Going Back to School by Phantom300,Phantom300

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All persons depicted in sexual acts are at least 18 years of age and consenting adults.

I was blessed with a lot of beta-reading and editing help with this one. I need to give lots of credit, appreciation, and thanks to Djmac1031, Todger65, Grumpyg, and Annabellebrito for how well this story turned out. Huzzah!

Brace yourself. This is a long one, folks. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to drop a comment at the end.

I pulled my jeep into the nearest parking spot and killed the engine. I sat there for a minute, looking over the familiar scenery around me. The old buildings looked much the same as they did the last time I had been here, some thirty years ago.

Like so many others had done before me, I enrolled in college here at home right out of high school. I was aiming for a degree in history and wanted to teach. My parents struggled with their day-to-day bills, and still had my younger sister to care for, so I was on my own when it came to paying for my education. I took a job working overnights at a truck stop, emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets, and scrubbing shower stalls.

It was a tough time in my life. I had to put in a lot of overtime to pay my tuition. Even working those long hours, I struggled to meet my monthly obligations, much less feed and clothe myself. I wore the same ragged shoes to work and school, and it was a treat for me to have more than one meal every other day.

Suffice it to say, I was not doing well at the time. Very early on in the semester, I realized that I would not have the time to do any of the homework or reading needed to keep up. When the first grades posted, I was failing every class.

Right before my mid-term exams, I was approached by an Air Force recruiter on campus. He offered me money up front to enlist, and then another, even larger bonus once I finished basic training. I didn’t even listen to the rest of his spiel. It was a paltry sum of money in the grand scheme of things, but at the time it felt like a small fortune. I was on a bus to San Antonio later that month for basic training.

My initial six-year obligation quickly morphed into a career of over thirty years. I took to military life quickly and excelled at most of it. I was trained as a Communications Specialist. I rose through the ranks at breakneck speed and spent many years of my stay in and around Washington D.C. Generals, senators, and cabinet members all requested my help. I spent most of my time translating documents and intercepted communications. I learned to read, write, and speak a number of languages, including Farsi, Arabic, Russian, and Mandarin. I dabbled in a little Swahili and Cantonese as well.

Shortly after I announced my military retirement, I was contacted by a former classmate from high school. Greg had recently become a dean at our hometown college, the same school I had dropped out of that first semester. Where I had gone one direction and left school, he had gone on to graduate, get a doctorate, and become a big shot school administrator. We had kept in touch off and on through the years, and he knew of my multilingual background.

The university was expanding the modern languages department, and he offered me a position teaching basic Russian and Mandarin. After a few phone calls and Zoom meetings, I agreed to take the job. I loaded up my belongings and headed back to my old stomping grounds down south.

I hadn’t been back home in many, many years. After my mother died, my sister took over the house we grew up in. I didn’t speak to her often. Her husband and I had a physical altercation at my father’s funeral several years before that, and I did not want to open up any old wounds for either of us. I found an apartment and went in to meet with Greg a couple of weeks before school was to set to start.

So, I stepped out of my jeep and went to find Greg’s office. It was on the top floor of the shiny new administration building on the other end of campus. His receptionist, a sweet older woman named Gloria, offered me a seat, and said Dr. Landers would be with me shortly. I was impressed by the modern interior design and artwork on the walls.

“Andrew, great to see you again,” Greg said warmly, opening the large wooden door. “Come on in!”

We shook hands and I followed him in. I sat at the large glass desk across from him and glanced out the floor to ceiling windows looking out over the campus.

“How are you man?” he continued. “How long has it been since you’ve been back in town?”

“It has been quite a while,” I nodded. “Ten, twelve years or so. Way too long.”

“True, true,” he said, buttoning his suit jacket and sitting down. “So, listen, we’ve hit a little snag that I wasn’t expecting,” his expression was suddenly stern. “We’re going to have to delay you joining us on the faculty here.”

“You’re kidding me!” I half-shouted “I just moved in my apartment this past weekend.”

“Hold on, hold on, let me explain, it isn’t quite that bad.” He said, trying to calm me down.

“I knew you had dropped out of school back in the day to enlist, but the issue is that you did not actually withdraw from those classes, you just left. Officially, you have a transcript full of ‘Incompletes’ for those classes. There is an old university policy still on the books that states that you cannot be hired with a transcript containing multiple incomplete grades from here.”

Greg pushed a printed copy of my full transcript in front of me. I could see all my Air Force certifications and degrees up top, but sure enough, there, at the bottom, were four big red ‘I’s that jumped off the page.

“So, I’m screwed is what you’re telling me.” I felt very dejected.

“Well, no. Look I tried, I really did. But the regents were very clear; I can’t hire you with those still there,” he took a breath. “But they did say that if we could replace those incompletes with actual grades, then we could move forward with no issues.”

Greg’s face looked hopeful. I thought for a moment. “So, what, I take a couple of online classes and we’re good?” This didn’t sound so bad after all.

“Not really. Incomplete courses are not online eligible to be re-taken online if they were not originally taken online,” he said, sounding like he had memorized that part of the policy ahead of time.

“Wait, that’s not my fault, there was no online learning back then.” I argued.

“That is true, but the policy still applies. You will need to do these classes in person.”

“So, I have to take a bunch of freshman courses to clean this up?”

“Yes.” he replied, bracing himself. “Look, Andrew, I know this is not ideal, but it would be just the one semester. I can freeze your contract, so your job remains guaranteed. We would just start in the spring instead.”

I was quiet for a moment or two. I guess Greg sensed doubt, so he continued selling me on the idea.

“We can get you on a scholarship program for military veterans we have on campus that will cover the tuition. We can even get you a job if you need one, doing nearly anything else on campus you are interested in. I know for a fact we always need athletic department tutors.”

He paused and pointed at the transcript. “Your grades don’t have to be straight A’s. Hell, they don’t need to even be passing for that matter. There is plenty enough on that transcript and your military resume to justify hiring you regardless of what grades those you end up getting. I just need actual grades for those classes entered by the professors at the end of the semester.”

I sat there and took it all in. It didn’t seem all that bad once I let everything sink in.

“What do you say Andrew?” Greg reached out his hand.

“Sure, why not. What else have I got to do for the next four months?” I shook his hand.

Greg picked up the phone and had Gloria set me up with one of the admissions staffers right away. After several hours and several dozen signatures, I was officially a college student again. As I retreated to my jeep, I thought to myself that this was definitely not how I had expected my day to go.

The following weeks were filled with orientation seminars and academic advisory meetings. Once the counselling was done, and I was sufficiently warned on the evils of sexual harassment and drinking and driving on campus, the first day of school finally arrived.

Monday morning, I walked into the science lecture hall for Biology 101. As I did, a couple of smug-faced frat boys handed me a flyer for a party that night. I gave it a glance, then set it down on the fold out desk in front of me as I took a seat near the aisle. A couple of students, one of which looked a lot like I did thirty years ago, approached me cautiously.

“Hey, are you going to be there?” he said, gesturing at the party flyer.

I shrugged and told him “I’m not sure.”

“You’re like, ex-military, right? My dad has that same haircut. He was in the Navy for a while.” The kid talked at a nervous, rapid-fire pace. “Listen, I’m pledging that fraternity, and I’m supposed to bring some beer & booze. Do you think you could help me out and get some? I’m not twenty-one yet. I’ll pay you for whatever you get plus like ten percent.” He spoke very rushed and robotic, like he had been rehearsing this speech all morning.

“Why don’t the frat guys get their own alcohol?” I said without thinking.

“It’s like a challenge for the pledges. Please? Twenty-five percent?” He was negotiating his way up without me saying a word.

I looked at him for a second. The more I did, the more he reminded me of myself two and a half decades earlier. He certainly wouldn’t pass for eighteen, much less old enough to buy beer. He had dirty glasses and a messy mop of brown hair. He stood a little shorter than average like me and was a little pudgy around the middle. I felt a twinge of pity.

“Sure kid.” I heard myself say.

“Really? Wow! That’s awesome!” His voice got uncomfortably high and loud.

“Calm down and take a seat. We’ll talk after class.” I shooed him away with a wave. As the professor went on about books and labs and the syllabus, I had second thoughts. I would be a faculty member soon enough. I should not be risking that to commit a misdemeanor for some kid I didn’t even know.

But after class, there he was, cell phone out and Cash App info at the ready. I asked him what they wanted to bring, then arranged to meet them at the frat house later that night with two cases of cheap beer and four bottles of rum.

Sure enough, there he was, waiting for me outside the frat house when I arrived later that night. I gave him the receipt and he grabbed his phone. I instantly had the total plus twenty-five percent in my account. I pulled the loot out of my jeep and helped the kid carry it all inside.

The moment I stepped over the threshold, the smell of stale booze and smoke hit me hard. It was so bad my eyes started to water and sting. It had been quite some time since I had been inside a place like this. The kid took the bottles from me and vanished.

I stood there alone, scouting out my surroundings. The music was loud, and there were people all about. Some were standing, some talking, a few dancing, and nearly everyone was holding a drink of some sort. I shook my head and reminisced a little from my partying days in the military.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Three guys with Greek letters on their shirts and smug smirks on their faces walked up to me, dragging the kid along behind them.

“So, I hear you did D-Bag Brian here a favor,” one of them snarled at me.

“I did.” I said, instantly sizing the guy up. He looked like the jerks that tormented me in high school. I didn’t like him immediately. I positioned myself against a wall out of instinct.

“You his dad or something?” another one of them piped up.

“Nope. Never met him before today.” I felt challenged. I took a half step back, ready to react if necessary.

“Then why did you do it, man?” The first guy sounded annoyed that I had gotten involved.

“He asked nicely.”

One of them laughed derisively. “Well, Mr. Nice Guy, we’ll have to give you a reward for your assistance.”

They nodded to Brian, and he beckoned for me to come with him. I didn’t think he was capable of doing anything to hurt me, so I followed. I was led up the stairs and into an empty bedroom.

The room was a disaster area, with a messy dresser and unmade double bed on opposite walls of the tiny room. There were random things strewn across the floor; books, plastic cups, to-go boxes, and a wadded-up pair of basketball shorts.

“Wait here man.” Brian said, then left abruptly.

I stood there a little bewildered for a couple of minutes. I don’t know what those guys had planned for me. I certainly didn’t trust them at all. I wasn’t afraid of them by any stretch, but my years of being bullied and picked on by entitled jerks growing up left me very leery.

I had just about decided to leave, when the door opened, and a short, pretty, blonde-haired girl eased her way inside. She closed and locked the door behind her.

“Hello” I said to the top of her head, as she didn’t seem willing to make eye contact right away.

“Umm… Hi,” she said, peering up at me nervously.

She wasn’t much taller than five foot and looked to be about as young as the Brian kid was. She was cute though. She had on a tight yellow blouse and some short shorts that didn’t seem to fit her tiny ass quite right.

“How are you doing tonight?” I asked, trying not to stare at the nice sized tits under that top. She had left a couple of buttons undone, displaying a fair amount of cleavage.

“Okay, I guess.” She finally looked me in the eye. I tried to smile at her reassuringly.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked after several silent seconds. Her head popped up and her eyes locked onto mine this time.

“Umm, they didn’t tell you?” she asked, sounding surprised. Her soft blue eyes were open wide with amazement.

“No one has told me anything. I just helped some kid out with booze and was sent in here.”

“Oh,” she cleared her throat. “Umm, Well. I’m supposed to thank you, you know, Properly.” She was clearly very nervous. I was starting to get an idea about what she was doing.

“No sweat. You are welcome. I was young once too.”

“Thanks, but I have to…” her voice trailed off. I was more and more certain why she was sent in.

“You don’t have to do anything at all. It was my pleasure.”

“No, I have… I… I need to… suck your dick.” Those dirty words out of her innocent looking mouth didn’t seem to fit.

“You don’t have to do that. It wasn’t part of the deal.” I certainly didn’t want to be the villain in some young girl’s story.

“No, you don’t understand, I Have to.”

“Look. I don’t want you to do anything you might regret later. I’ll tell them you did it, and that it was great, and then you’ll be off the hook.”

She sighed and looked up shyly at me again. “No, you don’t understand, I have to have… proof.”

“I can just tell them…” I stopped mid-sentence, and she fished her cell phone and a shot glass out of her back pocket and held them up. The realization of what she might need caught me off guard.

“We can figure something out, so you don’t have to…”

She took another deep breath and cut me off. “Thanks, but, it will be easier if I just do it. Besides, after this is over, I’ll get immunity from the next thing.”

And with that she took three steps forward and dropped to her knees in front of me. Her little hands busied themselves with my belt and pants. She fumbled her way through undoing them, then unceremoniously pulled them to the floor. I was still in a bit of shock, so there was no impressive erection to report, as my dick hung free in my boxers right in front of her face.

She then undid her blouse and shimmied it off her shoulders. I watched as her hands went between her jiggling tits and unclasped the front closure of her sheer white bra. She pulled the garment away and two perfect, pale, pink, pointy nipples greeted me.

While I was staring at her nice boobs, the girl reached down and pulled my boxers to the floor. She grabbed her phone and took pictures of my cock, then posed with it as it began to swell rapidly. She took a photo of her tongue licking the head, and then one with the length of it across her mouth. Seemingly satisfied, and now with my cock standing at attention, she kissed the tip and dove right in.

I groaned as my eyes rolled back and closed. She wasn’t a master of technique by any stretch, but even an okay blow job is still pretty damn good. She slurped and sucked the head, pumping the shaft slowly in her little hand. She took an impressive amount of it deep in her mouth before she pulled off it and stroked me a few more times.

I moaned involuntarily, and she stopped to hand me her phone before taking my cock back in her warm, wet mouth. I took a handful of pictures as I assumed she wanted, making sure to get her eyes looking up at me in each shot. Then I dropped her phone on the bed beside me.

I enjoyed the sensations for a while longer, as she kept sucking, stroking, and licking my throbbing dick in a variety of patterns and speeds. Her tits swayed tantalizingly, and I wanted badly to play with them. I moaned again.

Her pace quickened, and she found that sweet spot, the right amount of pressure, pace, and saliva for lubricant, that sent me right up to the edge of orgasm.

“I’m… I’m about to…” I whispered. I felt her grip my butt tightly, holding me in place.

She held her wet lips firmly around my cock head and stroked the shaft furiously. Burst after burst of cum went in her mouth. She swallowed some instinctively, and a little more dribbled down her chin, but she held most of it there in her mouth. As I sat back and my dick popped out from between her lips, she grabbed the shot glass and let my cum drip from between her lips into the shot glass. She then swiped the blob of my jizz off her chin and licked it off her finger, then slurped the drizzles oozing from my cock, only to spit them in the shot glass too.

Seemingly satisfied with her work, she stood up to put her clothes back on. I watched her tits unabashedly as she did. They were very nice. I was sad to see them covered up again.

“Thank you from all of us at Gamma Delta and Phi Chi Ro,” she said quietly and robotically.

“Yeah, no problem.” I stammered, still coming down from the high of an orgasm.

“And thanks for trying to be nice.” She smiled sweetly at me as I buckled my pants back up. She took her phone and cum-filled shot glass and eased her way out the door.

After recovering and getting my sea legs back under me, I left the house and wandered outside towards my jeep. There was a sorority girl leaning against it as she threw up in the street. Once she was done, I drove away.

All in all, it was not the worst first day of school I could have had.

After three classes on Monday, I had just one class on Tuesday. It was an early one, eight o’clock in the morning, I got up very early and went to the campus dining hall before class for some coffee and to grab a bagel or something.

As I stepped into the line for the coffee shop, I realized I was in line directly behind my little seductress form the night before. She wore sunglasses and had her hair pulled back in a basic ponytail. She had on some tight yoga pants that made her ass look good, and university logoed hoodie that looked like it was a couple sizes too big. I stared at her cute little ass for a few minutes unnoticed.

Someone yelled out “Rachel” behind me and she turned to wave. Her face looked up at mine and instantly she blushed and looked away. I was sure I was blushing as well when she finally turned back to me to whisper.

“I am so embarrassed. But they’ve seen you by now, so can we just pretend to have a pleasant conversation?”

“Well, sure.” I said, looking back at where the voice had come from. It wasn’t hard to pick out the sorority girls staring us down. “Or, we can just have a pleasant conversation.” That at least drew a weak smile from her.

“Look, I… I don’t usually do….” she stammered softly.

“I guessed as much,” I smiled at her. “Me neither if it makes you feel any better.”

“Not really,” she smiled genuinely for the first time that morning. “I’m Rachel.”

“I guessed that too. Andrew Davidson.” I said, offering her my hand. She daintily placed her hand in mine before pulling it away.

“What were you doing at a frat party anyway? Aren’t you a little old to still be in school?”

“Probably,” I said with a chuckle. “I just got out of the Air Force, so I have some time to waste before I die.”

She laughed. We talked as the line slowly moved. I told her I was taking a few freshman classes and recited my schedule. Turns out we were both in the same Brit Lit class that morning.

“I’ve heard that this professor can be quite a bitch,” she warned.

“I survived drill sergeants and basic training, I’m sure that I can handle her.”

Once we had our caffeine in hand, I offered to walk with her, if her sorority spies wouldn’t mind.

“That would be nice. I can tell them you asked for my number or something.”

“You could ask for mine too. Then we’d be even.” I tried to smile at her. She frowned.

“No, then they’ll take it from my phone and stalk you and dig up whatever dirt they can on you. They like to hold things over boys heads whenever possible.”

“I’m not a normal college boy.” I stated flatly.

She grinned. “No, you certainly aren’t.”

We sat together and listened to the lecture. A teaching assistant (TA) started it off. Rachel took wonderful notes. I scribbled words here and there. My biology, math, and history classes would be fairly easy A’s for me, even if I didn’t study very much. This one, however, might prove to be a real challenge.

Then, the professor herself stepped in front of the podium to continue the lecture. I stared blankly at the very familiar face. It couldn’t be. It just could not be. I grabbed my phone and sent Greg Landers a text.

— This Professor Morgan, is that really Rebecca Morgan from high school? —

He did not reply right away. My mind wandered.

Rebecca Morgan was drop-dead gorgeous back in the day. I had the biggest crush imaginable on her. I followed her around like a lost puppy all through high school. She had nice, round, full, jaw-dropping tits, and a sexy round butt. She had full hips, full lips, and the sweetest personality to match. Her bright green eyes and auburn hair went with a smile that could melt my soul. She was kind to everyone, even a complete nobody like me. She was super popular and naturally, a cheerleader. I attended every game and never watched the field once.

We had several classes together, and she usually ended up sitting beside me. She would often talk to me about her boyfriends. Eventually, we would spend long hours on the telephone. I listened as she wondered about who she was and what she was doing in life. She confided in me about her first kiss, first date, and first love. Sadly, none of those were me.

I hadn’t seen her since graduation. I enlisted in the military, and lost touch with many of my old friends. I didn’t use social media at all, so I wasn’t in the loop on what most of my classmates had been up to over the years.

Rebecca still looked much the same as she had when we graduated. She was beautiful, sexy, and still possessed that great rack. Her smile radiated up from the podium. She was still drop-dead gorgeous. I still wanted to kiss her, to hold her. I still felt like I would do anything just to be near her.

I tried to make my way down to the podium after class, but she left the lecture hall right away. The TA was handing out copies of the syllabus. I snagged one and circled her office number and hours.

My phone vibrated as I exited the hall. It was Greg.

— That’s her. She’s been teaching here since her divorce finalized several years ago. —

I reminisced some more about Rebecca as I headed home. I thought about the one time that I had asked her out, our sophomore year. She had given me the sweetest smile as I asked, but said she couldn’t, as she was seeing someone new. I was emotionally crushed. I retreated against a wall outside the library, on the verge of tears as she walked away.

A couple of upperclassmen heard the rejection and mocked me relentlessly for the rest of the day. I got into a fistfight that afternoon with three of them. I walked away the bloodiest, but I had not been knocked off my feet. I had stood my ground. They left me alone after that.

Rebecca heard about the fight. She met me at my house after school and helped me clean my face up. She spent a couple hours with me before my parents came home, tending to me and apologizing over and over for what happened. She kissed me on the cheek as she left. I’ll never forget that feeling.

Thursday morning, I was back in the coffee shop line, half expecting to run into Rachel again. I was disappointed when I paid for my coffee and bagel, and she wasn’t there. I scanned the seating area momentarily, spotting some of her sorority sisters giving me looks, then headed off to class.

I crossed the campus, and shortly reached the lecture hall. There, in the same spot she sat in last week, was Rachel.

“Hey you,” she beamed. “I was wondering where you were.”

I held up my coffee cup silently.

“I see. You didn’t bring me one, did you?” she said with a mock pout.

“Sorry no, I figured you had gone ahead and gotten one before I got there. Besides, you drink those fancy things. This is coffee regular; one creamer, one sugar. No foam or whipped cream or sprinkles or such.”

She grinned. “I drink regular coffee sometimes.”

“I’ll remember that.” I mused as I sat beside her.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the podium. Rebecca was beginning to talk. She looked amazing, I tried not to stare at her tits the entire time, but I failed. At least in the back row, I was far enough away, she wouldn’t know where my gaze was locked into. Rachel, however, noticed.

“You sure are paying close attention.”

“What?… Oh, well, yeah. Well, I want to do well in this class.”

“Yeah sure, although you haven’t written one thing she’s said down.” Rachel said with a smirk, gesturing at the blank notebook on my desk.

I grinned and shrugged. She laughed at me as the lecture ended and class was dismissed.

The next Tuesday though, she was waiting for me outside the dining hall to get coffee.

“It’s about time you got here.” Rachel said, smiling at me. She had her blonde hair loose and down, different from the simple ponytails she had been sporting the previous times I had seen her before class. She was also not wearing a sweatshirt or hoodie. She had on a thin baby-blue bouse and some short denim shorts that seemed to barely cover her butt.

“You look nice today” I said without thinking about it.

“You saying I never looked good before?” she teased.

“No, that’s not what I mean…. Very funny.” She was laughing continuously and grinned at me.

She winked and led me to the coffee shop line. We chatted a bit about class and then her sorority pledging. Apparently, there was a wet t-shirt contest this weekend at the same frat house.

“But, thanks to what I did with you last time, I can sit this one out.” She was almost bragging about it.

“Well, I was going to go, but If you’re not going to be up there, I’ll just stay home.”

“You were really going to go to that party?”

“Of course not.” I grinned.

She smacked my arm. “But you’d go if I was going to be in it.”

“If you invited me I might. I’m not going to go prowling frat parties, hoping to see girls flashing their tits.”

“Oh really? You just bring beer in hopes of a blowjob,” she chided me.

“I told you; I had no idea that was going to happen. Plus, I tried to stop you.”

“I know, I know,” she smirked, “I’m just picking on you. You were a gentleman and very sweet. That night totally could have gone worse for me for sure.”

The conversation was shortened by the baristas. They took our order and I paid for both.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. I was being nice.”

“Thank you.” She beamed me a sweet smile.

We grabbed our drinks and walked to class. We made small talk about how classes were going. She complained about her roommate snoring and that she was missing her dad. I talked about my time in the military and how odd it was to move back to my hometown after so many years.

We took our seats, and I paid actual attention to the class this time. Rebecca looked great, but I figured I shouldn’t gawk at her like that, especially since other people, well, at least Rachel, had noticed.

Once it was over, Rachel grabbed her stuff and started to head out. She waved and said she’d see me Thursday.

“You bet. Bright and early.”

I watched her walk away. Those shorts made her ass look pretty good.

We met up again Thursday morning. She was back to the yoga pants, hoodie, & ponytail look. She complained about a lack of sleep.

“They had us up late at the house doing some pledge stuff,” she sighed.

“So why are you doing all that anyway? They seem to just make you do things you don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, kind of. But the people I will get to meet and network with will help me down the line for years to come.”

“Like with what, a job? I’ve never heard of anyone putting their fraternity or sorority on a CV.”

“Just in general, I guess,” she yawned.

“It’s all a big waste of time if you ask me. I never even considered it when I was first in school.”

She just gazed off into the distance. Then, she looked up at me.

“Hey, were you really thinking about going to the party this weekend?” she asked, quite out of the blue.

“No, why?”

“Well, even though I don’t have to be in the contest, I still have to go. And I’m supposed to bring someone.”

“Are you asking me out?” I said with some genuine surprise.

“As friends,” she said quickly. “You’re nice and easy to talk to. If I don’t have a date, they’ll pair me up with a random frat brother for the night, and those guys tend to be a bit handsy.”

“Who says I’m not the handsy type?” I asked in mock indignation.

“You tried to turn down a blow job the first time we met,” she flatlined. “Plus, we’ve had coffee together like four times now and you haven’t asked for my number, tried to grab my ass, or hold my hand… you haven’t tried to make a move at all. I figure you’re a safer bet than some frat guy who won’t hesitate to feel up my tits if I let my guard down for two seconds.”

“You couldn’t blame him though, they are nice.” I winked and grinned. She laughed, exasperated.

“They are,” she grinned, “but that’s not the point.”

“I know, but I’m all old and stuff. Like more than twice your age.”

“A girl having daddy issues is a legitimate mainstream kink these days. No one will bat an eye at us.”

I laughed out loud as we placed our order. Rachel stepped in front of me to pay.

“My turn. You bought last time.”

“No argument from me. Gloria Steinem would be proud.”

“Who?”

“Google her.” I shook my head as I followed her out of the building and across campus.

“So, you’ll come with me then? Please?” She batted her eyelashes dramatically. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sure. Should I pick you up then?”

“No, just meet me at the frat house around 8 o’clock. I have to help set up for the show.”

“You want me to come early and help too?”

“God no.” Her voice was dramatic. “If you show up early, they’ll put you through the third degree.”

I laughed in disbelief. “I can handle myself.”

“No, I’m serious. They’ve seen us walking together and tried to find dirt on you already. They’ve already figured out that you are ex-military.” She paused and gazed right through me. “You never married, and you have no kids that anyone knows of. We’ve all seen your yearbook photos from high school. If you had any social media presence at all, they’d know a lot more by now.”

I was genuinely surprised. She went on.

“See? I told you. You moved here from the D.C. area. We’re assuming you retired from the service and moved back home. Your parents are both gone, but you have a sister, who you are seemingly estranged from and still lives here in town.”

“How…” She cut me off.

“Because she has her maiden name on her Facebook page and there is no mention of you at all on there. They found her name in the funeral notices from when your dad died.”

I was stunned. I’m sure it showed on my face as we entered the lecture hall. We took our usual seats and she continued.

“You also went to school with Professor Morgan here. I’m assuming you two either dated or at the very least you had a thing for her the way you stare at her during class.”

“I’m sorry.” I said, humbled. “We did not date. We were just good friends.”

She smiled. “It’s ok. I get it. She’s your age and very pretty. Plus, she has great tits.” she laughed. “Although, I bet that they sag way more than the ones you’ll get to see on Saturday night.”

“Maybe I’ll get to find out one day.” I quipped, mostly to myself.

I listened to the lecture as intently as I could, but I started to wonder about all the details Rachel already knew about me, especially the family stuff. I guess give some sorority girls enough free time, an axe to grind, and access to the internet, and anything was possible.

Rachel handed me her phone as class ended. Silently, I put in my cell number and hit call. Mine vibrated in my pocket, and we went our separate ways.

Later that evening, as I did some homework, I realized I was genuinely looking forward to Saturday night. Rachel was quick witted and seemed to have a good sense of humor about her. Plus, she was cute.

On Friday afternoon, Brian cornered me after our biology lab.

“Dude, are you going to the big frat party this weekend?”

I tried to be vague. “Yeah, I am. But no, I’m not buying you any booze this time.”

“No, that’s cool man. Say, they’re bringing in an actual stripper for the night to be the contest judge. She’s going to do a bunch of lap dances. Do you want to sign up for one? It’s only fifty bucks!”

“I’ll pass. Thanks though.” He scampered away. I just shook my head. That poor kid was trying so hard to fit in.

I went by the administration building to see if Greg was around, but he wasn’t. Gloria offered to make me an appointment for next week, but I passed. I just wanted to ask about Rebecca and see what he could tell me. I could text him, but it wasn’t that important. I was just reliving an old crush. It would pass, or so I thought.

On the way out of the building, I passed a bulletin board and saw a flyer for the Campus Veterans Association. I took a picture of it on my phone. I didn’t even know there was a Vets group here. That might be a thing to check out.

Saturday evening rolled around, and I found myself walking up to the frat house right before eight o’clock. As fate would have it, Brian was standing there at the door.

“Hey man! You’re here. Cool. The stripper will be here soon. You sure you don’t want a lap dance tonight? Last chance!”

“I’m good, thanks.” I got the feeling he was in charge of making her as much money as possible tonight.

I stepped inside. I was hit with the same stale, musty, smokey smell as the first time I was here. I wondered if the carpets had ever been cleaned. There were a few people milling around. A girl wearing the sorority letters came up to me and said, “Everyone is in the back yard.” With a wave, she beckoned me to follow her. She obviously knew who I was.

There was a platform stage set up in the small yard, made from stacks of cinder blocks and sheets of the cheapest particle board you can get at the big hardware stores. They had most of it covered with cheap tarps. There was a child’s wading pool in the center of the stage.

Rachel was standing there on the stage in a small red bikini bottom and thin white camisole top, carefully filling a dozen or so buckets with water from a garden hose. She looked up and smiled as I approached her.

“Hi. I’m almost done here,” she said, waving the hose around a little recklessly.

I stood at the front of the stage, which put me pretty much eye level with her tits. She was clearly not wearing anything under that tank top. I couldn’t help but stare.

“I thought you didn’t have to do this one?” I said gesturing at her outfit.

She blushed a bit. “Yeah, well I still have to dress the same as the others.” She topped off the last bucket and twisted the nozzle shut.

“I’m not complaining.” I noted. “Just surprised.”

She grinned. “I bet not. The pledges got the choice to wear a bikini bottom or shorts. But, since I am not getting wet, I wasn’t given the option of shorts.”

“It’s a good look on you. I approve.” I said, craning my neck to take a good look at her ass.

She swatted at my face with her hand. “I’m sure you do. You’ll also like this part too… I have to stay dressed like this all night long.”

“That’s not the worst idea I have ever heard.” I felt my dick getting harder the longer I looked at her.

She stepped down from the stage and started to roll the hose back up. As she did, water flew from the nozzle and splashed onto her ribs.

“Fuck.” She cussed as she looked down at the large damp spots on her top. Lucky for Rachel, no nipple showed though, but the side of her right boob was nice and wet.

“Can you go turn the water off just in case?” She asked sweetly.

“Of course.” I followed the hose to the wall. I found the spigot and then rolled the hose up and hung it back on the hook.

“Thanks,” she said, brushing her damp top with her hand.

“No sweat.” I was staring at her boobs again.

“That had potential disaster written all over it.” Rachel sighed in relief.

“It had potential for sure,” I said with a smirk.

She smacked me in the chest. “You dirty old man.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No, mainly because then I’d have to explain why you left to all the sisters.”

“Of course. We would not want that.” My voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“You don’t understand. This is important to me,” she pleaded.

“Okay, I’ll be nice. Shall we go inside? Get a drink maybe?”

“I’m nineteen,” she said flatly.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. That doesn’t answer the question.”

“Sure. We can go inside.” She smiled, rolling her eyes a little.

I followed her into the house, eyes glued to her jiggling butt. She looked back and caught me looking with a wry smile. She seemed to exaggerate the sway of her hips as she walked after that.

Inside, the crowd had built up significantly and the music was much louder. There was a group of guys gathered in the dining room in a big circle. In the center, we saw a woman in high heels, a see through baby doll negligée, and a white G-string. She was obscenely grinding her ass on someone’s lap. Her large, surgically enhanced round tits were bouncing under the lace, and she was making some very exaggerated moaning noises.

“Are you going to get a lap dance tonight?” Rachel asked, her eyes wide, taking in the scene in front of us.

“No,” I replied, “I’ve had a few before. They’re fun and all, but I can think of better uses for fifty bucks.”

“True. It’ll buy a lot of coffee,” she smiled.

I laughed. “That it will.”

The song ended and the stripper stood and pulled the guy up out of the chair, palming his crotch in the process. I laughed as I saw Brain sit eagerly down.

“C’mon, let’s go. “I said. “Unless you like to watch…” I trailed off.

“Sure.” she said without thinking, then smacked my chest again. “And no, I don’t.”

“Ouch. Stop doing that.” I rubbed my chest where she hit me.

“Stop being a dirty old man.”

“Says the cute girl in very little clothing.”

She blushed again slightly. “You think I’m cute?” There was a note of a bit of surprise in her voice.

“Of course, I do. And you are. Am I not supposed to say that?”

“No, you can. You just haven’t said that to me before.”

“I figured you knew already. Yes, Rachel, I think you are very cute.”

She beamed. “Thanks. That’s nice to hear sometimes.”

“And I’d say that even if you weren’t half naked right now.”

She smacked me playfully again. We went back into the main rom. We danced a for a little bit, with my hands on her hips and her grinding her ass into me. She turned to face me and had her arms up, shaking to the music. I couldn’t help but notice that the hem of her top was creeping up, letting a bit of under boob become exposed. She caught my eye but continued to dance, smoothing out her top after the song ended.

“I guess I need to be a bit more careful, huh?” she asked, sweating a little.

“I was just surprised that you didn’t cover up right away, seeing how you have such an aversion to publicly flashing everyone.”

“There’s a difference between an accidental nip slip on the dance floor and deliberately putting myself on display in front of everyone.”

“I suppose.” We walked around a little bit more, saying hi to some of her sorority sisters. I got the feeling I was being shown off a bit but decided to go along with it.

Soon enough, it was announced that the contest was going to begin. Rachel led me outside. She went off into the crowd for a moment. I sat down in a plastic lawn chair a few yards from the stage. Rachel came back around and stood in front of me.

“There aren’t any other chairs left. Can I?”

I nodded and she gently settled herself down in my lap. The stripper was introduced as Lola and led on stage to a robust ovation. Then, the music started, and the first girl stepped up on the stage and stood in the pool.

She was a tall brunette and looked extremely nervous. The frat president handed Lola a bucket of water, and she slowly poured it over the brunette’s white tank top. The girl’s camisole quickly went opaque, letting her now hardened nipples show through, along with the shape and swells of her smallish tits.

A lot of hooting and hollering from the crowd followed. The girl was instructed not to cover herself up. She was given thirty seconds to pose and encourage the crowd to cheer for her. She walked back and forth a few times timidly, and then was dismissed to bring on the next entrant.

The next girl was a plump, freckled red head with massive, sagging boobs. Rachel whispered her name was Janet and that she was a huge flirt. Once her white top was soaked, she shimmed and pranced around, her large tits swinging back and forth wildly. As the crowd cheered her on, she pulled the top off over her head and exposed herself fully as her time expired.

Rachel whispered, “See, that’s the kind of thing I would really hate, but would feel pressured to do now.” She spoke quietly.

“I wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t.” she winked, wiggling her butt into my lap, and making my dick throb.

And she was right. The next girl, a blonde with medium, pointy tits pulled her top off almost as soon as she had been drenched. Her nipples were puffy and bright pink, almost glowing on their own. She danced around a lot more than most had done and then turned around to show off her spectacular G-string adorned ass. She got a big roar from the audience for that view. She bent over at the waist and smacked her own ass cheek for the crowd to see as the timer went off.

From there things got predictably more and more explicit. The next girl took off her shorts and put her hand in her panties, rubbing herself as the crowd cheered along. The next contestant got totally naked and rubbed up on Lola, dancing with the stripper for her entire time. The subsequent entrant took off her bikini bottoms before she was soaked, then pulled the top off immediately afterwards. She dropped to her knees in the kiddie pool, putting her fingers in her pussy, and fingerfucking herself wildly well past the buzzer.

My dick, predictably, had gotten harder and harder as the women exposed themselves. Rachel shifted around a bit during that last one, then looked right at me.

“You’re very hard now.”

“I know. I can’t help it.” I replied.

She grinned wickedly, and wiggled her ass harder into my lap, grinding herself deliberately on my cock. “It’s been quite the show, huh? You sure seem ready for that lap dance now.”

“If you’re offering one, I am.” I winked.

Rachel grinned and ground her ass back into my dick harder, her eyes locked on mine. She was rotating her hips seductively and eliciting a small groan from me. That pleased her, as her eyes widened and her grin intensified. Her nipples poked hard through her still dry top.

The final girl went on stage. Rachel said it was her roommate, Misha. She was a tiny, wafer-thin Korean girl who looked ultra-uncomfortable standing on stage in front of what was now a pretty raucous crowd. She took her soaking, then stood there, eyes closed and body trembling as the timer counted down. The horny throng got restless and a couple of them started to boo. When the timer went off, she took off running down the makeshift steps off the stage and into the house.

Rachel stood up immediately “I’m going to go check on her.”

“Yeah, go.” I said, feeling really bad for her friend.

Lola called up the two finalists, the one who was fingering herself and the blonde in the G-String bikini bottom. They both had fresh, dry tops and got another soaking. They then stripped themselves naked again, dancing around, feeling up each other and rubbing themselves together. Lola encouraged them to splash the guys up front with water. Lola announced the winner (the fingerfucker) and the crowd cheered her on as she dropped to her knees and gave them a repeat performance.

I milled around as the crowd thinned out and most of them went back inside to party. Lola walked through the crowd offering ‘extra special’ lap dances for one hundred dollars. I heard her tell one guy that she promised there would be a happy ending in it for him. I shook my head, remembering the time when I was that young and desperate and would have taken her up on it.

Rachel emerged with Misha, who was now wrapped in a faded blue towel, a few minutes later.

“Hey, I’m sorry about that. I told her she could hang out with us for a while.”

“Of course.” I extended my hand. “Andrew. Nice to meet you miss.”

Misha daintily shook my hand. Rachel asked who had won.

“I don’t remember her name, the one that was on her knees fingering herself.”

Misha sighed. “I feel so stupid. Everyone was staring at me, and I panicked.”

Rachel was reassuring. “It’s ok. You were very brave even going up there.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, well if my name hadn’t been picked out of that bowl at the first party, I would have been.” Rachel reminded her. I shuffled uncomfortably and stared at the ground, having been the beneficiary of that name draw. Rachel looked at me. “It wasn’t that bad; it just wasn’t my idea.”

“I know. No offense taken.”

Misha looked at me, then at Rachel. “Wait, he’s the guy?”

“Yeah, I told you he was here with me.”

“I didn’t think you were serious.” Misha’s eyes hit the floor.

“It’s true. I sucked his dick,” Rachel said very matter-of-factly.

“And you’re not embarrassed to be around him?”

“I was the first time we ran into each other. Lucky for me he’s a nice guy and isn’t a jerk about it.”

I just nodded. “I didn’t know what was going to happen when I got there that night. It certainly wasn’t planned on my part.”

Misha smiled meekly at both Rachel and I. We found our way inside and into the kitchen. I caught Brian staring at us from across the dining room several times as the girls talked.

Misha calmed down after a while. She was a shy girl from a very traditional, conservative, old-world family. Her parents didn’t like her going to school so far from home. They wanted her to get her education and move right back to Korea, where they could arrange a marriage for her.

“I don’t want that life, so I’m never going back.” She said emphatically. I nodded and without thinking, put my arm around Rachel. Rachel didn’t react, and Misha suddenly put her hand over her mouth.

“Oh my, you two are on a date! I’m so sorry to trouble you.”

Rachel and I stared at each other and locked eyes. Were we on a real date?

“It’s not a real date.” Rachel stammered. “We’re just hanging out together and talking.”

“We danced a little.” I added.

Misha furrowed her eyebrows. “That sounds like a date to me.”

“We’re friends. We’re just getting to know each other,” Rachel said.

Misha nodded. “Which is what you do on a date.”

“Friends can hang out and talk and dance without it being a serious date,” I pitched in.

“Hmm.” Misha said. “You two look very natural together.”

Rachel blushed. “Thanks.” I told her.

“I’m going back to the room and leave you two alone.” She hugged Rachel and headed out the door.

We stood there looking at each other in silence. Rachel grabbed my hand and broke the tension. “Let’s dance.”

We danced our way into the living room, where most of the crowd was doing the same. I put my hands back on her hips and felt her body move with the music. The song changed to a slow tune, and I pulled her in, took her hand and started to two-step around the room.

“Wow,” she said. “You can actually dance.”

“I learned years ago. I was dating this general’s daughter. She loved to go dancing, and I liked her, so I figured it out.”

“My dad taught me how when I was little.” she said, “I miss him.”

“I’m sorry. We can stop.”

“No. I like it.” And she put her head on my shoulder and finished the song in silence. When it ended, we went back to the kitchen for some water.

“This was fun. Thank you for coming tonight.” Her pretty blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at me.

“Of course. I’ve had a good time.”

“And you got to see some tits,” she teased.

“Always a good night when you can scope out some boobs.”

“And asses. Not to mention a chick fingering herself.” Rachel grinned.

“That was quite the show. I enjoyed that too.”

“I could tell.”

“What can I say, naked girls dancing on stage, cute girl in my lap. That’s a recipe for an erection if I ever heard of one.”

“So, some of that was because of me? Not just the girls in the contest?” Rachel asked quietly.

“Sure. Look at you in your tiny bikini bottoms, skimpy top, no bra, and all within an arm’s reach all night long.” I said, putting my hands on her hips again and pulling her closer. “Feeling you grinding yourself on my lap while the other girls were getting naked got me going for sure.”

She gazed deep into my eyes. “You dirty old man,” she whispered with a laugh.

I couldn’t help but laugh with her. She was definitely not the shy, demure thing I had first met a couple of weeks ago.

She called it a night not too long afterwards. I offered to drive her home, but she declined. I walked with her to her dorm, which was only a few blocks away. We said good night and I started to walk away. She jogged back over, her boobs bouncing, and kissed me on the cheek. That was a hell of a night.

Monday, before class, Brian caught me outside the building.

“Hey, are you dating one of those pledges?”

“I wouldn’t say dating. We’re friends.”

“Oh. Ok. You had two of them hanging around you. One of the brothers noticed and said you ex-military guys always get lots of pus…. action.” He blushed.

“Can I give you some advice?” I asked him.

“Yeah!” He was a little too excited.

“Don’t ever talk about women in those kinds of terms. They aren’t conquests or achievements, like levels in a video game. They’re people, just like you. Treat them that way, with respect. Do that, and the fun stuff will work itself out for you.”

“Right. Yeah.” He headed inside wordlessly. I could tell by the look on his face he was deep in thought. I am sure my words contradicted his fraternity brothers’ ideas.

I popped into the Veterans Center after my classes had wrapped up. It was a small off-shoot of the main student center. It reminded me of a basement hangout space like you see on television. There were several mis-matched couches, a threadbare recliner or two, and some coffee tables seemingly held together by duct tape. In one corner was a sink, a fridge, and a coffee maker. Next to that, I saw an older style kitchen table and a couple of rickety wooden chairs.

I was introduced to a few of the people hanging around. Typical of ex-military folks, everyone introduced themselves and was only talked about by last names. Parker, Wolfe, Carson, Norton.

“That’s Oakley over there in the brown chair.” Norwich said, pointing out a quiet woman in a corner with their face glued to her phone She was wearing a grey sweatshirt, combat boots, and camo pants, with a black baseball cap on backwards covering her short brown hair.

I said hello to zero reaction.

“She won’t talk to you very often, if at all. She has some severe PTSD. She did three tours of Afghanistan.” Wolfe said quietly.

“Among other things,” added Carson.

Parker was in charge, it seemed. He told me about their Safewalk program. It was open to anyone on or near campus. Anyone could text for help at any time. The vets would meet them wherever they wanted around campus and walk with them to wherever they needed to go; to and from the parking lot, dorms, classes, it didn’t matter. No questions asked, twenty-four hours a day.

Safewalk was started like a dozen years before after there was a rash of assaults on campus. Two guys were running around campus after dark, groping and assaulting any woman they saw alone at night. Eventually, they were caught and arrested. Many women on campus had been shaken up by the incidents. The Veterans Association stepped up and started offering their protection.

He said these days it was mainly about bad breakups that girls would want an escort for, so their ex didn’t follow them to class and harass them further.

“We only get like one or two calls a month these days. It might not be much, but those are one or two women a month who get home or to class safe.”

“That sounds good. Count me in.”

“We run a background checks, obviously. Then you sign up for 2 hours shifts whenever you can. If you live nearby, we ask someone to take the phone home overnight, since no one is coming up here to be on call out from Midnight until 8am or so. We can really use the help on the weekends too. We understand people have jobs and other obligations. Usually, either me or Oakley cover the times that other people don’t.”

“I’ll do as much as I can to help.”

“Nice. Be respectful, and always wear one of the vests when you leave the room on a walk. Those are the basic rules.”

He handed me a paper to fill out and took a copy of my ID. He asked how long I was in the Air Force. I told him.

“Thirty years? Wow. Most of us were in and out in like six or eight.”

“Yeah, I didn’t plan on being a lifer, but it happened before I knew it.”

He shook my hand and I left. I really liked this program.

The next day, I waited for Rachel outside the dining hall as usual. One of her sorority sisters gave me a wink and smiled at me. She waved as she walked by. I nodded my head at her politely, but wearily. I was sure there was an ulterior motive behind that smile.

Rachel gave me a quick hug as she greeted me. That was something new. She was also dressed nicely again. She had on a cherry-red blouse and denim skirt, and had her hair done up. No yoga pants or hoodie today.

“Have you recovered from the insanity?” I asked. As we got in the queue, I put my arm around her without thinking about it. She didn’t react.

“Yep. It wasn’t too bad.”

“One of you sorority girls waved and winked at me earlier.” I told her.

“Yeah. Someone asked about us in the meeting the other night. I told them we were just friends and one of them mentioned you were kind of handsome, so there might be a plan about to ‘take you away from me’ or something stupid like that.”

“Oh. Well, I have some pretty high standards you know, so it might take some doing.”

She laughed. “Oh, don’t I know it.” She beamed at me with a genuine smile. “Seriously though. Thanks again for coming with me on Saturday. Hanging out with you was way more fun than I expected.”

“My pleasure. But you owe me one.”

“One what?” She smirked. “A date? Or a lap dance?”

“Yes.”

Rachel smacked me hard in the chest again.

“You know you’re going to leave a bruise one of these days.” I said, rubbing the spot.

“You deserve it for being a dirty old man.” She leaned back against my shoulder.

“Ok you win.” I said, grabbing her by the waist. “You look nice today.”

“Thank you.”

“How’s Misha doing?”

“Much better. We watched some Netflix for a while together yesterday and she seemed okay.”

“That’s good to hear.”

We stopped and paid for our drinks. As we headed across the campus, I asked an innocent question, or so I thought.

“So, what’s the next dumb challenge you have to do?”

Her head snapped and spun around on me like the child from The Exorcist.

“Who told you?” Her voice was angry and upset.

“Woah, woah, woah,” I put my hands up in front of me, “no one told me anything. It was just a question.”

She looked right into my eyes for a moment, then relented.

“I’m sorry, I guess I’m a little on edge about it.”

“What’s the deal?”

She sighed. “Can… can I tell you later? I don’t really want to think about it right now.”

I studied her face as she asked. Shy, uncertain Rachel was back. I spoke slowly, trying to find the right words. “Sure. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. I did not mean to upset you.”

She sighed and stopped outside the lecture hall door.

“It isn’t your fault,” she said, giving me another quick hug before going in and taking her seat. I sat beside her and waited for Professor Morgan to begin the lecture. The professor looked very nice today as well.

After class was done, we said goodbye, and I headed home. Later that afternoon, she sent me a text message saying she was sorry, and she’d talk to me on Thursday.

I tried not to be preoccupied with her the next day during classes, but I failed. I don’t know what they had planned, but the way it upset Rachel so fast, I was worried.

Brian caught me after our biology lab. “Hey man, did you hear about the next big party?” he talked rapidly, like he was trying to contain his excitement.

“No.”

“So, it’s a fundraiser. All the pledges from both Gamma and Phi are being auctioned off as dates for the night. It’s going to be wild!”

“You too?” I asked him.

“Yeah.” His excitement measurably waned. “I got to get me a suit or something.”

“So, what happens on these dates?” I asked, pretty sure I already knew the answer.

He looked at me sideways, then smirked a little. “C’mon man, you know, it’s a date, like a ‘Date’ date.” He used air quotes for emphasis. That certainly explained Rachel’s reaction.

“Got it.”

“So, do you want to go? It’s by invitation only this time, but I can get you on the list. I know you’ll want to bid on one of those girls you were hanging out with.”

“Maybe. I will let you know in a few days.”

I sent Rachel a text, just checking in on her. She replied immediately.

— I’m good, thanks. See you tomorrow. —

I made sure to be on time the next morning. Rachel beat me there and pulled me aside before we got in line.

“Look. I’m sorry I freaked out on you the other day. I had just found out that morning what the next thing was, and I didn’t take it very well.”

She took a deep breath and continued. “But at our meeting last night, they explained the rules and I feel better about it.”

“Good. I was worried about you.”

“I could tell. You even texted me.” She smiled. “So, here’s the deal, there’s a date auction at the next party in a couple weeks. It’s an invite-only thing, so there won’t be near as many people there.”

So far this all sounded familiar.

“And it’s both Gamma and Phi pledges, so they’re auctioning off the guys too, which makes me feel a little better about it.”

“That’s good.” I said, letting her breathe.

“Do you want to go?” she asked as we went inside and joined the line.

“It depends. Would you want me there?”

“Yes, I do, and I’ll tell you why.”

“Okay.”

“So, there is a rule in place to account for people who are dating someone already. The whole thing is a big fundraiser for the houses, so they really just want money. If you’re known to be in a relationship, the partner gets the option to buy you out ahead of time for a hundred bucks.”

“I see.” We paused the conversation to place our orders.

“And so, I was thinking.” She looked right into my eyes. “You could come with me and buy me out. I’ll even give you the money ahead of time.”

“So, you want to tell people we’re dating?”

“Kind of. They aren’t going to just take my word for it. Or yours for that matter.”

“Then how…”

“That’s the thing. We would have to convince them we’re actually dating.”

I stopped to pay for my drink. Rachel looked down and made no move to grab her card, so I told the cashier to put them together.

“Thanks. See, things like that will help.”

“So, you want me to pretend to date you for a couple weeks?”

“Please? Look, I know it’s kind of weird, but I feel comfortable with you.” She put my arm around her as we walked, as if to prove her point.

“I guess that doesn’t sound too terrible.” I said with playful sarcasm in my voice.

She gave me an annoyed look. “Gee thanks.”

“What, I can’t pick on you, even though we’re dating now?” I teased.

She rolled her eyes at me. “I know it’s a lot to ask, and it will mean we may have to be around each other for more than just this one class.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t considered that. Honestly, I would not mind that at all.

“We can go out for dinner or something, you can come and pick me up and being seen doing so. Stuff like that will help a lot.”

“So, you want to go out on an actual date?”

“Are you asking me out?” she grinned.

“Are you asking me to ask you out?” I retorted.

“Yes.” She gave me a sweet, innocent smile that reminded me how much younger than me she really was.

“Then yes. Rachel, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

She smiled and hugged me tight before taking her seat.

I sat beside her. “I guess that’s a yes.” I mused out loud, she gave me a ‘shhh’ as Professor Morgan walked to her podium.

Rachel leaned over and whispered. “It isn’t nice to stare at her tits when you’re going out with someone else.”

I laughed quietly. “Sorry, I’ll try harder.” I paid attention to the lecture, although Professor Morgan did look gorgeous today.

After class, instead of hurrying off, Rachel hung back and waited for me.

“Will you walk me back to my dorm?”

“Sure.”

“Good. The house is on the way, so we’ll be seen.” And with that she took my hand in hers and led me across the campus.

She asked me how long it had been since I had seriously dated anyone.

“I was seeing a woman in Georgia for a while when I was there. The problem is I would get settled in at a base, eventually meet people and start dating, then suddenly have to up and move somewhere across the country. It is hard to find someone who is willing to relocate their entire life like that regularly.”

She just nodded along, so I continued.

“When I was younger, it was not as big of a deal, but the last two women I dated seriously, having to leave them really bothered me. My last post was in D.C., and I didn’t do anything there but hook up occasionally. I didn’t want to invest time in a relationship that might not ever get the chance to develop.”

“Even when you got out?”

“Until I signed my papers, Uncle Sam could have sent me anywhere at any time, even with my seniority. I moved here not long after my retirement was official.”

“So, when was the last time you had sex?” She looked at me and blushed a little as she asked.

“Actual sex? Not just a blowjob at a frat house?” I teased.

“Yes,” she laughed “Your cock in someone’s cunt.” Her harsh language caught me off guard for a moment.

“A week or so before I moved here.”

“Oh really? Do tell.”

“I was at the going away party my bosses were throwing for me at the base officer’s club. The wife of one of the commanders brought her recently widowed sister to the party. She and I hit it off right away.”

“And then?”

“We danced, talked, and flirted with one another most of the night. She was very petite and thin. I was afraid I was going to break her if I held on too hard. When we sat and talked, she rubbed my leg for a while and then whispered in my ear that she wanted to go somewhere private. I led her out of the dance hall and over to my now empty office. She hiked up her little black dress and bent over the desk for me. I pulled her skimpy panties down and we went at it.”

“Was she any good?” Rachel sounded genuinely curious.

“Very. We ended up screwing in multiple positions for multiple orgasms that night.”

“Just her? Or you too?” Rachel’s eyes were wide open, fully enthralled in the story. She seemed to hang on every word.

“Just her. In my younger days I could go more than once a night regularly. Not that night though.”

“Still, that sounds… nice. I’ve never…. well, never mind.” She blushed.

I smiled at her sudden shyness. “So, we can talk about my sex life but not yours?”

She blushed deeper red and looked away.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. One of my ex-girlfriends never could cum more than once at a time either. Her climaxes were so intense and draining she could barely move, much less go any further. Even if I was gentle and took it slow, she’d get so sensitive that she said it actually hurt for me to touch her down there afterwards.”

“Oh. Wow” Rachel whispered, clearly thinking about what I had just said.

“What about you? I know about your oral skills, but what about the rest?”

“Umm… I’ve slept with two guys & fooled around with one other. So, there is really not much to tell.” She clearly felt embarrassed.

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. I was a virgin until I was nineteen. I got laid for the first time the night before I left for basic training. My roommate’s sister took pity on me.” I smiled and tried to be reassuring. “Looking back, it was terrible. I had no idea what I was doing at all. The whole thing was over and done in just a couple minutes.”

“Well, here we are,” she said, stopping me in front of her dormitory.

“So, should I kiss you?” I asked, looking into her eyes.

“If you want.” She gazed up at me.

I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

“That was sweet,” she blushed.

“So, should I call you? Or text? Or DM? What’s the best way to do this?”

She laughed at my mock seriousness. “A text is fine. Goodbye.”

I went home and tried to wrap my head around the day’s events. Rachel was a sweet kid and I certainly liked her enough to go out with her for real. I thought about my pending job and ramifications down the road, but next semester felt like a long time away, and anything could happen between then and now.

Friday morning, I got a text from Rachel.

— Thanks again for being such a nice guy. —

— Of course. Feel like going out with me tonight? —

She didn’t answer, so I got in the shower. Of course, I heard my phone go off once the water started. As I toweled off, I checked the message.

— Sure. If you want to. —

— I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t. —

— What took you so long? —

— I was in the shower. —

— Oh really? —

I sent her a picture of the still fogged up mirror.

I got back some laughing emojis.

— Not the pic I was expecting. —

— You really think I’d send you something inappropriate without asking? —

— Most boys I know would. —

— I’m no boy, remember. —

— That’s true —

— I’ll come by at seven tonight. Do you like Indian food? —

— Sure. See you then. Pick me up at the sorority house. —

A few hours later, I was standing outside the sorority house as instructed. I wore a nice pair of slacks and a button-down dress shirt.

I messaged Rachel and asked if I should come in or what. As I stepped out of my jeep, she came scurrying out of the front door. She had on a short little green sundress that flowed about her as she walked. It accentuated her breasts and teased the tops of her toned thighs.

She stopped in front of me, and I put my hands on her hips.

“You look amazing,” her blush made me smile.

“Thanks. I’m pretty sure they’ve noticed you by now, can we go?”

I opened her door and watched her dress sway as she climbed in. As I walked around to the driver’s side, I was sure I saw faces peeking out at us from between the curtains.

“Mission accomplished, I guess.” I said, gesturing at the windows.

“I figured. Hey, thanks again for doing this for me.”

“Yeah, you really had to twist my arm. Ask a cute girl out to dinner.”

“You know what I mean. For being so nice about everything.”

“My pleasure.” I patted her hand on the armrest.

Over dinner she told me about her parents’ divorce, and her dad’s subsequent passing last year. She had lived with her dad ever since her parents split up. Then, suddenly, she had to up and move here during her senior year of high school, to where her mom lived.

“So why live at the dorms instead of home?”

“My mom and I really don’t get along. I was always a daddy’s girl. She blamed my dad for their divorce and then didn’t like that I wanted to live with him instead of leaving all my friends and coming to live with her right away. I was mad she changed her name immediately and refused to say anything positive about him when I visited her.”

“Oh wow,” was all I could think to say.

“We’ve worked through a lot of it, but she still acts resentful towards me at times.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright, plus, if I was going to pledge, it was better to be on campus and close by.”

“I suppose.”

“This is good.” She changed the subject. “I’ve never had Indian food before.”

And we spent the rest of the night talking about our food tastes. I liked Italian and Mexican food, she preferred Thai, Chinese, and Korean cuisine.

“The best barbecue I ever had was a Korean BBQ place in San Diego.”

“Misha says that’s not really Korean food.”

“Maybe not, but it sure is good.” I paused, as the events of the wet t-shirt party flashed through my mind. “How is she going to handle the auction?”

“She hasn’t talked about it at all. I’m a little worried about her.”

“Yeah, I can’t see it going very well for her.”

“On the one hand, we don’t have to get on stage and get naked. We’re supposed to dress ‘sexy’, whatever that means. Formal gowns, dresses, club outfits, or bikinis, it is totally up to us what we wear. She can wear whatever she wants basically.”

“That’s doesn’t sound too bad then.” I nodded along.

“No, but the auction dates are pretty much expected to end in sex. And I don’t know if she’ll be up for that.”

“Maybe she won’t have to.”

“Maybe, but a lot of the frat brothers spend hundreds of dollars on auction dates. The expectation makes it kind of hard to turn them down.”

“Simple, you just say, ‘I’m sorry, no’, and that’s it.” I reasoned.

“That’s easy for a guy to say. Most boys my age are masters at manipulating and pressuring girls into bed.”

I thought for a second about my own dating history, especially in the college age bracket. “Yeah, I guess. I haven’t thought like that about dating in so long, I kind of forgot what a douche I used to be.”

“The neanderthal has discovered fire.” Rachel quipped.

“Possibly. Or I just succumbed to the feminist agenda.” I said with a grin.

“Yes!” She said with a laugh. “And I did google Gloria Steinem by the way.”

We finished our meals and walked out to my jeep.

“This has been fun.” She said as we drove away from the restaurant.

“You want to go somewhere and hang out a while?”

“Like back to your place to Netflix and chill?” She laughed.

“That’s not what I meant, but we can go to my place if you’d like, or we can go for a walk around campus.”

“It is kind of soon to go back to your place, I think. A walk would be nice.”

I parked near the student center and dining hall. We walked and talked more about classes and her majoring in architecture design. I revealed that I was officially undeclared. I held off on telling her about teaching next semester. I didn’t want to change the cool dynamic we had going on.

I waved at one of the Vets in his Safewalk vest. I mentioned to Rachel I was set to start doing those in a week or so.

“That’s so cool. They have flyers up all over the dorms and at the sorority house.”

“It seems like a good thing to get involved in.”

We got close to the library, and she once again took my hand. On the other side of that building were some of the dorms, and across the street from them were the frat houses. I dropped her hand and put my arm around her, letting my hand slide down onto her butt. She looked up and me and winked.

As we approached her dormitory, we saw one of the frat brothers from the party leaning in and making out pretty aggressively with a girl in the entranceway of one of the other dorms. He clearly had one hand up her shirt and the other down the front of her pants.

“A little bold of him, you think?” I joked.

“That’s nothing. They got busted in a lecture hall in the middle of class.”

“What?”

“It’s true. She was apparently jacking him off during an economics lecture. People say if he wasn’t so loud when he came, they might have gotten away with it.”

“Wow. I don’t think I could be that brave.”

“What, you don’t want me to jerk you off during Brit Lit?” She laughed. “I mean, as much as you like to stare at Professor Morgan’s big boobs, you might as well get off instead of walking around with a boner afterwards.” She smiled at me wickedly.

“I don’t leave class with a boner, sheesh.” I had to defend myself.

“Are you sure about that?” I’ve seen a bulge when you stand up now and then.”

“You’ve been looking at my dick during class?”

“You’ve look at my tits and my ass while we’re walking together, what’s the difference?”

I held my hands up in front of me “Busted. You got me.”

“Remember, just like you joke sometimes that you’ve seen my tits before, I’ve seen your cock before.”

“True.” As awkward as this was, being called out on checking her out, I was getting a little aroused too. Her eyes caught mine, and we both started to laugh.

“You’re definitely not the quiet, shy, bashful girl that walked in that frat room that night.”

“I was super nervous and scared that night. It was the first week of pledging, the very first challenge, and of course my name gets drawn first.”

“First? How many were there?”

“There were like four or five other guys that got blow jobs from pledges that night. The fraternity president, a couple of the seniors, and one of the guy pledges had his name drawn for one as well. Maybe someone else had one too, I don’t really remember exactly. I mainly remember them making us line up in front of the whole fraternity at the end of the night and down our shot glasses.”

I could tell my eyes narrowed in disapproval; she was talking about drinking my cum in front of people. “The more I hear about this pledging business, the less I like it.”

“I know. Like I told you, the benefits on the other end outweigh the temporary embarrassments.”

“Your life, your call.” I reasoned. “I wouldn’t put up with it though.”

“The guys get it just as bad, if not worse. The night before that first party, the pledge boys were marched bare-ass naked through the sorority house during our first gathering. There were twenty or thirty girls in the room, and they had to line up facing us, with their hands behind their heads. Then they were told to get their dicks hard right there out in the open for all of us to see. One of the sisters brought out a tape measure, and they all got their dicks measured, right there with everyone watching.”

“Jesus Tapdancing Christ. I’d be out of there.”

“A couple of the guys seemed to like it, but most were super shy and embarrassed. I felt kind of bad for a few of them.”

Without knowing or asking, I was guessing Brian would have been among the embarrassed ones that night.

“Kind of like Misha was up on that stage. How did she handle seeing all of that?”

Rachel giggled. “Once they came in and we could tell they were naked, she hid her face and never looked up the rest of the night. She said that she had never seen a penis before, much less twenty of them at once.”

“So, why is she doing all of this? It doesn’t seem to suit her at all.”

“I think it’s a ‘rebel against your parent’ thing. She argues loudly on the phone with them nearly every night. I can’t tell what she’s saying, but her tone is strong and defiant.”

Maybe it was my limited exposure to her, but I could not visualize tiny, timid Misha raising her voice at anyone.

We had made our way back to the jeep. I drove her around and parked near the dorms.

“I guess I should call it a night. This was fun.” She put her hand on my arm lightly.

“Anytime. Do you want to have lunch or something this weekend?”

“Maybe. We don’t have to rush things.”

“Alright.” I wasn’t trying to rush. I genuinely wanted to spend time with her.

“Walk me to the door?”

“Of course.”

I put my arm around her as we walked across the street and up a narrow sidewalk. She stood in front of me and smiled.

“Thanks again. This was great.” Her eyes sparkled at me as she spoke.

I wanted to speak. Instead, I just leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

“Good night.” I said softly, lingering near her face.

“Good night.” She winked and slipped inside.

I waited until noon Saturday to message her. The sisters had her occupied for most of the next couple of days, so we had a late lunch on campus after class on Monday. We sat across from each other and away from most of the populace, talking and laughing.

Tuesday morning, I was greeted with a hug. It was a yoga pants and hoodie day again. I wanted to kiss her as we waited, but held off, content to keep an arm around her waist.

The sisters had kept them up late the night before again, cleaning and painting the basement as a bonding experience.

“Was everyone naked?” I asked. I got a smack to the chest for my query.

“No, we weren’t naked. Although now that you mention it, that might have made laundry night tonight a lot easier.”

“I mean, everything else you guys seem to do is about nudity and sex, why not painting the basement?”

“You’re such a guy. It was about doing a big project together, using teamwork and cooperation.”

“That sounds like some of the stuff they preached at us during basic training. Motivating each other to get better at our drills, so the unit as a whole didn’t suffer. We all just thought it was an excuse to make us do more pushups.”

“I never thought of that, but yeah kind of like that.”

“Sorority girls don’t have exclusivity to smart ideas.”

“Touché.” She grinned.

I paid for our coffee. “That’s twice in a row I’ve paid, just so you know.” I kidded her.

“It doesn’t matter now that we’re dating.”

“Oh, we are?”

“That’s what they think anyway. You just got to keep it up for another week or so.”

“They say after four hours I’m supposed to see a doctor.”

“Ha! That was pretty good.” She laughed and smiled.

“So, I’m told.”

“Uh huh. No comment.”

We took our seats in the lecture hall. I made sure to not just stare at Professor Morgan all class long.

“Good job. You actually paid attention.” Rachel chided me afterwards.

“I am capable of great things.”

“Maybe. I’ll be the judge of that. You got plans for the rest of the day?”

“I’m done with classes today. I am just doing some homework and reading for tomorrow. Why?”

“I thought I could come over to your place for a while after my last class.”

“You want me to come get you so I can be seen again?”

“No, I have a car. Just text me the address.”

“Sure thing.”

I sent her my address and headed home. I did have some homework to do, and I got right to it. Luckily, it wasn’t difficult, and then I puttered around throwing away water bottles and odd bits of trash. Fortunately, my military days had made me a generally neat person.

I didn’t know when Rachel would arrive. I was genuinely nervous. It had been a long time since I had been this nervous for a date. Or was this an actual date?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I sprung to my feet and opened the door. Rachel stood there, still in her sweats and hoodie, smiling.

“Hey.” Her voice was soft and timid.

“Hi. Come on in.”

I ushered her in, and we sat on the couch. She was quiet and shy, as if she was as nervous as I was.

“Why is this weird?” she asked quietly.

“Because this is intimate. And private. And there’s an unspoken implication when a girl comes to a guy’s house alone.”

“Yeah.” She picked at her nails and barely looked up.

“It’s still weird though.” I said, trying to get her to smile.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t all nervous and shy about this until you opened the door, then it hit me all of a sudden.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re allowed to feel how you feel.” I was trying to reassure her.

She looked at me nervously. I continued to smile and speak calmly. “Look. I like you a lot. You’re a sweet girl with a sense of humor that I enjoy. You’re cute and I like having you around. If all we do is hang out as friends, I’m good with that. Zero expectations.”

She smiled at me. “Thanks. That helps a lot. I’d been thinking about you and thought I was ready to… to do something tonight, but now I’m not so sure.”

“All we’ve really done was kiss, and just the once.” I was omitting our initial encounter. “I’m not expecting to make the leap from there straight to hooking up.” I smiled at her, trying to reassure her again. “Remember, there are zero expectations.”

“That sounds nice.” She said, exhaling.

“Let’s order some takeout and binge watch a series you like to watch, just like regular friends would do. If things change, we can talk about it then.”

I grabbed my phone and ordered some Chinese food.

“You want me to order you something drink? I don’t have much here but water and some juice.”

“Nah, water is good for me.”

I hit send and plopped down on the other end of the couch from Rachel. I handed her the remote and told her to scroll away.

“Your recents are all full of history documentaries and titty movies.”

“Well, you see, I like history documentaries and titty movies.”

“I knew you liked titties. Mine, Professor Morgan’s, wet sorority pledges…”

“Guilty on all charges.” I said. “Especially yours.” I winked at her playfully.

She laughed and clicked past them. “The history docs I guess I get. But in this day and age, if you want to see tits on a screen, why watch a bad B movie when there’s actual porn just as easily accessible?”

“What can I say? Bad B movies entertain me.”

The doorbell interrupted us, and I went to get our food. When I came back into the living room, I saw the opening credits to one of the movies she was teasing me about.

“Interesting choice.” I said, setting the bags down and taking my seat.

“Spring Break Cheerleader Bikini Car Wash. What could go wrong?”

“Not the worst thing you could have chosen.”

We ate and watched. She kicked off her shoes and curled up on the opposite end of the couch. She laughed at the stupidity of most of it. The scene changed to a women’s locker room, and her gaze went to me.

“Boobie alert!” she laughed, looking right at me.

“Yep. Lots of them too.”

“So which ones are better?”

I paused to take in the scene critically. “The tall brunette in the back. Her tits look natural and fit her body great.”

“So not the lead bimbo’s? They’re big too. Really big.”

“They are obviously fake. I prefer natural ones.”

“I see.”

“It isn’t even about the size for me. Breasts aren’t perfect spheres that stick out like that. Bigger tits generally have some natural sag to them. Those just don’t look natural. They’re just not my thing.”

“Good to know,” she said with a chuckle. “Bigger isn’t always better.”

“Bigger is also relative. You’re like what, a C cup?” I guessed.

She nodded, giving me a strange look. I kept talking.

“Your size tits on someone who is six inches taller, and thirty pounds heavier would not look very big at all. On you, they stand out because you aren’t all that tall or thick around the middle.”

Rachel looked down her hoodie at her tits. “Still, they could be a little fuller.”

“They’re great. They fit your body nicely. It works the same way for guys.”

“It… what?” she stammered.

I took a deep breath. “I’m five foot eight and a hundred and sixty pounds. I don’t have eight or nine inches down there. If I was six foot three and two hundred and thirty pounds, my dick would look small in scale. But I’m not, so it doesn’t. It’s size fits my frame, or so I’m told, anyway.”

She was quiet for a moment. “So, how big is it?”

“Really? That’s the first thing you think to say?”

“I mean, I’ve seen it and all, but I was just curious. I don’t have a lot of experience to compare to.”

“Twenty frat pledges doesn’t count?” I teased.

She turned red and looked at her feet “I really didn’t look at them much. I felt bad for them.”

“I’m like six inches.” I said confidently.

“Like six?” She was smirking at me.

“Like close enough to six that I can say six inches and it’s believable.”

“You mean kind of like the Subway footlongs that are only like eleven and a half inches?” She smiled again.

“Something like that.” I shook my head and grinned.

We watched the screen for a bit, she kicked her legs out at me, planting them on my lap. I patted her ankle and rubbed her calf without thinking about what I was doing.

“It is kind of warm in here,” she quipped.

“Is it? Do you want me to turn down the AC?”

“No, just an observation.”

“You are sitting there in that hoodie.”

“It’s comfy.” She clutched her arms to her chest.

“I’m sure it is, but what it also is, is warm.”

She paused and looked around for a minute. “I… I did something that I thought would be fun, but now I feel embarrassed about it.”

I was confused. She sighed and took a deep breath.

“When I was thinking about maybe fooling around, I… I wore something different.”

I grinned “So are you naked under there?” I put on a serious face when she blushed deep red. “I can get you a t-shirt or something to wear if you want to change.”

“I’m not naked, but maybe… close to it.”

She pulled her arms inside the hoodie and pushed it up over her head. She had on the thin white camisole top from the other night. She crossed and rubbed her arms nervously. I could tell that her nipples were hard, and I was certain she was braless under there.

“I see.” I said, working hard to keep my gaze at her eyes. “That is a nice surprise.”

“Kind of corny now, huh?”

“It’s cute. I like it.”

She dropped the hoodie from her lap onto the floor. Her nipples hardened and pressed into the fabric. She rubbed the strip of her midsection that was exposed above her yoga pants.

“It’s not weird?”

“Weird? No. I’m flattered you though enough about me to take that step. I just wore the same clothes I went to class in.”

“You look nice though,” she said.

“And you look great too.”

“Sure, you say that when my tits are practically hanging out.”

“How’s this for a compliment,” I said, “Your ass looks good in those yoga pants you love to wear.”

“You dirty old man,” she grinned.

“You wear those pants out in public, you had better expect people to look at your ass.”

“We’re not in public.”

“And I’m not looking at your ass right now either.” My logic was infallible.

“Only because I’m sitting on it.”

“Details, details” I said with the wave of a hand.

By now, the movie had ended. Rachel clicked around and put on a true crime series.

“Watching this is one of my favorite ways to fall asleep.”

“I’ve heard of counting sheep, but counting serial killers? That’s a little disturbing.”

“I know. But it helps me sleep.”

“Whatever works I guess.”

She asked where the bathroom was, and I pointed it out. When she returned just a few minutes later, she sat beside me and leaned her body back against mine.

“You know, I like it when we’re standing in the coffee line, and you put our arm around me. That feels really nice.”

“The first time I did that, I didn’t even realize I had done it until afterwards. Then I didn’t want to move and draw attention to it.”

“You have permission to do that anytime you want.”

“Anytime?”

“Yes.”

I put both arms around her waist as she settled her back against my chest. We stretched our legs out along the couch, and lounged in silence for a while, watching the show. We made some random comments and jokes here and there, but for the next couple hours, we stayed cozied up together on my couch.

The last episode of whatever season it was on ended, and the auto play stopped. Rachel leaned forward and stretched her arms up and out. I watched her tank top rise slowly up her back as she did.

“That’s a nice view.”

She laughed and put her arms down. “Of what, my back?”

“Yes. The way your shirt slowly slid up your back. More and more bare skin coming into view. Just enough to tease what might be on the other side.”

She smacked my chest, causing her tits to jiggle.

“You dirty old man.”

“You’re partially dressed and basically sitting in my lap. I’d say we’re about even right now.”

“I guess.” She wiggled her butt on my lap.

Silence ensues. Her eyes searched mine.

“I should get going. It is a school night.”

“If you insist,” I said unenthusiastically.

“Do you want me to stay?”

“I’m enjoying the company. But if you need to go, I understand.”

“I think I do. Dorms have a curfew.”

“I never thought about that. Shoo.” I waved my hand dismissively.

I started to stand up. She shifted around and fell back into me, knocking me on my butt on the couch She landed with her ass right on my cock bulge. I wasn’t fully hard, but after the conversations we had been having off and on, all night, it was well on its way.

“Well, hello there,” she said with her eyes searching for mine.

“Sorry about that.”

“Well, someone is excited tonight.” She grinned at me wickedly.

“Kind of, but not all the way.”

“Bullshit. I know an erection when I sit on one.”

“I’m not fully hard… yet.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I pulled the waistband of my shorts out and invited her to find out. “Would you like to check?”

She giggled and acted like she was going to reach into my pants. She stopped and stared at me.

“I’ll take your word for it.” She stood up and bent at the waist to grab her hoodie, leaving me with a front row eyeful of her yoga-pant clad ass. She seemed to realize what she was doing too late. Rachel popped back up and spun around quickly. Her tits swayed with the sudden movement teasingly.

“I didn’t mean to do that.” She was a little embarrassed. I couldn’t help but laugh. I liked how she could go from flirty and daring to shy and bashful in a matter of seconds.

“I didn’t mind one bit. I see no panty line, so it is either a G-string or you went commando. tonight.”

She stuck her tongue out at me, then turned sideways and pulled the side of her yoga pants down her hip several tantalizing inches. There was nothing but smooth, pale skin to be seen.

“Very nice.” I smacked her on the butt.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

“Dirty. Old. Man.”

“That’s me.” I walked with her to the front door.

She pulled the door open, then turned and gave me a full-on hug.

“Thanks for tonight.”

“Anytime.”

I put my hands on her hips and kissed her softly, but firmly on the lips. She froze for a few moments, but I maintained the kiss. As she relaxed and started to reciprocate, her mouth started to open up to me. My hands were sliding up her sides, under her top, dangerously close to her loose breasts. She tensed up and broke away.

“I’ve got to go,” she said with a blush.

I watched her ass as she walked to the stairwell. I saw her pull her phone out, then mine vibrated.

— Stop staring at my ass you dirty old man. —

I was busted, but I didn’t care. I was enjoying flirting with such a cute young woman.

We kept meeting up before our Brit Lit class, but her other classes and her sorority obligations kept us from spending any alone time together until the party.

The Friday before the auction party, I finished my classes and went to the library to check out a source for a history paper. There, I ran into (figuratively, not literally) Rebecca Morgan. She was talking to one of the library staffers.

She had on a typical business skirt and blouse. Her large boobs strained the top without giving away too much cleavage. Her skirt was very tight though, accentuating her sexy hips and teasing her toned legs under the fabric.

“Hello Professor” I said politely.

She turned and gazed at my face. I could see the wheels turning in her mind. There were several seconds of silence, and then, she asked quietly, “Andrew?”

“That’s me” I said with a smile.

She put her arms out for a hug. “Oh, my goodness! How are you?” I felt her plentiful rack pressing into my chest. I closed my eyes.

“I’m doing great, just checking some cites for a paper.”

“Greg Landers told me we were expecting you on staff this semester.”

“Yeah, well that’s been delayed,” I said, with disappointment in my voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I hadn’t heard. I don’t usually pay attention to the bulletins they send out unless it is something for my department. What happened?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’m heading back to my office for a bit, would you care to join me? I’d love to catch up.”

“Sure. I just need to grab this source.”

The librarian came back, and I told her what I needed. Rebecca and I chatted for a minute as I waited, complimenting each other on looking good for our ages, that sort of thing. The kid returned with copies of what I needed, and I tucked them up under my arm.

“So, what are you working on?” she asked.

“A paper for Intro to American History.”

“Really? You’re taking a freshman level class?”

“Four of them actually.”

“Oh really? And the reason for that is…”

“A part of the same long story.” I said, turning to walk beside her.

As we went across campus, I recounted the tale of my incompletes and needing to have grades to replace the ‘I’s on my transcript.

“That is very odd. You’d think there’d be an expiration date on that kind of thing.”

“I guess the school should change their mascot from a lion to an elephant, since they never seem to forget.”

She laughed and put her hand on my shoulder. We had just reached her office, so I sat across from her at the fancy oak desk.

“I like this desk.”

“Thanks. My ex-husband got it for me when I started teaching years ago.” She frowned, so I dropped the subject. “So what classes are you taking?”

“Biology 101, Algebra, this history class, and….” I paused dramatically. She leaned forward. “Brit Lit.”

Her green eyes seemed to bulge out.

“As in… My class?”

“Yes Ma’am. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 am.

“I haven’t noticed you.”

“I usually sit in the far back row near the exits.”

“Wow. Just… Wow.” She laughed, giving me a flirty smile.” I would have never guessed. So how are you doing in my class?”

“Alright, I suppose. I got a B and a C on the first couple essays,” I paused and shrugged. “One of the students I normally sit beside takes great notes.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Ahh, slacking off I see.”

“I need a grade, not necessarily a good one.”

She laughed. “Well, I was about to ask if you had plans for dinner tonight, but…”

“You can’t date a student?” I chuckled. “How about just catching up with an old friend?”

“I guess that would be alright. My office hours are over at four o’clock today. Meet me at The Burger Bar at six?” She offered, blushing a little. It was so cute.

“Sounds great.”

“It’s a …”

“Nuh uh uh uh” I cut her off, wagging my finger in the air.

“…Deal.” She laughed.

I went back to my jeep and headed home. I felt a twinge of guilt once I thought about Rachel. We weren’t officially dating, just pretending to for her sake. But I liked her a lot, and this felt a little like a violation.

I sent her a text that I was having dinner with an old classmate to gauge her reaction. Her reply was to have fun and she’d see me tomorrow.

Feeling a bit better about the situation, I met Rebecca at the Burger Bar. It was on the outskirts of town away from the campus. We sat across from each other as we ate and had a great time. She told me about her divorce and her ex’s recent passing. I told her stories from boot camp and my military travels. After we finished eating, she had a glass of wine, and I had a couple of beers.

“This was a lot of fun. I haven’t gotten to talk with someone my own age since I moved back to town.”

“Poor guy. No friends at all?”

“I’ve made a few friends, but they’re all kids. They haven’t lived their lives yet like you and I have.”

“I know. The other faculty members that I used to go out with have all left in the past couple years, so I feel a little alone at times.”

“Well, as long as we aren’t going to violate some ethics code to get you in to trouble, we can be friends.”

“That sounds great,” she beamed. “You can never have too many good friends.”

We clinked our drinks and drank them down.

“Wonderful. Here, give me your phone,” she instructed me.

I unlocked and opened my phone. She put in her number, and I sent her a text with my name.

We finished our meal and I offered to drive her home. She giggled. “Two glasses of wine isn’t going to do me in. But I appreciate the gesture. Such a gentleman. You always were.”

I smiled. “I tried. The nice guy act didn’t get me too far though.”

She reached out and touched my hand. “I’m sorry. I remember you asking me out years ago once, right?”

She asked me that, as if I had ever forgotten. “Yes, once. You had just started seeing another jock. You were nice about turning me down though.”

“I am sorry. If I remember right that one didn’t last very long at all.”

“Bad timing, I guess.”

She grinned. “Something like that. Good night, Andrew”

She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before walking away to her car.

I awoke the next morning to a message from Rebecca.

— Thanks for last night. I was having a bad day and you made it so much better. —

— I’m glad to hear that. —

I got up and headed for the shower. As I was turning on some music with my phone, Rachel messaged me as well.

— Morning. What are you doing right now —

— About to shower so I can run a few errands. —

— A shower sounds like fun. —

Since I didn’t have a fogged-up mirror to show this time, I took a picture of the empty shower stall. The camera caught part of the mirror, but all that showed was my arm and part of my bare chest.

— Nice view. See you tonight. —

I dressed and ran a few errands around town. I finished up by hitting the bank and the ATM. I pulled out some extra cash for tonight. I got much more than I usually keep on hand. I wasn’t going to make Rachel give me the hundred like she was planning. Something told me to pull out some more, so I did, just in case.

I walked right into the frat house this time. The platform out back was built up and added on to. I could immediately tell the pledges from the members. The guys were all in suits and vests, while the women were either in bikinis or cocktail dresses that showed off all sorts of tits and ass. In addition, they had little dollar sign name badges pinned to them. I spotted Brian in a crowd and gave him a thumbs up. His grey suit didn’t quite fit right, and his hair was still a mess, but bless him, he was trying.

I leaned against a wall and watched the people milling about. I saw Rachel across the yard, talking to Misha and little miss fingerfucker from the last party.

Misha had on a very conservative blouse and long skirt, which was pretty, but not sexy like the rest of the girls were aiming for.

Fingerfucker was wearing a string micro-bikini showing off most of her nice tits, golden tanned skin, and round ass cheeks. The thin little strings and small blue triangles up top were barely covering her stiff nipples, and the one down below was not at all big enough to cover her smooth, plump labia.

Rachel was stunning in a short, skimpy, purple dress with a deep, plunging neckline that displayed almost all her amazing breasts in the deep cleavage. The bottom hem stopped right at her butt, short enough that when she walked, the bottom of her ass cheeks would flash anyone who looked. I knew I would be doing quite a lot of looking tonight. I felt myself get hard almost immediately.

They all had the dollar sign nametags as well. I discovered fingerfucker’s name was Julia. Rachel saw me and waved me over.

“There you are.” She said with a big hug. I relished the feel of her soft tits on my chest. She pulled away and my arms found their way around her waist almost immediately.

“You look… stunning.” I stammered, barely able to keep my eyes off her bouncing tits.

“I knew you’d love this dress.”

“Every man and lesbian on the planet loves that dress.”

“Thanks.” she said with a bashful smile. “Let’s go over and pay for me.” I let her lead the way. She looked over her shoulder to catch me staring at her ass cheeks as she walked.

“Figured you’d like that part too,” she said, grinning at me.

“I can’t complain.”

We went inside and found the fraternity president. Before Rachel could move, I handed him a hundred-dollar bill. He told her to remove her nametag and he marked the back as paid and scribbled the amount.

“There. I’m officially yours tonight.” Rachel beamed.

“Best hundred bucks I ever spent.”

“I told you I was going to give you the money” she said as we walked away, producing a wad of twenties from somewhere and waving them at me. She didn’t have a purse, and a dress that tight and flimsy certainly didn’t have pockets, nor did she pull it out of her cleavage, like women sometimes do.

I waved her off. “Keep it.”

“No. This was my idea.” She was insisting “I’m paying.”

“You can get coffee for the next couple weeks.”

She laughed. “Fine.” I still don’t know where she kept the cash.

We went back outside where Misha was now alone, watching the group of guys that Brian was hanging out with.

“Lucky you, getting to take that sign off.” she said to Rachel right away.

Rachel pulled her in for a hug. “It won’t be that bad, I promise.”

I looked over at Misha, and then at Brian, who was looking over our way again, though not right at me. I had, what I must say, was a brilliant idea.

“It will be alright Misha.” I consoled her. Rachel caught my eye and I winked.

The announcement soon came for all the auctionees to line up on the stage. They had a parade first; each pledge walking across the stage and being introduced by name. Then, one at a time, they would go back up on stage and the auction would begin. It was a weird montage of fancy dresses and suits, with a couple of girls in skimpy bikinis mixed in along the way.

The first guy went out and fetched a two-hundred-and-fifty-dollar price. The next one up was Julia, who went for over a thousand dollars to the frat president.

“No surprise there.” Rachel whispered.

“Her little show last time definitely helped.”

Another guy went for three hundred. The next girl the same, and then another girl in a bikini sold for over seven hundred. The next guy, tall, dark, and handsome, went for seven hundred dollars as well.

Misha was next. She shyly walked out and stood perfectly still, reminiscent of her wet t-shirt display. The crowd was quiet. Rachel squeezed my arm.

“Oh no. Please, someone bid” she whispered aloud. It was time.

“Two hundred.” My voice echoed louder than I intended.

Rachel’s face snapped up to mine as soon as I said the words.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

One of the sisters called out in objection. “You already bought a date.”

“Is there a rule against it?” I asked. “I have the cash.”

No one said a word. The frat president looked away from Julia’s ass long enough to put his hands up and shrug.

“Fine.”

Rachel seemed upset. I patted her arm and whispered, “It’ll be okay.”

She didn’t like it, I could tell. Misha covered her face on the stage, not liking the extra attention or additional time she had to spend in front of a crowd of people.

“No other bids?” the auctioneer asked, looking around hopefully. No one else made a sound. He shrugged. “Sold to the old guy.”

Misha was walked off stage and led by the hand to where Rachel and I were standing. I handed her escort the cash and Misha took off her badge.

“Thank you,” she said in her meek voice.

Rachel gave her a hug, then glared at me. “You realize you actually have to go out on a date with her too tonight. And now they’re going to question if we’re really dating, and I might get in trouble.

I tried to reassure her. “It’ll be ok. Trust me.”

She wasn’t buying it and was still visibly upset. A couple of people later, Brian went on stage. Much like when Misha was on stage, the crowd went quiet. One of the brothers jokingly bid a dollar. I elbowed Rachel lightly.

“Buy him.”

“What?” she said a little too loud.

“Bid two hundred on him.” I handed her another hundred bucks.

“Why?”

“Just bid on him or I will. You want to explain that?”

She exhaled loudly and yelled out “Two hundred.”

The sisters and brothers looked around in dismay again. Brian’s eyes went wide, and he stared at me. I tried to no-sell the whole thing.

“Are you sure?” The auctioneer asked. Rachel just nodded.

“Anyone else?” Silence ensued. “Sold!”

Brian was escorted over. Rachel handed over her money and Brian stood there beside her kind of dumbfounded.

“Dude, I don’t know.” Brian muttered.

“Brian, this is Misha. Misha, meet Brian.” I gestured between the two. Misha meekly shook his hand. Brian smiled awkwardly. Rachel’s eyes met mine. I think she was catching on.

“Brian, why don’t you take Misha over to the kitchen and get her something to drink.” I suggested, staring him down and nodding.

“Sure, yeah. You want to?” he asked her timidly. She blushed a little and they walked off together.

“What was that?” Rachel questioned me as soon as they were out of earshot.

“I thought they might hit it off. She’s not good in crowds, he’s awkward and shy, who knows? It might just work.”

“You had this in mind all along?”

“Not really. It came to me when I saw them both here tonight.”

“So, you wasted four hundred dollars on a whim?”

“If you want your money back, I’ll give it to you. I’m not worried about the cost. I just want them to not face ridicule for a little while.”

Rachel turned and faced the stage, but she did lean back against me. We watched the last couple of pledges get sold for $100 each. The crowd dispersed. Rachel turned and smiled at me.

“I’m sorry. You were right, that was very sweet.” She pressed her body into mine, face in my chest, and I kissed the top of her head.

Brian and Misha came up to us almost immediately, each drinking some punch and clearly having a nice conversation. Misha looked at me and blushed.

Brian spoke up. “So, what do we do about the date?”

“Well, Rachel and I were thinking you two should pair up for the evening.” I said. Brian and Misha looked at each other and blushed at the same time. Rachel giggled immediately.

“Does that sound okay to you?” she asked Misha.

“Yes,” she said quietly. I patted Brian on the back “Be nice to my date tonight.”

Rachel leaned up and kissed me. I ran my hands up her sides lightly, feeling the sides of her tits as she did. That elicited a soft moan that billowed into my mouth.

“Someone is getting a little handsy.”

“I can’t help it. I’m a dirty old man, remember?”

“Yes, you are” She laughed.

She led me to the main room of the house, where the music was loudest. We danced together to a couple of songs. Rachel seemed to be putting her body against mine intentionally much more often than the last time we had danced together. I pulled her in close to me and cupped her ass in my palms.

“It’s kind of crowded. Do you want to go somewhere for a while?” she asked quietly. I nodded and we headed out the door. As we did, we passed Misha and Brian sitting side by side, smiles on their faces, talking about who knows what.

“Would you like to see my room?” she asked, looking again like the meek, timid girl I first met.

“Sure” I let her lead me to her dorm. The building was mostly vacant, as we only passed one other girl in the stairwell on the way to Rachel’s fourth floor dorm room. I enjoyed the sight of her ass cheeks playing peek a boo under her dress as she walked up the steps in front of me.

“Guys are allowed in, but only with the doors left open, and not past midnight on the weekends,” she answered my unasked question.

“I see. That makes sense.”

She unlocked the door to a typical tiny dorm room. There were two single beds against opposite walls, a couple of dressers and two narrow closets. There was a door beside the one we just came in that I assumed was the bathroom. I pointed at it.

“Bathroom shared with the next room?”

“Yeah. It sucks. I’m thinking about trying to get an apartment next year.

“It is still better than a barracks. Fifteen sets of bunk beds with one locker room style bathroom on one end. Toilets side by side. No privacy whatsoever.

“That sounds awful” she said timidly. We sat on her bed facing each other. She looked nervously around.

“Well, this is it.”

“Not bad. It is bigger than the old dorm I was in back in the day.” I smiled at her. She looked uncomfortable again. “Hey, it’s just me here, just like last week at my place. No expectations, no pressure.”

She beamed at me. “Thanks.”

“Well, your master plan worked. You got me up in your room all alone. If you’re planning on having your way with me, you better be quick. I’m supposed to be out of here by midnight.”

She laughed, then scooted over right beside me. She kissed me, darting her tongue out right away. I put my hand on her exposed thigh and she sighed.

With any other woman, I would have moved much faster. But I held back, reading her cues. We made out for several minutes. She started to lean back onto her bed, and her movement drew my hand up her thigh to the hem of that very short dress. I could tell by the tenderness of the skin that my hand was just centimeters from her panties, if she was even wearing any. I let my other hand trail up her sides and closer to her tits. She cooed a little, and I cupped one breast in my hand, flexing my fingers around it slowly.

“Very nice.” I whispered.

She smiled at me up close. “It’s about time. You’ve been staring at them long enough.”

I squeezed her tit in my hands slowly a couple times, savoring the feel of it. The kissing got deeper, and she was moaning into my mouth.

As I continued to caress her breast, I let my other hand inch up her dress, feeling the warmth of her pussy well before I made contact with her panties. She cooed as we kissed, and I ran my finger slowly up the slit of her pussy over her panties.

Rachel moaned as she broke the kiss. She stood up in front of me and slowly lowered her dress to the floor, leaving her in just a pair of tiny silk panties. I pulled her close and kissed her taut belly. Both my hands went right to her bare tits, flicking and toying with her nipples. I leaned up and sucked one into my mouth, while still playing with the other. She pressed my head into her bosom and let out a ragged breath.

I switched nipples and felt her run her fingers through my hair. I ran one hand up the back of her thigh lightly. I squeezed her butt kind of roughly, then worked my hand around her hip and made gentle contact with her pussy. The heat she was generating from between her thighs was powerful. I let my hand tease her folds, feeling the dampness spreading on the silken material covering her pussy.

I felt her legs shiver as I hooked a finger under her moist panties. Her labia was slick, and my fingers slid between them easily. She gripped my hair harder, pushing my head down. I pulled her in and turned her softly onto her back on the bed. I kissed her lips, then dragged my tongue down her neck slowly. I planted soft, wet kisses all over each breast and on each nipple, all the while teasing her pussy with my fingers.

I slid down her body, putting my face at her waist and tugging the tiny G-string panties down her sexy thighs. I saw her bare mound emerge from underneath the silk, glistening and begging me to kiss it. So, I did.

I placed light butterfly kisses all along her mons, each one closer and closer to her swollen little bud. Then, I skipped ahead and lowered myself to plant my lips directly over her clitoris. She bolted upright and let out a loud “Ooooh”

“Shhh.” I whispered. “Just lay back and relax” I used one hand to gently press her torso back onto the mattress.

I started to lick up and down her slit, tasting her pussy juices and savoring them, using my thumbs to manipulate her lips, and spread them wider to expose her swollen clit even more. She moaned low and shivered. I licked all around it, agonizingly slow. I wanted to just dive in and suck and lick her cunt with wild abandon, but the moment called for restraint.

She cried out “Please” shortly thereafter, and I began to lick and suck her clit earnestly. I eased a finger inside her pussy as I did, fucking her softly with it before adding a second to begin to beckon her to come hither. I looked up and caught her eye. She was staring down at me, face construed in ecstasy, furiously rubbing her one nipple, while biting her lip. Sexy little moans and noises were escaping despite her best efforts to be quiet.

Her hips began to gyrate. She was wet, as wet as any other woman I could ever remember. I had her pussy essence all over my mouth and chin. It was dripping down onto the bed. Suddenly, she grabbed my hair and shoved my face into her pussy hard. I felt her clamp her thighs around my head. She started to shake, then her entire body tensed up, every muscle contracting at the same time. For ten, eleven, twelve intense seconds she squealed and quivered, her pussy convulsing on my face, coating it with more and more fluids as I continued to steadily suckle her clit.

She melted back into the mattress. I lightly licked her pussy a few more times, but she was not responding. I could tell she needed time to recover. I sat up and observed my handiwork. Rachel’s eyes were closed, and she had this goofy smile across her lips. Her tits swayed lightly with each deep breath. Her hips still writhed gently. I put my hand to my face and wiped a generous amount of pussy from my lips.

“That was fun.” I whispered.

Rachel didn’t reply, she just reached out with her hand to touch mine.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps down the hallway. Rachel heard them too, sitting up in a hurry and scrambling to pull her dress back over her head. I watched, amused, seeing her boobs jiggle as she did. I stepped back across the room away from her just in case.

A blonde girl in thick glasses popped her head in and grinned at the scene as Rachel finally got herself covered and sat back down.

“Hey. I heard… noises and saw your door open. It’s almost midnight. You don’t want the RA to bust you guys,” she said with a wink in my direction.

“Thanks Beverly” Rachel said quietly, finally catching her breath.

She disappeared, and Rachel stood up. “You should go.” She said, kissing me on the lips. She licked her own afterwards, no doubt adjusting to the taste of her own pussy on them.

“You want to come over to my place” I asked on behalf of my cock, who was rock hard and straining my slacks.

“I need to help clean up the party first thing in the morning. Another time though. Soon.”

I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her. I held on tightly, pressing my body into hers for several seconds before relenting and grabbing the doorknob.

“Thank you for tonight,” she said softly.

“My pleasure.”

“Not that” She blushed and whispered low “I mean, I liked that part too, but the whole auction and party thing. Thank you”

“Like I said, it was my pleasure.”

I headed down the hallway and down the stairs. The night air hit my face and the damp places on my skin felt intensely cool. I made my way to my jeep and drove home and stripped down to shower. As soon as I stepped out and wrapped a towel around me, my phone vibrated. It was Rachel.

— I’m sorry that you had to leave without any reciprocation. I wanted to go home with you. I want to have sex with you. But this is moving really fast, and I’m still unsure about it all. —

— No need to apologize. I would never want you to feel pressured or uncomfortable. I had a great time before that, and I enjoyed doing that for you. —

— I could tell. Your dick was so very hard when you left. —

— It still is —

I looked down at my half hard cock in the mirror as I replied.

Rachel went silent. I went about my night, grabbing some water and turning on Sportscenter.

The next day I finished up some assignments, including knocking out that history research paper. Rachel and I texted each other a few times, but the sisters kept her busy.

Monday around lunch time, I saw Brian and Misha sitting on a bench outside the library, holding hands and whispering in each other’s ear. I took a quick picture and sent it to Rachel.

— I think we made a love connection the other night, how about you? —

She didn’t reply right away, but that wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was I didn’t hear from her again the rest of the day.

Tuesday morning, I waited outside the dining hall for Rachel. I saw several of her sorority sisters make eye contact with me, but she never arrived. I sent her a message to see if she was alright, but no reply was forthcoming. I waited until time for class, then headed across campus.

I went into the lecture hall and took my usual seat in the back row near the exit. As the rest of the class began to fill in, I caught sight of Rachel in the front row, at the opposite end of the lecture hall. There could not be any more space between us and us still be in the same room. I scrolled through our messages, searching for something that would cause her to go so quiet so fast on me. We had the exchange Saturday night when I got home, we exchanged pleasantries and a couple of dumb memes Sunday and Monday morning, then I sent her the pic of Misha and Brian. That was it.

As Professor Morgan took the podium, I could see her searching the faces in the crowd. After a few moments, we made eye contact and she smiled. She dove into her lecture, and I paid as much attention as I could. I spent most of the time watching Rachel. She didn’t look away from Rebecca at all, seemingly determined not to look to where she had to know I was sitting.