Maleficent

"How come you know German so well? You a German major?"

"No, I learned the language when I was a kid. My dad was an officer in the army and we were stationed there for three years. He made my sister and me go to German schools. Then in high school I spent a year in a small village outside of Berlin as an exchange student. I made it my mission to learn the language so I studied it every night after school."

"Cool. Will you be able to use it in your job?"

"Probably not. I'm doing computer stuff. Maybe if some company wanted an international presence I could go there. I dunno."

"Well, I certainly appreciate your help. See ya next Thursday."

Over the next two months he enjoyed working with the three of them. They all rapidly improved and reported their grades were significantly better. After the quarter ended, he got a text from Suzanne thanking him for his help. She got a B in her class and didn't need any more tutoring since her language requirement had been met.

Lissa and Jackie asked for another quarter of tutoring and they both came to each session. Travis found he enjoyed working with them. Once he got to know them, he was able to relax and not get so anxious. After some of the sessions Jackie would take off quickly to get to another class but Lissa would hang back, talk with him and even walk with him towards the dorm complex.

-----

On one sunny April afternoon Lissa turned to him and asked if she could buy him an ice cream cone from a little kiosk by the sidewalk. He agreed and she led him to a grassy knoll by a small reflection pond. There were several other students, some wearing bathing suits and bikinis, enjoying the sun. Lissa took him to the far side right next to the water.

"I love listening to the water splashing over the rocks," she sighed. "Reminds me of home when I go hiking in the Rockies."

"Yeah, it's nice. I'd love to go out there sometime for climbing."

"You climb? No wonder your arms look so strong!"

"Yeah, I do most of my work at a climbing gym. But real rock climbing is my passion."

"I don't know too much about it, but I do know there are hundreds of good climbing areas back home. If you ever decide to come out, I could show you around. I'm sure Mom and Dad would be glad to open up my brother's old room, if you wanted to stay."

Suddenly, he was nervous again. He had gotten used to her and was able to ignore her good looks while he was tutoring, but here she had basically invited him to her home. Maybe she liked him! And that thought gave him palpitations.

"Uh, yeah, maybe. That'd be nice, I guess."

"Maybe during summer break you could visit. I'd introduce you to the local climbing club and maybe they'd let you join them." She finished her cone, lay down on the grass and rolled up her shirt to expose her belly to the sun.

Her smooth, flat belly was gorgeous. Travis could barely tear his eyes away so he decided to lie down next to her. He peeled off his own T-shirt before stretching out beside her.

"That's no fair," grumbled Lissa, "You get to strip to the waist and I've gotta keep my top on."

"Yeah, too bad. It is one of the only advantages a guy has."

"What? You guys get all the breaks! You can stand up to pee, get better pay, have more sports opportunities; the list goes on and on."

"But you have one thing guys will never have."

"What's that?"

"Well, there's a biblical explanation. It seems Adam and Eve were made without genitals. One day God came to them and told them they needed genitals. "One of you will get a penis," God said. "With it you can stand up to pee and you get to put it into the other one's new genitals." Adam replied, "Oh, Lord, I want it, give it to me, please, please." And poof, Adam had a penis. The Eve said, "What about me, Lord, what do I get?" And God replied, 'Multiple orgasms'."

"I can't believe you said that," she laughed, "I guess that's one place we have it on guys. You know," she said a few minutes later, "You're a nice guy. How come you don't have a girlfriend?"

"I guess I've got a case of terminal shyness, at least that's what my sister calls it."

"But you're not shy with me."

"Oh, yeah I am. If I wasn't so shy, I'd have already asked you out."

"Really? Maybe you should."

There was a pause in the conversation. Travis' mind was in a turmoil. Here she had basically said she'd like to go out with him but now that she was suddenly a potential dating partner, his nerves took over. And there was Maleficent. He couldn't forget her, either. He failed to say anything when he heard a soft sign next to him.

"So, maybe you don't like me after all," she whispered.

"N0! I do. I really do," he answered as he sat up to face her. And there on the grass was Lissa without a shirt on, wearing a modest bra, but otherwise bare to the waist.

"Oh, uh, excuse me," he stammered as he turned away.

"No, it's OK. Hey, my bikini top is smaller than this. I wanted to get more sun. Come on, it's OK to look."

"Geeze, Lissa, you have no idea how beautiful you are," he said still looking away. "I see someone as pretty as you, well my mind just goes blank."

"You seem to be talking OK now. Look, Travis, I'll come out and tell you something. I like you. You've been a peach of a tutor and my grades are way better. And you're nice. You're not a lecher. And I would like to spend more time with you. What do ya say, huh?"

"Uh, I guess I could do that. But please, I'm not very romantic. I don't know how to act around girls much."

"You're doing OK with me here, today. Just be yourself. Think of any time we get together as any old tutoring session. Just think about it, please. You'll do fine."

"Uh, then there's something else. Or, should I say someone else."

"Yeah? Who?"

"I met someone at a party at Halloween. And I can't forget her."

"So, go after her."

"I don't know who she is! She had her face all made up and I never got her name. But there was something about her that really got to me."

"So, I get it that you're shy. And I get it there was someone, one time, who got your interest. But why does that make you not at least try and smell the roses now?"

"I don't know. She was....she was special, somehow. And unless I find her and get her out of my system, I'll always be comparing any girl to her."

"She must have been something to get you interested and you don't even know her name or what she looks like. I don't know who could compete with that perfect girl in your mind."

"No! No! It's not a competition. I just want to get her out of my mind and to do that, I want to meet her one more time, you know, to see if there was anything there, besides..."

"Besides sex, you mean?"

"There wasn't sex, at least not real sex. You know, we didn't screw or anything."

"Must have done something if she's got this hold on you. Look, I won't embarrass you by asking details. But let me tell you this: You're a nice guy and I, for one, think you should get out there. Go ask someone out. Ask me. Ask Jackie. Ask anyone. But just ask. Test the waters. There's more than one girl for every guy and more than one guy for every girl. Think about it."

"Sure. Oh, and, uh, Lissa, thanks for your pep talk. I'll keep saying it to myself and someday I just may believe it."

"Travis, believe it. Really," she said as she reached over and gave him a tiny hug before pulling on her blouse. She stood and walked off leaving a stunned Travis behind. As she was about to round a bend in the pathway and without looking back, she raised up her hand beside her and gave a tiny little wave.

-----

During the next tutoring session Travis was so nervous he could barely talk. He ended up talking more to Jackie to divert his mind from Lissa. If Lissa was upset about it, she didn't appear to show it. As they wrapped up the two women invited him over to the student union for a cup of coffee. As they went there, he couldn't believe his luck. He walking between two very attractive female students. He wished his mind could settle down and not make him so nervous.

At the union they sat in a booth with Lissa across from him and Jackie at his side. This forced him to look at Lissa more. He kept remembering to smile, talk in full sentences and not talk so much about himself, things his sister had reminded him to do. After the coffees, they drifted down the steps where Lissa told them she needed to go to the library. Jackie walked beside him back towards the dorms.

"She likes you, you know," said Jackie.

"Who?"

"Lissa, of course. She's had her eyes on you this whole time."

"You sure? I mean, we did spend some time by the refection pool the other day and she kinda suggested I should ask her out."

"What more do you need?" she laughed. "A girl says to invite her out? You invite, case closed."

"But I'm pretty shy and uh..."

"Look. I want you to go back to your room and look in the mirror. What you will be seeing is a fine-looking guy. I should know. But what the mirror won't tell you is how nice you are."

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, nice, as in boyfriend-nice. You give out 'good' vibes. You aren't like so many of the guys here who look at girls like they were just meat. You look at Lissa and me like we are people. You don't look down at us because we need a little help in our class."

"Maybe you're right. I dunno."

"Look, I can prove she's into you."

"How?"

"After our next session, I'll fake being busy and leave right away. Then ask her out for a coffee, like we did today. Easy-schmeazy. I bet you she'll jump at the chance."

"Well, that'd be pretty easy."

"And don't be so nervous. Think about her like a guy-friend you might hang out with. Just talk, shoot the shit, be yourself. You'll do fine, I promise."

"OK," he said while puffing out his chest a bit, "I'll do it!"

"Atta boy, I knew you had it in you. She's a nice girl, really. And you'll have fun."

-----

For the next few days Travis tried to force himself not to think about Lissa too much while at the same time trying to psych himself into relaxing and simply inviting her out for a cup of coffee. During the next tutoring session, he was fairly tense until he saw Jackie give him a tiny wink and a smile. He took it as encouragement and tried to relax more.

Before he knew it Jackie suddenly grabbed her book and papers and told them she had to rush off to a meeting in her department.

"Boy, she took off quick, didn't she?" asked Lissa.

"Yeah, I didn't realize the hour was about up. So, any questions on conjugating those verbs?"

"No, I think I got it," she replied as she stuffed her book into her backpack.

"Uh, Lissa, like a cup of coffee with me? Now, I mean?"

"Sure, that'd be sweet, thanks."

"See. Stupid," he thought to himself, "That's all it takes. Now talk to her normally."

At the union they sat across from each other at a tiny two-person table. Their knees bumped into each other's off and on bringing jolts of desire to his brain. Eventually, he realized Lissa was purposefully bumping his knees.

"You're doing that, aren't you?"

"What?" she asked with an air of total innocence.

"Bumping our knees."

"Moi? Whatever are you talking about?" she giggled.

"I moved my legs out of your way and a few minutes later you managed to find them and 'bump' into them again," he laughed.

"I'm so busted," she said while blushing a bit. "So, what are you going to do about it? Punish me?" she teased.

Before he knew it and without forethought, he suddenly blurted out, "You'll have to go out with me to see the dorm movie-of-the-week on Friday."

"Travis," she said with a slight mocking tone, "Are you asking me out?"

"Uh..." he said suddenly getting nervous again.

"You sure? 'Cause if you are, then I accept."

"You do?" his voice squeaked.

"Of course, I do. What's the movie, anyway? Oh, who cares? Let's just go and have a good time."

"Uh, great. Should I meet you there or ...?"

"I'm in Waterton. Room 743. Movie's at seven on Friday. I'll be ready and in the lobby by six thirty."

"Uh, yeah, OK. Uh, see you then?"

"Sure. Well, are you going to escort me back to my room or ditch me here?"

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I'm not very good at this dating thing yet.

"OK. Ahem," he went on, "Lissa, may I escort you back to your abode," he said in a stiff, formal voice.

"Why, Sir, I'd be delighted," she laughed as they got up and headed out the door. The walk to her dorm was fairly quick and she turned and gave him a tiny one-armed hug and reached up to his ear.

"I'm looking forward to this," she whispered. "See you Friday evening."

Travis didn't walk back to his room. He floated. He drifted. Somehow his legs eventually led him to his room where he collapsed on his bed.

"I've got a date, a real, honest-to-gosh date with a hot girl." Then his nerves kicked in. "Maybe I'll screw it up, probably will," he thought. "And what about Maleficent? I still want to meet her but I don't think she'll ever let on who she is." With his mind racing between excitement about Lissa and longing for Maleficent, he grabbed his phone and called his sister.

"Hey, Trav, what do I owe this honor to? You calling me, now that means something big is about to happen."

"Uh, hi, Lori. I do need some help. I've got a date—"

"A date?" she screamed, "My big brother has a date? It's about time. Did someone finally pin you down?"

"No! I asked her, really."

"Well, good, I'm glad. My brother is a nice guy and someone, someday, will be lucky to land him. So, what kinda help do you need?"

"I'm kinda nervous and uh..."

"Look, Trav, I have one big bit of advice. No matter who she is, no matter what she looks like, she's a human female. And females want to be treated like people. Pretend she's a guy you're hanging out with. Talk about normal stuff, don't expect too much and you'll do fine. If she wants more, she'll let you know."

"But there's another problem. I kinda told her I was attracted to another girl."

"You idiot!"

"I know, I know."

"Who's that?"

"A girl I met at Halloween. She was great, but I don't know her name and I don't even know what she looks like. She told me she'd tell me someday with a code word, but otherwise I don't know if I'll ever see her again. And I kinda want to resolve the issue before..."

"Before what? You don't know who she was or what she looks like. Get a life, Bro. Get out there. Take this new chick out and forget Halloween Girl."

"I know I should."

"And show the new chick how nice she is, how much you think about her and never, ever,ever again mention Halloween Girl to her."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks."

After they chatted a bit about her upcoming senior prom, they hung up. He felt a lot better about his situation and actually was looking forward to Friday.

-----

The Friday evening started out nicely. After he had dinner, he went up to his room, showered, shaved and put on some nice but still casual clothes. Instead of jeans he wore some chinos, a button up shirt, a nice sweater-vest and a pair of comfortable, dark leather shoes. His roommate gave the thumbs up to his choice of clothes, so he felt better already. He went over to Lissa's dorm and waited for her to come down to the lobby. When he saw her, his barely concealed nervousness almost boiled over. She had on a pair of tight leggings under a chic, nearly sheer blouse that didn't quite hide a cute, lacy bra. She was stunning. Her dirty blonde hair spilled in nice curls down her back and she had a beaming smile surrounded by the cutest dimples imaginable.

"Hi, Handsome," she smiled. "You sure do clean up nicely."

"Uh, thanks. You do too, you look great. What did you do with your hair?" He was proud of himself for turning the conversation to her, as Jackie and Lori had coached him.

"Oh, you noticed! I curled it a bit and touched it up with a tiny bit of spray. I like your sweater. It's your color."

"Mom got it for me. It's too nice to wear to classes." Next, his mind went blank, he couldn't think of a thing to say. Fortunately, Lissa rescued him.

"Well, should we get going? Let's get there in time to get a decent place to sit."

They strolled over to the old Johnson dorm which had a huge common area which was converted into a movie theater each Friday night. Pillows and blankets were thrown out on the floor and people wandered in and sat down where ever they wanted. When they arrived, Travis offered to get some popcorn but Lissa declined.

"Thanks, but no. Just ate, but I'll take a diet soda, please." Once he brought back the drinks, they chose a big party pillow that could easily hold the two of them. As the room filled up, the students started to party a bit. Someone had brought a beach ball and was tossing it around the room while a few couples danced in the corner to the background music. More than a few were suspiciously sipping fluids from small thermoses. Lissa commented she hoped they wouldn't get so drunk that they talked too loud during the movie. After a bit the lights dimmed, the music faded and the movie started.

Travis had not even thought about what the movie might be but once the credits started rolling, he realized it was a chick flick. Although he wasn't fond of them, he knew Lissa might like it. He relaxed back on the pillow before she lay down right next to him and grabbed his hand.

"You guys may not like movies like this, but they are fun. You get to see a couple in love, see their troubles, sometimes a little skin and then they have a happily-ever-after ending. What's not to like?"

"So, you're not into sci-fi, huh?"

"Nope. And don't get me started about violence. I hate it in a movie. It makes me feel queasy afterwards," she whispered as the action in the movie started. They settled down to enjoy the movie. Part way through the movie during a love scene, Lissa scooted closer to him, shivering a tiny bit. Travis put his arm around her as she whispered her thanks for keeping her warm. They stayed cuddled up together for the rest of the movie. At the final scene when the boy got the girl back, Lissa reached up and kissed Travis lightly on his cheek.

Once the lights went back up, an announcer told them they had a surprise double feature with the second movie being a bit racier. It was announced the movie was a 'hard R' so Travis asked her if she wanted to stay.

"I'm not shy about sex in movies, but I kinda wanted to get to know you a little more. Can't we go back to my room and, you know, talk a little bit?"

"Sure," he answered nervously, "Lead the way."

On the way back to her dorm she took his hand as they strolled and talked. He kept reminding himself to let her talk about herself so he remained fairly quiet as they strolled home. However, she was so pleasant and unassuming that he quickly forgot his nerves. Back at Waterton Towers she looked up at him and said, "My roomie is gone for the weekend. Care to come up and have something to drink?"

"Sure, I guess for a little bit, anyway."

In her room she had a tiny couch which pulled out into a bed as well as a single desk chair. He looked nervously around until she told him to sit on the couch. She pulled out a box wine and they sat talking and drinking. The wine loosened him up until they were laughing and telling jokes.

Once the campus clock tower chimed out eleven pm, he said quietly, "Uh, maybe I better get going."

"You sure? The night, as they say, is still young. On weekends there's no curfew for guys in this wing. Here; have another wine."

Once she served him another wine, she sat down right next to him, rested her hand on his thigh and turned to him with sensuous eyes. "Can I interest you in a kiss?"

"You sure? I, uh, I..."

"Yes, I'm sure," she responded as she reached up to him. Their lips slowly met in a wonderfully soft and sensuous kiss. Travis kept his hands lightly on her back as they continued to kiss softly. She broke off the kissing after a few minutes and looked him in the eyes.