Season of Firsts Ch. 02

Thursday December 13 had been the end of the first semester for me, for that was the night of my last final exam. One week later, the date would be forever memorable for me because it was the day my companion and I were rescued from our isolation.

It was nearly sunset when the work crew had finally cleared away the snow from the north-side door. I sent Megumi out first, and someone quickly grabbed her suitcase while someone else wrapped a large thick blanket around her and hurried her to an awaiting minivan. I received the same treatment, arriving at the minivan just as one of the doctors from Campus Health arrived. As we were whisked away, I saw why the crew had not used the south-side door, even though it was closer to the street: a large oak tree had fallen over due to the wind and the weight of the snow, and just barely missed hitting the south end of the building.

We were checked, debriefed, and given plenty of food and water during the drive to the hotel. We were being taken to a suburb of a nearby city, a drive which should have taken about forty-five minutes with semi-heavy traffic, yet because of the number of fallen obstacles, the unprecedented snowfall, and the fact that most of the very icy route passed through rural areas, it was a very slow ride.

When the wind had blown off enough of the top of the snow, the drive through the darkness was punctuated by the sparse lights of rural houses, and I assumed that the residents were using generator power to keep warm and be able to see. I wondered how the livestock was faring, especially if the winds had damaged or destroyed the barns and the pens, but in the near-total darkness, it was impossible to see anything not immediately in front of the minivan or near the windows of the farmhouses.

However, for most of the ride, the snow level on either side of the road was too tall for us to see anything but the snow. The headlights were effectively brighter than usual, reflecting off the neverending rows of white. There were occasional breaks in the snow, which seemed to lead toward the sparse farmhouses or the occasional intersecting road.

"How long do you think we'll be at this hotel?" I finally asked.

"I'm guessing at least until Christmas, depending on the amount of damage in and around the dorm you guys were in," the driver replied. "But don't worry. All your costs will be taken care of. And most importantly, you two will be safe and warm. I'm just glad it was only you two staying on campus this year. There's usually about a dozen students staying on campus over the Holiday Break. With a major storm of this magnitude, it would've been a lot harder to get a larger number of students to safety."

For me, Christmas was never really anything important, probably because I had never had a family of my own. However, knowing that many people considered Christmas to be a "family holiday," I wondered what Megumi was thinking. Not only would she be on the other side of the planet from her family for Christmas, she also would not be in a familiar place for that important day.

According to the digital clock in the dashboard, it was nearly 10:00PM when we approached the suburb. I could tell because I could actually see streetlights ahead, and the road was in much better condition. I felt Megumi take my hand in hers, and I looked at her briefly, noting the expression of hope upon her face, and expression which had been missing throughout the lengthy drive.

If anyone noticed that we were holding hands, they did not say anything. To be honest, I believe they were all just thankful and relieved to finally be nearing the hotel.

*****

Megumi and I were given adjacent rooms. My room was small, with a single queen-size bed, a small table with two chairs, and a television with a built-in DVD player and VCR. A copy of the local newspaper awaited me on the table, but I did not care about the latest news. I cared only about Megumi, about what she was doing, what she was feeling now that we were finally safe and warm.

There was a tentative knock at the door, and soon Megumi shared the room with me, looking around. "Just like mine," she said, "only slightly warmer."

I shrugged and went to sit at the table. "It's definitely better than the dorm," I said, "but it is rather unfamiliar."

Megumi nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. "The campus men gone?"

I nodded. "They decided that it would be better to return to their families tonight. Besides, the college may be paying for us to stay here, but not for them. They would've had to pay out of their own pockets to stay here, plus they didn't really have anything needed for an overnight stay."

"Not good. The college must change policies for these situations."

I shrugged, leaning back in the chair and closing my eyes. It felt good to be warm without wearing bulky winter clothing. It felt better to be safe. It felt great to once again be alone in Megumi's presence.

"You are so calm and strong," Megumi noted softly. "Were you not afraid at the dorm?"

I opened my eyes, looking at Megumi curiously, before realizing that she had not known me before I had seen her in the dorm library. She had not known how I had cried myself to sleep, how depressed I had been at the prospect of being completely alone for three weeks.

I told her. I decided not to inundate her with the details, but I did give her the general overview of my thoughts and experiences in the days leading up to the official start of the Holiday Break, and the time before I finally saw her through the door of the dorm library.

When I finished relating my sad tale, Megumi reached out a hand to me. I stood and approached, and she hugged me, her ear pressed to my chest. With a smile upon my lips, I cradled her head to me, stroking her hair, enjoying the closeness, the companionship, the understanding, the swelling love passing between us.

"I stay with you?" she asked quietly. "I get my suitcase and stay with you?"

"I would like that," I replied honestly, having secretly hoped that she would ask.

"I also not want to be alone. I never liked to be alone."

I kissed the top of Megumi's head, and she looked up at me. We shared an gaze of understanding, of love, and of fatigue, for it had indeed been a long day, and just as importantly, neither of us had showered in several days, and I for one certainly needed to stand under a spray of hot water for a while.

*****

As I lay upon the bed in my flannel pajama pants and wolf t-shirt again, I thought of the exotic angel in the shower. I had long believed that things happen in life for a reason, and that the people one meets in life all play a significant role in one way or another.

Certainly, Megumi was important for alleviating the isolation which would have otherwise plagued me during the long Holiday Break. She was also teaching me things about sexuality, although things had cooled a bit in that regard. And through her, I was learning about relationships, for, although we had not declared ourselves romantically involved, I was beginning to feel like it was a true relationship, for even when she was not in immediate sight or earshot, she filled my mind, my heart, my soul.

I thought of the enchanting student, separated from my sight by a thin wall and an even thinner semi-transparent glass slower door. I envisioned her standing underneath the hot spray, the water causing the suds to cascade down her bare skin, to reveal more and more of her natural beauty to my admiring eyes. Would she finally turn to me and beckon me to join her in the shower?

My hand made its way to my crotch, gently stroking the lengthening bulge through my meager clothing. I imagined us in the shower together, kissing slowly, her hands moving down my chest and stomach to grasp my unavoidable erection and begin to slowly stroke me...

I heard Megumi turn off the water at last, and I reluctantly retracted my hand so that my arousal would subside before she returned to the main room. By the time she stepped out of the bathroom, all was normal as I watched her emerge wearing her flannel pajama pants and her Hello Kitty t-shirt. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, and after setting her dirty clothes and her toiletries beside her suitcase, she came to the bed, kneeling beside me and reaching down to caress my cheek. I closed my eyes, reveling in her touch, and I again felt my arousal begin to grow.

"What should we do?" she asked quietly. "We are here for several days or more."

"Five days at least," I said after counting in my mind. "That gives us a lot of time with nothing to do."

"A lot of time alone." I was uncertain if Megumi was stating a fact or "correcting" what I had just said.

What I was definitely certain about, however, was the tenderness with which she was stroking my face and the effect it was having upon another portion of my anatomy.

I reached an arm toward her and curled it around Megumi's waist. Opening my eyes again, I gazed up into her face, and was met with a weary but contented smile.

That was exactly how I felt: weary but contented.

She continued to stroke my face with her shower-softened fingertips until her hair had mostly dried, then went to hang up the towel. A few minutes later, we were under the covers together, holding each other close and falling asleep in the dark...

...this time, by choice.

*****

We were awoken by the cleaning staff, having neglected to put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign. But that was good, because otherwise, we would have slept through the complimentary breakfast.

It had been a long time since I had last eaten a true hot meal. The scrambled eggs were divine, and the coffee was far better than that provided on campus. Megumi clearly found the breakfast to be wonderful as well, for she was practically beaming throughout the entire meal as we almost literally stuffed ourselves.

We took a few extra donuts with us and were passing through the lobby to go back to my room when the front desk staff called us over. Megumi and I were both quite surprised that the college had wired money to us, which we could pick up at a convenience store down the street. Since I never had a lot of money at any given time, I was thrilled at this unexpected news, and although she did not say anything about it, I sensed that Megumi felt the same.

Returning to my room, we set the donuts aside and went to the large window, finally opening the curtains. The room overlooked a large park, and we watched for a moment as several work crews cleared away snow and fallen branches and trees. The snow did not seem nearly so tall; perhaps only three feet of snow had fallen in the park.

In the distance, the skyscrapers near the city center stood tall and proud in the sunlight. They were essentially beacons of hope, still standing firm and erect even after some forty-eight hours of punishing winds.

"We are warm, we can see, our stomachs full, and we are together alone," Megumi noted quietly, wrapping her hands around my arm and resting her head against my shoulder as she looked out the window with me. "This is very good."

It was indeed good, even without the money we could collect later.

"What should we do today?" I asked. "We should go get the money, of course, but what else should we do today?"

She did not hesitate. "Enjoy warmth," Megumi replied. "Enjoy food."

She certainly had a point. Actually, she certainly had two very good points.

...as well as two soft swells pressing into me.

*****

We spent the rest of the morning sleeping, amazingly. Megumi lay upon her back, while I pressed my ear to her chest. Her foreign heartbeat sounded and felt very familiar, echoing my own. The rhythmic melody emanating from between her breasts lulled me to sleep as her hands cradled my head to her chest...

When I awoke around lunchtime, Megumi was still asleep, but her heartbeat was just as calm, just as steady. I slowly extricated myself from her loose hold, not wanting to awaken the sleeping beauty, and slipped off the bed, returning to the large window, looking out over the snow-covered scene before me.

Am I falling in love with her? I asked myself again and again. I had never loved anyone before. I had never had anyone to love before, not even in the familial sense. I felt – and I definitely was – so naïve in terms of relationships, and I found Megumi's almost easygoing "attitude" in her affection for me both greatly captivating and slightly troubling. As my eyes surveyed the whiteness before me, I had to ask myself: Am I falling in love with her or with the affection?

Eventually, I sat at the table, watching the exotic angel sleep, noting her graceful curves, the slow and steady rise and fall of her chest, remembering how she responded as I touched her, remembering the taste of her lips, remembering the feel of her hands upon me...

Am I falling in love with her? The question returned to my mind again and again. I felt drawn to her, wanting to please her and protect her, wanting to share everything with her.

Yet, would others understand? Would they approve of our relationship?

Would it matter to me?

Would it matter to her?

Megumi finally stirred, rolling onto her stomach. I wanted to go to her, to caress her and to give her my affection. But, would she want that? Would she accept my attention?

I watched my companion sleep, so many important questions filling my mind...

*****

Megumi accepted my arm, and we stepped out into the snow, into the cold, into the sunshine.

The streets and the sidewalks were indeed clear of snow, but the piles of snow on either side of the street were indeed tall, nearly as tall as Megumi. I thought for a moment of suddenly shoving her into a snow pile, but figured that would simply be evil.

We easily found the convenience store with the Western Union station, and obtained the money the college had wired to us. Afterward, we went across the street to a small coffee shop, sitting by the large window and watching as snow began to fall anew.

"You are very beautiful," I commented quietly to her, suddenly feeling rather shy around Megumi despite everything we had shared thus far. I felt myself warm slightly, and not just because of the latte.

Underneath the small table, the exotic angel slid her ankles against mine. I felt a jolt of electricity surge through me from ankles to forehead, warming me even further. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me knowingly, smiling as she raised her mocha to her lips.

*****

As we strolled the neighborhood, we were almost completely silent, drinking in the sights. There were rather few vehicles on the street, and even fewer pedestrians. Most stores were open, but had no visible customers inside. The sky had darkened as snow fell a little faster, the wet white flakes chilling me as they fell upon my face. Yet it was all worthwhile, primarily because Megumi was at my side.

We eventually returned to the hotel, just in time for the start of dinner in the hotel restaurant. While our sweatshirts and jeans had been acceptable for breakfast that morning, the same outfits certainly made us stand out at dinner, yet neither of us seemed to really notice. Instead, our focus was aimed upon each other, our quiet chatter rather sporadic as we instead gazed upon each other, our legs continually brushing together underneath the table.

"You like me, do you?" Megumi suddenly asked out of the blue.

I could not speak. I simply nodded slowly, with my head and with my eyes.

"Am I first girlfriend for you?"

That question answered so many questions which had been filling my head, calmed so many concerns which had been plaguing my mind. Only when Megumi's eyes widened did I realize that I had just exhaled somewhat loudly with relief.

"That is a yes?"

I smiled, then released a soft laugh, a laugh which was joined by hers.

"That is a yes?"

"Yes!" I replied, a little louder than I should have.

We laughed again, then soon quieted again, speaking volumes with our eyes and with our legs.

"You know what I'd like to do?" I asked finally. Megumi shook her head, her eyes never breaking our gaze. "I'd like to go back upstairs and cuddle with you, slowly explore you, really learn you..."

"Learn me?" Megumi was baffled at first, but a few seconds later, her eyes widened again as she finally understood my meaning.

Her smile widened as well.

*****

After dinner, as some random film played quietly on the television, Megumi and I cuddled upon the bed, neither one of us paying any attention to the film. Judging by the music, the coarse language, and the number of gunshots, it was probably an action film, but I genuinely did not care about what was coming from the television.

My only care was for the foreign student atop me, the beautiful angel gracing me with her presence and with her love.

I thought briefly of the week which had passed. At that very moment one week earlier, I had been feeling sad for myself, facing a long holiday break of loneliness, sliding into a depression which loomed large and monstrous before my eyes. In the interim, I had made a friend, a companion, a girlfriend, and together we had weathered a severe snowstorm of epic proportions, a snowstorm which had forced the college to ultimately bring us to the hotel...

In one week, I had grown in significant ways, made significant discoveries...

...and everything primarily revolved around Megumi.

But do I truly love her?

As my arms tightened around her, as her breath warmed my neck, as her hand caressed my cheek, and my heart beat a little faster, I knew the answer.

"I love you, Megumi," I whispered.

She pressed her lips to my neck, and I felt them curl upward into a smile.

"Love," she whispered, her lips moving sensuously against my neck, the word sounding particularly strange yet enticing given her accent. "Love is good."

We cuddled long into the night, kissing and touching with a greater, deeper tenderness given that we were officially, finally, girlfriend and boyfriend.

*****

When I awoke in the morning, it was still dark, with the first hint of daylight peeking around the edges of the thick heavy curtains. I could just barely see anything, but something immediately alerted me that something was indeed different. It took me several seconds to realize what was different:

Megumi was topless.

That realization alone caused a stirring as my mind focused upon the bare breasts pressing against my t-shirt and the equally bare back beneath my hands. I closed my eyes, thankful that this moment was real and not a dream.

The small hotel room slowly brightened as I held my exotic girlfriend. I fought the urge to lower the covers, to bare her torso and roll her to her back so that I could openly admire a pair of bare breasts for the first time in my life.

When we had gone to bed, we had both been properly dressed, in that all body parts which needed to be covered were indeed covered. I had neither heard nor felt her get up during the night, so I wondered when she had removed her t-shirt and how she had done so without awakening me.

I meandered into and out of slumber, but it was truly just a catnap at best until, at last, my girlfriend stirred in my arms, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. I smiled at her as she slowly opened her small hazel eyes and ran my fingers through her hair.

"Sleeping Beauty has awakened," I said softly.

Something instinctive happened. As of one mind, Megumi rolled to her back, and I rolled upon her, my hands trapped between her shoulder blades and the bed. Our lips joined, never separating until we were both breathless and indeed quite awake. We then rolled so that I was upon my back with Megumi upon me, and she slowly rose up, the covers naturally falling back away from us as she straddled my hips, her weight bearing down nicely upon my hardness, her bare breasts at last exposed to my appreciative gaze. She was still trying to regain her breath, her breasts moving mesmerizingly from her efforts, and I reached up, taking a breast in each hand, squeezing gently, marveling at the rigid nipples pressing into my palms.