Chapter 18: Stress Relief

September 16, 1982, McKinley, Ohio

Sandy hadn't moved, but the feeling of her leaning against me changed with her question. My first thought was Angie, and I lifted my eyes to hers and found a bemused look on her face. I realized, at that moment, that the dorm opinion of her being 'Mrs. Loucks' wasn't all that far-fetched. In some ways, I was treating her that way, and she certainly was, in some ways, acting like a wife. I'd known that before, but my instant, gut reaction of looking to her drove home the idea.

My thoughts then turned back to Sandy. As far as I was aware, there were no romantic feelings between us, nor any thought to trying to build any. She was a good friend, though not as close as Clarissa or Angie, and I hadn't really harbored any thoughts about her, despite Clarissa and Sophia's light teasing about 'stress relief'.

There also wasn't, at least as far as I was aware, any sort of lustful attraction. Sandy certainly had never shown any signs of that, and I hadn't felt that way about her, either. It wasn't that she was unattractive; it was just that I hadn't thought of her that way in the past. Now that I WAS thinking about it, my brain automatically took stock of the young woman leaning against me.

Sandy was what people would call a 'typical Midwestern girl' — a few extra pounds, but not fat, slight curves, but not voluptuous or curvy, and no 'hourglass' figure. She had long brown hair, which she usually kept in a ponytail, brown eyes, a light complexion, a small nose, and thin lips. She had modest breasts, a slight tummy which most girls who didn't work out regularly had due to having a uterus, as I'd learned in High School anatomy, and a firm butt and thighs. She was, as they say, 'average' in pretty much every way.

But that was the 'unimportant' stuff, ultimately. She was brilliant, sweet, and generally fun to be around. The only negative thing I could even come up with was that she was overly stressed, but then again, the same could really be said for Clarissa and me as well. It seemed to take more of a physical toll on Sandy, while Clarissa and I suffered more mentally and emotionally.

My mind was racing, and although only seconds had passed, it seemed like an eternity. I had to answer, but I wasn't quite sure what to say. The obvious first question was whether or not I wanted to engage in 'stress relief' with Sandy, and I found it odd that I felt the answer was 'yes'. That led immediately to the questions of 'Why?' and 'What effect does this have on Angie?', both of which I needed to answer before I could act.

The special 'cuddling' with Sophia had finally convinced me that I was, indeed, punishing myself with chastity for everything that had happened with Jocelyn. That revelation didn't, in my mind, give me permission to run amok, but it did free me from those shackles. What it didn't do was make me feel less responsible — guilty, even — for what had happened with Jocelyn. But punishing myself wasn't going to fix that problem.

Of course, I had no idea how to fix the problem with Jocelyn, but being depressed and stressing over it wasn't going to help me any more than being stressed about my medical training would help me succeed. There wasn't much I could do about that except try to relax and, perhaps, engage in some 'stress relief' with Sandy. Fixing things with Jocelyn had to wait until she was ready to talk to me, and that wasn't happening for at least two months.

That said, given that I wasn't sure how Angie would deal with the situation, I needed to temporize a bit.

"Let me, uhm, think about it," I said carefully. "I, uhm, need to say my prayers with Angie."

Sandy sat up, and I got off the couch. Angie got up as well and followed me into the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her. I lit the candle and incense, then took out my prayer book.

We continued through the prayers of thanksgiving, the Creed, and the Prayer of the Hours for sleep. When we said the last 'Amen', I snuffed the candle and closed the censer.

"I have no claims on you, Mike," Angie said before I could say anything.

"And at some future point?" I asked.

Angie smiled, "If that day arrives, what happened before doesn't matter. I hope you'd agree that works both ways."

My brain instantly screamed for more information as to what she meant, but it was obvious that the topic was off limits, and if the day ever came when we were together, what had happened in the past would stay in the past for both of us. Which, of course, made me MORE curious. It also indicated that Angie's issues might be more profound than just having seen her parents have sex when she was little.

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" Angie asked. "You're in college. If you're going to mess around, this is your chance. Once you start medical school, you won't have the time! And I daresay you won't find a wife who'll put up with you having mistresses!"

I chuckled, "I guess I'll have to put the male fantasy of a harem aside."

"You really think you could find a group of girls who'd accept that kind of thing?"

"In the US? Probably not. But the sheikhs seem to manage!"

"Having billions of dollars and being a Muslim changes the playing field, don't you think?"

"Perhaps," I grinned. "But polygamy isn't all that rare in history. Of course, you mostly had to be rich or powerful to get away with it!"

"I don't recall ever having read about women having multiple husbands!"

I smirked, "The men would kill each other or chase each other away. Think lions! But if you think about it, purely from a biological standpoint, one man can impregnate many women, but a woman can only be pregnant from one man at a time!"

"So, like they do with the best racehorses, then?" she asked with a silly smile.

"Yes, but those are specially selected for breeding. Having money doesn't guarantee good genes!"

Angie stepped close, put her palm against my cheek, and looked deeply into my eyes.

"If we do get to that point," she said quietly, "I will never, ever make an issue of what happened before."

I smiled and took a chance. I leaned forward and planted a very soft kiss directly on Angie's lips. She didn't recoil, nor did she return the kiss; she just smiled. We left the bedroom, and I saw Sophia and Sandy sitting on the couch next to each other and Clark's door closed, meaning he was in bed. I walked Angie to her room, where she kissed me on the cheek. She went inside, and when she shut the door, I walked back to my room to find Sandy alone. I shut and locked the door, then went to sit on the opposite couch.

"Keeping a safe distance?"

I smiled and nodded, "I think that's wise, at least until we talk a bit. I take it Sophia went to bed?"

"I guess. She left right after you left to walk Angie to her room."

"I don't have any liquor," I said.

Sandy laughed softly, "You said that before!"

"I did. You're sure about this?"

Sandy shrugged, "At this point if my stress-relief options are getting drunk, getting stoned, or getting laid, I think the choice is pretty damned obvious!"

"What about finding a boyfriend?"

"Oh sure, that's JUST what I need — even MORE stress! YOU don't want a full-time girlfriend because of the stress it caused you!"

I laughed, "Good point. So this is what?"

"Stress relief."

"You do seem pretty stressed," I smirked.

"I'm sure I'm going to need repeat sessions; well, assuming it works!"

"You have doubts?"

"Unless you care to submit a résumé and references, I don't have anything to base an opinion on!"

"Probably not the best idea to discuss past activities; for either of us."

Sandy got up and moved to the couch I was sitting on, sitting close to me, with our hips and shoulders touching.

"So, if this works, will you sign up to provide regular stress relief?"

"I think I need to understand the ground rules."

"Ground rules?"

I nodded, "I mean, other than the truth that the girl is always in charge of stuff like this, how did you see it working?"

"I hadn't really thought it through. We're not dating or anything, so I guess we just play it by ear. Or did you mean how often? Like on a schedule or something?"

"I just want to know what's expected of me."

Sandy laughed and used her shoulder to playfully shove me sideways.

"Duh! But if you mean do you have to buy me flowers or take me to dinner or whatever, the answer is 'no'. I mean, I like all those things, but you're not my boyfriend, and I don't WANT a boyfriend right now because the goal is to reduce stress, and a boyfriend would only ADD to the stress. And I have a LOT of stress as it is!"

I chuckled, "I think I'm going to need to buy a case of rubbers."

"My mom insisted I start taking birth control pills when I turned sixteen. She said she didn't approve of me having sex but was worried about me getting pregnant. I've been taking them ever since."

Sandy moved her hand from her lap to my thigh, and I turned my head towards her.

"I suppose a kiss is in order," I grinned.

"That is how it usually starts!" she laughed, turning her head towards me.

We exchanged a soft, closed-mouth kiss, and I felt Sandy's hand slide further up my leg, her fingers brushing against my rapidly hardening member, covered only by the thin material of my sweat pants and briefs. She ran a finger along my shaft, and I moved my hand from her thigh to cup her firm breast through her thin T-shirt and bra, squeezing gently. Sandy did the same, running her hand along my shaft, squeezing gently as she did so.

Sandy's lips parted, and I pressed my tongue forward to meet hers. She moved her hand to the waist of my sweatpants and slipped her fingers inside, pushing them under the waistband of my briefs. Her fingertips touched my glans, causing me to become even harder. She explored with a single finger, causing me to groan softly from the pleasure but also to remember we were sitting on the couch where we could be seen.

"We should move to the bedroom," I whispered, breaking the kiss.

Sandy removed her hand from my sweats, and we got up from the couch and moved to my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind us. I pulled Sandy to me, and we shared a deep French kiss, our hands roaming over each other's backs. Simultaneously, we both tried to remove each other's T-shirts with the obvious result — a complete tangle of arms and clothing. Laughing, we broke the hug and quickly stripped off our own T-shirts, leaving me bare-chested and Sandy with her bra.

"This just doesn't seem fair!" I smirked.

I stepped forward, reached around, and unhooked her bra, which she shrugged off her shoulders and allowed to fall to the floor. I leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on each nipple, then lifted my head so we could kiss again. She immediately broke the kiss.

"How is THIS fair?" Sandy asked impishly.

She reached forward and deftly pulled down my sweats and briefs, freeing my rock-hard erection from its confines. I laughed and moved my hands to the button of her jeans. It wasn't nearly so swift as her pulling down my sweats and involved her sitting down so I could pull them off, revealing a small patch of soft, brown pubic hair.

We stood, naked, facing each other, and I held out my arms, and she stepped into them, and we exchanged a soft French kiss as we pressed our bodies together. I gently maneuvered us the short distance to the bed, and Sandy sat down. I quickly knelt in front of her and took her left nipple into my mouth, sucking gently and swirling my tongue around it a couple of times before switching to her right breast and doing the same.

I then kissed my way down her stomach, gently spread her legs, and planted a kiss on her mons. Sandy sighed deeply as I ran the tip of my tongue between her labia, bottom to top, getting my first taste of her musky juices. I pressed my tongue into her, coating it with tangy fluid, then gently sucked on her clit.

"Ungh!" she groaned, leaning back and spreading her legs wide.

Using my tongue and lips, I pleasured her until she had a small orgasm, then helped her turn and lie back on the bed with her head resting on my pillow and her legs spread. I moved on top of her, positioned my glans against her labia, kissed her, then pressed forward, slowly entering her very tight tunnel.

"Jesus," she gasped when our pubic hair tangled.

"You OK?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded, "Oh yeah ... just so full."

We kissed softly, and Sandy wrapped her arms and legs around me, gently rolling her hips, encouraging me to move. I pulled most of the way out, then slowly pushed back in with Sandy, meeting my gentle thrust. After a few repeats, we developed a slow, steady rhythm, our bodies moving together, creating intense pleasure.

Sandy groaned into my mouth as her muscles rippled, massaging my shaft, making her already tight passage even more snug around me.

"God, Mike," she gasped. "Keep ... going!"

I didn't really need the encouragement but took it as a request to move faster and more forcefully. Sandy met each thrust enthusiastically and, a few minutes later, groaned again, though as before, it was muffled by a deep French kiss.

"More..." she gasped, "more..."

A third orgasm soon followed, as did a fourth, and I finally reached my point of no return. I pushed deeply and fired jet after jet deep inside her, filling her with warm, sticky cum. Sandy held me tight against her for a moment, then relaxed.

"Yeah..." she sighed.

I gently withdrew and moved next to her. She turned and draped one arm and one leg over me, and I wrapped my arms around her.

"I take it that helped," I teased.

"Are you kidding?" she breathed, snuggling closer. "Right now, I'm so relaxed I could fall asleep!"

I took that as a hint and reached back to flip the switch, which would turn off the reading light, then closed my eyes and fell asleep.

September 17, 1982, McKinley, Ohio

I awoke with my alarm on Friday morning, finding myself spooned together with Sandy. We'd obviously shifted positions at some point during the night, but I didn't remember consciously doing so. My alarm was just far enough away that I needed to get out of bed to shut it off, a defense against hitting the snooze button, something I'd done often during the first two years of High School.

"I need to get up to shut off the alarm," I said. "And I need a quick shower before I pray and run with Angie."

Sandy stretched and yawned, then swung her legs so she could sit on the side of the bed. I did the same, then got up and switched off the alarm. I grabbed my robe from the hook next to the door, then walked back to give Sandy a kiss.

"Last night was WAY better than I expected," she sighed, standing up to receive the kiss.

"Your previous times weren't as good?"

"What previous times?" she asked with a silly smile.

"Wait! You were..."

She laughed, interrupting me, "A virgin? Yes. I've done a LOT of making out and stuff, but never went all the way before last night."

"But..."

"But what? It was going to happen sometime, and I NEEDED it last night. If losing my virginity was a big deal, I sure as heck wouldn't have done it this way!"

"But..." I started again.

"Why didn't I tell you? Because you'd have acted exactly like you are now! Let me be blunt, Mike. I WANTED to fuck last night. We fucked. It was my first fuck. It was awesome, and I want to fuck again. In fact, I want to fuck YOU again. Repeatedly! And do everything else! End of story!"

I laughed, "Never mind me. I'm just being an idiot."

"Something true of most guys at one point or another! I take it from your reaction I didn't behave like a virgin? However, that's supposed to be?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea, really. I mean, yes, I've been with virgins before, but everyone acts differently."

"Do YOU feel less stressed?" she asked.

I nodded, "Indeed, I do!"

"Good! Now we can focus on school and help each other with stress for the next couple of years! Go get your shower before your wife shows up!"

"Nice!" I chuckled. "So you're sleeping with a married man?"

"Hey, according to the stats, doctors cheat on their wives more than any other profession!"

"I'm not sure I want to be part of that statistic! And Angie and I are NOT married."

"Yet," Sandy teased.

I laughed, but I wondered about her comment. It matched what Melody and others had said over the past year, and maybe, just maybe, there was some truth to it, AND some future with Angie. But that was in the future, and beyond the light teasing, I wasn't going to worry about it now. As Sandy had said, the last thing we needed was MORE stress!

I put on my robe and dressed. I hurried down the hall, took a quick shower, then went back to my room. Sandy was gone, so I quickly dressed, changed the sheets, and lit the incense and candle in front of the icons. Angie arrived just as I blew out the wooden match.