Key to Her Heart?

"How'd it go?" she asked as we videochatted that evening.

"A little prick you barely feel and then you have to sit there for fifteen minutes in case you have a reaction."

"But how do you feel now? Any illness, side effects, anything out of the ordinary?"

"Wait, is this my girlfriend asking, my attorney, or a potential vaccinee?"

"Oh, silly. I checked and they're telling us that it will probably be April or maybe even May before regular students without any high risk factors are eligible."

"You need to tell them you are at high risk, high risk of your boyfriend going bonkers waiting for you to be vaccinated."

Etta laughed. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I'm hearing that from lots of my female friends. In fact, so much so that I'm already predicting a condom shortage in May when all the students who want it are vaccinated."

I laughed at the thought but the way she cocked her head and raised an eyebrow made me suspect she was serious. Not taking any chances, I bought a box the next time I went to the store and stashed it away just in case.

***

Between the weather, our classes, Etta's work, and our wait for her to be vaccinated, the winter of 2021 was a tough time.

We'd grown so close over the past six months or so and I was thinking of her all the time. One night we were sharing glasses of wine with Etta studying on her side of her living room and me studying in the chair on the other side when we looked up at each other at the exact same moment and looked deep into the eyes and the soul of the other. I'd been feeling it for the longest time but had been biting it back each time, but this time, it overcame my inhibition. In a moment of brilliance or maybe madness—I wasn't sure which—I blurted out, calmly and quite sincerely, but blurted none-the-less, "Etta, I love you."

Her eyes focused on mine, she tucked the marker in her book and stared at me as if I'd told her it was cold outside during the winter or maybe asked her the time while she stood next to a clock.

"Kyle Pierce, if you haven't already figured it out, I love you, too, more than anything in the world, and I'd actually enjoy nothing more right now than taking you in my arms and holding you for hours...okay, maybe make that strip your clothes off right here, right now, and fuck you silly...to prove it. Unfortunately, I'm not vaccinated at all and you're vaccinated with a vaccine that may not be any more effective at preventing the damn virus than, as my granddad used to say on the ranch, piss in a bucket."

I laughed at her unexpected comment, giving her just the reaction I'm fairly confident she was seeking, but she held up her hand before I could reply.

"Kyle, I guess what I'm saying is that while we love each other—and I'm so glad to hear you say it, even if you shouldn't have—it's too hard to focus on it right now, it makes things too complicated. We need to put that genie back in the bottle—"

"Like Mary and her young man?" I interrupted, a bit disappointed she was seeing it like this. "Etta, they were in the middle of a fucking war and a pandemic that, I'm sorry, makes this one look like child's play. As of last month, they're estimating that 2.2 million people have died worldwide, but Dr. Belhoff says they lost somewhere between 17.4 million people by one estimate and up to 50 million by another in the Spanish flu epidemic during that time. Now get this, the world's population was only about a quarter of what it is now. So while this pandemic is damned inconvenient, no, I'm not going to take it back or put it off or anything else. I love you and that's that."

Okay, I'll admit that what she'd suggested upset me and maybe I'd come off a little more intense than intended, but Etta was smiling at me when I finished.

"Good. That's how I feel, too, Kyle, but I wanted to be absolutely sure we're on the same page before I suggested this." She took a breath as if to fortify herself. "Now, I love you and you love me, that much is sure, so we're going to try something new, okay?"

Being an idiot and at a complete loss for words, I expressed myself with great flair. "Huh?"

She laughed at my rudimentary eloquence and said, "We're going to take turns. I'll tell you something I love about you and then I'll take off a piece of clothing. Then you'll do the same for me and take off something."

Well that wasn't what I was expecting at all. I shook my head. "Etta, I do, I really love you, but we can't risk something like this. It might be safe for me, maybe, but might not be for you and I can't put you at risk like that."

"Kyle, that's so sweet and I really appreciate it...but we only put each other at risk if we violate social distancing. I'm going to grit my teeth and control myself right here, you'll do the same right there, and we're going to help each other, okay?"

Kevin always teases me about looking like a dork when I get serious and start biting my lower lip, but that's what I caught myself doing. And now, Etta was talking about me looking even goofier, stripping naked in front of her where we couldn't do anything other than look?

She took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. "We can do this, Kyle. Trust me, okay?"

I nodded, willing to do most anything for her, even if it did make me look stupid.

"Ready?"

My nerves were on edge but I gave another slow nod in response to her question. "Ready. Ladies first?"

She smiled, a hint of shyness visible on her face for the first time, before giving a nod of her own. "Kyle Pierce, you are a good, sweet man, who always sees the positive, even when there's so much negative around us. I love that about you."

She was sitting on the couch in sweatpants and her law school sweatshirt so I must admit to looking forward to seeing her peel that shirt off, but the flip-flop hitting the floor in front of her startled me. She grinned and said, "Your turn."

Looking down, I quickly discovered a problem, calculating that I'd be completely naked in three moves—t-shirt, pants, and boxer briefs—whereas she had on at least two or three more items than me, assuming each flip-flop counted as one item. I'd even taken off my shoes and socks on arriving—

A questioning look brought me back into our little game and made me realize that, though I'd be naked first, she would be too shortly thereafter, making me much more interested in proceeding.

"Etta Wicklow, I was hurting when you came into my life. My mother had passed away just a short time earlier and we were trapped in COVID hell, barely getting out of the house and not seeing anyone. Then you swept in and gave me a smile—no, that's not it. See, you could have passed by me with just that smile, taken care of your business with my dad, and been gone, maybe even giving me another smile on the way out, but you seemed to see my pain and you spent a few minutes with me, just talking to me and connecting with me when I really needed it. It wasn't love then or anything like that. It was just kindness in your heart. And I love that about you."

I think there was a hint of tears in her eyes as she smiled at me before I stripped off my t-shirt. We'd talked about going to the pool toward the end of the summer after I'd moved into my apartment, but, in a supposed "abundance of caution" versus the virus, the management of both of our complexes had closed their pools. That meant this was the first time she'd seen me without a shirt, so her smile was the first thing I saw when it cleared my head, leading to a smile of my own.

"Ummmmh," she moaned. "I love your abs!"

She didn't drop the other flip-flop so I waved my index finger toward it.

"No! That's not my turn!"

I was laughing as I said, "Uh huh! Lose something!"

She joined me in laughing before surprising me and peeling off her sweatshirt to reveal one of my med school t-shirts below it. She gave a quick shake of her head, allowing her blonde curls to fall back into place. "Your turn."

"Things have been hard over the past year...COVID, my mom, being alone so much of the time...but you've been there, always with a cheerful smile to brighten my day...and my heart. I love that about you, too."

"Oh, Kyle," she said, leaning over against the arm of the couch to prop herself. Her elbows on the arm, she set her cheek on the backs of her hands and looked at me with love and tenderness in her eyes...and that smile.

I looked back at her, hoping I was reflecting some of what she was sending my way without looking too goofy (thanks, Kevin!). She spoke a few seconds later. "Forgetting something?"

"Oh!" I had, so I reached down and undid my belt buckle. I'd completely forgotten about it when calculating my upcoming moves. Pulling it out, I dropped it on the floor atop my t-shirt. "Your turn."

There was a little pout before the smile returned. "I love your dedication, to your studies and to me. I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, particularly not one younger than me, but you've proven yourself over and over again...and I love that about you."

Her other flip-flop hit the floor, causing us both to laugh. "Sir, you have the floor."

I complimented her disposition and the way she sent me texts to brighten the day before standing up and undoing my pants. Sliding the zipper down, I started to push the pants down before pulling them back up a bit and sliding the zip up to the top.

"Hey, somebody's been watching too many porn videos," she said, causing me to laugh.

"And just how do you know that?"

Her face reddened a bit. "Well, sometimes a girl's got needs."

Filing that away like so much before, I flipped around and dropped my pants, exposing the back of my boxer briefs as I bent down, stepped out of the pants, and tossed them on my pile. She gave a wolf whistle and laughed when I turned toward her with a frown and dropped back into my recliner.

"Okay, time out. I thought girls hated that."

"Guys whistling at us? Oh, we do. We're ladies, not dogs, so don't ever do it unless you're with someone you know and respect and you're both being silly. Not just one, both. That's critical...or...maybe unless your hot boyfriend just showed you his ass for the first time." She was giggling as she took another sip of her wine. "I love that."

That was on purpose, I knew, and she stood up in front of her chair and spent the next two minutes dancing in front of me as she did a real striptease getting out of her pants. Down and up and over again, she was getting me hotter and more bothered by the second. When they finally went all the way down, my t-shirt that she was wearing fell down to cover her almost like a dress and she kicked those sweatpants over to the side.

This time she bit her lip, probably noticing the problem I was experiencing in my boxer briefs. "Ahem, Etta, I think I need a little time?"

"No you don't," she replied with a grin. "Now would be perfect."

"Okay...here goes...Etta, you're so beautiful...and you're hotter than hell! I love both parts of that about you."

She was smiling and clapping lightly as I stood up, my penis at full salute. "Take...it...off" she chanted, barely audibly, as if she was a patron at some male strip joint, so I started to turn away to drop my drawers but she shook her head and said, "Please?"

Exhaling, I looked up at the ceiling and let them fall away.

"Mmmmm," she sighed. "Kyle, this is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

"What? My dick?"

She giggled uncontrollably before saying, "No, silly! Staying on my side of the room when you're over there. Especially with that gun you're packing. I love that, too."

My t-shirt she was wearing came sailing across at me; I caught it and dropped it in my stack. She was wearing a green bra and matching panties that seemed to go with her eyes. "And Kyle, I love that you took the risk to do this with me even though you were obviously so uncomfortable about it at first."

She stood up and turned away from me to undo her bra strap before turning back toward me and, in what looked like slow motion, pulled it away to reveal her breasts. They were perfect, probably a C or may a D I guessed, with pretty pink areolae about the size of a half dollar coin topped with nice firm nipples that pointed up. In a moment of hesitation or perhaps embarrassment at my stare, she covered them with her arms for a moment before pulling away, exposing them once more.

"So beautiful, Etta," I breathed. "I think I need superglue to keep me in this chair to keep from rushing over to sample them."

"I see that," she laughed, looking at my straining dick sticking straight up. "But no violating the neutral zone," she added, appealing to my Star Trek nerdiness.

"But Kyle, most of all, I'm so glad that you love me and that I can love you back, whatever the situation, and that we can find ways to enjoy each other's company and have fun together. I love you."

She'd played with removing her sweatpants and had teased again with her bra, but this time, she turned away, dropping her panties in one smooth motion, following them all the way down with her fingers to reveal a nice round ass and her smooth peach between the tops of her thighs.

I gasped and wished but held my seat.

Straightening up, she turned toward me, revealing a little triangle of blonde hair on her mound. I was surprised when she continued on around, displaying herself completely nude to me. When she'd finished, she sat back down in her corner of the couch, sitting cross-legged, her crossed feet leaving her triangle visible but just blocking the view of her treasure below..

"Etta, you are absolutely gorgeous," I breathed, "and I can't even see everything."

She was smiling as she looked at my face but when I said that, her eyes dropped down where she had a good hard look at my dick, making it appear as if she wanted it every bit as much as I wanted her.

"That's not fair, is it?" she asked, looking back into my eyes once more. "We need this to be...equitable."

I chuckled at her deliberate legalese but my mouth dropped open a moment later when she uncrossed her legs, opened them wide, and propped her feet up practically under her butt.

"Holy fuck!" I stammered, not even realizing what I said until she giggled.

"Better?"

In this position, her pussy was fully exposed, her delicate petals opening up slightly to reveal her pinkness within. It was the best view ever, but it was too much.

"Etta, please, close your legs. I can't do this," I gasped. "It's too much. I've...I've gotta go."

"No you don't, Kyle."

She slid her fingers down, running them lightly over her sex before digging in just a bit and opening herself up, showing her depths.

"Kyle, put your hand on your cock and show me a nice, slow pump. I want to see you do it as you watch me. We can't be together physically, not yet anyway, but that doesn't mean we can't be close enough to enjoy each other masturbating together, like you're doing me and I'm doing it for you."

My dick, as hard as it had ever been, felt as if it was on fire as I wrapped my palm and fingers around it. I did as Etta said, a really slow pump, down all the way and then back up, so slow and steady, the only way I could be sure I wouldn't come right away. I rocked back in my chair, getting very comfortable and almost matching her position but with my feet bracing myself on the floor.

She was watching me do it, but her hands were now working herself, two fingers from her left hand keeping her gaped open a bit and those on her right hand doing steady circles, dipping into her slit and then up to circle her clit. Around and around she went, her breathing soon getting shallower but faster and my pumping speed increasing a bit to mirror hers. Properly wet, her left hand slid away, grasping her breast and nipple instead, squeezing her boob, twisting her areola, pinching her pink raspberry, all while continuing to circle her clit. She was getting faster and faster, moaning all the while, occasionally switching it up to slide her inner labia between her fingers a few times before back to her pleasure button. Two fingers from her left hand slid inside—oh, how I envied them—working her g-spot as she continued rubbing her clitoris.

"Come with me, Kyle, please, come with me!"

I'd gotten faster, too, to match her, and I already felt myself rising to meet her call. She cried out as she came, her eyes squeezed shut and her legs clamping about her hand, but I was still a little behind her despite being so turned on by the beauty of her self-session.

It hit then and I groaned, trying to hold it back for another second or three, but it was too much and the rush overtook me, my seed spraying out as if from a hose, the first shooting up to hit my chest and then several more hitting my stomach.

Having apparently understood the meaning of my groan, Etta's mouth was wide as she watched my own display. When the last few dribbles were at an end, I milked my tube a few times and then realized she was smiling at me.

"Holy fuck is right!" she said. "Think we can do that again sometime?"

***

Etta wouldn't agree to do it by video ("Doctor, lawyer, and ethics boards," she explained when I asked. "No photos!"), but we continued enjoying an in-person session once a week or so until she received her second dose of the vaccine in early April. The next two weeks were even worse as we waited for the all clear.

***

We figured we'd had well over fifty dates by that point, but this was the first where I came to her apartment, knocked on her door, shared a really sweet (and sexy) kiss, and then went to an honest-to-God sit-down restaurant to eat dinner while sharing the same rather intimate corner of the same table. I don't remember ever kissing like that in public before, but after all we'd been through, neither of us cared if someone saw or even if they objected.

No one did.

When we returned to Etta's apartment, there was more kissing, hot and breathless, and I felt as if I would explode if we didn't hit the bedroom for what we'd wanted but been denied for so long. Etta, though, wasn't having it.

"Kyle, did you know we only have one last entry in Mary's journal? Let's read it, okay?"

"Etta—"

"Please?"

I nodded, figuring that this might slow me down a bit when we actually made it to her bedroom.

***

The last entry was from November 1919 and it brought Mary's tale to a happy close. I was happy for her but sad in a way that we'd finished it, like Scheherazade when she announced after a thousand tales and a thousand and one nights that there were no more. She, assuming she was a real person instead of just a character, must have felt so nervous at that statement, wondering if the time she'd spent with the king had truly been enough for him to want her even if she had no more stories to spin.

Months earlier, I would have felt that way with Etta, but now, I knew I loved her and, unless she was the best and cruelest actress in the world, I knew she felt the same for me.

The tears in Etta's eyes were happiness when she looked at me after reading that last page and laughed aloud, "Your great grandmother was an absolute hoot!"

"Great-great grandmother," I chuckled. "She was Mom's great—"

"Details, Kyle? Just shut up and kiss me, silly."

Okay, maybe she was right, I realized as her tongue probed my lips and brushed my own tongue. Maybe the details weren't exactly critical at the moment. Maybe the exact details rarely are to those who aren't there. Maybe it's the journey that gets one to some point that's truly important.

Part of that journey, in our case, was spending time together through a common interest and getting to know each other better over these past few months while we shared Grandma Mary's story—whatever the number of greats. I was a little younger than Etta—okay, twenty-seven months younger, actually—but while I'd never dated an older woman, I knew that I'd found in her what I'd been seeking and she seemed to feel the same way about me.