Chapter 52: A First Date

February 15, 1983, McKinley, Ohio

"How did it go?" Clarissa asked when I walked out of the interview room.

"I owe you guys big time! My biographical sketch seemed well received, and the answers you all helped me prepare were perfect. Dean Parker walked right into Melody's trap!"

Melody laughed, "Of COURSE she did. She's so predictable. Did she try to pry into your private life?"

"She started to ask the question, and Dean Foster cut her off before she could finish."

"Awesome!"

The three of us, plus Sandy, started back for the dorm.

"I received the first 100% positive dorm survey in history," I chuckled. "According to Cynthia, that included my ex-girlfriend!"

"Guilty as charged," Melody laughed. "Despite my little snit over the Summer and when we first came back, I do think you're the right man for the job!"

"Dean Parker had a mini-meltdown over that and tried to say my concert was done to drum up support."

"Maybe from the GIRLS," Sandy laughed. "But except for Robby and Lee, I can't imagine any guys were moved the way the girls were!"

"You might be surprised," Melody replied. "There are sensitive guys on our floor besides Mike. Not many, but a few. And Robby and Lee are hardly effeminate! Mike's more feminine than they are!"

"Uhm, thanks?" I replied.

"Oh, stop!" Clarissa laughed. "We didn't say you were a GIRL, just that you're sensitive! And girls like that!"

"Anyway, she was shot down by the rest of the committee. I think Doctor Hart and Doctor Blahnik are right, and I'll be approved 4-1. I'm the only applicant who put the 8th floor first. Someone else did but withdrew once they found out I'd applied. They applied for another building."

"I'd say you're in," Melody replied. "When's the wetting down party?"

"The what?"

She laughed, "My uncle is in the Navy. He says that when you get promoted, you throw a party and buy drinks for everyone! Unfortunately, the Puritans who run this state say we can't drink anything but beer, and the University says we can't even have THAT in our dorms."

When we arrived back at the dorms, I only had a few minutes to get ready for karate, and I'd just put on my uniform when Angie, Robby, and Lee arrived. I let them know that everything had gone well, and we headed out.

February 19, 1983, McKinley, Ohio

"Are you going to sing tonight?" Clarissa asked as the gang walked to Milena's party after Angie and I returned from Vespers.

"That was the price of eight admissions," I chuckled.

"Seriously?" Sophia laughed.

"I would have done it anyway, but when I asked if everyone could come along instead of just two more, she made it a condition."

"You're lucky that's the ONLY condition she made," Clarissa laughed.

"Oh, what you're implying was her FIRST condition," I chuckled.

It had been, and I'd told her that her mom had dibs, which had sent her nearly through the ceiling of the music room. I could only imagine the conversation that had occurred in the Blahnik's house the previous night!

"What?" Kristin asked.

"Milena has been after Mike since about two seconds after she met him," Sandy laughed. "Our hero has steadfastly guarded his virtue!"

That drew laughter from everyone, including me.

When we arrived at the party, I took Clarissa aside. She was wearing more stylish clothes, but they were still loose-fitting, and her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. It wasn't quite the effect she'd had when I'd seen her that day in her room, but she looked much more attractive than usual.

"Just talk to them and see what happens. It won't seem strange to them since you've met them before."

Clarissa took a deep breath and let it out, "You're here if I need you, right?"

"I promise not to take Milena and Deb into a bedroom and live out my fantasy!" I grinned.

"I thought I was your fantasy!"

"Yeah, but the other one is a sure thing!"

She took another deep breath and let it out.

"Wish me luck, Petrovich."

"Good luck, Lissa!"

We hugged, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek, then wandered away in search of Jennifer and Laurie.

I asked Sandy to dance, and we moved out onto the dance floor.

"What was that about?"

"The little birdie is leaving the nest," I said.

"I wondered when she showed up in nice-looking clothes instead of her baggy jeans and oversized sweatshirt. We should keep an eye on her."

"I have it under control," I said. "We've talked a lot about it."

"Cool. When are you going to sing?"

"Around 10:00pm, I guess. Milena will let me know."

"What does Doctor Blahnik do during these parties?"

"According to Milena, she goes to Derek's place."

We finished our dance and got drinks from the table, and once I finished mine, I asked Kristin to dance. She agreed, and just as we got onto the dance floor, a slow song started. I chuckled and held out my arms. Kristin melted into them and molded her body to mine. I put my arms around her, and she put her arms around my neck and then began to grind against me in rhythm to the song. We moved as if we were making love, though we were fully clothed.

"You know," she whispered, reading my thoughts, "what we're doing is WAY better if we're both naked."

I nodded as my body responded as it should to the kind of stimulation it was receiving. And Kristin was working diligently to get what she wanted. The question still in my mind was whether or not it was a good idea. I'd let her move me from an 'absolutely not' position to a 'maybe', and she was doing her best to move me to 'yes'. Fortunately, I had an out, at least for the moment.

"It'll be after curfew when we leave the party," I said. "And I need to watch out for Clarissa."

Kristin frowned slightly but then smiled, "I'll just come see you after church tomorrow! Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!"

I laughed and simply danced quietly with her. Her body DID feel very good against mine, and I was sorely tempted. When the song ended, I was glad the lights were dim and hoped that my physical state wasn't too obvious. I got a drink and willed my erection to subside, which it started to do. I felt comfortable walking back to where Angie was standing with Robby and Lee. I looked for Clarissa but didn't see her, nor did I see Jennifer or Laurie.

I was concerned about asking Angie to dance to a slow song, so I stood and chatted with her, Robby, and Lee until a song I felt had an appropriate beat started, and then I asked her to dance. We danced close, but without our arms around each other and without our bodies touching, except on occasions when we both moved towards the same spot simultaneously. When the song finished, we didn't see any of our friends, so we just moved to a spot near the snacks and drinks and helped ourselves.

"Are you afraid to dance close with me?" Angie asked quietly.

"Not afraid," I said. "But I'm not sure it's the best idea given everything that's going on."

"But you'll dance with Kristin as if you were inside the same set of clothes?"

"I was reasonably sure she wouldn't freak out from doing that," I said. "With you, I'm concerned."

"You're going to sleep with her again, aren't you?" Angie said accusingly.

"Whether I do that or not is between Kristin and me," I said gently but firmly. "You don't really have a say in the matter."

Angie's face clouded, showing me just how upset she was, but there really wasn't anything I could do about it. Angie believed she could control who I slept with, but there was only one way she could do that, and at this stage, I didn't believe she was ready for anything like a relationship and wasn't convinced that she could make any promises for the long term, and might never be able to.

Angie didn't say another word but turned and walked away from me and out of the room. I thought about following her, but there wasn't anything I could say to her at this point. I checked my watch and saw I had about thirty minutes before I was supposed to sing. I looked for my friends and saw they were all dancing or engaged in conversations, so I wandered into the room with the grand piano, where I saw Clarissa talking to a cute brunette I hadn't seen before. She waved me over.

"Mike, this is Glenda. Glenda, this is my best friend in the world, confidant, and fellow future doctor, Mike!"

"Hi, Glenda," I said. "Nice to meet you."

"And you!" she replied.

"Glenda is an art major," she said, "She's a friend of Laurie's."

That spoke volumes, and I reassessed Glenda, feeling almost like a Big Brother, wondering if this girl was good enough for my little sister. But Clarissa wasn't my sister; she was my mutually declared soulmate. I couldn't make anything more than a very cursory assessment, but Glenda was cute, had curves in the right places, and, at first blush, seemed nice.

"I'll leave you two to chat. I'm going to find Milena."

"I think she's in the kitchen," Glenda said.

"Thanks."

I walked to the kitchen and found Milena, Deb, Jennifer, Laurie, and Leslie.

"Hiding?" I asked.

"Just getting more food to put out," Milena replied. "Ready to sing in twenty minutes?"

"Yes."

"And after that, you and I are going to have a SERIOUS talk!"

Her friends laughed.

"Uh-oh," Deb said menacingly. "You're in trouble now!"

"Mike, come dance with us!" Jennifer requested.

She and Laurie each took a hand and basically dragged me to the dance floor. I laughed when Waiting for a Girl Like You started playing. Laurie stepped up and put her arms around me, and I did the same for her, and then nearly jumped out of my shoes when Jennifer stepped behind me and put her arms around me, with her palms on my jeans, just below my belt.

"Mmmm," she whispered. "Mike sandwich!"

"He certainly has the meat," Laurie laughed, rubbing her pubic mound on my quickly expanding shaft.

"Glenda's the right girl for your friend," Laurie said, slipping her hands down just a bit so her fingers rested lightly on my jean-covered glans.

"Why?" I asked, trying to maintain control.

"She's a lesbian, right?"

"Uhm," I said.

"Milena told us you asked, and then when Clarissa came to talk to us and was really nervous, it dawned on me why you asked. Glenda is perfect for her. We're a bit too wild for a virgin!"

"I think he's getting that idea," Jennifer laughed. "Think he could handle us?"

"With this thing," Laurie whispered, running a finger along my erection, "I'm sure he could!"

"Know what we want to do with you, Mike?" Jennifer asked.

"I, uhm, have a pretty good idea," I said, barely maintaining control.

"After you sing and after you get done with Milena, come find us, and we'll blow your mind!" Jennifer said.

"And anything else you want!" Laurie laughed.

The song ended, and they abruptly released me and walked away. I made a beeline for the door and walked out into the cold February air, trying to control my breathing and realizing just how lucky I was that I hadn't made a complete mess in my briefs.

"You coherent?" Sophia laughed, coming up next to me.

"Barely! You saw that?" I asked.

"That was probably the hottest thing I've ever seen where everyone had their clothes on!"

"Do you realize how easy it would be to get pulled into that crazy environment?"

"But think of all the fun you could have!"

"That's exactly the problem," I sighed. "I already struggle with what I'm doing. I told Clarissa I couldn't risk it because I could end up hating myself."

"Speaking of Clarissa, while those two were molesting you, she was dancing with a cute brunette. And not like friends dancing."

"Because it's not friends dancing," I said.

"Clarissa? Really?"

"Really."

"And THAT'S how she comes out?"

"Yes, on my advice."

"Your advice? How long have you known?"

"Months. I encouraged her to do something she's been dreaming about since she was twelve. She was afraid of being a social outcast in High School and about potential problems getting into college and med school. We talked about it a lot, and she's taking my advice to find a girl she can be with. She'll take it slowly."

"I would never have guessed," Sophia said. "I thought she was going to jump you at some point, kind of like Sandy did, and was just working up her courage."

That was true, after a fashion, but I couldn't say that to Sophia.

"Well, now you know. She and I talked about it, and once she danced with someone, she agreed the cat would be out of the bag, and I could talk about it."

"Or the pussy out of the panties!" Sophia laughed.

"Not tonight," I said. "She's just trying to meet someone. I think she has. Where it goes from there remains to be seen."

"You're kind of out of luck because of curfew unless you take those girls up on their offer!"

"I'm SO tempted, but no, I can't."

"I think that's a wise decision, Mike. It's not you. If you want some variety, Kristin is certainly interested."

"You saw me dancing with her?"

"That's why I said she's interested."

"It upset Angie again."

"That's Angie's problem, Mike, not yours," Sophia declared firmly. "All she has to do is ask, and you're hers. Everyone knows that, including her!"

"I know. I wasn't letting Angie control what I do. Kristin is a different issue."

"You care too much," Sophia said. "And I don't mean that as in you should care less, but that you think about the girl and yourself and don't want to do anything that will upset you or upset them or make either of you feel bad about anything you've done."

"Kristin."

Sophia laughed, "If you had done it right after you sang to her, I could see how you might beat yourself up. But if a girl shows up fifteen hours later wanting to go to bed with you, she's not under any kind of spell! Girls get just as horny as guys and want to screw just as much as guys. Society tells us we're not allowed to, and YOU'VE bought into that lie.

"I'm sure you've experienced it, at least at some point. A girl who wants to screw and basically won't take 'no' for an answer unless you make it clear in no uncertain terms you aren't interested. I know the idea of casual sex has been a struggle for you since I first met you, and I'm guessing that struggle goes all the way back before you first had sex. But has it gone wrong for you?"

"No, I guess not. It's just that Tasha said something, and it wasn't in reference to anything specific, that I'm not the kind of guy who has sex with a girl just because he can. That kind of hit home with regard to Kristin."

"Two things. You had sex with Kristin because you wanted to. YOU had plenty of time to think about it. So did she. Even if it was 'because you could', it was well-considered. Second, and then we need to go inside because it's COLD; you have three options with Tasha — marry her, fuck her, or forget her. In a sense, she's like Angie in that she controls what you do and think, at least to a point. Decide what you want, Mike, then act on it."

We headed back into the house and stopped by the fire to warm up.

"I'm serious, Mike," Sophia said. "Decide what you want and act on it. Though I'd advise NOT going with those two who were dry-humping you on the dance floor. THAT would turn you into an emotional wreck! Now, go sing!"

I went to the room with the grand piano and saw Milena talking with Deb. I walked over and let her know I was ready, and we moved to the piano.

Milena's playing and my singing attracted the same kind of attention as it had the previous times, though Jennifer and Laurie couldn't stand on either side of me because Kristin had moved next to me on one side, and Clarissa was on my other side, though she and Glenda had their arms around each other which made me smile.

When we finished, Kristin and Clarissa both kissed me on the cheek and then I followed Milena out of the room into what appeared to be her mom's study.

"What's it going to take?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"An act of Congress," I teased.

"Give me a break," she laughed. "I noticed you had bodyguards tonight at the piano!"

"I'm sure they saw what Jennifer and Laurie did to me!"

"Under normal circumstances, the fact you didn't let them drag you to the guest room would tell me you were gay, and I was wasting my time. But I know you aren't! So, all joking aside, why the girls you do fool around with and not me or my friends?"

"All joking aside, I don't want to get involved in anything that crazy. Yes, I have the usual fantasies most guys have, but I know myself well enough that if I give in to that desire, I'll never manage to extract myself from it. That's not who I am, and it will never be who I am. When you first came on to me, I was trying to figure out who I was, and that's why I said 'no'. Now I have figured it out, and that's why I'm saying 'no'."

"And my mom?"

I laughed, "I only said that to get your goat, and I did. That's not something I'd do, even if it wasn't against the rules."

"You're a strange one, Mike."

"I never said I wasn't tempted and didn't have crazy fantasies! I just said I'm not going to act on the temptation of the fantasies."

"That's too bad," she said. "I suppose we should go back to the party."

We left the study, and I went to the room where the dance floor was and saw Clarissa and Glenda slow dancing. Kristin wasn't dancing, so I walked over to her, and we moved next to Clarissa and Glenda and had our own slow dance. The next song was fast, and the four of us, plus Robby, Lee, Sophia, and a tall, blonde guy I didn't know she was dancing with, all danced together. Over the next several songs, we alternated between group dances and slow dances, then went to get drinks.