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I eased back in my chair. "I guess this is a thing," I said quietly to break the ice. "It's nice to meet you Rick, I'm ah Jennifer." That sounded sensible enough considering the circumstances.
He sat looking at me for a moment. Not saying a word. I could see his mind working as he thought of what to say in reply. He slowly lent forward until his face was much closer to mine. Though I felt more comfortable in front of him as the seconds passed, my heart was still lolling around inside my rib cage like a demented kangaroo. What he finally said, his first proper words to me, completely took my breath away and I instantly knew I would never forget them until my dying day. "You are without doubt the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."
*
He sat back as I stared at him completely stunned. I'm not sure what I expected him to say but it sure as heck wasn't something so poetic as that. He was blushing slightly and gave an embarrassed shrug. "Sorry," he said. "I just felt I needed you to hear that. That I wanted you to remember the first thing I ever said to you. I ah don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything like that."
He stopped talking and waited.
I wanted to tell him it was okay. That the last thing I was was uncomfortable. I'm not sure how I felt. Somewhere between enraptured and in shock would pretty much cover it. I needed him to know everything would be alright. I sat forward and rested my right hand over his. "I will always, always, remember what you said to me." I lent in closer as we looked at each other. "Thank you, Rick." Just saying his name made me feel giddy.
He laughed. "Hello," he smiled shyly. "I'm Rick Derringer." He reached out his right hand for me to take. "I do English Lit. It's a real pleasure to meet you, Jennifer."
I took his hand and gave it a formal shake. "Hello," I grinned. "I'm Jennifer Hanson. I do English Lit and it really is a pleasure to meet you too, Mr Derringer."
He held my hand for what felt like an age. His thumb was gently stroking my skin and we both savored the warmth and feeling of our touch. He noticed his watch. "Um, I think we're supposed to be doing something right now." He nodded to where the rest of the class were picking out books and using them to take notes. He got up and came up behind me. For a second I thought he was going to rest his hands on my shoulders which made my heart skip a beat. Nothing happened for a moment and I glanced up at him and saw that he was looking down the front of my blouse at the dark shadow between my breasts. He seemed stunned and captivated at the sight. I didn't move. I didn't want to. I just froze. After a second, I heard him take a deep breath then grab the back of my chair so he could pull it out as I got to my feet. We were so close I could hear him breathing. My breasts suddenly felt hot and heavy underneath my blouse and bra. I bit my lower lip as I slipped past him and brushed down my skirt as we tried not to look at each other until we calmed down.
He pushed the chair back and followed me as we began to browse the bookshelves where we shared whispered small talk as we got to know each other.
*
Sally was waiting at the bus stop. It had gone noon and class had broken up and everyone was leaving to do whatever it was they were going to do that Monday afternoon. The day was sunny and warm with students sat in groups on the grass enjoying the fine weather.
"That was fun," she said as I came to stand beside her. "Lucy is a trooper. Once we got going she turned into a right chatterbox. She's smart too. She might come in handy when I hit Shakespeare. How did you get on?" she asked, a knowing twinkle in her eye. She wanted ALL the juicy details.
A swirl of wind whistled between us making my hair whip around my face and I reached up to pull it away as I turned back to look at the college entrance. "I've got a date."
Sally blinked and stopped chewing her gum. "A what?"
"A date."
"With who?"
I glanced at her feeling a little awkward. I shrugged.
"Oh my God!" she gasped. "That missed first two lessons guy? Really? The one that sits behind us?"
I nodded and stared at my shoes.
"But you've only just met!" she gawped.
"His name is Rick."
"He could be called Tarzan for all I care." She rubbed the side of her cheek thinking and musing over my little revelation. "Look, I know I don't know this Rick guy, but he doesn't come across as the type to light your fire. He hardly says much in class. I guess he looks okay. Geez, I'd never imagined you'd go for the quiet silent type in a million years. I'm amazed he had the balls to ask you out."
"He didn't." I said softly, looking away into the far distance.
"What?"
I pinched the end of my nose and stuck out my lower lip. "I asked him out."
I can honestly say my best friend has never looked so gobsmacked in all the years I've known her as she stood there looking at me with a face like a goldfish.
*
The bus ride home gave me time to collect my thoughts. Staring out of the window as it made its way through country lanes, my mind was a whirl of thoughts and emotions as I considered everything that had happened. All I could think of was him. I could see him right now, right in front of me, as I day dreamed about our conversation in the library. He was quiet. Reserved and a bit shy. "Old fashioned." he had called himself. "Takes after his mother." he explained. The Derringer family comprised of his widowed mother, himself and two younger sisters of fourteen and nine. He had a decent paying job working four evenings a week in a data centre as an admin assistant which supplemented the family budget as his mother only had a part time job and it helped to buy things for his sisters. Liked the outdoors, long walks, going to the cinema, quiet pubs and loved to read anything he could lay his hands on.
"Pretty boring I guess." he had said looking at me a bit sheepishly.
I had shaken my head and rested a hand on his arm. "No, no of course not . You come across as someone who is kind and thoughtful. I admire that."
The bus bounced over a bump in the road and jolted me out of my reverie and it took a moment to slip back into the memory. The noon bell had gone and as we were all gathering our books, bags and coats, I could see him glancing at me when he thought my attention was elsewhere and he seemed to be trying to gather enough courage to say something before we went our separate ways for the weekend. I felt my stomach take a funny turn and my heart began to beat faster. Oh heck. Was he going to ask me out? Right now? Here in the library in front of everyone?
But he was hesitating and I realized I wanted nothing more than for him to come over to me and ask me for a date. He had slipped on his leather coat and picked up his back pack looking frustrated with himself. It was then I decided I had to do what I had to do to get what I wanted. So I walked through the other students milling around saying their goodbyes and went to stand behind him as he stood waiting not sure whether to stay or go.
"Rick," I whispered as he turned to face me looking surprised. "Are you free this weekend? Maybe Saturday? I'd really like to go out with you. If that's what you want."
The bus was nearing home and I smiled at my reflection in the glass as I remembered the look on his face.
*
Part 2.
It was Saturday afternoon and I was back scrabbling in my wardrobe with my mom standing outside watching me.
"A date?" she asked, surprised. I could tell she was slightly concerned with this sudden change in our routine.
I came out grasping a black sparkly top and black pleated skirt. "Do you think I should wear tights?" I asked as I slipped out of my top and jeans. "Or stockings?" I was already wearing black underwear. I gave a little squeal of impatience. Nope. No tights or stockings. Go bare. Bare is good.
Mom didn't say anything and just raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, uhuh," I said, trying to explain. "A boy I met yesterday at college. We um did an assignment together. He's nice. It's no big deal. He um asked me out and I said yes. I'm meeting him next to the tube and bus interchange and we're just going to hang out in the city. Do a bit of shopping and stuff."
"He likes to shop?" laughed mom. "He sounds a keeper. What's his name?"
I finished dressing and turned so that mom could sort out my hair. "Rick. Rick Derringer."
Mom seemed impressed. "Hmmmmm, that's quite the moniker. Is he cute?"
"Mooooooooooooom!" I sighed and she laughed.
"What time you meeting him?" she asked.
"In a couple of hours or so. Twoish. Sorry for the short notice. Can I get a ride?"
Mom was still drawing the heavy brush through my hair. "Oh, I was always going to drive you there, sweetie." She put the brush on my dresser and pulled my hair back so she could tie a ribbon around it.
I bounced forward and did a twirl in front of her. "How do I look? What do you think?"
Mom looked me up and down. "I think this Rick Derringer is a very lucky boy."
*
He was already waiting for me as mom pulled up to the curb. I turned to her and gave her a stern "stay in the car!" look. She just laughed as she undid her seat belt and opened the door. "Mom," I hissed. "MOM!" Too late. Dammit! I grabbed my small bag and scrambled to get out of the car before standing for a second to smooth everything down before slipping the strap over my shoulder.
Rick was sat on the top step of the stairway leading into the bus concourse. He stood up when he saw our car pull up and raised a hand when we both got out. Mom give him a wave and lent towards me. "Handsome," she grinned. "Pick you up at five okay?"
"Five!" I called over my shoulder as I was already half way up the steps. I stopped and waited until mom pulled away giving her a quick wave. Then, feeling suddenly awkward, I turned to face my date. He seemed frozen to the spot and didn't say anything but just gawped at me as I gathered my wits and went up to meet him. "Hi." I said.
He just nodded and slowly looked me up and down. "Hi." he croaked. "You look.." his voice tailed off as I stood there with my black blouse sparkling in the mid-afternoon sun.
"Maybe we should go some place," I said, breaking the spell between us. "We could go into the Mall and look around."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Wasn't thinking. Sure. Um, after you." He stepped to the side and slipped in beside me as went down the walkway to the shopping centre.
*
An hour or so later and we had pretty much done the tour. A couple of bookshops, chain stores, boutiques, and the big department store that had a huge electronics section where we fiddled around with various mobiles, tablets and typed gibberish onto laptop screens. We chatted about this and that and our obvious nervousness slipped away though I knew that he was still much more reserved and circumspect than I was.
He never touched me once. Always stood respectfully close and I guess he just didn't want to appear too forward. At least I hoped it was that. The mall was packed as usual on a Saturday and as we made our way through the crowds I once again found myself being stared at as people walked by. Some even stopping in their tracks to turn and stare at me before moving on. I glanced at Rick. He had a knowing smile on his face as though he understood what was going on. He suddenly stopped. "Hey, what say we get a bite to eat?" He twisted around and we were so close I could smell the leather of his jacket as he checked his bearings. "Eh, there's a couple of restaurants in that direction as well as some cafes and over there are the cook outs."
"Oh, I'm easy," I replied as I stood on tip toe and shouted in his ear over the noise of the crowds. "Burger, large fries and a coke will do."
"Okay, McDonalds it is." he laughed.
*
"MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm." I breathed as I savored the first bite of my burger and then took a sip of coke through the long straw. Oh my, that was delicious. We were sat on the first floor at a window seat where we could look out at the people milling around below. I absolutely loved watching the world go by whenever I'd come with friends or parents to the big city.
Rick was chewing on a bunch of fries just watching me. "What's it like?" he asked.
"Like?" I mumbled around another mouthful of burger.
He began to unwrap his own meal. "Being the centre of attention. You're like some kind of magnet."
"Oh, that," I muttered, coughing slightly as I took another sip of coke. "It's something I've gotten used to I guess. I mean, I can't do anything about the way I look other than putting a bag over my head or something."
He smiled at that. "Now that would be a crime."
"I take after my Great Grandmother. I look just like her. My Gran has a photo of her and it's really weird to see how much we are alike. It only get's awkward when people have to talk to me. Once they get to know me the staring thing isn't so bad. I just try to be normal and not get stuck up or uptight about it." My voice trailed off as I turned my head to look out of the window.
I could feel him staring and thinking about what I said. He had finished his meal and had both elbows on the table in front of him with his fingers clasped together and his chin resting on the top.
"Tom Thumb." he said suddenly.
I turned back to him puzzled. "Excuse me?"
"Tom Thumb. An old movie from the sixties, I think," He nodded. "You're the fairy from Tom Thumb."
What on earth was he talking about?
"I am?"
He sat back. "I knew you reminded me of someone. It's her. The fairy. Story goes that Tom Thumb has a friend who he has adventures with. A trooper. Who one day goes into the forest and comes across a woodland fairy who disappears in front of him. The next day he goes back and there she is again only this time she doesn't disappear but waits for him sat on a log. They talk and she tell's him all about the fairy folk and how fairies and normal humans shouldn't mix. Over time they fall in love but the only way they can be together is if she gives up her fairy magic. In the end, his love for her wins her over and she becomes normal just like him and they live happily ever after. You're a woodland fairy. That's why people stare at you. You're different. You have the look of the fairy about you."
I sat staring at him when he finished. I was speechless. Everything around us seemed to fade away into a soft haze. It felt like we had gone beyond a simple date into something more important and emotional. I wanted him to know his words had affected me deeply. I could feel how much I wanted to be with him. For me to be his and for him to be mine.
I sat forward with both hands clutched to my chest. I was staring at him more intently than I had ever stared at anyone before and his eyes widened as he sat back.
"Are you my trooper?" I whispered.
On the wall behind him, the clock was telling me it was time to go.
*
Mom was already there parked up and waiting for me.
A light breeze had picked up and the September sun had begun to slip behind the dark silhouettes of the cityscape. I stopped and turned at the top of the steps feeling sad that our date was nearly over.
We still hadn't really touched other than when he used his hand to guide and protect me as we moved through the crowds.
He had his hands in his pockets and was slowly rocking back and forwards on his heels with his thick brown hair ruffling in the breeze. I'd always got the impression that he was kind of holding himself back and not wanting to say too much. For whatever reason I had no idea. Looking down the steps, I could see mom leaning against the side of her car watching us.
"Thanks, I had such a nice time, Rick."
He nodded. "I'm glad. Same here." He had started to blush. "You look absolutely beautiful by the way."
Oh, there was that warm giddy feeling again. Making a decision, I quickly stepped up to him and kissed him lightly on his right cheek and I felt him gasp at my sudden display of emotion.
"See you in class." I said and skipped down the steps leaving him staring at me as I gave mom a hug.
*
The drive home was a mostly silent affair. I was lost in my own thoughts as I stared out of the window. Beside me, mom kept her own thoughts to herself as she concentrated on the road.
"Mom," I asked suddenly.
"Hmmmmm?"
"Do you know about Tom Thumb?"
*
Monday morning class arrived with Sally waiting for me as I got off the bus. She didn't say anything but looked at me brightly. I just nodded at her and walked into college without saying a word. I could tell she was fit to burst.
His chair was empty as we entered class and a flush of disappointment swept over me as I took my seat. I took out my books and flicked through them idly not really in the mood to get started with Shakespeare 101. Sally gave me a sudden nudge and nodded towards the door.
He was here and I felt the warm wave of anticipation wash over me as he walked up the stairs and stopped. He was wearing a blue striped shirt under his leather jacket and a pair of smart black slacks and black shoes. "Hello." he said.
Sally was all ears and chewing on the end of her pen pretending to look the other way. I got to my feet and we stood looking at each other for a moment as a few curious glances turned our way including our teacher who was writing prep on the whiteboard. I suddenly felt the devil in me and the urge to do something naughty so I deliberately moved towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips that surprised not only me, but him, Sally - who's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head, the curious who murmured amongst themselves and Miss Elsender who hid a huge smile behind a book.
"Hello yourself." I said, biting my lip at the look on his face. He stood there looking like someone had slapped him. It was only when he realized the whole class was staring at us did he go and take the seat behind me. I sat down and went back to flipping through the pages of my book as Sally gawped at me in silence to my left.
Oh my. That had been oh so satisfying.
*
Monday became Wednesday that led to Friday.
On Monday, during a mid morning break in class, I had asked him if he'd go out on another date with me. I was still seated but twisted around so I could talk to him. Behind me, I could imagine Sally eagerly taking notes.
He looked surprised. "Um, actually, I was going to ask you out to the movies tonight. It's the only night I've got free due to work. But sure, absolutely."
"Good. Meet at the same place as Saturday about five thirty?"
"Yeah. Okay."
So Monday was cinema date night. We met up, did the movie thing, and this time he gave me a peck on the cheek as we saw mom waiting to take me home. For a second I thought he was going to kiss me on the lips but, well, I figured he chickened out with mom watching. At least we were going in the right direction as he had held my hand as we left the movie theater. He was old fashioned to the point of distraction.
Wednesday began with a knock on the door from the mail man. Mom went to answer it and came back into the kitchen where I was eating breakfast. "For you." she said and handed me a slim package. For me? She sat opposite and sipped her coffee as I gave her a look.
I pulled the package open and "Oh."
"Maybe you should go watch it before class," she smiled. "You've plenty of time."
*
The trooper stood open mouthed as he came upon the woodland fairy. She was dressed in a tight white bodice with short billowy sleeves, a flowing blue and yellow flowered dress and white stockings with black slippers. She had beautiful long curly sandy blonde hair that had a flowery band at the front. The trooper stared at her as she realized someone was watching her. She turned around slowly and their eyes met. She raised a hand to her mouth in fright and disappeared into thin air.
