Bouncing Back Ch. 02

*Hello all. Thanks to all who have read, voted, and commented on the first chapter of Bouncing Back. I appreciate the feedback and hope people like the new part!*

Barney's was not a bar, but it wasn't quite a coffee shop. It looked like a bar, and served not great coffee. But it was cheap, and the management didn't mind if you hung out for hours as long as you ordered a few cups. It made it easy to study, to hang out, or to ogle a new friend in a dark corner as she teased me. They did have food, which made it (somehow) between bar food and cafe food. Their one saving grace was that whoever was making the food knew how to make a soft pretzel. A really good one.

The latter was currently pulling on the front of her tight t-shirt, exposing more of her cleavage and bra to me as I tried to talk to her. She grinned when I misspoke, or got distracted, but let me off easy most of the night. We did talk, even in the din, about our classes, and our home life. We danced around relationship discussions, and I think both of us were afraid the other was still in a relationship. Neither of us were, but I knew I wondered how she was not already with someone else. As we sat, we ordered more coffee, and I felt myself beginning to become used to the smile on her face as she listened to me. She told me amazing stories about her family, and her trips at the lake (describing her favorite bikini in a bit too much detail, including the time the water was too cold). Not all of them were laced with innuendo, but I definitely remembered those.

We were interrupted by a waitress asking if we wanted food. As we glanced at our phones, both our eyes went wide.

"I guess it is dinner time," Carmen told me, her brown eyes still wide with surprise.

"It looks like it." Somehow we'd lost track of three hours. We ordered a couple of sandwiches, and ate in relative silence. It seemed our earlier activities had left us very hungry. I couldn't help but grin a few times as I thought back to seeing them for the first time, her aggressive teases turning into a sneaky reveal. I found myself wishing I were a better artist, as visualizing the moment had come easily in that case.

"Are we eating here? You seem lost in some soft, pillowy clouds, Mark," Carmen's voice pulled me right out of the memory. The waitress was giving me a baleful stare, but Carmen was fighting back a laugh.

"Uh, yeah." Carmen nodded sagely.

"Spoken totally like someone who wasn't caught staring at my boobs," Carmen said, and another flush went through my face. The waitress continued to glare at me, narrowing my eyes, but I saw her eyes flicker to Carmen's soft, smooth flesh, highlighted slightly as she pushed them into the table. We both ordered, and I made sure to grab a pretzel. "Oh, cool. Are the pretzels good?"

"They really are," I said, glancing at Carmen's brown eyes. I found myself staring at them the entire night.

"He's right. Hottest item in the place, night in and night out," the waitress said. I did glance at her. She was older than we were, but my guess was still a student. Maybe even a graduate student. I looked back at Carmen and thought I whispered what I said next.

"Not tonight it, isn't." The waitress didn't hear me, but Carmen did. Her eyes caught mine and I swear for the first time I saw her blush.

"We'll take two," Carmen announced, looking up at the waitress. This time she gave her chest a little shake. The waitress's eyes locked onto Carmen's cleavage, and Carmen let her breasts shake and wobble. The waitress stood obviously longer than she should have before saying "Sounds great. If you need anything else, uh, let me know." Then she was gone.

Carmen looked over to me and smiled. "You're not the only one," she whispered. I tried to defend myself, and she shook her head. "One, I was doing it to get you going," she said. "You're doing so much better than most guys I know, and certainly any I've dated. Strong start, Mark." She leaned back a bit, and I saw her tits fall slightly off the table. Carmen couldn't hold back a giggle. "Even that?" she asked, letting a laugh bubble up. "Two," she continued. "I get more stares from girls than guys. She was doing that women solidarity thing in glaring at you, and I love it. But she made you feel bad."

"Well, you did point it out," I offered. Carmen laughed.

"Yeah, she totally noticed you looking, dude. Nice try." I laughed and saw her hand drift onto the table. I grabbed it and we both took a deep breath.

"That shouldn't be as... stimulating as it is," Carmen said. I nodded.

"I know what you mean," I told her. She reached back with her other hand and pulled her long hair behind her right ear.

"About this afternoon," she began. I looked worried, but let her continue, in no small part because I didn't want to make things worse. "I'm not normally that intensely.. into someone. I've never sort of skipped the dating step. No random hookups or anything like that. And.. I kinda... well, I wanted to make sure you knew that I'm not normally like that." I nodded.

"I know what you mean," I told her, trying to be assuring. I felt her grip me tighter. "I've never felt anything like it..."

"I do give a mean blowjob," she said, laughing. She pulled her hair back again. I smiled.

"You do, but I meant just being with you. Never that fast, and not that intense." Carmen nodded. I saw a bit of worry in her face, I couldn't place how, but her body was just screaming concern or worry, maybe even fear. It's hard to read the face of someone you met that day, no matter how intense things get.

"I hope you're okay if I slow things down a bit?" Carmen asked. I could tell that she knew it was a big ask. "I mean, I think we're good together, but I really don't know you. I just feel like I do. And I don't regret a thing from earlier, but I wanted to let you know that it surprised me a bit, that's all. And I'd like to actually go on another date, rather than becoming a booty call." I gripped her hand and took a deep breath.

"I get it. I'm really okay with it, too. We'll slow it down. I hope you'll let me walk you home?" Carmen nodded. "Good," I said. "And I hope you know that if I ever go too far, do too much... you can let me know." She smiled.

"I really don't think that will be the problem, unless you've got some twisted, perverted fantasies in that pleasantly shaped head of yours." I kind of glanced away, and Carmen grinned. "Oh, those are going to be fun to unlock," she said. She leaned back suddenly, shaking her head. I too, had felt the energy surge between us again. "But not tonight," she said. I agreed, letting my hand rest atop hers. The waitress appeared with our food, including two piping hot, golden brown, doughy piles of bliss. We thanked the waitress, who left without much comment, and we both enjoyed the soft pretzel, crunchy and almost burning salt, and a bit of some mustard.

We had both devoured them in a few minutes. "Carb-loading?" Carmen asked, licking her fingers clean of the oil and salt. "I like it. Keep the energy level up." I groaned a bit as she teased me, but let my eyes watch her enjoy the pretzel. "Damn. I love a good pretzel. Of all the places," she said.

"I know, right," I said. "Those were always my weaknesses at the mall or the fair." Carmen nodded. We talked about pretzels, that turned into fair conversations and stories. I learned she had a little sister and an older brother, that her parents were amicably divorced in the same city, and that she lived with a roommate in an apartment off campus. She talked about my two younger sisters, twins born as a surprise to my mom and dad, who were pretty happily married in my hometown.

"We're sorry guys," a new waiter stepped up. He was about my height, slim, and looked like he had seen and done it all when it came to kicking hangers on out of a coffee shop. He also looked like he didn't get paid enough to care about any excuses we made. I paid the bill and left a generous tip. He thanked us without smiling, and we stepped out into the night air.

As it was still summer, it was pleasant, and I asked again to walk her home.

"Girls like me don't go for the nice guys," she said. She slipped her arm into mine and we walked home.

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"Definitely. I was really hoping you'd just grunt when I asked questions, and look at my tits all night." I chuckled. "In basketball, shooting 50 percent is pretty good you know," she added. I looked at her with a disbelieving stare, and saw her face tighten into a grin and smile full of mischief. I pulled my arm out of hers and wrapped it around her shoulder. I felt a sigh, and she pulled into me. It was one of the most comforting things I had ever felt.

As we walked, we stayed pretty quiet. "So what deep, dark secret am I going to need to know to tell you we can't be together?" she asked suddenly. Her eyes found mine and I looked at her.

"I play Dungeons and Dragons," I offered. She laughed.

"You are a dork, not a dick," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I can live with that." She sighed. "Are you seeing someone?"

"You, I hope." I said.

"You cannot be that thick," she said, her voice flat this time. "Do you currently have a girlfriend? Friend with benefits? Blowjob buddy? Anal ally? Genital general?" I started laughing, and she joined in. "I was way too proud of the last one to let it go," she offered apologetically.

"My girlfriend and I broke up three weeks ago after I murdered her family at her request," I said. Carmen's eyes went wide and I rolled mine. She punched me in the shoulder.

"Fucker." There was a slight pause. "So no one else?" I nodded.

"No one else. You?" Carmen raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think I would have jumped all over you earlier if I'd been getting laid?" she asked. "You're cute, but damn."

"You think I'm cute?" I asked, grinning. She rolled her eyes.

"I have standards. You just made the cut." She couldn't keep from giggling so I leaned in and kissed her. I felt a soft moan as I held her, and too quickly we both pulled away.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" She looked at me for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I'm betting you will. I think it will tell you a lot about how I feel in the morning, too. I hope it's okay that I'm not sure." I reached for her hand.

"It's more than okay. I have no idea how this is going to go either. But I'm really enjoying it right now." Carmen grinned and leaned in again for a small kiss.

"Me, too." We walked quietly for the next ten minutes, and made it to the front of her dorm room lobby entrance.

"I'm going to say goodnight here," she told me. "My roommate is in our room anyway, and while I'm sure you're going to dream about us both tonight, I want to be sure I draw a boundary somewhere. But I also want to tell you that I had an amazing time with you all day, and I'm really looking forward to spending more time with you." I kissed her again, this time pulling her into me. Carmen's body felt like it melted into mine, warm, soft, and sweet smelling. When we pulled away, we were staring at each other. "That's why we stayed outside," she said. "Good night, Mark." I nodded back to her.

"Goodnight, Carmen."

My trek back to my own room was impossible to remember. I'm sure people had to avoid me, because I wasn't paying any attention to them at all. I was thinking of Carmen, and while the scene in my dorm room had been hot, I was also remembering her stories, and her wicked (sometimes cutting) sense of humor. When I closed the door, I felt the cloth on the doorknob and grinned.

She'd been without them the whole night, and neither of us had said a word. I fell asleep for the first time in a long time with a smile on my face.

My clock said 5:00 and I wondered why I was up. I decided it was early enough for a run, and went to the track to run the mile I'd decided on. The humidity had made me sweat, so when I got to my room I showered. I ended up studying until the cafeteria opened and trucked over there to get some food.

Despite a late dinner, I was hungry, so I filled my plate with some eggs and bacon. I grabbed some fruit on my way to the table and saw a gorgeous brunette sitting there with a bowl. Her head craned around for a moment, and I took it in. It felt arrogant to assume she was looking for me, but I also knew my step had a bit more bounce as I sat down.

"Hey," I said. Carmen's eyes lit up. "I hope this is okay?" I asked. Carmen nodded. She had pulled a sweater on, but it was thinner, and I realized there was only a bra on underneath. The knit fabric, a lighter blue, stretched slightly between her breasts, and I saw brief flashes of skin. She was wearing jeans and a nice looking pair of sneakers. She glanced up at me as I sat down and furrowed her brow.

"You look clean. Did you not run this morning?" she asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I was up early. Had time to bathe before I ate this morning. How did you sleep?" Carmen sighed.

"After my roommate's girlfriend left, fine." Seeing the look on my face, she nodded and sighed. "Let's just say Amy's not as quiet as she thinks she is." It took a moment, but as soon as I realized it, Carmen pointed a spoon at me and nodded.

"The college experience," she said. "It's everything I dreamed it would be, on those nights I woke up screaming." She took a bite of the Cinnamon Toast Crunch and looked at my plate.

"Oh, now you eat healthy," she laughed. I grinned back at her and offered her a piece of bacon. She rolled her eyes. "Not the healthiest thing," she noted. I shrugged and ate the piece as we both chatted.

"Had quite the appetite this morning," I offered. She nodded.

"Yesterday, too," she said, and I saw her wink.

"Can I take you out tonight?" I asked suddenly. Carmen, in the middle of slurping up a spoonful of cereal glared at me. She finished chewing and swallowed.

"If you're going to ask a girl out, which I am all for, by the way, do not do it while she is in a position that is going to make her feel unattractive or accidentally spray her potential date with cinnamon sweet milk-paste." She wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Noted."

"Of course I'll go out with you," she said, letting a little smile break the facade. "What were you thinking?"

"I know it's a cliche, but I really like movies. Dinner and a movie?" Carmen nodded.

"Sure. I do need to get back a bit early for a good night's sleep. I've got a chem test tomorrow. First one of the year. Yay." I grinned at her.

"I promise I'll be good," I said, raising my hands.

"You're no fun," she said, putting on a fake pout that was almost immediately interrupted by a laugh.

"Oh. Can I get your number?" I asked. I saw her come to the same realization I had. We'd never exchanged phone numbers. She told it to me, and I texted her mine. I immediately saved the number, and we chatted until about 7:45.

"When do you usually grab lunch?" I asked. She told me, and I looked crestfallen. I had class at that point and told her so.

"Mark, it's just lunch. We'll have dinner tonight," she leaned in to give me a hug and kissed my cheek. "But I feel the same way. I can't believe how much I was looking forward to waking up to see you this morning," she offered. I nodded in agreement.

"Have a good class."

"You too. And check your phone during that class!" she called.

I shrugged as we parted ways. Class was ramping up, which wasn't a surprise. Test dates had been announced, and I had a pop quiz before my afternoon/lunch class. It was a lecture course in science. There was a periodic table on the wall to the left of the professor, and I locked in to take notes. It was not an exciting class for me, so I always found myself taking great notes so I wouldn't fall asleep or fall behind.

About halfway through the class, my phone buzzed. Thankfully I turned the ringer off. I flipped it open and saw a text from Carmen, so whatever we had been learning about atomic mass got thrown to the bottom of my brain's priority list to process.

I opened the text to find "Getting dolled up for our date." And a picture of her holding a towel over her breasts, wet hair behind her and her tongue just touching her bottom lip.

"Looking forward to it," I texted back. I put a fire emoji on.

I waited less than a minute and clicked over. A picture of the towel on the floor. Then, "So am I."

All I sent was a mind-blown emoji, and immediately got back "You are too easy lol."

Class couldn't end fast enough. I went home and studied, and Carmen and I confirmed our time to meet, this time at a burger place off campus. Luckily, I did have a car. Also luckily, I hadn't yet needed a job. An extra scholarship had put a bit more money in my pocket.

I met Carmen in front of her dorm again, and we decided to walk to the car together. I loved spending time with her, and as I caught her eye in the lobby she came out.

She was stunning. Her hair had been teased and curled, and it seemed to bounce around her face. She'd put on just a smidge of makeup, and her dark eyes shone amid what I saw to be some glitter, and a touch of red on her lips. She was also wearing two green-stud earrings. Her smile when she saw me added another layer of joy.

She had changed outfits. Whereas I was wearing a nice long sleeve t-shirt with a light jacket over it, she went all out. She was wearing a similar sweater, but it was gray with almost silver highlights. She'd put on some nice heels, and the jeans she was wearing were form fitting to say the least. I took a deep breath as she came close and kissed me. She was holding a large purse, a silver number that looked great.

"You like your mid-class break?" she teased. I nodded, laughing.

"Yes, I did," I told her. "I remember nothing but that from the class." She laughed.

"We are going to have to work on that," she said as we started walking to my car. I nodded. "It was just a towel," she teased.

"It was a sexy towel. Well, it was hiding something sexy," I corrected. Carmen took a deep breath.

"I'm glad you think so," she said. I felt my arousal lift suddenly, and realized that Carmen and I were both experiencing that same thing.

"Why the sweater?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Well, it's cold in theaters, and I hate being that cold while I watch a movie." We tried to chat about movies as we made it to the car, and when we got in, kept it up. I don't remember much of the conversation, but I learned that Carmen was a fan of horror movies.

We decided to see whatever horror movie was playing as we pulled into the burger place. The tension had dissipated, and part of it was a sense of nervousness. This was more a date than the first, and both of us had some time to distance from the previous day's whirlwind. It didn't hit me until later, but we were both working harder than we had to to impress the other.

Dinner was a quick meal. The one waitress over the eight tables on our side of the restaurant was busy., leaving time for Carmen and I to relax a bit. We mostly complained about class when I remembered.

"I'm so sorry. How was the chem test?" I asked. She smiled and shrugged.

"Okay, I think. Thank you for asking." She seemed genuinely touched. "I know enough to know a couple of questions went bad, but overall, I think I should be all set."

"What is your major?" I asked. She grinned.

"It was going to be Math. Love the subject, and its versatility. But I took an art class, and I think I kinda love that. I'm going to try a few classes and work on some core stuff this year."

"That's so great. What class was it?" Carmen leaned in, smiling as she responded.

"Drawing. The one where the model comes in. They have some guy from the football team. Adonis. And he got nude the second day. It was so hot." I nodded, listening, trying to keep my face from betraying any emotion.