Chapter 7: Kevin

Amy sat down next to me in astronomy class this morning after she caught me kissing Kim in their apartment. I was afraid that she would be angry with me, but instead she looked happier than I had ever seen her. I guess her breakup with Nick was actually good for her.

As the other students were filing into the classroom, Amy reached over and grabbed my face in both of her hands. Then she gave me a soft kiss on my lips and whispered, "I love you."

Before I had a chance to respond, Professor Winslow walked into the classroom and started his lecture. Each time the professor looked away from the students, Amy would touch my arm or leg to get my attention. Then she'd give me a little smile or blow me a kiss or stick her finger in her mouth and pull it out slowly. I was so distracted, that I honestly couldn't remember if Winslow talked about stars or English literature.

At the end of class, Amy and I turned in our homework assignments and walked out of the classroom together. We followed the crowd down the hall and out of the building, but instead of heading for another building, Amy pulled me around the corner. She grabbed my face with her hand and pulled my lips to hers.

She moved one arm behind my back and I put both of my arms around her slender body. Then she pulled me tightly against her body, as her tongue poked its way between my teeth. Her other hand started to work its way into the top of my pants and Amy started to rub my dick. My dick started to respond, but then I thought about Kim and got a sinking feeling in my stomach. Fortunately by then, Amy had pulled her hand out of my pants.

"Wow," she said breathlessly, and then she turned and headed away from me. I stood there for several minutes totally confused.

Kim sat next to me in class the following day. She reached over and rubbed my arm every so often. Her constant touches would have been comforting had images of Amy not kept popping into my mind.

After class, Kim grabbed my arm and together we walked to the Student Union as had become our habit. But instead of sitting next to me like she did on Monday, Kim sat across from me.

We talked about the classes we were taking or had taken in the past, and all of those other things that two people who are trying to get to know each other talk about. When we hit the subject of families, Kim grew sad.

I talked about my parents and how they constantly pushed me to achieve. "They even helped me skip high school and go directly to college. If it wasn't for their support and love, I'm sure that I couldn't have accomplished anything."

Then I said the words that I would come to regret for a very long time, "What about your family, Kim?"

She sighed, a veil of sadness clouding her eyes. "My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring. By the time they found out, she was so far along they couldn't do much to help her. Finally, she died early last summer. By the end of summer, my father passed away. I swear, it was as if he died of loneliness. He and my mother had a close relationship and when she died, I know a part of him died too."

Kim unsuccessfully tried to hide her tears, and then she went on. "Since I don't have any brothers or sisters and I didn't want to stay in my parent's house alone, I stayed with my aunt in Florida. She helped me work through some of the pain and taught me how to accept what had happened to my parents. Unlike a lot of people I talked to, she really understood what I was feeling since she had lost her own family in a car accident a few years earlier."

I shifted to her side of the booth and just held her in my arms. Kim let loose and started sobbing. I would have tried to reassure her, but I couldn't come up with any words that would help. I just rubbed her back until she ran out of tears.

After a few minutes, she started to pull herself together. "I haven't cried like that since my father died. I'm sorry you had to see me this way, Kevin," She said, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin we had gotten with our drinks.

Without thinking, I said "Why are you apologizing? When you love someone you have to take the good with the not-so-good."

Kim looked at me strangely and I didn't understand why. I played back the words I had just said and realized their true impact. Kim reached over, gave me a kiss and said, "I love you too, Kevin".

A vision of Amy saying "I love you" popped into my mind, and I started feeling queasy. Which one did I love more, Amy or Kim? I started thinking about trying to escape when Walt showed up. Kim excused herself, saying she'd see me in class on Friday.

"Why'd she leave?" Walt asked. Do I need a bath or something?"

I simply responded, "I suspect it's your magnetic personality. You repel everyone." Then I ducked as Walt tried to hit me in the head. Together we walked into the line for tacos, while I tried to understand what was happening to me.

Over the next week and a half, I saw both Amy and Kim in the classes we had together. However, I rarely saw Amy outside of class. I asked her if she would like to somewhere after class, and she always politely declined. Though Amy did delight in tormenting me during class. She continued to blow me kisses during class and rub my arm absently mindedly.

One time just before class started, Amy sat on my lap and started rubbing my chest, while leaning her head against my shoulder. Then she reached up and started nibbling on my ear. It was only when Professor Winslow harrumphed from his lectern, did Amy get up and move to her seat. While I nearly died of embarrassment, Amy looked up at the professor and gave him a big smile and then reached over to me and gave me a peck on the cheek.

I wanted to crawl under the table, but Winslow glared at me and shook his head. I decided I needed to be elsewhere, so I picked up my books and left the classroom without Amy.

During this time, Kim and I continued to go to the Student Union after our networking class, where we learned a lot about each other. I heard lots of tales about Kim and her parents before they died and I learned how Kim's aunt inspired her to tackle electrical engineering at MSU. Kim learned about my family as well and together we commiserated on how lonely it was growing up in the public school system, where students that excel were harassed by their peers.

One day while we were at the Student Union, I asked Kim if she would like to see a movie with me. She politely declined and said "Not yet, but soon. I quickly came to the conclusion, that I'd never understand women.

The evening before our first test in the networking class, I met Kim at the library to study. We found a study room and reviewed all of the material. After a couple of hours of review, I felt as ready as I was going to be. Kim felt pretty good about her chances of doing well, too.

We walked into the lecture hall the following afternoon, and the professor handed out the test. It was a killer, but the previous night's preparation really made a difference. After the test, we found Amy waiting outside the doorway and the three of us walked over to the Student Union.

Kim and I discussed the test while we walked. For the most part, we got the same answers, however I know that I made at least one stupid mistake because I was looking at Kim rather than focusing on the problem. I guess sitting next to Kim during exams could be hazardous to my grades.

The three of us found a booth at the Student Union. Kim and Amy slid in one side leaving me to sit on the other. Amy and I started talking about our astronomy class, but somehow the conversation slowly shifted to the things we planned to do over the new few weeks.

Amy said, "You know that Valentine's Day is tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah," I nervously admitted. I had indeed given it much thought over the last week or so, but I was seriously confused. I really liked Amy and Kim, but I couldn't decide what to do.

"Well, with Nick out of the picture, you know..." Amy said with a big grin on her face.

I started getting even more nervous, my face reddening by the second.

Then Kim looked into my eyes. "Of course you know that I don't have a boyfriend either."

Feeling cornered once again, I got this feeling of terror in the pit of my stomach. I was just about to run away in absolute panic when Walt wandered by. He sat down beside me and prevented my escape.

Walt had never met Amy before, so I introduced him. We talked for a while, and then I got up and ordered a large pepperoni pizza for dinner. It took a while to prepare, but I thought it'd give Walt a chance to get to know the girls. Besides, I enjoyed the temporary break from the intensity between the girls and I.

As I walked back to the table with the pizza, I could see Walt's eyes bounce back and forth between Kim's chest and Amy's chest. I don't know what they were talking about, but I thought I saw a line of drool moving across Walt's chin.

The pizza was pretty lame, but the girls didn't seem to notice. They both dropped additional hints about Valentine's Day, which seemed to pass right by Walt. However when Amy reached across the table to wipe some tomato sauce off my chin, I think Walt was a little shocked. Amy had used her finger instead of a napkin, and then put the whole finger into her mouth and pulled it out suggestively

When the last slice of pizza was eaten, Walt decided it was time to go. When he got up from the table, he held his backpack in front of his stomach as if he had spilled something down the front of his pants. When the girls waved to Walt, he merely said "bye" and then he turned and walked away, still holding his backpack in front of him.

The girls looked at each other for a moment, and then Amy said, "We've got some things to do back at the apartment. See you tomorrow Kevin".

Kim reached over the table and gave me a peck on the cheek and whispered "til tomorrow." Then she smiled at me. The girls stood up and gathered their things. I could hear them giggling as they walked away. My eyes followed them as they walked through the crowded dining room. Just before they reached the door, the pair turned around and they each blew me a kiss.

I sat there for a long time after everyone had left, trying to understand just what was happening.

Valentine's Day was here, and I still didn't know what to do. I didn't want to disappoint either girl, but I didn't see how I could avoid it. I knew that anywhere I tried to go tonight would be crowded, so I figured I'd better see if I could get a reservation somewhere. Since I knew that Amy liked Bentleys, I decided to try there first.

When I called Bentleys, the manager said they were booked solid. When I expressed my disappointment and said that my friend Amy Anderson recommended the place, the manager asked me to hold on for a moment. Then he came back on the line and said there was a last minute cancellation at 7 o'clock that night. He asked if I wanted it. I told him I did, so he asked me for my name. Then he repeated my reservation time,, thanked me for my business, and hung up.

It was only after I hung up that I remembered I had forgotten to tell him how many people would be dining there tonight. But since they were giving me someone else's reservation. I guessed the manager had just assumed that I had the same number of people.

On the way over to Amy and Kim's apartment, I stopped by a florist bought a dozen roses. As I carried my purchase out to my car, I couldn't decide whether I should give the roses to Kim or Amy. I finally compromised and went back to the florist. I bought another dozen roses, one dozen for each girl.

As I walked up the stairs to Amy and Kim's apartment, I prayed that only one was home. Maybe Kim was at the library studying, or perhaps Amy had to work. I knew I'd be in trouble if both where home, but I left the decision of who to take out for dinner in fate's hands. It was much easier than having to decide between the two of them. When I knocked on the door, Kim answered and invited me in. I saw Amy sitting on the sofa. My stomach twisted in a knot. I looked over at the door to escape, but Kim was conveniently in the way.