Chapter 19: The Times They Are A Changin\'

March, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

Katy was quiet as we walked down the street to the coffee shop and went inside. We sat in a booth and the waitress brought us coffee and offered menus, but we declined them. As was my practice in Milford at Frisch's, I'd just leave a larger tip than usual so that the waitress wouldn't be harmed by us each drinking a 75¢ 'endless' cup of coffee and not ordering food.

"Katy, we need to solve this problem between us," I said.

"What problem?" she asked.

"You know damned well what problem," I said. "But first, I need to apologize for my comment about being naked in the sauna."

"It will be your house, so you get to make the rules," she said neutrally.

"Yes, and I looked straight at you to make you uncomfortable. I apologize for that."

"It's OK. Now, what problem?"

"Cindi is right," I said. "Will you at least admit that?"

"No!" she said vehemently. "She's not! She's dead wrong!"

The first thing that popped into my head was — The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

"Katy, I know your standards," I said quietly. "I'm not going to violate them, but at least be honest with yourself."

"What are you talking about?" she said, sounding exasperated.

"That I want to clear the air between us, so we're not both walking on eggshells and you're not freaking out every time someone teases you about me."

"It can't happen," she said softly.

"I know that! Don't you think I know that?! You made it very clear. I have never, ever, gone against a girl's clearly stated wishes. Will you just be honest with me? Please? Then we can move on."

She took several sips of her coffee, then set the cup down on the saucer in front of her.

"Fine," she spat, but softened her voice completely, "I want to sleep with you in the worst possible way, but you can't provide what I need emotionally and romantically."

"OK. Now we have it out on the table. I'll be honest with you — you fit my type, exactly. Athletic build, nice hips, small breasts, pretty face, long hair, and cute freckles. I'd take you to bed in a minute and ravish you until you couldn't take it any longer."

She smiled, "OK. So now what? We want to screw, but we won't. How do we deal with that?"

"Like adults," I replied. "We exercise self-control. We can tease, joke, and goof off all we want. Hell, we can be naked together in the sauna. And nothing happens. It's that simple."

"You're serious? It's that simple?"

"Why not? My friend Melanie and I were lovers for quite some time. We tease each other constantly, even though she's engaged to one of my best friends in the world. And nothing has happened since she and Pete became engaged, and nothing ever will. Hell, her mom teases the heck out of me when I'm at their house. She had Melanie when she was fifteen, so she's really young and pretty hot looking. But nothing will ever happen because she's married. Kathy and I were long-term lovers, but once she and Kurt started seeing each other seriously, it ended."

"You and Kathy do tease each other a lot, don't you?"

"Yes. If you can handle it, I certainly can. And I will never, ever, step over the line from words to actions. Well, unless you hit your head or something and your personality or world-view changes completely!" I teased.

"Don't count on it, Buster!" she smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll have the consolation of seeing that cute Irish body naked and perspiring in my sauna next semester."

"And I'll get to satisfy my curiosity about what you have that has those girls so enthralled."

"My personality, Katy. Just my adorable personality. You'll see," I said with an exaggerated grin. "Now, will you consider moving in?"

She sighed, paused, but still answered with a smile of her own. "Yes, I will. I'll check with my parents, but if the deal is like what you offered Julia, then I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"It is. And like I said, if that's causing you financial struggles, we can negotiate."

"I bet!" she exclaimed.

"See how easy that is? And how much better it is now that we both admitted what we really want?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "that's true. I feel way more comfortable with you already."

"Good. Now, let's get back to our friends before they think we decided to find a place to fool around!"

She smirked, "No, let's have another refill and play a joke on Cindi!"

I laughed, "I'm really going to like having you in the house!"

We actually drank two more refills before I dropped $5.00 on the table and we left to walk back to the apartment. Just as I was about to open the door, we grinned, then walked in with my arm around her and her head on my shoulder.

"No way!" Cindi said as we walked in, feeding Katy the 'straight line' she was hoping for.

"Oh yeah!" Katy sighed. "We stopped at a place Steve knew. Why didn't you tell me he was that good!" she said dreamily, then kissed me softly on the lips before going to sit down.

You could have heard a pin drop in the room, and Stephie gave me an odd look, but then smirked when she read my eyes. That made me feel good, because it showed that she and I could communicate that way.

"I can't believe it!" Cindi exclaimed. "I don't believe it!"

"Believe it, Cindi," Katy said, continuing to play it for all it was worth. "You don't know what you're missing!"

"Well, now I've seen everything," Kathy said with her own smirk and knowing wink. She'd seen my eyes and guessed the truth, but played along, "Leave it to Steve Adams!"

"Leave what to Steve Adams?" I said.

"To get Katy to give it up!" Cindi said.

"Give what up?" I asked innocently.

"Oh stop!" Cindi laughed. "You two did it! She just admitted it. I'm in awe, actually."

"Did what?" I chuckled. "Had coffee? Because that's all we did!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

"Gotcha, Cindi!" Katy said.

"Wait, then what the heck did you mean?" Cindi asked loudly, above the laughter.

"We stopped at a place he knew — the coffee shop. And what he's very good at is making me feel comfortable as a good friend and nothing more. As for what you're missing, well, have you spent time alone just talking to him?"

"You bitch!" Cindi exclaimed, laughing hard herself at that point. "What about the kiss?"

"Improv," Katy said. "It wasn't planned, but it was the perfect thing to do. I think he's stunned, though!"

Katy gave me a big smile. She was right on that account, the soft kiss had stunned me, and told me that I really was missing out on a special experience, one that I had promised not to try to get. And I was going to keep my word to her.

"It was a nice kiss," I said, going to sit with Stephie.

The afternoon was spent discussing plans for the new house and evaluating a couple of girls that Jackie knew. She said she'd have one of them join us for coffee on Wednesday so I could meet her and I said 'OK'.

"I'm impressed, Steve," Jamie said. "You're part owner of a house at 20? That's pretty damn good."

"Well, my dad is the financier. I couldn't do it without him."

"Don't sell yourself short, Steve," Elyse said. "You ran a successful software company for a few years, made some good money, then made even more when you sold it. Now you're doing computer consulting and making at least as much. I still wonder why you don't do it full time."

"Because he knows the value of a college degree," Kurt said.

"Exactly," Eduardo agreed. "Having that is huge if you want to get a good job. Yes, it's possible to make money and even make a lot of money without one, but why not get it if you can? It's not as if Steve's hurting for money. In two years, he'll probably be making more than all of us combined, except maybe the soon-to-be lawyer and soon-to-be architect."

Chris laughed, "You do know what a starting architect makes, right? Peanuts! I'll be designing bathrooms in government buildings and crap like that for years before I get a major project and make real money. Of course, if I'm good, and my professors think I am, then I'll make as much money as F. Lee Bailey over there," he nodded towards Jamie.

Jamie laughed, "Yeah, right. Unless somebody on Wall Street decides that a middle-of-the-pack law student from Kent College of Law is worth six figures, I'll end up as a junior associate at a Chicago firm. That means long hours and low pay for a few years. Like Chris, if I can become a good litigator, then I can make some serious money. That said, I'd rather be in Steve or Eduardo's shoes — computers or an MBA from Wharton are a ticket to some major cash. And fairly quickly, too! Not to mention I don't think either of them has student loans like I do."

"Ugh, I wouldn't wish that on anybody," Kurt said. "I'll have to borrow for my Senior year, but otherwise, my parents have managed to cover it. The same with Kathy's parents, despite being divorced. But the way tuition keeps going up, it's going to really suck by the time our kids are in college. We all better make a pile or save every penny."

As was the norm, everyone left around 4:00pm, though Katy told Jackie and Cindi she'd be down in a minute, and then went over to Stephie.

"I hope I didn't offend you," Katy said.

"Nah," Stephie said with a smile, "I saw in Yankee's eyes that you guys was funnin' and playin' a joke on Cindi. And even so, I don't own him; I'm just keeping him company right now until he decides what to do when he graduates."

"You really are a peach," Katy said, and the girls exchanged a hug.

Just as she was leaving, Katy turned, walked back and surprised me with another soft kiss and a wink, then walked out the door. I stood there, stunned, watching her cute butt disappear down the hall. Elyse reached over and pushed my jaw up, because my mouth was hanging open.

"What the hell was that?" Elyse asked.

"I think that's her way of teasing," I said. "But I don't know if I can handle it. With Melanie it's one thing, with Katy it's a whole different ballgame."

"Melanie?" Stephie asked.

Elyse laughed, "Melanie has been giving Steve soul-searing French kisses for years, despite being with Pete. She'll never stop. It's her way of telling Steve she wants very badly to fuck, but knows they can't. I think our Boston friend has hit on the same thing, and Steve looks like he was hit by lightning."

"Was her kiss that good?" Stephie smirked.

"Yes, but no. It was surprising. That was the issue. That first one was part of the charade. The second one was something completely different."

We sat on the sofa to relax when Stephie looked seriously at me.

"Yankee, you know you've made a serious assumption about something."

"What's that, Peaches?"

"That we're living together in the Fall. You told me that you'd let me know, and you haven't."

"Shit!" I swore. "You're right. I just stupidly assumed that you would realize that if I didn't say anything, that's what would happen. Peaches, would you want to keep living with me and move into the new house with me?"

"Yes, of course!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry I made an assumption like that," I said.

"Oh, I knew what you wanted, but I wanted to remind you of your promise, given you're so big on those."

"I am. You like the new digs, I take it."

"Are you kidding? I expected to live in a 10'x12' dorm room with another girl for four years. Our new bathroom is has that many square feet! And not having to share a bathroom with anyone but you? I was prepared for forty girls or so!"

"So was Steve!" Elyse teased, causing Stephie and me to laugh.

I made dinner for the three of us, because Eduardo had gone back to his dorm. I asked Elyse about that.

"He seems a bit distant and moody at times," Elyse said. "I think he's unhappy that he's going to leave in a year for Wharton and then go back to Spain. I think the poor fool fell in love with me."

"Duh!" Stephie said. "He fell for you months ago, Elyse. How did you miss it? It stopped being a casual thing for him in January. Granted, you guys aren't officially steady, but he's thinking of you as his girlfriend."

"No! Don't say that!" Elyse whined.

"Why not? I thought Sundays were for truth!" Stephie said.

I knew what was bothering Elyse, just as she knew what I was going to say now.

"Because if she and Eduardo are serious, I can't be with her by my own rule," I said. "It was always a close thing because he's a friend, but I gave Elyse the benefit of the doubt."

"Oh fuck!" Stephie replied. "I should have kept my durned mouth shut."

"Yeah," Elyse said sadly, "we both should have."

Nobody said anything more before I got the food on the table. We ate in silence, with the mood completely crushed by my question about Eduardo. We finished dinner and did the dishes, and I poured drinks for each of us and we went to the living room.

"I have to tell him about us, Steve," Elyse said. "I don't want to give up my Wednesday nights."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"He knows, Elyse," Stephie said. "I'm sure of it. The fact that he hasn't said anything says that he's OK with it, at least for now."

"But if she raises the issue, he might tell her to stop," I said. "Of course, we have to stop as it is."

"You and your damned rule and me and my damned big mouth!" Elyse grumped.

"All you can do is talk to him, Elyse," Stephie said. "See how he responds and take it from there.

"And Elyse, do NOT break up with him just to get me back into your bed. You know what happened between me and Melanie when she tried that."

"I don't know," Stephie said. "Mine tellin' me what happened?"

"He refused, just as he should have," Elyse said. "Melanie broke up with Pete so she could sleep with Steve and Steve sent her back to Pete. It didn't happen right away, and Melanie tried to kill herself in the meantime, but in the end, she ended up back with Pete."

It wasn't quite that simple, but Elyse didn't know about Melanie's Prom, and I wasn't about to say anything about that because I didn't want her to get some strange idea. It also had involved Jennifer, and that was a mess as well, leading pretty directly to problems between me and Jennifer that just piled on our other problems. No, I wasn't going to repeat THAT fiasco again.

"The Yankee seems to be a pretty good guy. I mean, he's probably got more notches in his belt than all the guys in my High School put together, I think, but he has some very clear lines that he won't cross. And they're good ones."

"He has more notches than he does belt!" Elyse teased.

I was glad to see the mood lighten up a bit, but wondered what would happen between Elyse and me for the next year. It would be harder on her than me, of course, but I'd miss the time she and I had together. Around 10:00pm the three of us turned in, and Elyse asked for a hug before she went into her room.

"You have a serious problem there, Yankee," Stephie observed after we got into bed. "Elyse is pretty upset."

"I know," I replied. "But I'm not sure what I can do about it. My rules about girls who are steady or dating friends are pretty important, especially given how close all of us in the group are."