Season of Firsts Ch. 01

The winds continued to howl, rattling the west-side windows. Even though fatigue began to befall me, I looked at Megumi once more, suddenly wanting to protect her as much as possible should the situation become as dire as I suspected. Yet her angelic slumber calmed me in a way I had not anticipated, and slowly, my eyes closed of their own accord...

*****

I awoke to find myself completely alone, the Snoopy blanket and the Asian student nowhere to be seen. That startled me for a moment, until I realized that the fact that the blanket was also gone was a good sign, meaning that she had purposely taken it with her.

I glanced at my watch to discover it was nearly 4:30AM. With well more than two hours before sunrise, my limbs felt stiff from sleeping in a sitting position, something I had rarely ever done in my life. The electricity was still on, but the wind was fortunately not howling quite so loudly.

The blanket wrapped around me and the novel in hand, I returned to my dorm room, saddened that Megumi was gone, almost certainly back in her own dorm room, likely asleep in her own bed.

Then again, it likely would not be "her own bed." Since I had never seen her before, the chance that she was actually living in this dorm from the beginning of the academic year was incredibly small. She had likely just moved here for the long Holiday Break.

In that case, she would likely be feeling very lonely, but I had no idea which room she was in, so I could not go check on her.

I felt better when I finally went to bed, and fortunately I did not cry myself to sleep, for I no longer felt alone, even though I felt rather lonely.

*****

Tuesday December 18 was fortunately not like other Tuesdays since August: no classes, no exams, able to sleep late. Unfortunately, it was not like other Tuesdays since August: howling wind, most of the window blockaded by snow, no more electricity.

The realization that I could not hear the nearly-imperceptible hum of the heating system was enough to cause me to jolt out of bed. There was a very slight chill in the air, but nothing significant yet. Looking around, I could not see the hallway light shining underneath the door, and the digital alarm clock my former roommate had left behind was devoid of red numbers.

I quickly went through my usual morning routine, then grabbed a small box of Pop Tarts, two cans of Sprite, and a flashlight, and hurried downstairs.

The emergency lighting was still working in the hallways, but I wondered just how long the electricity had been off... and just how long the emergency lighting would remain active.

Megumi was not in the main lounge, nor was she in the basement. However, it did seem slightly cooler in the basement, which signaled to me that a door or a window must be cracked somewhere.

I made my way from window to window and door to door, finding nothing amiss. Finally, I entered the women's restroom – knocking first, just in case – and the temperature dropped significantly as soon as I had opened the door.

It appeared that the snow drift against the west-facing window was so prominent and/or the glass of the window so thin that the glass had cracked repeatedly throughout the night, ultimately creating a large hole through which the snow had fallen into the restroom. There was just a pinhole of light, meaning that the cold air had unfettered access into the restroom.

With a sigh, I left the restroom, ensuring the door closed as tightly as possible behind me. I went to the basement lounge and took a few pillows from a sofa, and placed those at the base of the restroom door to minimize the amount of cool air entering the basement.

When I returned to the main lounge and the nominal daylight filtering in through the tall windows, I found Megumi wrapped in the Snoopy blanket and standing by the main entrance to the dorm, looking out at the continuing storm. The snow outside was already as high as my knees, the drift coming up to my waist.

"We will definitely have snow at Christmas," she said quietly, stating an undeniable fact.

"Too much snow, yes," I agreed as I set the various items aside. Stepping up behind her, I had to resist the urge to wrap my arms around her. Deep inside, I somehow wanted to protect her, this angelic beauty sharing my otherwise solitary world for the next few weeks, yet I was able to hold myself in check, questioning how I could be having feelings for someone I barely even knew.

I reached out to touch her, to simply place a hand upon her shoulder, and hesitated, my hand in midair.

"This is very much snow," she said, still staring at the thick expanse of white coating everything outside. "Is this why the electricity off?"

Finally lowering my hand, I moved beside her and leaned against the wall, turning to face her, viewing her in profile. "My guess is that either the wind was strong enough to blow down an electric pole somewhere, or perhaps a car or a truck slid out of control on an icy road and plowed into a pole. In either case, the electric lines in that immediate area would have been snapped. Or perhaps a heavy branch or even an entire tree fell on electric lines and snapped them.

"Unfortunately, all we can really see from here is the music building and another dorm; if we could see the central part of campus, where the buildings are much more spread out, we'd have a much better idea of what is really happening outside."

The Snoopy blanket covered Megumi from neck to floor, such was the extent of her shortness. She looked odd, being "all head and hair" because of the blanket. Her eyes darted back and forth, surveying the blustery scene outside.

"I never seen anything like this," she said softly. Her voice conveyed both wonder and apprehension.

"I have seen this situation before," I responded. "It wasn't fun. But this time, I'm prepared. I have a better idea of what to expect if the electricity is out for several days."

She turned her head to look at me for the first time that morning. I could see it clearly in her large, expressive eyes: Megumi was scared.

Seemingly a heartbeat later, I stood before her, my arms wrapped protectively around her. The young Asian stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into my hold, still clutching the blanket like Linus. Her forehead against my chest, it felt good to be in her presence, to have someone to care for in this unusual situation.

Then my stomach rumbled softly, reminding me that before I could take care of her, I had to first take care of myself.

In the main lounge, we shared a breakfast of Pop Tarts and warm Sprite. It was almost certainly not what Megumi had been expecting for breakfast, but she did not complain. As usual, I ate somewhat slowly, savoring the "meal" since it was possible that we would need to ration the food later, especially since I had not anticipated needing to share my meager food.

As we ate, I learned more about Megumi. She had come to the States to study biology, but after one semester realized that biology was not meant for her. Fortunately, all students had three semesters to decide upon a major, and she had only just finished the first semester, like me. She was entirely undecided on a major, although starting to lean toward English, for no other reason than the fact that it would help her improve her own knowledge of the language.

"But wouldn't your English improve no matter what you decide to study?" I asked, perplexed by her current leaning.

"My English would improve with any major," she confirmed. "But if I am forced to think about it more in formal way, especially in writing, it will improve more."

That made sense, although I wondered if her mother would be disappointed that Megumi was no longer studying biology.

"What did your sister study?" I asked.

"She became teacher," Megumi answered, pausing to finish her drink. "But she never teached. She became actress instead."

"From teacher to actress..." I commented. "That's quite a career change. What does your mother think of that?"

"Mother sad, but understanding."

"Sad?" That was not a reaction I had anticipated.

Megumi nodded shortly. "Sister is not a..." She hesitated, trying to find an appropriate word. "Sister is not a 'legitimate' actress."

I was confused for a moment, then finally caught Megumi's meaning. "Oh."

"Yes, 'Oh,'" she parroted without mocking.

*****

Megumi was indeed growing on me. I enjoyed simply being in her presence, and as the hours passed, I realized the enjoyment was not purely from unexpectedly having someone else in the dorm with me. Her accent captivated my ears, causing me to focus not just on every word, but on every syllable which escaped her lips. As our conversations flowed from talking about ourselves to talking about classes to talking about international politics to talking about when the blizzard would finally end, I felt myself being drawn to her more and more, as if she was a lifeguard come to rescue me when I did not even know I was drowning.

We shared my meager food and drink, retiring to my dorm room for lunch and sitting on opposite beds as we ate. The lack of electricity was most apparent in the lack of time displayed on the alarm clock. I had a battery-powered radio, but was too afraid of what I might learn about the weather if I turned it on. Instead, we ate and talked, with our conversation occasionally lapsing into long moments of quiet.

Yet it was not an uncomfortable quiet. There was clearly a camaraderie building between us due to this experience, but I also sensed something more.

Eventually, each of us wrapped in a Snoopy blanket, we took a "walk," roaming the halls of the dorm together. That was how I learned that she was on the fourth floor, Room 421. Yet we did not go in, continuing to meander within the building, going somewhere yet going nowhere, but simply "going" felt good, and it was exactly what we both needed at that time.

Something which was unmistakable, however, was that it was cooler on the lower floors and slightly warmer on the upper floors. "Heat rises," I reminded myself. I had planned to come to the upper floors if necessary and just stay in a hallway if the temperature became too cool downstairs, especially once the sun had set, but knowing which room Megumi was in, I potentially had somewhere to go in that situation.

In time, Megumi and I returned to my room for dinner. I noticed Megumi ate more slowly this time, perhaps taking a silent cue from me, perhaps realizing that we may need to ration the food.

What was most significant to me was that after I sat on my bed with my granola bars and warm Sprite, she sat beside me, not on the opposite bed. We ate in silence, noting the sound of the breeze outside, the sound which had become so constant that it was simply background noise.

"You do not have a girlfriend?" Megumi finally asked, breaking the silence between us. My mouth still full of granola, I simply shook my head no.

"I see." Nothing more. She finished her second granola bar, again lapsing into silence.

It had indeed become cooler in the dorm room. I stood and approached the window, using my fingernails to scrape away at the frost which had formed on the inside of the glass. Once I could see outside, I wished I could not, for the decorative rock with the college name chiseled into its face had completely disappeared in the sea of white, meaning that roughly forty inches of snow had fallen in less than twenty-four hours.

...and in less than one hour, the sky would truly be dark, and the temperature would drop even more with the onset of night.

"What will happen?" Megumi asked from directly behind me. Her voice startled me, as I had not heard her move from my bed. Then I felt her press herself against me, her breasts soft and noticeable against my back, her arms wrapped around my chest as she continued to hold the ends of her Snoopy blanket in her hands.

"What will happen? I wish I knew."

It was true. With more than a yard of snow already upon the ground and the blizzard expected to last well into Wednesday according to the last weather report I had heard, I was becoming concerned. The sky was slowly darkening, as was my dorm room. Darkness would soon befall the campus, and if the emergency lighting was no longer functioning, darkness would also befall the dorm.

At least I had the flashlight and candles. We would have light, and we would have a source of minimal heat.

Given how Megumi was pressed to my backside, I also realized that if necessary, we could warm each other throughout the night.

*****

Since the emergency lighting had finally failed, the flashlight led the way as Megumi and I moved upstairs to her room. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before sliding the key into the lock, but then she opened the door, and a blast of cold air greeted us.

A tree branch, about as long and thick as my forearm, had smashed the window of Megumi's dorm room. Snow covered the desk and dresser by the window, with glass scattered halfway toward the door.

To my surprise, the young Asian simply sighed with resignation. "I must move," she said quietly, more to herself than to me, and stepped fully into the room.

"I'll help you pack," I offered, stepping into the room behind her.

"I am already pack," she responded, going to a closet.

With the exception of a small teddy bear which had clearly seen better days, Megumi was living out of a large suitcase. She grabbed her winter coat and the teddy bear, then took the handle of the suitcase and rolled it back toward the door.

I held the coat and teddy bear as Megumi locked the door to Room 421. In a way, it felt like she was locking out the blizzard, even though I could still hear the storm raging outside. I should have noticed the louder sound before Megumi had opened the door, but I had not, for my mind had been more focused upon her, not our survival.

*****

I sat on my bed, watching Megumi as she opened her suitcase. Two candles, one atop each dresser, provided a dim light.

She reached into the suitcase and withdrew a framed picture. It was clearly a picture of someone important to her, given the solemn expression upon her face. After a few moments, Megumi stood and presented the picture to me.

I had seen enough anime to instantly recognize the stereotypical schoolgirl uniform. I immediately recognized the similarity of the eyes, and it was clear despite the much shorter hair that I was looking at a picture of Megumi's sister. What I had not expected, however, was the scenario...

Her sister was standing before a red cross, thick brown rope pinning her wrists, waist, and chest to the tall religious symbol. The top of her uniform had been torn open, exposing her chest and proving that she had not worn a bra when the photo was taken. Clearly, she was in pain, her breasts well marked, large tears falling from her eyes. She was also apparently on display, for a bright spotlight shone down from above.

It was a very strange picture, yet it was also somehow enticing. I found myself fascinated, aroused.

"I knew you understand."

I looked up at Megumi, and saw that she had a slight smile, a slight smile made more expressive by the dim candlelight.

I looked at the photo again, admiring the hardened nipples portraying an arousal in counterpoint to her pain.

"You like the photo?"

I nodded, my gaze lingering upon her sister a few more seconds before giving the photo back to Megumi. For just the briefest of heartbeats, Megumi's fingers touched mine, and I felt a warmth, a spark, pass between us.

"So this is what you meant by your sister not being a 'legitimate' actress," I commented.

"Yes. She has long interest in bondage, had been in training. She would share her story with me, and I was amazed." Megumi looked fondly upon the photo in her hands once again. "She visit one weekend, and when she alone with me, she undressed and showed the red marks on her body. She was proud, even though they were near to fade."

Megumi sat on the bed beside me, and we both gazed upon the image again, lapsing once more into a comfortable silence.

*****

Eventually, we decided it was time to sleep. However, since my roommate had taken all his bedding with him and I only had one set of sheets, we reached an awkward moment.

"You can sleep in the bed," I offered. "I'll just grab a pillow from the main lounge and sleep on the floor."

"Why? I not bite."

An internal battle raged. I wanted to slide into bed beside Megumi, to feel her warmth against me, to feel her against me, yet I had been taught in the orphanage that such actions were wrong.

My hormones – and the need to preserve body heat – won the internal battle.

When we finally were ready for bed, we were both amazed that we each wore plaid flannel pajama bottoms and t-shirts. I wore a black t-shirt with a large wolf imprint, and she wore a pink t-shirt with Hello Kitty prominently displayed across her chest. However, I followed her lead, going to my dresser to retrieve and put on a pair of socks.

Megumi slid into bed first as I blew out each of the candles, then I crept through the darkness toward her and slipped into bed beside her. It was somewhat of a tight fit, being a typical dorm room bed, but she did not complain. We faced each other in the darkness, and the Asian's arms instantly wrapped around me. I reciprocated, her head resting upon my arm, and thus I was holding her for the first time.

I was aware of the breasts pressing against my chest, the breath warm in my face, the arms surrounding me, the erection coming to life between us.

The latter was a source of personal embarrassment, and I backed my hips away from her, not wanting to appear too "forward" with her. Yet seconds later, she had nudged her hips forward, pressing against my lengthening erection once again.

In time, we shifted position, so that Megumi was atop me under the covers. I held her close, caressing her back. Her face was pressed against the side of my neck, her breath quite warm, her weight wonderful upon my full erection.

Without electricity, there was no working clock for me to judge the passing of time, but it would be safe to say that we touched each other long into the night. Specifically, because of our position, I touched her long into the night. It was my first time with a soft, feminine person, and I was pleasantly surprised to be with someone who seemed so receptive to me.

Not only did I touch the beautiful young Asian, I explored her with my hands. I learned her, my hands gathering every detail to be filed away in my mind. And through it all, she breathed slowly, occasionally sighing contentedly into my neck, sometimes moving sensuously upon me, my touches clearly awakening something within her.

But, in time, my touches diminished, as did her writhing upon me. As the hardness of her nipples faded, so did my erection.

With a soft kiss to my neck, Megumi ran her fingers through my hair, then descended into slumber, signaled by her very regular breathing.

On the other hand, I was awake long into the night, my hands moving slowly across her back to soothe her as she slept upon me. Sleep did not come easily for me, but when it came, it was accompanied by numerous visions of this exotic beauty.

*****

When I awoke in the morning, Megumi lay beside me, her hand gently stroking my chest. It was clear that she had been watching me sleep, and likely for quite some time. The smile slight smile upon her face was beautiful, highlighting the sparkle in her eyes.