An Unwitting Discovery

"Well, uh, no ma'am. I - uh - sorta - um - uh," I stammered. "I changed majors - um - uh - from engineering," I finally worked it out.

"How'd they let you take this advanced course?" she asked ponderously.

"Well, I took the three core courses, last year, and got all A's. I'm taking a fourth, now. When I met with my new advisor, she recommended I take this one as well, 'cause it was only offered every two years," I told her, loosening up a little. "Taking this fourth core biology class, and a couple organic chemistry courses, will put me on track to finish in four years, despite the change in my major - though I'll probably have to take some summer courses, to make that plan work."

"I'm a junior, this year; I'm just surprised at your grasp of the material," she complimented me. "I was wondering: would you like to be study partners?"

"You - um - oh - hm - uh - yeah - ah - sure," I fumbled the words out. I hoped she didn't see how I was looking at her. I desperately didn't want to screw this up. My mind was racing around faster than a one-armed paperhanger. "Uh - when would - um - you - um."

She came to my rescue. She gently placed her hand upon my shoulder and said, "Tommy, you were really well spoken in class, just now. Calm down and just talk to me, okay?"

That was it; I was done. She owned my heart, right then and there. "Okay, Suzan. When would you like to study?" I asked with clarity that surprised even me.

"Well, I have a part-time job after classes most days, but I'm off by 9:00 PM. We could meet up in the library or my apartment, but I have roommates."

"Okay, the library is good. I have an apartment, too. But no roommates," I offered. I knew I'd stepped in it, then, 'cause she'd never think to be alone with me, the way I was practically ogling her.

"Oh, really? That might be better than the library," she said, as my jaw dropped open.

She smiled pleasantly for a few moments, probably waiting for me to respond. "Hey, Tommy. You might want to close that. People are going to stare," she teased me back to my senses. "Look, you give me the address, and I'll bring some food from where I work."

She was going to bring food, too? "Oh, okay. You want me to just text it to you?"

"Yeah, perfect. Give me your phone."

I gave her my phone and she texted herself, so I'd have the number and she'd have mine. Then she gave it back and said, "Okay, just text me the address. I have to work early today, so I've got to go. See you this evening."

She walked away briskly. I watched her hips sway back and forth to the end of the hall. I'd've rather watched her walk than eat fried chicken - and, for a Southerner, that's sayin' a lot! I couldn't help myself.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about her. I had a few gals that I hung out with in high school but most never really took a fancy to me. In my senior year, I'd got involved with one of them. Come to think of it, she'd been in my biology class, too. The relationship had been fairly short, though. After she ended it, she'd moved on pretty quickly to a fella that had graduated a couple years before. He had a car, an apartment, and a job managing a fast food place. I figured she'd dumped me for him 'cause she thought I was a poor trailer dweller, and probably didn't imagine I was going anywhere. I seemed to get that a lot, after Mom moved us into that trailer park. The names I used to hear, as I got on the bus, would make a sailor blush. What none of 'em knew was that I couldn't wait to get out of that place.

Suzan's voice had not even a hint of accent. If you'd asked me where she was from, I'd have just said, "Heaven". I couldn't blow this chance, so when I got home I cleaned everything. I mean everything. I knew we were going to study, but I didn't want her to even get a sideways thought. Studying was going to be the easy part. What was hard would be not rushing things, thus making her think I was some kind of weirdo who falls in love at first sight.

Around 8:00 I texted Suzan the address and got a shower. Cleaning up the apartment had given me an odor that might have put off seasoned farm hands, and I really wanted to make a good first impression. In the shower I found myself with a real rigid problem that wouldn't be dissuaded. I wasn't about to let it get the better of me, so I beat it back with vigor. In the end, it had taken two attempts to straighten it out and, by the time I got out of the shower, it was almost nine. I'd blown a lot of time on that exercise, but I definitely didn't want to frighten Suzan off. In my small bedroom, I put on clean underwear, jeans, a shirt, socks and boots.

What seemed like just a few moments later, there was a knock at my door. When I opened it, she was standing there, still wearing the cute outfit she'd had on earlier. The difference was she smelled like food. It might have actually been the food she'd brought; she had a bag in her hand. After I stared at her for what was probably too long, I finally invited her inside my little efficiency apartment.

"I'm sorry. Excuse my manners, I haven't had a woman over here," I offered. What? What did I just say? I asked myself.

"Thanks for doing this, Tommy. I brought some chicken Chow Mein. I hope that's alright."

"I'm sure it's better than my cooking," I chuckled in response.

She stepped into my apartment, and deposited a big paper bag on the table in the kitchenette. I dug out some plates and utensils. "I don't have any chopsticks," I told her.

"I don't use them - never learned how. But I brought some, in case you wanted to try," she winked at me.

I didn't know what to think. If she was trying to win my favor, she'd already done it. I think I'd have crawled over cactus for her, if she'd asked. I tried to keep my cool, as my two hungers battled for dominance. "You want something to drink?" I asked, finally.

"Sure; what do you have?"

"Well, I have some coke or water."

"What kind is it?"

"Well, I've got grape or orange."

"I'll take grape," she said, a little oddly.

"Sorry, I guess it must be a Texas thing. Back home, 'coke' ain't Coke-a-Cola. It's just a generic term for what northern folk might call 'soda' or 'pop' - any carbonated beverage." I explained, as I poured us each a glass of grape fizz.

Suzan opened the containers and dished the food out onto the plates, and we were soon digging into the Chow Mein. I decided to use the chopsticks that she'd brought. Dad had taught me how, when I was like five and, anymore, eating Chinese with a fork just didn't seem 'right'. When she saw me dig in, with them, Suzan took a stab at it, too. She was struggling a bit, so I showed her the trick. I placed the first stick across her middle finger and between the bend of the thumb and index finger. Then, I had her pinch the second stick between her thumb and index finger. Touching her right hand with both of mine, as I got her set up, had put me back on alert below the table. I tried to ignore it and hoped it wasn't noticeable. After just a few more attempts with the chopsticks, she'd gotten the hang of them and was happily chowing down like a character in a Bruce Lee movie.

"You're just a natural born teacher, aren't you?" she asked.

"Well, my dad taught me, and he's got a knack for making things pretty simple," I blushed.

"It must run in the family, then." she smiled.

After the meal, I told her, "I'll clean all this up later. We should get to studying, before it's too late." I moved the plates and containers to the sink and wiped off the table.

"Yeah, I just thought this first night could be a 'get acquainted' thing," she said, as she got out her books. She had all the books I had, plus another that I hadn't seen.

"Is that the lab manual?" I asked.

"Yeah, we have a lab at the end of each week. I heard that this guy really pushes the labs hard."

"I haven't found that book yet. The book store was out."

"Well, maybe we can be lab partners, too," she said cheerfully. "Then we can share this one."

We dug into the books and covered much of the same material I'd read through, the previous night. This time, though, it wasn't just me reading the stuff. The two of us conversed about the material. It was kind of funny, really. She kept telling me that I was helping her, but some of her insights really brought things full circle for me. We wrapped things up, long about midnight, and planned another session for Friday night. That would give us time to work through the results of our lab, prepare our report, and get it perfect before turning it in on Monday.

I walked her down to her car, then. My apartment wasn't in a bad part of town, but the parking area wasn't very well lit. Besides, during my visits with him, Dad taught me to be a gentleman. Walking Suzan to her car was the gentlemanly thing to do. We arrived at her beat up old Corolla, and she put her backpack on the passenger seat. I followed her around to the other side of the car, and just barely remembered to reach out and open the door for her. The payoff, for that little effort, came in the form of the thousand-watt smile she aimed at me.

"Thanks, again, for this," she said.

"No; thank you! I really got something out of this, too!" I told her.

Then, out of nowhere, she planted a kiss lightly on my cheek. "Good night, Tommy."

"Good night, Suzan." I knew I was blushing six shades of red. I wondered if she could see it under the dim lighting, as I dared to lean closer and kiss her cheek, in return

I couldn't believe my luck. I didn't know it yet, but my drought was about to end with a flood!

The next day in class, Suzan sat in back beside me. I took notes in the textbook margins and in a separate composition book if there was something special covered. The professor appeared to be sticking to the book fairly closely. Suzan was just writing in her notebook but occasionally glanced over to see what I was doing. I couldn't help feel a bit self-conscious since I was technically the underclassman in this. Her frequent inspection was also giving me a bit of an arousal issue, too. About halfway through the class, I noticed her glances drop lower, and I saw a faint smile appear on her face. Talk about embarrassment! My eyes closed involuntarily, wincing at my body's betrayal.

Toward the end of class, the professor handed back our quizzes. I had, indeed, gotten a 100%. Suzan had missed one question, for a 90%, which was still an A on his ten-point scale. After he finished, he opened up the class to questions about the quiz and the homework he'd assigned. There was a smattering of questions but nothing of real importance, so we were let out a couple of minutes early. The homework would be due Monday, along with the report on the lab assignment.

In the hall Suzan chatted with me briefly. "You're just full of surprises," she said.

"Franklin's comment about the pace of the course, that first day, was a little scary," I admitted. "So I read the first several chapters of the book that night." I didn't want to admit how much of the book I had actually read as I saw her looking at the Good Job! comment that the professor had written on my quiz.

"Well, I think I picked the right study partner," she said, as she gave me another peck on the cheek.

I was blushing again. I couldn't believe she'd done that right there, in the hall. I wanted to grab her and kiss her back, but I tried to remain calm. "I can't wait to do the lab. I need to check the other bookstores and see if any have that lab book."

"We can share until you find one," she offered. "I need to go to work now, but I'll see you in class, tomorrow."

This time, I escorted her to her car, and we chatted idly as we walked toward the parking lot.

"What's your next class?" she asked, at one point.

BIO 310 was the last class I had, that day. "Thursday is my light day," I told Suzan. "I get to go home."

"Don't you have a job, Tommy?"

"No," I blushed, "My Dad is footing the bill for all this."

"Wow, my parents basically raised me and were done," she said, a bit dejected.

"Yeah, my step-father would have done the same, but my Dad is the best. He wanted me to not have to choose between an obligation to a job to earn college money, or extra study time when I needed it. When do you get off, tonight?"

She took my question as an invitation, "I wish I could come back over tonight, but I'm supposed to work until closing. I'll see you tomorrow, though," she smiled coyly, as she dropped her gaze towards my crotch. My arousal had evidently returned without me really noticing. Suzan clearly had me melted like putty in her hand. She told me, "Bye" and got into her car.

After I watched her go, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her long straight strawberry blond hair had smelled wonderful. She didn't over-use fragrances, in fact I don't know if I even smelled a particular scent. She definitely smelled feminine. There was another odor there too; it smelled like home. It reminded me of my favorite feather pillow, back when I was a child. It made me want to curl into a fetal position in a nice warm bed, which was a very odd sensation to be having on this hot August day.

Clearing these aroma-triggered memories from my mind, I started walking towards the bookstore to see if they had gotten the lab book I still needed. The campus bookstore said they were still having trouble getting it. The professor had given them the wrong student count for the class. I spent the rest of the afternoon driving around to several other bookstores looking for it. Around six, that night, I returned to my apartment, having had no success at any of the bookstores. I would not be able to prepare for the lab like I wanted to. My late registration for the class was probably the cause of the book shortage.

Inside my efficiency, I pulled out my laptop, opened it on the kitchen table, and started searching for the book online. I found a copy, but it wouldn't be there until next week. I went ahead and ordered it, and then started searching to see if I could find and electronic version somewhere. By nine o'clock, I was tired of looking and getting hungry. I put the laptop away and warmed up some of the Chinese that Suzan had brought. I really wished she didn't have to work late. I'd have given anything to see her right then, and my thoughts weren't very scholarly. After eating I had decided to go ahead and turn in early for the night, when I got a text.

"Hey - got off early. Still want to prepare for the lab?"

"Yes!" I pressed send and instantly hoped the exclamation point didn't make me seem too desperate.

She was at my place in moments, knocking on the door.

"You must have texted from just down the street," I said, grinning, as I opened the door and welcomed her inside.

"Yeah, I had thought about going back to my place, but I could use some prep for the lab."

God, she smelled good. It wasn't the food smell, either. "I looked for the book again today, still no luck, so I ordered it. But it won't be here until next week."

"Oh, that's too bad. I should have let you borrow mine," she said apologetically.

"Well, you're here now," I said. My eyes roamed over her. I really couldn't help it.

She caught me looking and just smiled. Her emerald eyes twinkled as she watched me, now. "Why don't we study for that lab," she suggested, as she placed her backpack on my table.

"Okay, I guess I could sit still for that," I said, stupidly.

"What'd you say?"

"Oh, sorry; What I meant, was, Yes, ma'am. "

"No, what did you say?"

"It's silly," I said. "I'm still working on dropping my Texan lingo. I'd sit still for that just means I'm up for doing that. I wouldn't get up and walk away." I knew I was blushing furiously. Amongst the youth around Austin, that phrase frequently carried a second, less wholesome, meaning.

"That's so cute," she said stroking my cheek. She literally had no accent. Well, maybe it was an American accent, thinking of the various European accents I'd heard. But to me she spoke like one of those television news anchors.

"Where are you from, Suzan?" I asked, trying to place her voice.

"Well I spent most of my childhood around northern Virginia, but we moved around every few years. I ended up in Durham, for high school. Then I started school here just as my parents moved out to the west coast."

I guessed all that moving from place to place probably did wash away most her accent. "Why'd you move around so much?" I asked, since it seemed like she was being open.

She didn't answer right away. Something was making her hesitate. "Well, my dad is a preacher," she finally said, not offering any further details.

"Hmm, that makes sense." I felt like maybe I'd touched on a sore topic. She looked pretty nervous about something, so I suggested, "Well, let's get started."

We sat at the kitchen table together. First we worked on the homework for Monday, to see if there were any problems that would need extra research. Then we went through both the lab procedures, and all of the questions about the lab, to make doubly sure we knew what we needed to look for during the session. When we thought we were ready, and had all of our steps planned out, we decided to call it a night. All that felt like it took about an hour. However, the clock on the stove read a quarter after one.

"Jeez, Suzan!" I exclaimed. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize it was so late!"

"Well, crap, our time just slipped away," she said thoughtfully. "And, here, I thought time only flew when you're having fun!"

"Or when you're with someone who's fun to be with," I offered, suddenly wondering where I'd gotten the mettle to make such a statement.

Her gaze transfixed me again. "That's true, too," she agreed, nodding.

I wondered if I should offer for her to stay the night, for a short moment, and then decided I was on a role, so 'nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

"Hey, uh... maybe... um... You want to stay here, tonight?" I asked the question awkwardly.

She looked around the apartment. There was only the double bed just visible through the doorway to the bedroom. I didn't have a couch or even an easy chair and I could see her hesitation.

"I um... didn't mean we - "

"Sure," she said, cutting me off.

"We can put a rolled-up blanket down the middle of the bed, or something."

"Don't be silly, Tommy; I trust you. I was just thinking - I didn't bring a change of clothes." she said.

"I have some long tee shirts. You can pick one out, if you like." I offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Leading her to the bedroom dresser, I pulled open a drawer filled with neatly folded tee shirts and told her, "You choose whatever you like."

A cute little smile crept across her lips, "Wow, so neat."

My heart leapt. Her praise instantly rewarded for the time I'd spent all that time cleaning. You can't beat making a good first impression on a girl, and you sure can't undo making a bad one.

After she picked one out, I went to the bathroom to get her a toothbrush. I pulled the remnants of a four-pack from the cabinet under the sink, and handed it to her.

"You can have one of these, too. What time is your first class?" I asked.

"Not until 10:00, so I should have time to go back to my apartment and change," she said, as she headed into the bathroom. "Thanks, for the toothbrush. I'll be out in just a minute."

While she was in the bathroom, I changed quickly into some gym shorts and a tee shirt. I heard the toilet flush and the water in the sink started. My heart rate was increasing as this situation was unfolding. I wondered at Suzan's trust in me; I wasn't entirely sure I trusted myself. I mean, I trusted my waking self, but what might I do in my sleep? The doorknob was turning, now. The light from the bathroom streamed out into the bedroom.