Chapter 6: The New Normal

We broke the kiss, and pulled apart. Megan was staring at us.

“Jeez, Cheryl, if you’re going to rape the guy, at least go to your room first. House rules!”

Cheryl giggled.

“The house rules say nothing about kissing. Nothing at all. And that wasn’t rape! He was totally willing!”

I would have agreed with her, but I couldn’t talk. There didn’t seem to be much oxygen in the apartment. And to further complicate matters, all the blood in my body seemed to be needed in my groin.

“Cheryl, I should go. I have some research to do, and I’m sure you have schoolwork too. Maybe we can meet up later in the day?”

She nodded.

“I don’t want you to go, but it’s likely better that way. Keep in touch, ok? And we can meet for supper?”

I kissed her goodbye, arousing another “Ahem!” from Megan, and then ducked out the door. The walk to the campus was good for me. It got my oxygen levels back up and my erection levels back down. By the time I got to the library, I was starting to feel almost normal. Or at least as normal as I could be, knowing that I had a girlfriend. And not just any girlfriend...

The day passed very slowly, but I did manage to get some work done. Around 4:00, as I was beginning to get restless, I got a text message.

“How’s it going?”

I texted back. “Fine I guess. Miss u.”

“Miss u 2. Dinner? Here? w Megan?”

“Sure. There in an hour?”

She texted back a heart, so I guessed that my timing was ok. I worked for about 45 minutes, then packed up and headed back to Cheryl and Megan’s place.

It turned out that Cheryl Roberts could cook. Who knew? She’d done some studying, then taken a break and gone to the grocery store, and made tomato sauce and some meatballs. A pot of pasta was simmering on the stove when I arrived, and even the hallway smelled heavenly. Megan greeted me at the door with a hug, and Cheryl came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel, and gave me a hug and a kiss.

“Perfect timing. The food should be ready in about five minutes.”

“It smells delicious!”

“Just spaghetti. It’s my Grandma’s recipe. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.”

I went and washed my hands, and then came back out. Cheryl told me to take a seat at the table, and she asked Megan to help her serve. In no time, I was sitting between two gorgeous girls, with a plate of pasta in front of me. I didn’t know which way to look first. We made small talk over dinner. Thanksgiving was the following weekend, and we were all headed home on Friday. (It always confuses my American friends when they realize we have Thanksgiving in October in Canada!) Cheryl and Megan would drive back to Toronto in Cheryl’s car, and I would take the train to Sarnia, where my mom would pick me up. The following week was reading week, and I was planning on coming back to town on Tuesday, so I could do some concentrated work. Cheryl and Megan hadn’t decided yet on when they would come back, but hoped to make the return trip together.