Promising Danielle Ch. 02

Mountains of gratitude to honeywldcat for her editing of this entire series.

To this day, I'm not sure what woke me. My alarm went off, that is for sure. It was the moan from the distant side of the room that startled me. Who was that? Did I have drunken sex with some random girl and forget about it? Once again, my conversation on the bench was the first real memory to greet my waking brain.

I quickly got up and nearly destroyed my alarm clock in an effort to turn it off. Danielle stirred at the other end of the room. It wasn't necessarily my morning wood that started my search for pants, but rather my morning wood, lack of said pants, and the waking woman in my room that started my frantic search.

I found said pants and walked down to the bathroom, right across from which I had strategically placed my couch. I tiptoed past the stirring Danielle, who was awake but not up to opening her eyes it seemed from her breathing.

I relieved myself and by sheer force of will, convinced my morning erection to deflate a little earlier than usual. An effort soon to be wasted. I opened the door to see a very groggy Danielle slowly blinking at me. She was wearing a tent-like t-shirt that came down to mid thigh. This showed off her legs quite well. Those tanned, smooth, muscular legs, which changed my life's goal, if only for a split second, to die with my head crushed between them.

Sizing up those oh-so-gorgeous legs brought my gaze inevitably to her feet. Both my dad and granddad told me that the surest way to tell if a woman is going to age well is to look at her feet. If she has pretty feet, chances are she's going to age well, by their logic. By the looks of Danielle's feet, she was going to be both a MILF and a GILF.

Now, I'm not one to have a foot or a leg fetish, but I could not take my eyes off them for at least two full seconds. Stare at something for two full seconds. That is plenty of time for whoever you're looking at, especially if they're facing you, to notice that you are checking them out. This is what ultimately forced my gaze up, hoping that she hadn't noticed.

My eyes were hindered on their trek up her body by her breasts. I had no idea whether or not she was wearing a bra, but I will be goddamned if they weren't the most perfect pair of clothed tits I had seen to date. They were round and full, essentially creating a cliff for the rest of her night shirt to hang from. Again, I hoped I hadn't been caught staring.

I finally made eye contact with the sleep rumpled beauty. She still had that warm morning glow about her and it only seemed to shine a little brighter when she smiled up at me with half open eyes.

"'Morning." Oh fuck, even her raspy morning voice was like music.

"'Morning. Bathroom's all yours." I stepped out of the way. She rose and walked into the bathroom. She hadn't been out of my line of sight for more than a half second than my erection made itself evident to me. Very grateful that Danielle was in the bathroom, or at the very least, behind me and unable to see, I hurried to find a shirt and the rest of my clothes.

Finally dressed, I walked out to the kitchen in search of breakfast. I found Stacy sitting at the kitchen table.

"Morning, Stacy." I called, pulling open the fridge.

"Good morning." She returned. Stacy was in her late 40's as was her partner Nikki. Both could easily have passed for early 30's, maybe late 20's in the right clothes. If I didn't know from firsthand experience that they were both very committed and both very gay, I would have tried my damnedest to get into their pant's. Somehow this reminded me that it was probably a good idea to tell them about Danielle.

"Hey, uh, Stacy? I kinda have a friend staying with me for a couple of days. I hope that's ok."

"Of course it is. Someone from out of town?"Stacy looked up from her coffee with genuine interest. She would have made a great mother if she wanted to have kids.

"No actually. They kinda got kicked out and I told them they could stay on my couch."

"That's kind of you. What's his name?"

"Danielle, and it's she."

"Your friend just happened to need a place to stay and you just happened to offer her your couch? Sounds like you got yourself a girlfriend." She smiled wickedly at me from behind her coffee.

"It's not like that!" Remember how I said she would make a great mother?

"Suuuure it isn't." She is one of those rare people that can use sarcasm as an actual weapon."So I shouldn't be surprised if I find a strange girl wandering the house?"

"Yeah. She came kind of late to show around."

"Do you like her?" Stacy pressed.

"NO." I answered flatly. "I knew her,kinda– sorta, in high school."

"So you won't mind if I take a pass at her?"

"You listen here, you grizzled old witch! You have your own vagina, and someone else's to play with! Look elsewhere for your threesomes!" I wagged a good humored finger at her. She nearly choked on her coffee, smiling.

"What's this about vaginas?" Nikki asked, coming downstairs.

"Toby's got himself a girlfriend." Stacy told her wife, as she sat down next to her. "And she'll be staying with us until she gets her own place."

"So that means we can't make a pass at her?"

"Toby seems to think we have enough vaginas to play with between ourselves."

"You do! And if you're in the market, you live in a college town; go find a drunk sorority girl!" I urged.

"We've tried! They only go for other drunk sorority girls!" Nikki explained as if this was common knowledge.

"I do not want to hear about your lesbian sex life." I said, defeated. "I never thought I would say that."

"Who's lesbian sex life?" A voice asked from behind me. Danielle had chosen that moment to enter the kitchen. She was now dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a t-shirt. I now had a full view of her body, or at least, a better view than what her nightshirt had given me. Her belly was taught, and almost perfect. My gaze drifted upwards and confirmed for me that she did indeed have the most perfect breasts I had ever seen in clothing.

"Theirs."I indicated the two women at the table when I regained the capacity to speak.

I looked over at the pair and I did not like what I saw. I may very well have suddenly been transported to some jungle cave where a one legged baby zebra had wandered in on two very hungry lions. I could practically see them salivating, even from across the room.

"Oh, okay." She said simply before turning to me. "Can we talk about the setup before you leave?" She asked.

"Sure I'll be right there, but first I think you should meet Stacy and Nikki. They're my landladies."

"Thank you so much for letting me stay here while I get back on my feet." She smiled at them. Good god, just her smile could make my heart do something strange. It was intoxicating.

"You're perfectly welcome. If you need anything, let us know." Nikki smiled back.

"Ok. Thanks again." And she spin on her bare heel and walked back into my room.

Immediately, Stacy began fanning herself. Nikki sat back in her chair, letting her head roll back on her shoulders.

"Why didn't you tell us she was that hot?"

"Because, I didn't know! I only saw her in the dark and in baggy clothes."

"She could be wearing a fucking trash bag and you would still be able to tell she was hot!" Nikki squirmed a little in her seat.

"Well, I have to be going now. Have fun."

"What?"

"Judging by the looks of you the second I'm out of her you two are going straight back to bed."

"We are not!"

"Whatever. Just try to wait until we're off to class." And I closed the door to my room.

Danielle was bent over, rummaging through her bag. Even from a distance, her ass looked fantastic. I stared. I hoped her jeans would spontaneously combust, just so I could look at her ass unobstructed.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Where the hell did my voice come from? I was far too busy ogling her ass to be talking, let alone doing something that would make her standup. What the hell was wrong with me?

"Hmmm? Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you, how long can I stay? I want to give myself a timetable to work things out." She found what she was looking for in her bag and stood back up, dropping a pair of flip flops to the floor and slipping them onto her feet.

"Stay as long as you like." I said, forcing myself to pack my bag for school, hoping to look unconcerned. "It's not like there isn't enough room or anything."

"Are you sure?" She asked, still unsure.

"I'm having to raise my voice just to talk to you and we're in the same room. It's fine!" I called.

I wanted her to stay. I missed living with people, sharing the space and hanging out at home. I also wanted her to stay for far more primal reasons.

I walked down the length of the room, pulling my bag onto my back. She followed suit, waiting for me to catch up to her.

"I'm just a little worried that I won't be able to find a place." She said as I pulled to door shut behind me. Her concerns were valid. Housing was sparse, especially for a college town, and what little you could find was disgustingly overpriced.

"Considering the Two Old Dykes clearly have a thing for you, and I wouldn't mind having a roommate, you could always stay where you are." I offered, rather boldly, I thought.

"I did get a good night sleep." She mused, "Short though it was."

"And why's that?" What the hell just came out of my mouth?

"I felt safe." Safe? Your old place wasn't safe?

"You know, that couch folds out into a bed. All it needs is some sheets." I offered, changing the subject. It didn't seem like the kind of thing to talk about.

"Hmmm." She looked at me hard, judging me right before my eyes. She didn't even have to open her mouth. "Sure. I'll just need a dresser and some toiletries."

Sure. Sure? How can you say it so easily? Do you trust me that much, a stranger who would willingly have a one night stand with you? It took you less than ten seconds of sizing me up before you said yes. Why?

"I guess splitting the rent and just staying with you would save me some money."

"You have no idea. Rent is $600, including utilities."

"For each of us?"

"No, just for me. You get to pay half."

"There is no way on earth that entire room is yours for $600 a month."

"It totally is. Yours now too, roomie." I extended my hand. She took it an allowed it to be shaken gently.

"It's a deal." She smiled.

I know the sun rises in the east. It always has, it always will. I have known this since I watched my first sunset. Why then, nature, do you insist on having the morning sun shine so brightly on her smile when she is facing southwest?

"I assume you're off to morning classes?"

"Yeah. Who in their right mind schedules Economics in the morning?"

Over the next few days, we worked out moving Danielle in completely. We found her a dresser and an armoire at Ikea, both of which she promptly filled with her clothes. The bathroom soon was filled with all manner of beauty products and a staggering amount of fragrances.

I soon started taking showers at night to alleviate the morning rush. Danielle would shower in the morning, and I at night, so for the most part, we were out of each other's way.

We put a curtain on a track in the ceiling so Danielle could have some privacy if she wanted. It essentially cut off the last third of the room from view, leaving a hallway of sorts to the door. Occasionally, when she left her light on, or the screen from her laptop was pointed the right way, I would get this magnificent shadow play show. A few times, very lucky times, I got to see her get ready for bed, changing into her nightshirt and panties.

We would talk on the walk to and from school when our schedules overlapped. It started out like any friendship would, with those lame safe questions that everyone asks: What are your classes? Do you like any of them? Which professors do you hate?

Several weeks passed and we became more and more familiar with each other. More and more I found myself around her, and not just at home, on campus as well. I would run into her in between classes and lunch, often being invited to eat with her, or her requesting to sit with me.

It was clear to me that she was trying to make new friends, as her old one's had clearly abandoned her, forcing her into her current living conditions. I saw, or perhaps felt, that she was using me as an anchoring point, a springboard almost, to rebuild a social circle. I got to know her as well as anyone could over three weeks, and found we had much in common.

When I dragged myself through the door on Friday night, I found her looking at my unruly stack of movies. She was dressed in warm night clothes: a pair of sweat pants and a relatively loose t shirt. Her hair was loose and fell in lazy tresses about her shoulders. What is it about a woman in comfortable old clothes that makes them look so sexy?

"Find anything worth watching?" I asked, trekking to the far end of the room to drop my bag.

"Yeah. A lot, actually." She said, pulling different titles out and examining them. "Wanna watch one with me?"

"Sure." Do I want to watch one with you? I'd be content to just watch you try and decide for the next four hours. "What did you have in mind?" I pulled my shoes off, slipping out of my pants to lounge in the gym shorts I wear underneath them.

"I was thinking-Wait, you have Wall-E?" She asked, snatching it from the shelf in disbelief.

"It would appear so, now wouldn't it?" Wall-E is a kid's movie, but my heart melts for that little robot.

"We are totally watching this." She decided sticking the disc in the player. I sat down at one end of the couch, expecting her to take the other. How wrong I was. No, she curled up right next to me, pulling her legs underneath her. Over the course of the movie she leaned on my shoulder, holding my arm. By the time the movie had ended, her eyes were shut.

I thought she was sleep, but she smiled when the credits stopped and the menu sounds started up again. She hugged my arm tight, nuzzling my shoulder for a moment.

"Mmm...Thanks for watching that with me," she said, her voice full of sleep. "We should do this every Friday. Have a movie night." She yawned. "I think it's bed time. Help me get my bed out?" She asked.

"Yeah."Neither of us moved. She continued to sit, curled up, head on my shoulder, arms loosely wrapped around mine.

"You have to move if you want me to set up your bed." I explained. If I told you I wanted her to get up, I'd be lying.

"But I'm comfortable right here," she said, a small tired smile on her lips.

"But what if I want to go to bed?" The question sprung from my lips before I knew what I was asking. What the hell was wrong with me? There is a beautiful girl wanting to lean on me all night; fuck going to bed! Either my subconscious hates me and is trying to keep me from getting laid, or know the situation better than I do.

"You're right." In one slow, fluid motion, she stood up and stretched. Dear God, she stretched. This beautiful creature arched her back gently, extending her arms up in lithe satisfaction. She turned and looked at me over her shoulder, hair covering one half of her face, but not enough to hide her sleepy eyes and happy smile. I kind of sat there, struck dumb for a moment, before I too stood and helped her pull her bed out.

She fell down onto it and pulled the sheet up around her. She had the biggest, dumbest, happiest grin. You would have thought she was drunk. She reached out and grabbed my hand, forcing me to sit on the bed.

"Hold my hand until I fall asleep?" She asked. I challenge you, not merely as man or a woman, but as a human being to say no to those gorgeous eyes.

"Ok." I smiled down at her. I felt the muscles in my back relax and the ones in my abdomen contract. I was going to lean down. Lean down and do what? I had no idea why my body was moving. I realized I was going to kiss her and fought my body. I didn't know how she would react to a kiss from someone, such as myself, and I didn't want to disturb this warm happiness she seemed to exude.

Soon, her grip on my hand was nonexistent, and her comfortable breathing indicated that she had fallen asleep. To say she looked angelic may be cliché, but dammit that's the most accurate way to describe it. I slipped my hand from her soft fingers and, in a move that befits the role of a friend without a gender indication in front of it, I stroked her hair away from her face. Highly rewarded was I, with a small mewl of contentment.

I stood and took a very cold shower. I would have liked to analyze both my feelings and the situation more, but my weariness got the better of me and bed called. I drew the curtain as quietly as I could and walked to my bed. As the cold sheets wrapped around me, I wished, in some part of my mind, that Danielle was there to warm them with me.

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What should have been the night of the week for "living the college life" turned into a weekly movie review for Danielle and I. Instead of going out drinking and staggering home either by myself or with some wasted female, I instead stayed in and watched movies with my beautiful roommate.

I was rather surprised therefore to find her asleep one Friday. She never really went to bed before midnight, so to see her clearly asleep at 9:30 was somewhat surprising. I noted a box of tissues sitting nearby on the bed. Perhaps she wanted to watch some sappy romance and had decided to spare me.

I tiptoed past her and drew the curtain. I opened up my laptop and started working. In addition to small amounts of manual labor, I also do minimal amounts of graphic design. If you ever need a sweet banner or background, hit me up. I tore into my work, finishing several items that were still weeks away from even being needed. Several hours later, I closed the lid and fell asleep, looking forward to sleeping in the next morning.

This, unfortunately, was not to be the case.

I was awoken in what could objectively be called the dead of night by a noise. It wasn't some sort of crash, or other noise made by external forces of motion. No, this was a human noise, one which I am at a loss to describe. It was a horribly sad sound, steeped in a noise of terrible sorrow and regret, yanked forth from its cage by some nightmare. To think that a human could go through something and imbibe that much poison, allow it to distill such a noise, and live to tell about it is not something I am capable of comprehending.

It was the kind of sound that would have made millions in the alarm clock market had it not only roused you fully from your sleep, but filled you with a pure and primal terror. If my heart rate and layer of cold sweat were any indication, I would have thought that I had made that noise. I instinctively knew, however, that that manner of noise would have burned my throat far worse than any fire-water could have. Which left only one other person to make that noise.

Danielle.

I leapt out of bead on unsure legs and ran to the curtain yanking it back. Danielle was sitting up in bed, her eyes flying wildly in an unnatural spasm. I knew that when I woke full of terror, she was the person who had filled me with it, her body unable to hold any more. Her face told me as much. No one should have to wear the expression that brought forth that terrible sound that stirred us both from peaceful slumber.

"Danielle." Dammit, why did my voice have to quaver so? "Are you alright?" What a worthless question.

She turned her head to look at me, her eyes focusing. Tears had already made their way down her cheeks, small trickles evident even in the slight light.

What can I do to stop your tears? Can I whisper some magic words to cull your suffering? Is there some nation that you would bid me destroy? Is it the movement of the very stars that offend you so? Shall I rearrange those, to stop your tears for but a moment? What can I do? Bid me move on your behalf, and all in my meager power will be done to quell your precious tears.