone as vulnerable as I was right now. Maybe she didn't go for guys like me at all. Maybe she was a lesbian. Maybe I'd stop trying to predict how our relationship would develop, good or bad! Fortunately, Linda chose that moment to come out into the lobby and bring my dithering to an end. She was gorgeous. She'd washed and dried her blonde- pageboy and the straight golden tresses shone like...well, like gold drawn into shimmering wires. Her face was fresh and clean, without any obvious makeup. Her clothes were subtle and attractive, what little I saw of them before she buttoned up her heavy coat. But most of all, she was in a wonderful mood; it shone from her like heat and light - I was tempted to hold my hands out and warm them against her good spirits. She caught my eye with hers, and something passed between us. I don't know exactly what, but it was discombobulating enough for her to sneak up to me and take my hand. Her words broke through to me: "Are you SURE you're not an epileptic?" We laughed as we stepped out the door into the chill autumn night, and I watched our frozen breath blow away in wisps. "So, do you have a car?" "No, I got my roommate, Bonnie, to drop me off - was going to call her to pick me up." "Oh, good - you've got an escape route." I started for my car, and she followed. "Huh?" I shrugged. "Well, in case things don't go well at dinner you don't have to depend on me or a cab; you can just leave." I caught her smile in the corner of my eye while I unlocked the car. "A little pessimistic, isn't it?" "Hey, I'm an accountant - who's always telling you to prepare for the worst?" "FEMA?" I took a trick from her and stuck out my tongue. We threw our bags in the back seat and got in. "Right. Now what?" Linda looked around the interior. "Well, the stick shift's too tall for me to lean over to you, and the back seat looks too small..." She met my gaze and winked at me. I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. "I dunno, what do you feel like having for supper?" she asked, putting the problem back in my court. I thought the choices over. It was almost half-past eight on a Thursday night; she probably had classes and I definitely had work the next day. "Do you like Chinese?" "Yeah, and I know the perfect place not too far from here." "Well, that's decided then," I said and started the car. * * * * It was a well-coordinated jaunt; the traffic was light, and Linda's directions were clear and given with plenty of warning. To my credit I drove efficiently and with enough grace to follow her directions, easy as they were. We found a parking space just under a block past the restaurant, and walked back to it. It was fairly small - just a dozen booths along the sides and some tables in the middle. There was no maitre'd or anything so we just sat in a booth and shrugged off our coats. At that hour there were few customers - several people sitting alone, and one group of three men discussing something while drinking lots of coffee. Our waiter quickly arrived, we made our orders, and he just as quickly disappeared. "So," I began, at a loss for something to talk about. "Buttons!" Linda retorted with a smile. I caught her drift after a second or two and my smile joined hers. "You're really eager on your psychology studies, are you?" "Yes. The human mind fascinates me - it's like the most complex computer we've ever encountered. There's no real difference in structure between the silicon chip ones we make and the organic ones inside our head." "But there are differences-" "Not in the basic way they're organized; gates and pathways for electrical impulses. What you're thinking is that our PC's are much less..." she floundered for a word, "advanced than our brains. That's true, and they're not nearly as big, either. But our personalities are actually nothing more than a really big set of rules for responding to stimuli - desires, taboos, fears, obligations, instincts - all that is our 'code' as the computer people term it." It was like she'd pulled back the curtain hiding the 'wizard of oz'...I saw how the amazing thing actually worked and was shocked, but also disappointed. "Well, if you put it like that it seems to demean-" "Ah, but what a program! Like I said, the basic building blocks of it are so simple and rudimentary, but that's looking at a tiny part of the system. When you step back it takes on a whole different image...or perspective...ah, I dunno!" Linda looked slightly annoyed at her inability to find the perfect wording. I thought about her statement, and visualized what she described. As I did, an analogous image formed itself in my head. "Say; it's kinda like the pictures in a newspaper." "What?" "Well, when you hold a picture like that under a magnifying glass, you see that it's all made up of nothing more than black dots - big dots to mark dark areas, small dots to show light patches, and no dots for white stuff." "Yeah." She was following me, but hadn't made the jump to where I was leading. "Well, at that level they're simple and basic, right? Just dots. But what happens when you take away the magnifying glass and look at the whole picture? Just what you said, new things appear; three-dimensional perspectives, facial expressions - all that sort of thing you'd scoff at if I said I could use a bunch of dots to convey them." "That's it! I never thought of it like that, but you hit it dead center! Thank you!" She enthusiastically grabbed my hands and held them. I barely noticed that for the passionate gleam in her eyes. "Yes, emotions, reasoning, free will, all this heavy stuff, all of it created in a web of tiny wiring for simple electrical impulses. But take it as a whole, all these little rules and codes, together they make something - no someONE - so complex and adaptable, so fascinating in detail, it's just..." "Amazing," I said, trying to help her complete her thought. She sighed pleasantly (both for her, and for me) and said, "Yes." We were kept from getting further lost in this discussion by the arrival of our food. We began to eat, and after a period of adaptation, continued to talk. About what I'm not exactly certain - to this day I cannot remember, and I think it had something to do with the dainty way Linda ate. Or her animated body language when she talked. Or the laughter in her eyes when I told a joke. I know, I know; I fell in love - it's obvious now, but when it hits you, you just can't see it; like that 'picture' analogy, you're flooded with little dots, and you can't see that they form a heart shape. I'm ashamed to say that Linda had to carry the conversation, for I fell prone to bouts of being mesmerized by her. I'd notice when she stopped - though maybe not right away - be startled and then try to keep up, saying my piece. I think we'd discussed our personal histories - in general, at least - but as I said, I never got a chance to put that stuff into long-term memory. Before we knew it, we'd finished and the staff was making subtle hints they wanted to close for the night. We split the check and got our coats. The weather outside was even colder, without a cloud in the night sky, and the wind enough to pinch at our faces. Without thinking, I put my arm around Linda's shoulders and pulled her close to me. She looked at me with an odd expression, but then wrapped her arm behind my back and nestled her face into my chest. I was pulling out of the parking spot, shifting into second when she placed her hand on top of mine on the gearshift. I paused for a split-second and returned to driving, enjoying her warmth. We didn't talk much; I had to concentrate more on driving than normal, and she must've needed to watch my driving to move her hand in sync with mine. Despite the silence, we were hardly uncomfortable. At least, not until we got to her apartment building. We looked at each other, not knowing what to say - we both knew her roommate was home, and asking her if she wanted to go back to my place seemed...wrong, somehow. I took a moment to look out at the twinkling stars, and the maddened congress of voices in my head made a resolution: "I'd like-" "I guess-" We smiled at each other and apologized in unison. "You first," I insisted. "I was just going to say that this is probably the end of our date; I enjoyed myself, Ted." "Good; I was going to ask you out again." She looked me in the eye, just stared silently for a second, and reached a decision. "I'd like that, Ted." I began to breathe again. "So sometime this weekend?" "Oh, no - I'm going to visit my folks back in Ohio. I'm leaving Friday night and getting back Monday afternoon; yes, I'll miss a couple of lectures but I've got people who will cover that for me, and its been almost a year since I've seen them. It's my dad's birthday." Surprisingly, I didn't feel that disappointed. "Okay, then. Maybe something next week after you get back?" "How's Monday night for you? I don't have any early classes the next day, and my mother can be such a nag - I'd probably need some cheering up." "Okay, Monday night it is, what shall we do then?" "Ah, let's wait and see what kind of mood I'm in. Give me a call..." she started rummaging through her purse, which I stopped by clearing my throat and pointing to the pad and pen I had affixed to the dash. "You really plan WAY too much, Ted." "Hey, it just served its purpose. I can throw it away now that it's paid for itself!" "Fine, fine. Here's my number and the time my flight gets back. Gimme a half-hour to get home from the airport." She punctuated her directions with a sudden peck on the cheek. "Thanks, I had fun." I was paralyzed for a second, and then reached back for her gym bag. "I did too, and I'm looking forward to repeating the pleasant experience. Good night, Linda." "Good night, Ted." * * * * The phone rang twice before I was confronted with a grumpy "Yeah?" I was nonplussed, this sounded nothing like Linda - female, yes, but deeper, and with a hard edge I couldn't conceive existing in Linda's psyche. It took a curt "Well?" to snap me back from confusion, and it occurred to me: this was Linda's roommate! "Ah, sorry. This must be Bonnie. I'm calling Linda. You can tell her it's Ted." "She's not here, Ted." "She isn't? Where'd she go?" "I dunno if I should tell you, but I will: to see her folks." "Yeah, I knew she flew back to Ohio to see her parents for the weekend, but she should be back by now-" "Why? Her flight's not for another hour and a half." "Four? She said she'd be back by two." "Sorry, but four-oh-seven is the arrival time I have on this itinerary here." "Oh." I looked at the slip of paper sitting on my keyboard. "Hah. I'm the one who has to apologize - it says four o'clock here too. I don't know why I thought two-" "Well, thanks for the mea culpa, but do you want to leave a message? I'm a little busy here." "Right, sorry again." I thought quickly, and had a devilish idea. It wasn't easy getting it all worked out with Bonnie (if she's reading this now, I must apologize yet again, and tell her that I hope I hadn't screwed up her project), but before too long we had the message ready for Linda. I thanked Bonnie, wished her well in her work, and heard her give me a terse "Yeahbye" and hang up. * * * * Linda got home at a quarter to five. She lugged her bag through the door and shut it, turning the deadbolt and calling out "I'm back!" "Hey, Lin - gotta message for you!" "Message? Who from?" Linda took her coat off and hung it up. Silence. 'Damn her and her teasers!' she thought with a smile on her face. 'She must be busy, and she's useless to the rest of the world like that.' Linda shook her head, and went to the door of Bonnie's room. As always, Bonnie's back greeted her at the open door. She was working away on her computer - fiddling with one of the CAD programs that Linda had installed for her. This one had a wide assortment of colored spheres on a black background; most were touching and connected in an intricate pattern, but some were apart from the rest, adrift in the black space around this complex molecule that Bonnie was trying to simulate. "Bon? I'm fine thanks, good luck on the cure for cancer, and you said you had a message for me?" "Yeah, shit - where'd I put those notes?" Bonnie rifled through the papers she had piled on her desk. "Right; Ted called at about two-thirty. Got your arrival time screwed up apparently." "Oh! I'll call him...wait - did he leave a number?" Bonnie wheeled around in her chair her mouth set in a sardonic smile. "Hold on Lin; I've got instructions to follow." "First: if it's past four-thirty you won't be able to catch him at work." Bonnie made a show of looking at her wall clock. "Yep, so bye-bye to that number," and she chucked the first slip of paper over her shoulder. Linda darted forward and tried to catch it. "Second: if it's not yet five o'clock, he's probably still stuck in traffic, and he won't be answering his home phone." Another slip went flying away, much to Linda's annoyance. "Third: if the other two aren't answering, you should try his cell phone at this number," and Bonnie handed her roommate the paper. Linda reached over, picked up her friend's extension, and called me. As per the plan, I didn't answer it. "Yeah, Ted - it's Linda and it's four-fifty-two; you called, maybe about doing something? Can you call me at the apartment when you get a chance? See ya." "Ah-hah. Voice mail." Bonnie flipped through a couple more slips of paper, and recited from the right one. "If you get his voice mail, either he's just too busy to answer or possibly physically incapable of calling. If that's the case, you should wait a day for his reply; if he doesn't, you should call the police and report him a missing person." Linda gave her an odd look as she flipped to one last note. "And if you have trouble getting through to the cops, there's probably some serious disaster or incident going on, so then - and ONLY then - you can call FEMA. There! So what the fuck is all this about and why are you laughing like that?" * * * * The date was wonderful! In a fit of egalitarianism Linda picked me up with their car, we went to a franchised Italian restaurant where the food was decent - and the conversation better - and we went off to see...uh, some romance flick. No, I don't remember much of the movie, because reflex put my arm around her shoulders before the previews ended and we spent the entire time - credits and all - leaning on one another. I do remember that the soundtrack was pretty good, if that's any consolation. Besides, what happened on the way home was more notable than a good but predictable screenplay. No, the only thing that 'detracted' from the date wasn't that bad... Linda ran out of gas. It's quite possible when you've got two people using the same vehicle, and thankfully we were only a couple of blocks from my apartment. We hurried pressed together against the bitter wind, and went up to my place of rest. While Linda called Bonnie to tell her what happened, I made us some coffee. We decided it was too cold to go straight back out and get some gas at a station, so we took a breather first. When I brought the coffee back, I'd sat down close to Linda. I swear that this wasn't a conscious effort - but I'm glad my subconscious made me do it. I handed Linda her drink, and noticed that her nose was a bright pink from being exposed outside. "Oh, here let me-" and I moved closer and breathed hotly on her frostbit nose. Yes, it was an extremely silly and pointless thing, but it was a trigger: we looked each other in the eyes, and kissed. It wasn't a 'flail the arms, mash the lips, and fell her like a tree' kiss. The first was just a mutual peck on the lips, as was the second. Having felt each other out, the third was probably medium-pressure, but really long on duration. After an interminable time, we had to breathe, and broke off. I looked at her and my mouth dried out in an instant. She was breathing hard, shoulders rising and falling, and her eyes were afire. The pessimistic planner in me demanded I ask, "Is Bonnie going to need the car early tomorrow?" It took a few seconds for her to digest my question and formulate an answer. (I'm flattered; I didn't think I was that good a kisser.) "No, Ted. Her first class is at four in the afternoon, and my first is at ten ay-em." "Well, we'd better put our coffee down before we burn ourselves." I took the two mugs, put them safely on the coffee table, and stood to take off my coat. When we'd divested ourselves of our outerwear, I took her hand and led her to the bedroom. * * * * We fell onto the bed, kissing each other. My lips moved across her face as my hands stroked her arms and shoulders. I felt my belt buckle tighten, then loosen. I followed suit by undoing the buttons on her blouse. I saw no bra strap in the gap. Pushing the garment open, I revealed her breasts. They were on the smallish side, like beautiful grapefruit halves. Lying on her back, they stood straight, not sagging in any direction. Her nipples were dark brown with a hint of pink, and encircled by tiny areolae. I wrapped my hands around her mounds, leaving the nipples untouched in the vee between fingers and thumb. A light massaging movement made Linda moan. I looked her in the face, regarded her slitted eyes and slack mouth, and returned to her chest. I teased her for what seemed like hours, trailing my fingers over her skin, nibbling at her breastbone, lavishing kisses everywhere except the proud, twin peaks of Mount Tits. I only ended my torture when she grabbed my head and dragged my mouth to a nipple. Then I let her have it; I latched onto that nipple with my lips and sucked; I pinched it ever so lightly with teeth; I flicked my tongue against the tip, then lapped at the entire nipple HARD. And it worked - before long her moans merged together into one long keening, and I felt her body shake under me. I kept up my stimulation all through her orgasm, and when she started to come down I hugged her close, kissing her neck. Her breathing calmed down, and she pushed me back far enough to look at me. "That's never happened before!" "What, never?" "Well, not with just my boobs!" I just batted my eyes coquettishly. "Gosh, y'all - you're too kind!" We laughed for a second, and resumed disrobing. As I slid her skirt down her legs, I noticed a damp spot on her panties. I smiled to myself. Linda pushed me back onto the bed, and exposed my body. She licked at my nipples, and though the sensation was nice we both knew her efforts would not be as well rewarded. She pulled my pants zipper down, and slipped a hand in to search for...something. When she found my semi-hard cock, she smiled at me. "Not like steel - should I feel offended?" I shrugged. "Maybe he was feeling ignored?" She grinned evilly and replied, "I'll fix that!" She made me lift my hips for a second to pull my pants and shorts off my pelvis, and regarded her new patient. "Hmmm, circumcised, average size, fairly clear of hair - do you trim this stuff?" "No. I guess-" I stopped as both her hands grasped me and held me in their warmth. She stroked me gently, watching my groin with rapt attention. I responded my manhood filling with blood, my breath shortening, and my desire rising like water in a boiling pot. I pulled Linda next to me, letting her continue her stimulation, but also allowing me to reciprocate. I licked my fingers and stroked her pussy. The lubrication wouldn't have been necessary - she was hot and slightly damp. I traced the outline of her four lips, avoiding her clit for as long as possible. I never did get a chance to diddle her that night; just as I began to insert a finger into her moist depth, she stopped stroking me and stared at me with a palpable hunger. I almost pounced on her right there and then, but this dammed rational side of my brain insisted I dig out a condom first. I was lucky I still had some from before Becca moved in - and that they hadn't expired (yes, I checked) - else I might've had a mental breakdown that night. Linda took the foil wrapped object from me, and made me enjoy having a condom put on me. It was sweet torture to feel her light touch here and there. Before I knew it, she'd completed her task and pulled me toward her. I carefully entered her, letting her satisfy herself with just the head at first, then a little more, and a little more...before we knew it I was pushing my pubic bone against hers, and my lips were worshipping her face. She took hold of my shoulders and encircled my legs with hers. Then, without a word spoken, she told me to fuck her hard and fast. I complied. We never broke eye contact in that whole time. Her legs had worked their way up to link behind my kidneys, and my knees were almost under her backside, but I only remember looking deeply into her soft brown eyes. And in that time, we knew. We knew every flaw, every ugly secret, every shortcoming the other had. And we'd accepted them in each other. I think she came twice - it may have been only once, just before I did, and the other shiver was for cold - but I had enough reserve to allow "ladies first." Somehow she knew when I was nearing the peak, because she pulled me down and kissed me deeply, just as I let go. I was at peace with the universe; everything was right, perfect and just. I knew this feeling would be momentary, but I promised myself that I would visit this nirvana as much as I could. The woman who brought me here - who had joined me in this place - I would not let her go. We came down and held one another until we caught our breath. I rolled off of her, slipped the condom off and chucked it in the garbage. I used the cloth I put aside for cleanup - hey; proper planning keeps the mood from being broken - and looked Linda in the eye for a second before pulling her into my embrace. We pulled the blankets over us and snuggled in for a longish autumn's nap. * * * * The phone rang, disturbing me from tracking down a $700 discrepancy between what an employee earned and what the company paid them. I saved my progress and picked up. "Baker, Accounting." "Ted? You still alive?" It was Pete, my closest friend, and one to whom I hadn't spoken in over a month. I started guiltily. "Oh! Hi, Pete. What's up?" "My curiosity. Usually around now you've finished moping around about your breakup and you call me to go get drunk. I hadn't heard from you, so I decided to check in on ya. How far off the schedule am I?" Oh, Pete, if only you knew... "Um. That's a funny thing, Pete. I haven't called you in all this time 'cause-" "You went and tore a muscle, didn't you?" "Pete-" He ignored me and ranted on. "Dammit, Ted - I WARNED you not to fuck around. Christ!" "Pete?" "People always say 'don't go for a drive if you're upset' - the same thing applies for weights! How bad is it?" "Pete! I'm fine - I got someone to spot for me that night and I got my arms worked up nicely. I'm uninjured, Pete." Pete grunted whether he believed me or not. "Pete? I met someone. The woman who spotted for me in the weight room." I proceeded to recount the last month of meeting Linda every Thursday evening to work out, and going out on a date at least once a week. I left out our sexual activities, for I'm a gentleman, after all. "Oh." It seemed I had stopped ol' Motormouth cold. "Yeah, Pete. It's pretty serious, if I do say so myself." I began to take a dismissive tone to my friend. "So I'm glad to say I won't be needing your services this time around, so if you could push off, there's a good man!" "But I was right, wasn't I? About getting back into the saddle right away?" His words were spoken with mocking laughter behind them; I could just feel his smug grin staring at me. "Oh, fuck off, you ungrateful prick! You just don't know when you're beaten!" I was having difficulty speaking clearly for all the laughter bubbling up in me. "Stop talking to yourself, Ted - it's a sign of insanity! Admit it - you skipped right over your usual habit of sulking and moping for a month after a breakup and you did just FINE." It took me a moment to think about this. "Okay, you may be right, Pete. I didn't go hibernate this time. But it wasn't because I planned on 'going fishing'; this woman and I just got pushed together by fate. Karma, kismet, God's will, the luck of the draw; call it what you will, it just happened." Pete's tone lost its humor and took a note of quiet respect. "Those are the best kind, man. Take care. So when do I get to meet her?" "Well, you could always meet us at our Thursday night workout-" "No can do - I ended up late for that shift last time; there isn't enough time between when you get off work and when I start." "Oh, sorry to hear it. Ummmmmmm. Maybe we could double date? You seeing anyone?" "Not right now; say, has this Linda got a friend?" I thought about Bonnie. "Um. She does have a roommate; she's studying biochem-" "Ah! My first degree! We should get together." "Er, yeah. She's a little..." I wondered how to describe Bonnie. "Er, a little terse. Every time I've met her, she's been busy studying. Never seems to have much time for conversation." "Heh; must be aiming for pre-med. A gal after my own heart! You should ask Linda to feel her out; even if it doesn't work out, just so I can meet her and watch you two together." "Yeah, alright. We're meeting for dinner tonight; I'll mention it." "Bah, you don't have to make a big deal or anything. Anyway, good to hear you're doing well. We'll talk again soon!" "Right. Thanks, and talk to you soon." * * * * "Hiya." I gave Linda a kiss as I moved to my chair. "Ted, would you be interested in popping up to Canada for the day this weekend?" "Why?" "There's a band Bonnie and I like, they're performing in Toronto. We saw them a few years back when they toured the colleges, and we got hooked. I think you've heard some of their songs on our stereo." "Uh-huh." "So are you interested?" "Well, I like what I've heard, but it's a long drive from Detroit to Toronto." "Four hours both ways, yeah. But you've GOT to see them live; the CDs just don't do them justice." "Yeah, okay. We'll take my car since it's bigger; more comfortable for four people." "Four? It's you, me and Bon." "Isn't she bringing a date?" "Well, she's worse than I am for neglecting her social life in favor of her studies!" I didn't need a red flag waved in my face. "Um, Lin? Would Bonnie be interested in..." I paused, trying to figure out a tactful way of phrasing this; I failed. "Er, a blind date?" Linda looked worried enough for both of them; I love her concern for her friends. "Don't get me wrong; Pete's an old friend. One I haven't seen in oh, about a month." She caught my drift. "Oh! Oh, sorry Ted; I didn't want to come bet-" "Relax! You haven't; every time I go through a breakup he knows to back off from this 'wounded bear' for a while until I'm done brooding; then I go get blind drunk with him. He was just off the mark this time!" "Oh, okay." "Yeah, and he'd like to meet you; check you out, kind of. When you mentioned this road trip and the uneven number of our party, I just thought we could kill two birds. But if Bon's not interested-" "Well, I'll ask her; she's not a nun or anything." "Yeah - oh, Bonnie's planning on medicine eventually, isn't she?" "Yep." I made an expansive gesture. "Well there you go; Pete's already a resident at University - Mercy; they can always talk shop!" "Okay, I'll feel her out for ya." "Thanks, it'll lighten the gas burden, too!" At this point the waiter delivered our food, and I realized Linda had ordered for me. And ordered well. I gave her an admiring look, then started eating. * * * * Linda was right; they were a live-performance band. In this era of studio creations, this was a group that truly shined when they had a real audience in front of them. Pete and Bonnie hit it off well enough on the ride up; as I figured, they spent the time talking biochemistry and medicine - I think Bonnie's found a mentor rather than a boyfriend. As for the concert, I can't put it in words...the closest I can come to it is "Infectiously buoyant". Many of the songs were fast and upbeat, with much of the concert hall standing and dancing in the narrow rows! Linda dragged me up, despite my protesting that I didn't dance. It was no use when Bonnie grabbed my other arm, and the four of us joined a row-long 'chorus line'! I followed the girls' footwork for a while, and realized the moves weren't very complicated; after a couple of songs, I was keeping up ably enough. I *really* enjoyed myself. When the boys changed to their ballads, most people sat down, though some couples tried slow dancing. Linda kept me standing. We hugged each other close for these love songs and sad ballads. One particular one hit me right in the heart and made me tear up - a song about someone worrying about hurrying into love too quickly. As I said, I wept while the vocalist sang, and the lyrics really made me think about what Linda and I were doing. Before the last chorus, I'd come to the decision that unlike the narrator, I *was* "ready to say 'I love you' yet". Before I knew it, show was over, and we were making our way back to the car, arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm; four old friends. Bonnie took the return leg (Pete had imbibed at the bar, and I was beat from the drive out and the dancing). By the time we got back to the U.S., we were all showing the effects of a tiring day. We agreed to all crash at the girls' apartment - Pete would take the couch and Linda would share her bed with me. As we undressed, I paused and looked at my girlfriend. My girlfriend. She was beautiful, even when she stumbled getting her skirt off. And despite her appeal to me, I had to ask her: "Hon? Do we...well, do you want to..." "Tired?" "Mmmm-hmmmm," I replied, forcing my head into an approximation of a nod. "Okay, then; we'll actually SLEEP together! We don't have to. I'm rather bushed myself." "I thought you didn't like women in that way?" I may have been tired, but not ignorant of a punny opportunity. "Oh, shut up, lover. I never told you one way or the other; stew on that while you get in here!" I chuckled tiredly, and climbed in bed alongside her. I dunno why I do this - maybe exhaustion clears out all the petty little shit we worry about to avoid the big concerns - but I lay there, holding my darling Linda in my arms, dwelling on the unknown future. "Linda?" "Mmmmm?" "I have to ask you something." My tone must've gotten to her, because I could feel her rouse in my embrace. "Shoot." "Lin, what do you want from me? We both know I'm attracted to you, and why - you're sexy, beautiful, intelligent, caring, funny. You're just what I've been looking for, and don't say you didn't know - we've talked about it often enough. "But though we have talked about you some, I still don't know what you want from life at this point. And neither do I know what you want from this relationship; I've got several different ideas, but I don't know your mind." She pulled back and looked up at me. "Oh, Ted! You think you're just a 'patient' to me, like some kind of project - a lonely, heartbroken man to be cheered up, helped over his loss and sent on his way?" I nodded. "Never. Not in a million years. I won't deny that I thought of you like that at first - I saw you were struggling with something and needed an ear to listen to you. But once I got listening, I fell in love with you! Just like you feel about me; I think you're funny, smart, handsome, very studly," this comment was accentuated by a hand squeezing my cock, "warm, gentle, and full of love. "I love the way you fuck me. I love the way you dance," she cut off my laughter with "even if it was your first time. I love the way you just zone out sometimes when you look at me. I love how you cuss like a teamster when you get behind the wheel, yet remain the most considerate driver I've ever seen. "Theodore Baker, I love YOU, all your strengths and foibles, every trait that makes you unique - all the little dots that make your picture!" We smiled at 'our little analogy'. Then she raised a finger to my cheek and wiped away the tear there. "And I love that I can make you weep like this; it means you love me, too." What could I say? She'd summed it all up in one neat package, and besides - a night like we'd had had given me God's own case of cottonmouth! I just nodded, and pulled her to me for the most loving kiss I've ever given or may ever give. I guess that song - "Fast as I can" - isn't appropriate for us anymore. Fin ============= Author's Postscript: Well, there you go - all you folks who wanted more about Ted & Linda! (I don't know why everyone bitches about getting no feedback; I've gotten plenty from one story! And don't get me started on Dancer's fanmail!) I'd only intended for this to be a one-parter at first, and then detail crept into it until I reached my self-imposed limit of 30kb. (M$ Win's Notepad jams up not long after, and I like its speed and simplicity for reading stories, so...) If people nag at me enough, I MAY do more; but I still have more 'Mikel & Nadine' episodes to work on; the (barely) fictionalized life of Dancer and yours truly. And that sci-fi fanfic I promised I'd write for a friend. And that other story Dancer expressed an interest in. And...but then you get the picture.:) Thanks for reading, and best wishes! empath <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. 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