Lost and Found Ch. 03

I picked Kasey up a little after five on Sunday afternoon.

She came bounding down the stairs in a skirt similar to the one she'd worn the day before and a spaghetti strap top; from the movement of her breasts beneath the shirt, it was clear she wasn't wearing a bra.

It was our third time to be together and the trend was she showed a little more skin each time. For a moment, I lamented the fact that it was almost October and would be cooling off soon.

Thirty minutes later, we were sitting on a bench by the river with fresh made deli sandwiches and a pile of thick cut boardwalk style fries.

We watched a collection of ducks as they wandered in and out of the water. The sandwiches were on thick bread, and we began pitching chunks of it to the ducks.

After we finished eating, Kasey leaned against me, resting her head on my shoulder. I put an arm around her and we talked through the concept she was mulling over for her English research paper.

A little while later, Kasey sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I just remembered I've got two chapters I have to read for this quiz we've got a tomorrow."

"Ahhh. You have to love Monday morning quizzes. Let's go ahead and take you back to the dorm so you can study."

I stood up, taking Kasey by the hand and helping her up.

"I'm sorry," she said, holding onto my hand as we walked back to my car.

"Don't be," I said. "School is important."

"It's not the only thing that's important."

She leaned against the car, blocking me from opening the door and grabbing my other hand.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Why are you so quick to take me back to school and get rid of me?"

"Get rid of you? No, Kasey, that's not it at all."

"Then, I don't understand. What is it?"

I sighed. And I caught myself. I'd almost called her sweetheart.

"Kasey..." I took a deep breath. "You worked really hard to get here, and right now, school has to be your number one priority. Job, second priority, because it helps you pay your expenses. I, or any young man that catches your eye should be a distant third. And any guy worth your time will understand all of that."

She looked as though she were about to object.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said. "But right now, you're going back to the dorm so you can study."

Kasey still didn't budge, so I resorted to trickery and deception.

I leaned in and kissed her. Her hands immediately fell away from mine and I grabbed her about the waist, hugging her and then moving her to the side. I broke our kiss long enough to unlock the door and open it.

"You're mean," she said. She didn't mean it, though. She was trying hard not to smile.

"No. Not mean, I'm just doing this because..."

I stopped short.

"Because you love me?"

Slippery slope. I had one foot on it and the other foot on a sheet of greased glass.

"I care, Kasey. You're really important to me."

Her shoulders sagged and a glimmer of hope that had resided in her eye burned out almost instantly. It was like I'd popped a balloon with a pin.

"Do you like me?"

I grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Do I like you?"

She looked up at me, bit her lip and nodded.

"Of course I do." I looked into soft blue eyes; down to her tempting, luscious lips; down to out joined hands; back to her eyes.

"Kasey, yesterday... the day before, you..." I sighed, shaking my head. "If I didn't like you, I would never have taken you to dinner last night, much less anything else. And if I didn't like you, I would never have offered to take you to dinner tonight."

"Then why..."

I laid a finger across her lips.

"And if I didn't like you, I wouldn't care if I ever saw you again."

The sparkle came back to her eyes.

"But, you are..." Pick your words carefully, I told myself. Very carefully. "You're beautiful, sweet... you're very smart, too, obviously. You wouldn't be doing as well with school as you are if you weren't. There is nowhere I'd rather be now than with you. And I'd really like to do this again."

A smile. "You would?"

I nodded. "In fact, I'd like to eat dinner with you every Sunday night. Assuming, of course, that some lucky guy doesn't capture your eye."

Kasey shook her head. "That... that won't happen. I don't want to go out with anyone else."

Her eyes danced as she peered at me. Something different in her expression.

"So... you just want to eat dinner with me... once a week? That's it?" Disbelief? Disappointment?

"No, sweetheart, that's not what I mean. I..."

"What did you just call me?" Kasey's eyes were wide. Her mouth was open; agape, even, a smile trying to overtake her expression.

"What? Uh..."

"You called me 'sweetheart.'"

A silent moment of shock passed between us. The smile captured her face, and she weaved her fingers in with mine.

"I don't think you meant to, but you said it."

"Kasey, I..."

It was her turn to stop me with fingers laid across my lips.

"Please don't say you're sorry. I don't want you to be sorry you said it."

Her fingers moved from my lips to the side of my face and she leaned up to kiss me, her lips soft against mine. The kiss lingered as we breathed against one another; nothing overt, just a kiss, contact, affection.

"I'm not sorry you said it. I want to hear it again. And you can call me anything else you want. Because even if you don't want to say you love me, I know you do. I can tell. But just so you know, I do love you."

Kasey pulled her hand free from mine and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her and as I held her, I got the distinct impression that I was in the arms of a young woman who would not soon let me go. I was in deep. Probably too deep.

I kissed the top of her head and brushed my fingers through her hair. I don't know why I didn't want to say it, but I did love her. Maybe not as I one day would, maybe not as I should. But I did love her.

Kasey pushed back and looked up at me.

"I need to go study for my quiz."

"Yeah, you do."

Kasey slid into the car without making a sound.

By the time we were out of the parking lot, Kasey was either holding my hand or touching my arm. I'd forgotten how all consuming young love can be, and I'd just learned an important lesson; it wasn't reserved for the young. I was developing a true and honest affection for her, even after resigning myself to the inevitable fact that she merely bore a strong, strong resemblance to what my daughter probably did look like, and I admitted to myself that I really regretted having to take her back so she could study.

We pulled up out in front of the dorm a few minutes later. Our fingers tightened their hold on each other as we fought against the sudden inevitability of her banishment to the textbook.

"So, will you know tomorrow what your grade is on the quiz?"

Kasey shrugged. "We might. It might be Wednesday before we know."

"Call and tell me how you did?"

She nodded. She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks for dinner. I want to do that again. I liked feeding the ducks."

"Plan on it."

I kissed Kasey quickly on the lips, and she smiled as she got out.

I drove off as she climbed the stairs.

I almost felt like the white knight riding off; the glare from the sunset was that bright in my eyes on the way home.

Three hours later, I was in bed, reading and on the verge of being asleep when my cell phone buzzed.

A text message at... not quite eleven o'clock.

From Kasey.

:-*

That was it, and I had not the first clue what it meant. I sent a text back. One character.

?

A minute later my phone rang.

"Hi."

"You didn't understand what I texted you?" she asked.

"Uh, no. I don't do a lot of texting."

"Ah. I see I'm going to have to educate you. That was a kiss."

"That was a kiss."

"Uh huh."

"I think I prefer the real thing, actually."

Kasey giggled and sighed.

"Well, I would love to give you a real kiss, but you're there, and I'm here, and I don't know how you're dressed at the moment, but I'm in bed and..."

"And what?"

Silence on the line. Except for the sound of her breathing.

"Even though I'm not really dressed, if you were here, I'd kiss you."

"What if you were here? With me?"

A sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line and I immediately regretted saying it.

"If I were there with you, dressed like I am now, then I'd probably do a lot more than just kiss you." Her voice had a distinct dreamy, seductive tone to it.

Was it the later hour or something else? Maybe the fact we were on the phone and not face to face?

"You're not saying anything." Dreamy and seductive were gone.

"I... I would definitely prefer the real kiss."

"Were you... were you trying to imagine what I'm wearing right now or what we'd be doing if I was there with you?"

"No." Liar. Yes, I was.

Again with the giggle.

"I can't talk too much because my roommate's going to be back any minute, but I'm not really dressed all that sexy. I'm wearing boxers and a tank top. The tank's kind of on the thin side, though."

"Boxers and a tank top? Don't you live in a coed dorm?"

"Yeah. I keep a robe at the foot of my bed and put it on if I have to go out. But I wouldn't need the robe if I was there with you. And the boxers are really comfy."

"Would this be a bad time to tell you I have a really good imagination?" I asked.

"Hmmm. In other words, you can imagine what I look like dressed for bed?"

"Yeah." Something like that.

"Mmmm. No. I mean, I'm not bothered that you might be imagining it, because I promise the real thing beats whatever's running through your mind."

Kasey giggled again.

"I hear my roommate coming back in."

"Okay. Thank you for the kiss."

"You're welcome. It's a goodnight kiss. I can't have the real thing, so..."

"I kissed you when you got out of the car."

"I know, but it's not the same. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah."

Through the phone, the unmistakable sound of lips puckering and kissing the handset.

"Is that better?"

"Still lacking," I said, "but it'll have to do for now." I puckered and kissed my own mouthpiece.

"Mmmm. Thanks. I'll sleep better now."

I laughed. "Goodnight, Kasey."

"Goodnight, Bruce."

I waited thirty seconds after hanging up and texted her again.

:-*

As hallmarks go, it was a small one. I'd just sent my first text kiss.

A minute later, she texted me back.

:D

I knew that meant a big smile.

Kasey did well on her quiz; she missed one question out of twenty-five.

Text messages and late night phone calls became an immediate fixture between us, by the middle of the week, we both felt the undeniable urge to see each other.

Her work and study schedule was heavy, but she talked me into meeting her at the library late one night.

I watched her walk down the steps. Knee length khaki skirt, sleeveless button down blouse, her hair pulled back in the pony tail again. Her smile was instantly warm and infectious. And then she hugged me.

At her request, I'd parked by her dorm; she wanted to take a late night walk through the campus. As we stepped off the curb, she slid her hand in mine, and we stayed like that, all the way to the student union building, where we got ice cream. We went a down one of the numerous sidewalks that snaked across the campus, stopping when we found a swing hanging from a tree.

We sat down and Kasey curled up next to me with my arm around her.

As we finished our ice cream, we watched numerous other students stroll by, some close enough to hear their conversation.

We'd gotten different cones, and as I began crunching on the cone, Kasey asked for a bite. I held my cone out to her; she took a small bite out of it, looking at me the whole time.

"Want to try mine?" she asked, offering it to me.

I leaned over and took a bite from her cone, and she smiled.

Kasey kicked off her shoes and swung her feet up on to the swing, leaning harder into me, then sitting up and pulling the pony from her hair.

As she started to settle against me, she looked at me and sat up again.

"How do you like my hair?"

"What do you mean?"

"Pony tail? Down? Should I cut it? I can't get it to curl at all."

"Your hair is fine. I love it."

"You have to prefer it one way or the other," she said.

"Well, the pony tail looks really cute on you, but I'd have to say I prefer your hair down."

She nodded.

"But it's your hair, Kasey."

"I want it to look the way you like it, though."

I shook my head.

"Kasey, I don't want you to change anything for me. I love you just the way you are. You're perfect."

Kasey sat there looking at me, eyes a little wider than they had been.

"I know what I said. I love you."

I ran a hand along her shoulder, scooping up her hair and cradling her neck as I leaned over and kissed her.

"Sometimes you want your hair up, sometimes you want it down," I said. "And whichever is the case, you're beautiful and I love you."

I kissed her cheek as she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.

We sat wrapped up in one another for more than an hour, and finally it was getting late enough that it was time to take her back to the dorm.

She slipped her shoes on, I took her by the hand and we began the final leg of our evening's journey.

We walked around one corner and a girl shrieked.

We looked over at the sound, and she couldn't cover herself quick enough. She and the boy she was with were clearly involved in some heavy petting; she was sitting in his lap, he had a hand between her legs, her blouse was open and her front hook bra unclasped.

The girl tried to hold her blouse closed and we kept walking as they stared daggers at us.

"They really should get a room," I said quietly as soon as we were out of earshot.

Kasey laughed.

"I can name at least six girls on my floor that are doing it in their room."

"Really?"

She bit her lip and nodded. And laughed again.

"Michelle, she lives three doors down; she is sooo loud. I think the whole dorm knows when she's getting laid."

There it was. On the phone was one thing, but now, we'd just had our first conversation where sex was a subject between us.

And then we were at her dorm.

Kasey stopped, holding tight to my hand.

"Do I get a goodnight kiss? A real one?"

I nodded.

"Unless you don't want one," I replied.

She opened her mouth and stared at me, incredulous.

"If you have any hopes of walking with me late at night again I'd better get a goodnight kiss."

I pulled my hand from hers and took her face in my hands, tilting her head up as her hands found my waist.

And I kissed her.

Our mouths met, lips already open, and in a matter of seconds, we were both gasping for breath as our tongues intertwined.

And then our lips pulled apart.

"You should kiss me goodnight more often."

I laughed.

"Maybe I should just kiss you more often, period."

Kasey nodded and smiled. "That would be okay, too."

"We'll work on it," I said.

"Okay."

I kissed Kasey again. Softer, this time.

"Goodnight." I pulled her into my arms and hugged her.

"Mmmm. Goodnight."

Her lips brushed my cheek and then she forced herself to walk the remaining short distance to her stairs.

Kasey stood in the entrance to her closet, hanging up her blouse. That done, she reached for the zipper on her skirt, pulling it down. As she stepped out of her skirt, she pressed a hand between her legs and closed her eyes.

Oh, but she was wet. She clenched her thighs together against her hand and leaned into the doorway.

I love you. He'd actually said it. I love you.

Kasey smiled and felt a warm glow wash over her. If he was her father... if he was her father, surely she'd been lied to for years. Bruce said his wife had run, taking his daughter. He was kind. And gentle. Not a man she could hate. He was a man she loved. More each day, in fact. Coincidence had a heavy hand at work here; Bruce could not be her father.

She thought about his goodnight kiss. Oh, how I wish we were still kissing, she thought. She didn't know how she could live through a never-ending kiss like it, but she was willing to try.

The door to her room flew open, interrupting her private moment.

Nikki lived further down the hall. She already had a reputation for being a real bitch.

"Are you sleeping with one of your professors?"

Kasey's eyes widened.

"What?"

"That older guy I always see you with. He's one of your professors, isn't he?"

"No, he's not!"

Nikki smiled.

"He is, too."

"No, he's not."

"So, what does he do?" Nikki folded her arms across her chest and stared at her suddenly embarrassed blonde dormmate.

"He works in advertising," she said. "He does some kind of work with graphic arts."

"Uh huh. So, what is it? You sleep with him and you get an 'A'? Give him a blowjob and get an 'A-'?"

"He's not a professor."

"Excuse me." Stacy pushed her way into the room.

"Did you know your roomie is sleeping with one of her professors?"

Stacy spun on her heels and looked at Nikki, then at Kasey.

"She's talking about Bruce, right?"

Kasey nodded.

Stacy put her hands on her hips and closed the distance to Nikki.

"I don't know what the guy does for a living, but he's not one of her professors. He doesn't even teach here. I do know that."

"Figures the two of you would stick together on this."

"Listen, Nikki. If you spread rumors about Kasey, we'll spread rumors about you. The difference is, people might actually believe what we tell them about you. With Kasey, they'll know better."

Nikki's eyes narrowed.

"Bye!" Stacy pushed once and Nikki stumbled out of their room.

"Thanks, Stace."

"Don't mention it, sweetie," Stacy said, hugging her roommate. She leaned back and looked at Kasey. "Are you just getting in? I thought the library closed a couple of hours ago?"

Kasey nodded as she slipped off her underwear and got ready for bed.

"He told me he loves me."

Stacy gasped. "Kasey..."

"And he kissed me."

"He's already kissed you before tonight, though."

Kasey flopped down on her bed.

"Not like he kissed me a little while ago."

Stacy sat down on Kasey's bed and grabbed her hand. "Start talking."

An hour later, I was sitting at my desk, ready for bed, still euphoric from a pleasant evening with my new young love.

If I'd applied myself, I'm sure I could have come up with at least a dozen or more reasons why a relationship between us was a bad idea, but I didn't. Or I couldn't, one of the two.

I enjoyed her company immensely; I enjoyed talking to her; she was vibrant and animated and warm, a side effect of which was I felt younger and more alive than I had in ages. When we saw each other, it was even more so. When she hugged me, I felt... absorbed... consumed... energized. When I hugged her, she seemed to just melt, and if she seemed to melt when I hugged her, she practically dissolved when I kissed her.

I looked at the picture again. Lost faces from the past. Youth. Promise. A lifetime of unknown mystery. This time, I told myself I was being ridiculous. My daughter was still out there somewhere, and the best I could hope for was her happiness.

Kasey, I told myself, was the best thing that had happened to me in years, and I would have to be careful not to overwhelm the young lady.

A few minutes later, I was in bed, lights out, on my way to sleep.

My cell phone buzzed.

I reached for it. I knew it was a text from Kasey. I was surprised by what it said.

i wanna do bad things with u :-*

A text kiss along with a seductive suggestion.

I took a deep breath and mashed at the keys on my phone.

lol bad things sounds like a really good idea ;) :-*

A text kiss for Kasey along with a knowing wink.

And I was worried about overwhelming her...