My Krampus

Instead, I halted inches from him, "Hi."

"Hello, Allison. How was your flight?"

I thrilled to hear his deep gravelly voice.

"It was good," I lied.

"I'm glad to hear it," Tobias replied as he led me to the baggage claim.

"My bag is bright pink, so it should be easy to spot."

"Ah, that is good. I nearly missed my black luggage. Perhaps I should buy a pink suitcase as well?"

I laughed, "I think so!"

It felt so good to be next to Tobias, here. I could imagine that we were a couple, that he was picking me up from some work trip, maybe. If that were true, I would casually put my arm through his and lean my head on his shoulder. My side tingled next to him as I imagined how nice that would feel.

But it was a silly fantasy. He was so handsome and freakishly smart. He could have any woman he set his sights on, there was no way he would settle for me. Literally the only thing I thought might sway him in my favor was my youth. Weren't older men supposed to like younger women?

I laughed at myself. That was wishful thinking, a myth perpetuated by Hollywood, I was sure. Real men liked women their own age because they were mature and experienced and confident. All things I wished I was. But I'd spent my whole adult life cloistered in academia, socializing with other geeks. I was the opposite of sophisticated: bumbling and naïve.

I spotted my bright pink bag and bounced forward to grab it. I wrapped my hand around the handle, and an instant later, Tobias' hand clasped over mine. My skin prickled at the accidental touch, and I instinctively released my grip and pulled my hand back. The motion jerked my bag and it tumbled off the conveyor belt onto me.

"Sorry!" I said, blushing furiously as I struggled to get up from under the heavy bag.

"The fault was mine," Tobias assured me as he hefted the bag away, then took one of my flailing arms to help me up.

My whole body burned as I stumbled into his solid mass. I wanted nothing more than to stay there, in that contact. But I could not. I stepped back, my arm still in Tobias' grasp. I glanced up and our eyes met.

"Are you ok?" Tobias asked, his green eyes scanning me for damage.

"Fine! Sorry," I mumbled, looking away.

Tobias released his grip and my hand fell limply to my side. At least my rigid nipples were hidden under my sweatshirt, I consoled myself. I glanced back up at Tobias. As I raised my eyes, my gaze passed over his crotch and it seemed I saw a bulge there. I quickly reversed the direction of my traveling view and tried to get a better look.

"I'll get your bag," Tobias said tightly, and he moved the bag in front of himself swiftly, blocking my view.

Well, I had probably just imagined it.

(Tobias)

I could not stop thinking about the warm feel of Allison's body against mine. After getting her home and settled into her new apartment, which she said she loved, thankfully, I had gone to my room. I shut the door and flopped on the bed and remembered the feel of Allison's generous bosom sliding against my stomach, the silken skin of her forearm clutched in my hands.

My erection, which had faded away on the drive back from the airport, blazed into life again. Not for the first time, and likely not for the last, I stroked myself to thoughts of Allison. What would her full lips feel like, wrapped around my cock? I pictured her gray eyes looking up at me from my groin, mouth full, and a small quirk of a smile on her face.

I would slide my hands down to dig my fingers in her fine blond hair as she sucked. I thrust my hips, pushing my cock into my hand as if I were fucking Allison's sweet mouth. I groaned quietly and picked up speed, close to climaxing.

Knock. Knock.

The sound of the light rapping on my door evaporated the fantasy and I moaned in disappointment as my cock softened noticeably.

"What is it, Leni?" I called, trying not to sound angry.

"Tobias, sorry to bother you," Allison's voice drifted from the hallway.

My penis perked right back up, ever hopeful. I ruthlessly crammed it back into my underwear and pants, trying to shift my erection into a position that was not obvious. It sat there, pulsing, as I opened the door.

"No bother at all," I told Allison, hoping that the heat I still felt in my face wasn't obvious, and if it was, that Allison would not suspect why I was flushed.

"I was wondering if you might be able to take me to a store? Or tell me how to find one? I was unpacking and realized I've forgotten some necessities."

"Of course, what do you need? There is a small Apotheke just around the corner that we can walk to."

Allison's cheeks reddened as she mumbled, "That should be fine."

My cock gave an extra little twitch as I saw her skin change color. I'd always found it adorable when women blushed, and her skin was so pale the flush stood out clearly. I had no idea what was causing her embarrassment, and my penis didn't really care. I briefly considered just giving her directions and retreating to finish what I'd started, but I dismissed that thought. Allison's real presence was much better than the fantasy I'd indulged in, even if it meant my cock had to sit this one out.

I ached to hold Allison's hand as we walked down the street, but I suppressed the impulse. Instead, I watched as she examined every detail of the city with her foreign eyes. I wondered how it looked to her.

"It's so pretty here," She commented, satiating my curiosity.

"The architecture is interesting," I conceded.

The walk was uneventful, but pleasant. I vowed to find more reasons to walk with Allison through Graz. Maybe I could give her a tour this weekend? I mused.

Once in the Apotheke, Allison wandered over to the pharmacy section. I followed amiably as she walked up and down several aisles. She kept glancing at me oddly, but it wasn't until she sighed and stopped in front of the feminine hygiene products that I realized she'd been hoping I'd go look at something else. It was a bit too late, but I wandered away to let her browse in peace.

Fifteen minutes later, we headed back to the house. I considered offering to carry Allison's bags, if only to see that delicious flush on her cheeks again, but I decided to let it go.

After seeing Allison to the door of her room, I wandered back up to my room. My erection had well and truly died somewhere along the way, and I no longer felt the need to masturbate. Instead, I started out the second-floor window looking down at the courtyard below, thinking.

Was I stunting Allison's growth by keeping her close to me? I worried for the hundredth time since I had begun arranging for this research sabbatical. And for the hundredth time I concluded that I was not. No matter what, it was a fantastic opportunity for a young PhD to work at TU Graz. It was a great thing for a young person to travel, to live and work in a country other than their own, for a while at least. This arrangement was at least as good for Allison as it was for me, I assured myself.

(Allison)

On the first day of the TU Graz semester, I rose early, too full of nervous energy to sleep in. I showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater that showed the shape of my breasts and just a hint of cleavage. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail, frowning at the strands of hair that immediately sprang loose. It was always frustrating that I couldn't get all my hair to just sit flat on my head.

I grabbed my wallet, phone, and key and stuffed them into my pockets, then picked up my shoulder bag, which contained a notebook, pens, and other odds and ends that I thought I might need. Thus, fully prepared to meet the world, I walked out my door, and down two flights of stairs to the ground level of the house.

The smell of bacon grease and blueberry waffles wafted from the kitchen. Leni, Tobias' sister, was an excellent cook, it had turned out. Even better, she had insisted on cooking breakfast for the three of us every morning. She claimed she missed cooking for people, after her kids had all left home and her husband had died, leaving her alone.

"Gruss gott!" I said, using the greeting she'd taught me.

Leni laughed and started making a plate for me. I had learned on the first day that she did not appreciate offers to help. It was my job to get out of the kitchen and wait for food, not be underfoot. I was happy to oblige, seeing as how I had no idea how to do anything in a kitchen anyway.

I sat at the little table with its window that faced the street. Already, a few people were milling about. Again, I marveled at how uniformly thin they were. I was a bit chubby by American standards which made me conspicuously fat here. I hoped the locals wouldn't hold it against me. At least Leni was nearly my size, which made me feel better.

I was just about done with my bacon and getting ready to start on my waffles when I heard Tobias' heavy steps coming down the stairs from the second floor. He walked into the kitchen, smiled at his sister and me, and sat down across from me. It felt surreal to be able to share breakfast with him every morning.

This morning, he was wearing his "atoms make up everything" shirt. I smiled, happy that he still wore my gift, even if he didn't know it was from me.

"Excited for our first day?" Tobias asked, his eyes twinkling.

"I'm terrified," I admitted.

"Not to worry, everyone will be impressed by you."

"Thank you, Tobias," I flushed and stared at my plate.

After breakfast, Tobias and I walked to the campus together. He showed me to my office, then my supervisor's office, and then left for his own. As soon as he was gone, I felt lonely. Trying to suppress the feeling, I dived into work.

The biomedical engineering part of the campus was well equipped, and I was excited to play with the fancy toys, err, equipment. My supervisor, an energetic young professor, had given me a bunch of samples and told me to set up time with the lab manager to learn how to use the equipment, or prove my skill and get signed off as an operator. And then, I had a list of experiments to complete to get her some data.

The lab manager had been very eager to work with me. It is always nice to have competent people who can be trusted to run equipment without breaking it, and I could sense the lab manager was hoping I'd be one of those. I think I made a good impression, as he left me on my own after just an hour of working together.

By the time I decided to head home, it was already dark. I was surprised how quickly the day had passed. The entire week was just as busy. I only saw Tobias in the mornings, which was my favorite time of day. As much as I enjoyed my work, I enjoyed him more. It was frightening to realize that. How could I be happy when this year ended, and I'd really have to leave him?

(Tobias)

I had underestimated the amount of work that I'd be doing, and Allison was quite busy as well. Between our schedules, it was two weeks before I was able to take her on that walking tour of the city that I'd planned. There were plenty of professional tours available, given in multiple languages, for tourists. But I selfishly wanted Allison to myself, so I plotted a custom tour assembled from my own memories and some evening research.

After breakfast we stepped out onto the street. The weather was a bit cool, but we were dressed for it, and we would warm up quickly, walking. We started down the street and turned a corner. I pointed at the green spire the rose above the city, "That's our first stop, Herzjesukirche. It's the largest church in Graz, but only the third tallest."

As we walked, I chatted on about the neogothic architecture designed by Hauberrisser for the church, which was constructed in the late 1880's. Talking helped distract me from the niggling need to put my arm around Allison and hold her close to me as we walked. That foot of separation between us tantalized me.

It was gratifying to see Allison marvel at the ornate styling of the church and the old stained glass. We lingered for a half hour, just looking at the place before moving on. We ambled slowly through town to Altstadt. There, the streets were lined with shops, and I could see Allison peering in them curiously.

"Want to look at something?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't want to bore you with shopping," Allison demurred quietly.

The idea of being bored when I was with Allison was laughable, but I wasn't sure how to express the idea that I'd gladly do nothing with her. Just being in her presence was stimulating, she really didn't to worry about entertaining me.

Instead of saying anything, though, I guided us into the next little souvenir type shop I saw. I made a show of examining the post cards as if I actually wanted to be here myself.

After a moment of hesitation, Allison plunged into the shop, examining everything with care. I let her get totally engrossed before I followed her, looking at the same things she looked at. She examined a poster of Klimt's The Kiss for a long time before moving on. I itched to buy it for her, but it was such a romantic thing, I didn't think either of us were ready for that yet.

Eventually Allison made her way around the entire shop. She picked up a small stuffed bear wearing lederhosen and headed to the checkout.

"Allow me," I said, handing my card to the clerk before Allison could get out her money.

I admired the rosy pink of her face as she flushed.

"Thank you, Tobias."

I was thrilled that she didn't argue. I had briefly worried that she would. But I desperately wanted her to have a souvenir of this day, of my city, that I bought for her. Moreover, I wanted her to have a memory of me tied to something physical, other than her PhD certificate.

We continued on our tour, passing Rathaus, the town hall. Then we strolled into Hauptplatz. We sat for a time on the wall of the Archduke Johann Fountain in the middle of the square. I threw a coin into the fountain and wished for a way to make Allison mine. She tossed in a coin as well. I wondered what wish she made.

I checked the time and hurried Allison down through the streets to the Glockenspiel, which we arrived at just in time to see the 11am playing of the melodies. Wooden statues dressed in traditional costumes danced in the windows of the clock house.

"Wow!" Allison commented with delight at the scene.

We roved on, through the Sporgasse, examining the facades and paintings on some of the famous buildings. We continued down towards the Mur river and saw the Franziskanerkirche, one of the oldest churches in Graz. After briefly touring the inside, we crossed the river to see another church, Barmherzigenkirche, and then I led her North a couple block to yet another church, Mariahilferkirche. What can I say? The churches are beautiful in Graz.

We stopped at a small café and enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Allison wanted to pay, even offering to pay for my meal as well, in thanks for giving her this tour. It hurt a bit to even let her pay for herself, but I thought that it would help achieve the feeling of equality I was trying to instill. Even so, I felt a pang of disquiet as we paid separately for our meal. After some consideration, I decided I would pay for whatever we did next for both of us, or else it would bother me all week.

After eating, we crossed the river again, this time via the Mursteg footbridge. We stopped mid-crossing and gazed at the river, side by side, gazing at the pretty Murinsel below. The contoured seashell shaped glass structure was ethereal in the midst of the river.

"Can we go there?" Allison asked.

Of course, we could. I'd planned to!

(Allison)

I was having possibly the best day of my life. I loved listening to Tobias speak, his deep, rich voice explaining obscure details of history and architecture throughout the city. And it was a beautiful city!

"This island was designed by a New York artist in 2003," Tobias informed me as we made our way across the lower bridge to the glass structure.

I was surprised to see a playground, and quite a few families there, despite the chilly weather. It was pleasant, to see the children laugh and play. I felt a twinge of desire to be one of those mothers, watching her kids.

"Do you have kids?" I dared to ask a personal question.

Tobias shook his head, sadly, I thought.

"No. My wife and I wanted to wait until our careers were settled before we had kids. She was in her late thirties when we started trying. She suffered through four miscarriages in three years. It broke us. We became distant from each other, circling the same orbit, but no longer together. Eventually, she left me, wouldn't even tell me where she was going. Three months later, she sent divorce papers in the mail."

My heart broke for him. Unthinking, I put a hand on his.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured.

Tobias put his other hand over mine, trapping my hand between his, "It was a long time ago. I do regret never being a father, but I regret my marriage failing more. I wonder if there was something I could have done, to have stopped it? I think I would have been a good father, anyway."

A sudden image popped into my mind, Tobias and I here again in five years. Each of us pushing a stroller, one of us helping a toddler who could barely stand go down a short slide while the other pushed a slightly older child on a swing.

The vision was so strong it took my breath away. I shivered with desire.

"Are you cold?" Tobias asked with a small frown, "Let's keep walking."

Somehow, my hand stayed in his as we walked back through the city. We passed another church. I marveled at how many of these ornate buildings were packed into such a small geographical area. This one was called Dreifaltigkeitskirche. I had tried to pronounce the names of the first couple we saw but this one eluded me even after Tobias said it three times. Finally, I shrugged, and we went on.

It was hard to pay attention to anything other than the warmth of Tobias' hand. My pelvis tingled ceaselessly. Was he as aware of this connection as I was? Did it mean something about his feelings that he held my hand for so long? Surely, it must, I thought.

"Inside that hill, Schlossberg it's called, is the world's tallest indoor tube slide," Tobias pointed. "Want to try it?"

The idea terrified me, as I was afraid of enclosed spaces, but the hopeful grin on Tobias' face warmed me.

"Ok, sure," I accepted the challenge.

It had been a long day of walking and the hike up to the slide was tiring. I lost Tobias' hand in the climb, and he had darted off to buy tickets, insisting I should enjoy the view while I waited. From this vantage, the city was breathtaking. I gazed out over Graz, enjoying the cool breeze.

Tobias came to stand next to me, so close that I swear I could feel the heat radiating from him.

"It's beautiful," I said.

"Yes," Tobias agreed.

We enjoyed the panorama for a while as I wrestled my fear under control.

"No one's died on this slide, right?" I asked.

Tobias laughed as if I was joking. I wasn't, but I smiled anyway. Laughing was a good way to calm my nerves at least.

"Not even any injuries," Tobias said.

I sighed, "Alright, let's go!"

I worked to hide my fear as I glanced down at the slide, a giant metal tube contraption that looked more like a death trap than a fun ride. Flashing a nervous smile at Tobias to gather my strength, I sat down and scooted into the black bag given to me.

And then I was falling. I bit my tongue to stop from screaming and adrenalin poured into me. It took forever to make it through the seconds of sliding in the dark tube, and then I shot out of the end into blessed reality. I sat, dazed, for a second and then a harried Austrian alerted me to the fact that I needed to move, or else Tobias would be slamming into me.