Traces of Desire
Copyright© 2025 by Big Ed Magusson
Chapter 26
I floated back to the dorm and somehow managed to get through breakfast and my Friday morning classes. I barely paid attention to them. I kept thinking about Lori and that kiss. And of course, what might happen next. I tried to study that afternoon but finally gave up. Instead, I went down the hall looking for some guys to hang out with. No one I particularly liked had their door open so I went down to Liz’s room and didn’t find her either. I did hear some guys playing hacky sack in the courtyard so I joined them for a while until two of them had to leave for afternoon classes. It’d been fun, but I hadn’t played well. My mind wasn’t in it.
I returned to the room just before dinner to find Len packing a small bag.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m going to Denise and Debbie’s.”
“Ah. Okay.”
“Yeah. Be back around lunch.”
I nodded. I was still floating so much to feel even a hint of envy. He gave me a wave and left, so I headed down to the cafeteria by myself.
I was still on cloud nine when someone set a tray on the table across from me. I blinked and realized it was Liz. She smiled as she sank into her seat.
“Hey,” she said, “how was the concert?”
I grinned from ear to ear.
“Really? That good?”
The entire concert quickly flashed before my eyes as I nodded. “Best concert of my life!”
“Oh?” She cocked her head and looked at me with amusement.
“Um. Well, yeah. It was sort of a date.” Sort of. I wasn’t ready to tell Liz everything.
Somehow she seemed to read me anyway. “You went with Len’s sister, right?”
“Yeah. And a couple of other friends.”
“So ... did you get lucky?”
“What? It was a first date!”
“Yeah, so ... did you get lucky?”
She was teasing me, so I rolled my eyes.
“No,” I said. “It wasn’t that kind of date. Besides her brother was there.”
She sensed my exasperation and let it drop. “Well, everyone had fun, right?”
“Yeah.” The silly grin crept back onto my face. “Yeah, we did.”
After dinner, Liz suggested we host a movie night, even though Len wasn’t around. I loved the idea. She picked out a comedy and went to round people up. That amused me—she was turning into a third roommate in a lot of ways. I didn’t mind that as all.
Movie night went well with only one hitch. One of the guys from the third floor brought an air popper to everyone’s delight except mine. Yeah, popcorn and movies go together like Jake and Elwood, or Bogie and Bacall. But the lingering smell of popcorn does not go with a dorm room. I opened the windows and that helped, but the room got cold quickly. I’d have to figure something out for the next time.
On Saturday, Len showed up right before lunch. He dropped his overnight bag and all but collapsed into his chair. I rolled my eyes. Then he gave me a very tired but very satisfied smile. If he’d been a cat, his purr would’ve woken the neighborhood.
I rolled my eyes, even though I was actually a little impressed. “I don’t know how you do it.”
“Neither do I.” He grinned.
I snorted. “No, literally. I don’t know how you do it. The logistics.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re sleeping with both of them, right?”
“Yeah...”
“So do you go from one room to the other?”
“Oh, no. We’re all in the same room.”
“So ... does one of them watch?”
“Yeah. Sometimes. I guess we sort of all take turns watching.”
I nodded and then his words sank in.
“Wait—you mean you ... they ... you mean you watch sometimes?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
Oh my God! Oh my God!
My heart raced immediately into the fantasies. I had to face it—my roommate was a walking, talking Letter to Penthouse. I’d read those letters. Two women together. Hot as hell!
I shook myself out of my fantasies and realized Len was studying my reaction. I didn’t want to sound like a prude, but I didn’t sound like a creep either.
“Yeah, okay. I get it.” I tried to sound more worldly than I really was. “Yeah ... yeah. That’s really cool.”
“It is.” He smiled and gave a slight nod.
Some part of me felt like I’d just passed a test. I didn’t know what it was, but I was glad I did. Maybe I was cool enough to be his roommate.
But I couldn’t help myself. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“Wow. It just sounds ... amazing.”
“Yeah.” He smiled, a bit sanguine and amused, “Yeah, it is.”
After lunch, we actually ended up going to the rec center with Liz and Julie. I wasn’t crazy about it—it was too cool to swim and we’d be hitting the exercise room. But when two women invite you to go with them, you say yes. When we looked around the room, I grimaced.
“I really don’t know anything about these machines,” I grumbled.
“Oh,” Julie said. “I’ll help you.”
I raised an eyebrow. It kind of felt like I was stealing Len’s girlfriend, but he didn’t have girlfriends. Besides he just smiled and headed for one of the stationary bikes.
“So do you want to do an arm, leg, or chest and back day?” Julie asked.
“Umm ... arms, I guess.”
“Okay, let’s start over here.”
She led me to a machine where you pulled a bar down behind your back which lifted weights up with a pulley system. She explained everything and corrected my form a few times. She also demonstrated, which I realized was her way of getting in her own workout as well. The major difference is that when we finished, she looked sweaty but energized. I was ready to sink into a puddle on the floor. My arms didn’t want to move.
Len and Liz finished up their own workouts about the same time. He grinned when he saw me.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, “but it’s a good tired.”
“That’s what happens with a good workout,” Julie said. But then she realized what she’d said and smirked at Len.
Liz and I just rolled our eyes.
Sunday morning dragged on. It dragged on further when Len left for a study group and I had fewer distractions than the ticking of the clock. Then at last it was noon when I’d told Lori I’d call. With a deep breath, I picked up the phone. She answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hey,” I said. “It’s Mike.”
“Mike! Right on time.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “12:00 on the dot.”
“Mmm. I like a man who’s punctual.”
I floated in my chair.
“So how are you doing?” I asked.
“Mike! I’m wonderful! How was your Saturday?”
We talked about our weekends and movie nights and a street busker she’d seen on Saturday. The conversation wandered, and I just soaked in the sound of her voice. Somewhere in our conversation about vacations to the mountains, I checked my watch and realized we’d been talking for over forty minutes. Even at Sunday rates, I was going to have to cut back. Reluctantly, I decided to wrap up the call.
“So...,” I said, “I hate to say it, but I’ve got to get going. I’ve got a D&D game to get to.”
“Oh, that’s right. The game with Joey and Carmen. Oh, and Britt.”
“Yeah, Britt.” My gut tightened.
She must’ve heard my tone. “Don’t worry about her. If she hasn’t told you to get lost by now, she’s not going to. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah,” I replied, a little confused. Then I realized Len must’ve told her what happened.
“Just have fun,” she said.
“Yeah ... I will. Say ... can I call you again? Maybe tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow doesn’t work. How about Tuesday?”
“Sure.” The smile already started.
“Good. I’ll call you.”
Relief flooded through me. She was willing to split the long-distance charges!
We set a time and said our farewells.
I could’ve sworn my feet didn’t touch the ground as I headed out the door.
I hated running late. I wanted to jog to D&D, but didn’t want to arrive sweaty either. I did my best quick-walk and was only about ten minutes late.
Joey opened the door, a hint of concern on his face.
“Hey,” he said. “You made it.”
“Yeah, sorry I’m late.”
Everyone was already seated. Britt gave me a cool stare as I slid into my seat, but I managed a smile back. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to get into the game. I’d come up with a particularly devious twist with the bandits that left them all gasping in shock, before Carmen let out a barbarian yell and led the charge. Britt was smiling by the time we finished.
I figured Lori was right. If I played it cool, we’d still be friends. I liked that.
Tuesday, my chemistry lab went worse than Three Mile Island. My lab partner sat on his stool and stared out into space. I had to stand directly in front of him and almost yell to get his attention. Worse, he smelled like he’d stepped on a skunk. He did next to nothing. When I suggested he let me do the lab alone, he refused. He didn’t want to make it up later.
Then it didn’t go well. Our results made no sense—they didn’t fit the formulas they were supposed to. We asked the TA, who wasn’t much help. He told us to read the textbook. Then why was he there if he wasn’t going to help?
When we finally finished, I shoved my things in my bag and basically stormed out. I seethed about my idiot lab partner all the way back to the dorm.
And then things got worse when I found a rubber band over the doorknob of our dorm room.