Chapter 73: Winding Down and Heating Up

April 30, 1982, Circleville, Ohio

"Mom and Dad are out tonight," Katy said. "Let's cook together!"

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, now that you have no restrictions because we don't fast during the Paschal period, I was thinking of two small filets, small lobster tails, and broccoli. Surf and turf, I guess."

"That sounds awesome!" I said, then smirked, "What about dessert?"

Katy laughed softly, "I have some ideas!"

"I bet!" I chuckled. "But we need to make sure we're on the same page."

Katy took both my hands and looked me in the eyes, "Third base is OK, right?"

I nodded, "Yes."

"I think we should wait for more than that. Are you OK with that?"

"Yes. I'd rather not make a mistake or do something you aren't ready for."

We exchanged a soft kiss, and she led me to the kitchen, where she handed me some recipe cards and then began taking things from the fridge. Just over an hour later, we sat down to eat, and forty-five minutes after that, with the dishes done, we were naked in Katy's bed.

We spent the next two hours exploring each other's bodies, using our lips, tongues, and fingers to pleasure each other. After I'd cum for the third time in Katy's cute mouth, we lay cuddled together under a lightweight duvet.

"We have about thirty minutes before we should be dressed," she said, snuggling close.

"Just how much trouble would you be in?" I asked.

"I'd get a serious talking to, and Dad would probably talk to you, but they wouldn't lose their minds. But I'd rather they didn't know."

"I'm not sure I'd want to have that conversation with your dad."

"He's not nuts like some dads, and Mom has Finnish sensibilities, but I think you're right," she sighed. "What are we going to do after May?"

"It's a bit of a drive up here, and with my work schedule, I think we'd have to make it Saturdays, and even then, maybe only every other week. Are you OK with that?"

"I don't think I have much choice if I want to keep seeing you, and I do. Well, unless your parents or my parents let us live together!"

I chuckled, "Somehow, I'm not seeing that in our future, at least not before you graduate from High School."

"Would you want to do that?" Katy asked. "I mean, once I graduate?"

"Is it practical?" I asked. "You'd have to go to Taft, and we could only be in the married dorms if we actually married, which is something for which neither of us is ready. And living off campus would probably be too expensive."

"My parents already planned to pay for college and room and board, so it might actually be possible."

"Unmarried? They'd go for that?"

"Well, maybe not," she said, laughing softly. "Of course, I could ask..."

"That might get us in more trouble than it's worth at this point. Are you that serious about us?"

"Maybe," Katy replied. "I don't know. You remember what I said last week? Sometimes I think that way. But then I remember I'm only seventeen, and it's a long ways away. Well, unless we both decide it's not."

"If you're OK with how things are now, then let's keep them this way. We have plenty of time."

"Well, not right now, we don't! We should probably shower, dress, and straighten up my room."

We reluctantly got out of bed and quickly showered, dressed, and made the bed. Katy lit an apple-scented candle, and we went downstairs to get something to drink. We were sitting at the kitchen table drinking lemonade when her parents arrived home. We joined them for about thirty minutes in the great room to talk, and then Katy walked me out to my car. We exchanged a deep, longing French kiss.

"Mike," Katy said quietly. "I'm going to go on the Pill. Just in case."

There wasn't really anything to say in response to that, so I kissed her deeply, hugged her tightly, and then got into my car for the drive back to McKinley.

May 1, 1982, McKinley, Ohio

"It's nice to see you again, Mike," Eileen Landers said when she let me into the house on Saturday evening.

"It's nice to see you, too. How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks. Your semester is almost done, right?"

"Three more weeks, then finals," I said. "Then I'm going home for the Summer."

"Dinner is almost ready. If you and Nancy would set the table, we can eat in a few minutes."

"Sure."

We did as she asked, and less than ten minutes after I arrived, we were eating a very nice dinner of roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and mixed vegetables.

"I heard from Nancy that you told Mr. Sokolov you aren't going to work in the Fall," Mrs. Landers said.

"Yes. I received a grant, and I'm still in the running for two others. But the one I received is way more than I was making working those few hours on Saturdays, and that frees up a bunch of time. It also means I could go home for the weekend occasionally or do other stuff that I really can't do right now."

"You're working during the Summer, though, right?"

"Yes. Full-time at the hardware store back at home. I've worked there since I was sixteen. You know, I never asked, what do you do during the Summer?"

"The district offices are open all Summer, so I have my regular hours."

When we finished dinner, Nancy and I offered to clean the kitchen, then the three of us went to sit in the living room to chat. After about an hour, Mrs. Landers excused herself, saying she was going to a friend's house for a few hours. I stood up and said 'goodbye' and indicated I was going to head back to campus, but Nancy asked me to stay. I agreed, but when I sat back down, I sat in a chair rather than next to her on the couch.

"Did I do something wrong?" Nancy asked.

"No. I just had an uneasy feeling, I guess. You know, given our history."

Nancy sighed and nodded, "I understand. I didn't invite you here for that, honest. It was just as friends. Though if you were interested..."

"I'm not sure that's a wise idea, even if it's just 'playing', as you called it."

"Because of me? Because of your girlfriend?"

"More because of me than anything. Yes, it's true Melody and I are pretty serious, but really, I'm just trying to figure out who I am and what I want. I think that was part of our problem if you don't mind my saying so. I wasn't mature enough to handle what we were doing and what we were talking about."

"You mean you moving in here?"

"Yes. I was trying to have my cake and eat it, too, if you will, and I wasn't really hearing what you were saying. Maybe you weren't conscious of it, but you were asking me to make a commitment even before I moved in, and I missed that. And that's what caused the problem."

Nancy sighed deeply, "That's more or less what both my counselor and my mom said. That I was demanding something that I didn't realize I was demanding, then held you accountable for something I couldn't properly verbalize. All rooted in my inability to trust you."

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," I said gently.

"I think I hurt me, and I hurt you," Nancy countered. "And messed up something that was really nice. Not to mention great sex!"

I smiled, remembering how much I enjoyed making love with her, "It was very good."

"How upset would Melody be if we did it?"

That memory, still fresh in my mind, pushed me to explore the possibility, but I knew that was a bad idea for a host of reasons.

"She wouldn't be, but I thought you didn't invite me here for that."

"I didn't. It was just thinking about it when we talked."

"I don't want to give you the wrong idea or false hope," I said. "And I think if we did, you would think maybe at some point we'd get back together. I can't promise anything like that, and Melody and I are pretty serious."

"You don't think I can just have sex for fun, do you?"

I shook my head, "No, I don't; well, not at this point, anyway. I'd say what happened before proves that. I can be your friend, Nancy, but I can't be your lover. The only way that could possibly work is if we were in a committed relationship, and I don't think that's possible."

"Now? Or ever?"

"Now, for sure. Ever is a long time, but again, I don't want to give you false hope."

"You've changed a lot since I first met you."

"I hope it's been for the better."

"It has. I'm sorry about asking you to have sex."

"Don't apologize. I WAS tempted because I do remember how good it was," I smiled. "But it's best if we don't."

Nancy frowned, and her eyes were glassy, showing how sad she was at the turn of the conversation. I wondered if she was telling me the truth about why she invited me, especially with her mom disappearing after a polite interval. I decided it was probably best if I left and went back to campus. I stood and walked over to the couch and held out my arms. Nancy stood and melted against me.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I really am."

"It's OK," I soothed. "I'll see you next Saturday at work."

I hugged her for another minute, then released her. She reluctantly let me go and walked me to the door. I went out to my car, turned, waved, then got in and drove back to the dorm.

May 4, 1982, McKinley, Ohio

On Tuesday, I received a notice that I had not won one of the grants, but that still left one to go. Clarissa received a notice that she'd received a $500 grant from a woman's organization for which I hadn't qualified. I congratulated her, and we went to share an RC in celebration of her grant.

"What are you doing over the Summer?" she asked.

"Working. You?"

"Counselor at a Summer camp in Kentucky called Marydale. I did it last Summer, and it was a blast. Twenty fifth-grade girls!"

"If that's your idea of fun..." I said, shaking my head.

"It actually is. But I can see how that might be a bit much for a nineteen-year-old guy!"

"Twenty fifth-graders of ANY sex would be too much for me! I'd have to work up to it by starting with them as babies!"

"I babysat in High School, so it wasn't such a big deal for me. You don't have any little brothers or sisters?"

"A sister, but she's only three years younger, and we had our grandma as an afterschool babysitter, so I have zero experience with little kids."

"Good thing you're going for emergency medicine and not pediatrics!"

"You have THAT right! Though my friends in High School teased me about being a gynecologist."

Clarissa laughed, "Of COURSE they did! But I'm not sure it's anything like they think it is!"

I grinned, "I'm sure it isn't. We have to do OB/GYN Clerkships and rotations, so we'll find out."

"The one I'm not thrilled about is geriatrics. I just don't know how I can relate to someone who is eighty or ninety years old."

"That's going to be a struggle for me, too. But we're getting WAY ahead of ourselves!"

"True. I need to get to class!"

She left, and I pulled out my biology textbook and began reading.

May 7, 1982, Circleville, Ohio

As I drove to Katy's house on Friday evening, I thought about what she'd said the previous Friday. 'Just in case' had been on my mind all week. The first time we'd been naked together, she'd come close to putting me inside her, and I was reasonably sure it was only the lack of birth control that stopped her.

Being on the Pill would make it far too easy for her to do something because she was excited. And that could be a disaster. To me, that meant, almost counter-intuitively, that once the birth control pills had taken effect, we couldn't go past second base, and we certainly couldn't be naked together.

"What are we doing tonight?" I asked when Katy greeted me at the door with a kiss.

"Mom and Dad want to take us to dinner and a show if you're OK with it."

"Sure. Where?"

"At La Comedia. It's about ninety minutes from here. We need to leave right away. Dinner is at 7:30pm, and the show is at 8:30pm."

"What show?"

"The Music Man."

"Am I dressed OK?"

"Yes. Your slacks and polo shirt are OK. No need to dress up more than that."

She brought me into the house for a couple of minutes, then we all got into her dad's Mercedes for the drive to the theatre. It was an interesting place where dinner was served, and then, once we'd eaten, we stayed at our table to watch the musical. Dinner was good, and the musical was excellent.

When the show was over, we went out to the car for the drive home. Katy and I sat in the back seat, and she slid over close to me, and I put my arm around her. I would have preferred she wear her seat belt, but I also liked cuddling with her.

"Kiss me?" she asked about ten minutes after we left the parking lot.

I turned my head, and we kissed softly. We spent the rest of the drive home, necking quietly in the back seat. When we arrived back at her house, she walked me over to my car, where we exchanged a soft kiss.

"Did you enjoy tonight?" she asked.

"I did."

"Good! I like that place a lot. We go about every three months or so, depending on the show."

"What are we doing next week, do you know?"

"Mom and Dad will be home, I think, so we'll go out to dinner, and then we can come back here and hang out in my room for a bit."

"OK!"

We hugged and kissed, then I got into my Mustang to drive back to campus.

May 8, 1982, McKinley, Ohio

The phone in my room rang at about 3:45pm on Saturday.

"Mike? You have a visitor in the lobby."

"Who?" I asked.

I heard a muffled question and answer.

"Emmy Nelson."

I suppressed a sigh. She'd done what she'd said she was going to do, something I thought was ridiculously dangerous. It also was likely to end badly if she had shown up expecting to fool around.

"OK. I'll come down and sign her in," I said.

I hung up the phone.

"Who?" Melody asked.

"Emmy. The girl from back home with the racist dad. She told me she was going to sneak away to see me, and I guess she actually did."

"What are you complaining about?" Clark asked from his bedroom. "She's hot!"

I chuckled, "She thinks you're good-looking, too, but unless you want to sign your own death warrant, that's as bad an idea as ME being with her!"

"Melody's cool," Clark said. "But if you aren't going to hit that, give me a shot!"

"Do you WANT to die?" I asked. "Think white hoods, burning crosses, you know, that kind of stuff."

"He'd have to find out. And just think how sweet it would be for me to hit the daughter of a cracker!"

I laughed and walked out of the room to the elevators. I rode down to the lobby, and Emmy ran over to me and jumped into my arms.

"Hi," I said. "Let's get you signed in."

"No kiss?" she asked.

I kissed her softly, then let her go and signed her in. We walked back to the elevator, which was still on the ground floor, and I pressed the button for the sixth floor.

"I take it you snuck out?" I said.

"Mom and Dad are out until after midnight. I borrowed Mindy's car so they won't see any extra miles on my mom's car."

"I still think it's too dangerous for you to be here, but you're here, so it's too late to do anything about that."

"You're upset?"

I wasn't upset, but I also wasn't interested in creating any kind of turmoil with anyone at Taft. If Emmy had come here for sex, she was going to be sorely disappointed. And I was going to make sure the situation was clear.

"No, I'm not upset; I'm concerned."

"There won't be any trouble. Mindy will cover for me."

We got out of the elevator and walked towards my room. I decided to simply foreclose anything immediately.

"Melody, this is my friend Emmy from back home; Emmy, this is my girlfriend, Melody. And you know Clark."

When the word 'girlfriend' crossed my lips, Emmy visibly deflated, going from bubbly to dejected in a second.

"Hi, Emmy!" Melody said, getting up from the couch. "Nice to meet you."

"Uh, hi," Emmy said, sounding VERY depressed.

"Clark, let's go talk to Jeannette and Marie about tonight," Melody said, quickly sensing the problem.

Fortunately, he took the hint, and they left, closing the door behind them.

"So I should just go home?" she asked quietly.

"No. You can stay and go out with all my friends. I don't have a date with Melody tonight because Saturday is our night out with the gang."

"I guess I messed up," she said, plopping down on the couch.

I moved to sit next to her and took her hand.

"Only because you didn't call me first. I could have explained so you knew what the score was."

"So when you come home?"

"You were hoping we could date during the Summer?"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," I said. "Your dad will never allow it, and we'd have to sneak around. And if he ever found out, I'm concerned he would turn violent. I know you've managed to hang out with Liz, but I can't take the risk, and you shouldn't either."

"But if he said it was OK?"

"If and when he gives permission, then we can talk about us. Why don't you stay and hang out with us?"

"Sure."

"Good. Let me get Melody and figure out what we're doing tonight."

I left my room and found Melody and Clark in the common area with Jeannette, Marie, and Jason. Melody got up and walked over to me before I reached where they'd been sitting.

"Is she OK?"

"Yes."

"Girlfriend, huh?" she smirked.

"It's true, isn't it? What else should I call you?"

"It just seems like we took another step."

"Maybe," I said. "But how about we just show Emmy a good time tonight and worry about you and me afterwards?"

"As long as 'you and me' means spending the night with you, I'm fine with it!"

"I think I can accommodate!"

We had a fun evening, with dinner at a diner and bowling, then hanging out in the common room. Emmy appeared to have had a good time and was in a much better mood when it was time for her to leave. I walked her out to the car she'd borrowed from Mindy.