My Graduate School Romance Ch. 01

"Let's see. I'm originally from Boulder by way of Reykjavik."

"You're Icelandic?"

"Já. Hefur þú verið þar?"

"Sorry. I don't speak Icelandic, but I was stationed at Keflavik for six months."

"Oh. That's funny. I asked you if had been there. Maybe you subliminally do know Icelandic."

"So you're last name ends in 'dottir.'"

"Gunnarsdottir."

"That's cool. What else about Astrid Gunnarsdottir?"

"Went to school at UCLA. Got a job teaching English in Japan."

"Really, where?"

"A place called Hirosaki in northern Japan. It was very close to the Misawa Air Base."

"I've spent a lot of time in Japan. Love it there. My squadron deployed to Misawa once and I was in Kitty Hawk when she was homeported in Yokosuka."

"That's so cool."

Sam arrived with our drinks and we both took a sip.

I continued, "Our last February in Japan we went up to Sapporo for the Snow Festival."

"I did that twice! It was so fun." She suddenly looked concerned, "You said 'we'."

"I thought I told you. I'm divorced. It was me, my kids, and their mother. Just so you know, I've been divorced for about ten years now."

"You did tell me that. I remember grilling you about not having a wedding ring."

"Full disclosure -- the divorce was all my fault. I was a complete asshole. I had a pretty good case of PTSD and I wasn't a very nice guy. My children's mother fired me. Since then I'm been through a lot of therapy and I have my head screwed back on straight."

"What caused your PTSD?"

"When I was a flight instructor I was almost killed three times. Near mid-air collisions. Scary shit. Then we had a house fire when we came back to the States. That messed with all our heads."

"So it wasn't all your fault. The divorce, I mean."

"Oh, no. It was my fault. I was a bit of a basket case for a while. Most likely that's why I wasn't promoted to Captain and that's certainly why I'm now single."

"Captain? So you were pretty high up there?"

"I retired as a Commander."

"Oh." Astrid took another sip of coffee. "So it sounds like you're seeing the blonde you walked out of class with."

"Lori? She's in my class. I wouldn't say I'm seeing her. We had a date last Saturday. A brunch date tomorrow. I'm not sure if it will work out with her. So far I've found out that other than being in the same discipline we have very little in common. She's the one who invited me to the Tuesday evening philosophy discussions at Pete's."

"That's right you invited me to that. Is that still something I could do? It doesn't sound like you two are becoming an item."

"No. I wouldn't call us an 'item'." I used air quotes.

"So no sex between you two?"

"No, but if there was, I don't kiss and tell." I chuckled, "You're grilling me again."

Astrid blushed, "Sorry. I just wanted to know if I had a chance."

I laughed, "Well my friend, no one will ever accuse you of beating around the bush."

She was now beet red and a bit flustered.

"I'm sorry, Astrid."

"Don't be sorry." She took a sip, "Okay. I gotta say this. Let me preface this with I am not a religious person. I don't go to church anymore. When I was a kid my folks, well my mom, drug me to church every Sunday. I remember learning something about that there is no greater love than to give up one's life for their friends."

"I didn't give up my life. I just got bashed in the head with a beer mug."

"No. Of course not. That's not my point. What the hell is my point?" She stared into my eyes and grabbed my hand. "Sean, you put yourself in harm's way to protect me. Someone you had met what? Twice before? Holy shit! There were three guys on me plus Andrew the asshole. They were assaulting me and you were the only one that stepped in to save me."

She had a point, but I wasn't sure how to respond so I didn't. I just held her gaze.

"Sean, I'm not saying that that no greater love stuff is appropriate, but standing up for me took courage. If it wasn't for the bouncer dude, those four guys would have really messed you up. Well, look at your head. They did mess you up a bit."

A tear ran down her cheek, "Where do guys like you come from? You're like those firemen who ran into the World Trade Center instead of out."

"I am not like those guys."

"Yes you are! You put yourself in danger to help someone you barely knew. I will be eternally grateful." She squeezed my hand. "Really."

"Well, you are most welcome."

Astrid wiped her cheeks, "Do you hike?"

"Good non sequitur. I haven't been hiking since before I was thrown out of the Boy Scouts."

She laughed, "I'm going to need to hear that story. How about if I pack us a nice picnic lunch and we can go up to the state park? It's mostly flat and very pretty this time of year."

"Sounds like a plan."

She squeezed my hand again. "Do you live close to campus?"

"About three blocks north."

"My apartment is close by. We'll swing by there first, then I'll drive you to your place so you can get changed."

"Very well."

_ _ _ _ _

Astrid's efficiency apartment was very spartan: a small table, a couch, a queen-sized bed, and a TV. She had some books on a cinder block and 2x6 bookcase. There was a single framed picture of Astrid with three friends, their arms around each other. The only interesting things were a worn box set of The Lord of the Rings and one tome of The Icelandic Sagas in the original language. The rest were academic books on English and writing. After perusing the books I took a seat at the table and waited.

She was in and out of the bathroom to change in no time. She was wearing a pair of baggy khaki shorts, a plain white t-shirt, and her hiking boots. I could see a yellow bow from a mostly hidden halter top at the back of her neck.

She opened her fridge, "I have ham and roast beef. Which do you prefer?"

"I think roast beef."

"I usually put cheddar and lettuce on my sandwich. I'm not big on condiments."

"That sounds great."

"I only have whole grain bread."

"Love it."

She quickly assembled sandwiches, wrapped them up, and put them into a rucksack along with two large bottles of water. "Okay. Let's go."

Astrid drove us over to my one-bedroom apartment. I left Astrid in the living room while I quickly changed. Unlike Astrid, I had a lot of things she could look through. When I came out, she was looking at some of my aviation memorabilia.

She turned to me, "Who's Cowboy?"

"That's my call sign."

"You don't look like a cowboy. What's a call sign?"

"Like a nickname. The point of a call sign is usually something that is a bit of an embarrassment."

"Why did you get yours?"

"A bunch of us went to a dude ranch when I was stationed out in California. I'm a city slicker and let's just say I am really bad at riding a horse."

"I imagine there's a funny story behind it."

"There is but daylight is burning."

It was about two o'clock by the time we got to the state park and I for one was more than hungry. Rather than hike in we headed to some picnic tables within sight of the parking lot. We ate in companionable silence topped off by more intense eye gazing.

Astrid broke the silence, "I love your eyes."

"I think yours are lovely."

She blushed ever so slightly. "I'm going to save the rest of my sandwich for later."

"Not me," I popped the last bit in my mouth.

Astrid stood and pulled her t-shirt over her head. Her breasts filled the yellow halter nicely. "Would you mind putting some sunscreen on my back?"

"Not at all."

Astrid squeezed some into her hand and handed me the tube. I put a couple of dots of lotion on her shoulders and on her back then rubbed it in.

"Can you get under my strings? The tan line is the most likely to burn."

I spread the sunscreen on her back and shoulders, careful to get under the strings. Soon we were ready to go. Astrid set off on an easy pace. The trail was wide enough for us to walk abreast.

I wanted to learn more about this interesting young woman, "Being an Icelander, you don't have much of an accent."

"My mom brought me here when I was five." She shifted to an accent, "I can put it on if I need to. Það er ekki erfitt." She laughed at herself, "That means 'it isn't hard.'"

"How often have you been back?"

"When I was young, I'd go to see relatives once or twice a year. Now that I'm older, every couple of years. Last time I was there was two years ago at Christmas. I guess that's almost three years now. My mother and I have dual citizenship. My older brother stayed back in Iceland with my father. My parents are divorced."

"What brought your mother to the States?"

"She's a research scientist. I understand she is one of the top people in her field. Don't ask me what it is that she does exactly, but the American defense industry pays her very well. Growing up we had a fancy house and a live-in maid slash cook named Alicia. Alicia was sometimes more of a mom than my mom was."

We came out into a beautiful meadow. The foliage along the edge was stunning and the field was full of golden rod.

Astrid stepped to the side, "We need a selfie. This is absolutely gorgeous."

I stepped next to her as she pulled out her phone.

She snapped one picture then placed my hand on her shoulder, "Makes it look like we like each other."

I laughed, "Of course we like each other."

"Then this one won't be a problem."

She threw an arm around my neck and pulled me close so that we were cheek to cheek.

After snapping that photo, she kissed my cheek and snapped other. "Will you kiss me?"

I turned my head and gently kissed her. I heard the shutter go. Astrid placed both arms around my neck and gave me a very passionate kiss.

She eased off and sighed, "Thanks. I needed that."

I laughed again, "Glad I could be of service."

As we started off again, Astrid grabbed my hand, "Would you mind terribly if I held your hand?"

"Not at all. You don't have a problem asking for something you want."

"Call me a take charge feminist. A lot of Icelandic women are like this. My Mom certainly is."

We walked a few hundred yards in silence. I enjoyed holding her hand.

Astrid said, "You know what I like about you? Not once have you grabbed my butt or grabbed my boob. You are such a respectful person."

"Where I come from, a person's body is hands off. Well unless you are invited to touch."

"I have been hanging around the wrong guys. Most of the guys I've gone out with are usually touching me in ways that felt invasive pretty quickly. Even back in high school. I usually slap them. I've kind of thought it comes with the territory."

"Oh, Astrid. You have definitely been going with the wrong kind of man."

"I think you are correct. Thank you for being so respectful of me. I suppose I haven't been very respectful of you. Twice now I've kissed you in an invasive manner."

"You haven't been invasive. Both times I really enjoyed kissing you. Although perhaps that is why some guys have been touching you in ways that you didn't like."

There was a rock on the side of the trail and Astrid stepped onto it. It made her slightly taller than me. "Would you let me kiss you again?"

"Surely." I moved over to her.

"Thank you. And don't call me 'Shirley'."

I laughed at the old joke.

Astrid put her hands behind my neck, "Since it seems like I should give you instructions, I would like you to place your hands on my butt and pull me close to you."

I did as she requested and our tongues entwined. Sparks shot down my spine as our bodies pressed against each other. Her firm ass checks felt so nice. Her breasts were pressed into my chest. I kept one hand on her ass and used my other arm to pull her tight against me.

She eased off and whispered, "Wow. I could get used to that. You're a really good kisser."

"Being old has its benefits sometimes."

She swatted my butt, "You are not old. You're just right as far as I'm concerned. You're respectful. You're not a whiny, needy boy. You don't play mind games with me. I really like being with you."

"I like being with you too."

Astrid jumped down off the rock and took my hand again. "What the most interesting place you've been to?"

"Well two places you know well -- Japan and Iceland. Although I have to say I got to travel into the People's Republic back in the eighties and it was shocking to see the level of control the Chinese government maintained over the people. I don't know if that's interesting, but it fascinated me."

"How many countries have you been to?"

"I think last time I counted I was at thirty-nine. There's a lot of places I've seen from a plane or a ship, but haven't been to. Someday I'd like to visit some of those as well."

"Such as?"

"Morocco. Indonesia. Saudi Arabia. Ireland. Israel. Places like that."

We walked along, enjoying each other's company and the sounds of the forest. Suddenly, neither of us felt the need to talk. It felt very comfortable. As we got closer to the parking lot Astrid slowed down.

I looked over at her and decided I needed to extend the day, "Do you have any plans for dinner?"

"No. What do you have in mind?"

"Just going to throw some hamburgers on the grill. Maybe a salad. Maybe a beer. Would you like to join me? Nothing fancy."

"I think I would. Something inside me doesn't want this day to end."

"Same here."

_ _ _ _ _

When we got back to my apartment, I fired up the gas grill. Astrid grilled the burgers while I made a salad out of things I found in my fridge.

As we settled down for a simple dinner on my patio Astrid raised her beer, "Here's to new friendships."

"Here, here. New, wonderful friendships."

I got her talking about going to school in L.A. It sounds like she really enjoyed herself -- concerts, celebrities, college football and basketball games, theater, and lots of movie premieres. She even found time to graduate magna cum laude. Astrid was an impressive young woman with a very bright future. She told me how she wanted to find a small liberal arts college to teach at. She wanted to avoid the big schools like UCLA because she wanted to get to know her students and colleagues. When night fell we moved our conversation to my sparse living room. We talked well into the evening. We each had about three beers.

When Astrid yawned I looked at my watch -- 11:05. "It's late. Astrid, you can't drive home. I think you're a little tipsy. You can stay here."

"Really?"

"I promise I'm not going to try anything on you?"

"Why not?"

"Because you're my friend and I'm not going to take advantage of the situation."

"Really?"

"Really."

I had her take my bed. I grabbed a pillow and blanket and stretched out on the couch.

I was beginning to doze off when I felt Astrid standing next to me. She knelt down and kissed me, "Thank you for a wonderful day."

"You're welcome."

"I really mean it." She gently kissed me again and her lips lingered just a bit. I felt her breasts on my arm. "Good night sweet prince." One last kiss and she returned to my room.

_ _ _ _ _

When I arose the next morning, Astrid was still sleeping. I looked in on her and she was curled up under the covers. I started some coffee brewing and fried some bacon.

About twenty minutes later Astrid came out of my room. She was wearing my robe, "This smells wonderful. Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"It's all yours."

"Thanks. First some coffee." She poured herself a cup, "Oh, I like you. You make your coffee strong. Not like most Americans."

"Good Navy coffee. A pinch of salt to get rid of the bitterness."

She came over and gave me a kiss. "I'm liking you more and more each day. By the way, good morning."

"Good morning. Can I make you an egg?"

"One, over medium." Astrid padded off to the bathroom.

I retrieved the paper from my stoop and was reading it standing up at my kitchen counter when Astrid emerged.

She had her hair wrapped up, "Thank you. I feel like a new woman. Hope you don't mind, but I used your toothbrush." She came over and kissed me. "I hope you don't think that's gross."

I laughed, "It's fine." I figured we'd been swapping spit so it wasn't gross to me.

I put two eggs in the pan and by the time she returned, I had a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of her.

She poured another cup of coffee, "Can I ask you a question?"

We both sat down, "Astrid, you can always ask me a question. New rule -- Astrid always question asking rights."

She laughed, "Why are you being so good to me? You made me breakfast. You didn't force yourself on me last night. I had an absolutely fabulous day with you yesterday."

"That's what friends do for one another. They take care of them. They respect them. They enjoy each other's company. They don't sexually assault them."

She placed some egg on her toast and took a bite, "And they sweep them off their feet. Good breakfast."

"Astrid, I'm serious. You are an amazing woman and I want to be your friend."

"Well, you don't have to want. You were my friend when you stuck up for me and from now on you're stuck with me. You will always be my friend. About the only way you can get rid of me is to kill me. Even then I'm not sure it would work. By the way I need to get your phone number so I don't have to wait outside your classroom or your apartment to get in touch with you."

I reached for my mine, "I'll send you a text."

She gave me her number, "Do you have plans for today?"

"Actually I do. I promised Lori I would have brunch with her. I need to practice for rehearsal tonight. Then I have this thing called school I need to prepare for. I have another paper due next Saturday."

"You better let me review it for you. You don't even need to set up an appointment. I'll just come over here."

"I was planning on it for two reasons. One, I want to get a good grade." I let the silence ride.

She looked at me funny, "What's the second reason?"

"I wanted to see you."

"You're sweet."

_ _ _ _ _

I picked up Lori a little before noon. She took me to a fancy hotel overlooking downtown. We agreed to go Dutch. We got a nice table with a view of the city. Their buffet was huge, but I didn't want to fill my plate and be seen as a pig. Plus, I was still a little full from breakfast.

After we settled in Lori asked, "Sean, I have to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"Do you think we're compatible?"

"Well, I haven't known you very long so it is hard to say."

"It's just that when you were telling me about all your interests the other day, I felt so boring compared to you."

I reached out and took her hand, "Lori, I'll tell you what. Whether we are compatible or not is something we'll find out as we get to know one another. But as far as I'm concerned, you are my friend and for me that is something I don't take lightly. Last Saturday you said you didn't want to rush things." She nodded. "I don't want to rush things either. You're my friend. You're a brilliant woman and I value you as a colleague."

I could see her relax, "Thanks for that." She gave my hand a squeeze. "It's just been bugging me and I could just see us becoming lovers and then everything falling apart. I treasure you as a friend and colleague. I'm not sure there are many people that we can depend on in the sociology program. Right now I really just know you and Maria. I'm hoping the three of us can get each other through."

"I agree."

"I'm only one course ahead of you. Maria started with me at the start of the summer. We have some tough stuff ahead of us. I'd rather have a trusted friend than a lover. I hope that's okay with you."

"It's fine with me. We'll be studying together for what? Three? Four years?

"Yeah. I think sex would get in the way. Although, sometimes a girl does need some casual sex." She gave me a wink.

_ _ _ _ _

After brunch I went home and ran through the set list Lindsey had sent me. I had to look up some of the music online. Rehearsal started at seven and I just had enough time to grab a bite to eat while reading a bit for Dr. Wilson's class.