Made in the Lab

I hated it when Eleanor was trying to fix me up, so when she suggested that Stephanie drive me to my car, I was upset. We were just finishing our end-of-semester celebration at an Irish (aren't they all?) bar, and my car was parked at the university's parking lot, about a mile away. Stephanie's car was parked right outside the bar.

At that time, I've been friends with Eleanor for over a year. We met in the lab in which both us were working. Eleanor is married with a child, so there was never anything between us. We both took the same biochemistry class that year, and there we met Stephanie. The three us formed a study group in an effort to survive that most difficult of classes.

I've been attracted to Stephanie from the beginning. She was a bit of a tomboy -- small, tight, with tiny breasts. Her eyes and skin were brown, true to her Hispanic heritage. She was smart and funny, self-confident but not arrogant.

I never had the guts to ask her out. Her confidence, outgoingness, and good looks intimidated me. It wasn't long before Eleanor noted my attraction to Stephanie. Eleanor prodded me to ask her out, but I was adamant. As a wise man once said, I'd rather think I can than know I can't, and it was better for me to fantasize about Stephanie than to know that she wasn't interested.

That pissed Eleanor off. She called me a coward and gave me the whole shtick about how faint heart never won fair lady and all that crap. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands when we celebrated the semester's end.

"Stephanie, why don't you give Rick a ride back to his car?"

"Sure, let's go," Stephanie said, very businesslike.

I gave Eleanor an angry look, but I didn't want to appear rude so I followed Stephanie quietly. We drove back to the university and talked about nothing in particular. I don't know whether it was the alcohol or what not, but when she stopped next to my car in the empty lot, I decide to go for it.

"Stephanie," I began, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes," she replied, businesslike again.

"I was wondering..." I was mumbling.

"Yes?" She sounded a bit impatient, or so it sounded to me in my nervous state.

"I was wondering where you got those university license plates. I want to get those, and my registration is about to expire anyway." I chickened out.

"Oh, you just go the DMV. They're only like fifty bucks or so."

"Cool, thanks. I'll see you next semester," I said and ran away from her car as if it were on fire.

Needless to say, Eleanor gave me hell in the lab the next day.

"Chicken shit! How do you expect to find happiness if you won't reach for it?"

"Give me a break, Eleanor. I was nervous, and she didn't seem too interested, anyway."

"How do you know she wasn't interested?"

"She just seemed apathetic."

"Well, she's not. She likes you, you idiot. That's why I suggested she drive you to your car."

"Why do you mean, she likes me?" I was suddenly intrigued.

"Forget it. If you won't go after her anyway, why should I tell you?"

I knew she was teasing me, but I had to dance to her tune. I was dying to know whether Stephanie had said something to her about me.

"Well, if I knew she's interested, I might feel more comfortable going after her. So, tell me." I tried not to sound too enthusiastic, but I was really dying to know.

Eleanor knew she had me, and that she could blackmail me.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you'd ask her out as soon as the spring semester begins."

"I want to know that she likes me first, so tell me what she said and then we'll see."

"No. You promise me now, or you'll never know."

I had no choice. I promised.

"She was asking about you one day when we were studying and you went to the bathroom. She wanted to know whether you were seeing anyone, and she was surprised when I told her you weren't."

"Well, that's nice, but it's not exactly-- "

"Oh, shut up and listen to me now," she ordered. "You have the perfect opportunity. My birthday is in late January, so my husband will probably plan another surprise party for me. Ask her to be your date. Neither of you will know anyone else at the party, so you can spend the time entertaining each other. Then, if things go well, you can leave early and go someplace together. I've laid out a perfect plan for you. You have no excuses. Just do it!"

It was a good plan, I had to admit.

In the spring, the three of us formed the same study team for the second semester of that biochemistry class from hell. In our first study meeting, Eleanor mentioned that Stephanie looked very nice that day, kicked me gently under the desk, and left for the bathroom.

I decided to go for it. "So, Stephanie, Eleanor's husband Sean is throwing her a surprise birthday party next Friday. Would you like to come with me?"

"Yeah, sure, that would be nice," she said without lifting her head from her notes. Considering that perfunctory response, I almost wished she had said no. We went to the party and, and just like Eleanor said, we knew no one there. So we spent most of the party together, talking and eating nachos and cake.

About an hour and a half in, Stephanie said, "it's kind of boring. Would you like to go somewhere else? Do you think Eleanor would be offended if we left this early?"

Knowing what Eleanor's plan has been all along, I knew she wouldn't be, but I couldn't tell that to Stephanie.

"Let's ask her," I suggested.

Needless to say, Eleanor didn't mind, and Stephanie and I decided to get a late dinner at one of the new restaurants in town.

We only get snow about once or twice a year in this town, so we desert dwellers aren't very good at walking on snow and ice. The previous day was one of those rare snowy days, and the sidewalks were icy and slippery. As we walked towards the restaurant, Stephanie stepped on a large piece of ice, lost her balance, and fell backwards.

I'm not the athletic type, but I have great reflexes. In the lab, I often amaze people by my ability to drop a pipette or a tube and then to kick it back up into my hand just before it hits the floor. These good reflexes came in handy at that moment. I quickly reached with my right arm and caught Stephanie's lower back as she was half way to the icy sidewalk. She grabbed onto my shirt, and I reached with my left hand to form a ring around her waist.

And so we stood there, in an awkward embrace. I was holding to her almost-horizontal body, looking down at her beautiful face. She was holding on to me, her brown her covering her left eye.

"Good catch," she said with a smile.

"Yes you are," I replied.

She pulled herself up and gave a long passionate kiss. We fell in love right then and there. We were too excited to eat, so we just took a long stroll in a nearby park. We talked, we held hands, and we were happy.

Around midnight, she looked at her watch and said, "It's getting late. I should get home."

"Oh, OK, I'll walk you to your car," I said, trying hard to conceal my disappointed at the evening's early termination.

"I didn't mean that I should go home alone, dummy!" she smiled her confident smile.

We made love until seven in the morning. Her tight, tomboyish body fulfilled all my fantasies. I sucked her brown areolas and her small nipples became large and hard in my mouth. Then I kissed my way down to her flat, sexy stomach and to her tight vagina. I licked her until I ran out of saliva.

Then she took control. She liked to be on top, and she was riding me slowly, then picking up the pace, and adjust when I was getting there, she'd slow down again, just to tease me, to see me ache for her. We both came multiple times. When I could go no longer, we just lay in bed, holding each other and talking until I got hard again and we got back to business. When we woke up the next morning, we were officially a couple.

Fifteen months later, Eleanor was the guest of honor at our wedding. To this day, she remains our best friend.