The Outsider Ch. 07

Ruthie Burns was a very literal person, to whom words meant more than they would to most people. If Mike wanted to convey how he felt about anything, he had to tell her directly. The same was true with understanding her; he had to ask because her outward behavior did not necessarily reflect what was going on in her head. At times there was a strange disconnect between the girl's thoughts and emotions with her gestures, expressions, and mannerisms.

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The afternoon went by very quickly. They thoroughly enjoyed being together, so much so that as they sat in traffic near the Watsonville Mega-Mart on their way back, they realized they had gone the entire day without having eaten since breakfast. Mike suggested that they stop in Santa Cruz for dinner before returning to Davenport. Ruthie, who was in no hurry to see the day end, cheerfully agreed.

They decided to walk around downtown Santa Cruz and see where they might want to eat. As they looked for the "right" restaurant, they browsed several "artistic" stores. In a couple of places they irritated store employees by making fun of the more ridiculous items that people with money would put in their homes.

They finally chose a restaurant and were just about to go in when Ruthie asked if they could make one last stop in a store that sold vintage and unusual clothing. Mike had no problem with that, although he was somewhat surprised, given that she had commented that clothes and fashion meant little to her. She poked around a little bit and was just about ready to leave when a small dress caught her eye.

It was a very small dress indeed, one that barely would stay within the confines of the law, even in a liberal place like Santa Cruz. It was made from soft red material and totally open in the back. The top consisted of a U-shaped piece of cloth that went over the wearer's neck, which would hold it in place over the breasts. The most risqué detail however, how the dress appeared below the waist. The bottom part was as short as a mini-skirt and only covered down to the upper thighs. The skirt portion was open on the sides clear up to the belt-line, which would leave the wearer's hips completely exposed.

Ruthie held the dress and her face lit up with enthusiasm.

"This is so cool!"

Mike's heart pounded, because if she tried it on and came out to look at herself in the mirror, he would have a very good look at her attractive figure. With effort he managed to control his voice:

"Did you want to try it on?"

"You don't mind? Yeah, I'd love to!"

Mike shook his head: "No, I don't mind." Of course he wouldn't mind...

Ruthie took the dress into a changing room and came back out a few seconds later. Mike barely could speak as he studied his scantly-clad classmate with very wide eyes. The dress covered even less of her than he had expected. It obviously could not be worn with any sort of bra, and the only panties it could be worn with would be a very high-cut thong. Mike knew that under the skirt she wasn't wearing even that. The skimpy piece of clothing looked unbelievably sexy on her small figure.

Ruthie ignored her friend's gaping expression and looked at herself in the main mirror. She was very pleased with how the dress appeared on her, covering what needed to be covered by law and nothing more. She found being so exposed a big turn-on and felt that wearing such a dress around campus would signal her rejection of traditional Christian values more than anything else she could possibly do. Yes, the dress would be her statement to all of the religious types trying to snatch control of her mind and telling her that she had to cover up. She commented to Mike:

"This is neat! I totally love it! How do you think it looks on me?"

Mike swallowed and struggled to speak:

"It looks really nice on you...but...you'd...wear that around campus?"

"Damn straight I would! It'd be my 'fuck you' to all the God freaks who won't leave me alone, you know...kinda like your pig-shirt is against Mega-Town. It'd be my personal protest against the Bible thumpers."

Mike's heart continued to pound at the thought of her actually wearing that dress. It certainly would be a bizarre contrast with her normally shy personality. She turned around a couple more times. Then her face reflected disappointment.

"Sucks that I'm gonna have to put it back."

"You don't have any money on you?"

"Fuck no...like I'd ever have any money on me?"

Mike wondered what he should do. He had been thinking of buying her a small gift anyway, something that she might appreciate and that hopefully would help open the door of her heart to him. He had been wondering what she might want and would enjoy. Well, there was not much doubt in this store; she desperately wanted the dress. He decided to take a chance:

"Ruthie...I mean...If you'd really like that dress, I could get it for you...you know...if it's something that you'd think you want to wear."

Ruthie nervously looked at her classmate. Had it been any other item of clothing, she would have felt embarrassed at the thought of having a guy she had only known for a week pay for something she was going to wear. However the dress was different. She had never seen a piece of clothing like that and probably never would again. If she turned down his offer, she knew that she would be fantasizing about wearing the dress and end up totally frustrated. She took a deep breath.

"I...I mean...you'd actually wanna do that? You wouldn't mind?"

"No, of course I wouldn't mind. It's not expensive and you like it, so why not? It does look good on you."

She surprised him by hugging him. Then she returned to the dressing room, not to change, but to grab her other clothes. Mike's heart jumped in his throat when he realized that she was dead serious about wearing that dress out on the street.

When they had dinner, Mike could tell that the hostess had doubts about seating them because of Ruthie's lack of attire, but in the end the customer was not breaking any rules or laws, so there was no justification to deny her a table. Mike did notice that they were seated in a booth near the back wall and out of view of the main dining area. Ruthie was oblivious to the restaurant worker's discomfort.

Dinner was a strange experience for Mike, because Ruthie wanted to talk some more about geological deposits and the subduction zone off the Pacific coast that caused the San Andreas fault. She mentioned that there was a volcano that had been formed and later split in half by the fault and that the two separated pieces now were miles apart.

"There's some neat hiking trails and a park on one of the halves. It's south of Salinas."

Mike promised to take her hiking there, but his mind was more focused on her attractive figure and almost naked body. Whenever she leaned forward the cloth of her new dress parted, allowing him to see her breasts. He became very uncomfortable throughout the meal because looking at her gave him an erection. He badly wanted her, much more than he had wanted anything for a long time.

---------- It was well after dark when they finally got back to the university. As much as they didn't want to part ways, they had to because both had term papers due the following week and Ruthie had a mid-term on Monday. He accompanied her to her dorm room. Fortunately the light was not turned on, which meant that Shannon must have already gone out for the night and Ruthie would have the room to herself.

Saying goodnight was awkward, because they had not determined what they were actually doing with their relationship. Were they just friends? Were they going out? Was there any romance? Mike noticed that Ruthie was fidgeting again, so he decided not to push the issue of trying to kiss her. There would be plenty of time for that later. Instead he hugged her, enjoying the touch of the smooth skin of her bare back as he held her.

"I really had a great time with you today. I...was kinda wondering...what you're doing tomorrow night...you know...for dinner?"

"The usual...Watson hall..."

"Well...if you'd like...would you want to meet up with me?"

Ruthie nodded.

"Five-thirty...here at the front door?"

She nodded again.

As he turned to leave, she added:

"Mike...I...you know...I wanted to tell you...I...I really enjoyed my day with you."

She blushed furiously and fidgeted. Mike reached out and took her hand.

"Me too. It was the best time I've had...all semester...I liked it..."

He gently squeezed her hand and with that their first day together came to an end.