Nicholas and Meredith

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I've entered this story into this year's Valentine's Day Story Contest 2023. This is a romantic story I wrote a long time ago that's always been close to my heart. Recently I re-read it and thought I should share it after a few touch-ups. I think of this as a story of first love and two young people moving into adulthood together.

I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think of the story.

All characters involved in sexual acts are over the age of 18. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

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Later in life, he always recalled very vividly the end of spring that year. A sweet summery breeze was in the air, brimming with the exhilarating scent of new beginnings. There was an urgency, too, because, after two years of having a crush on Meredith, he knew that time was running out. They were eighteen now, and college and adult life loomed in front of them like a mystery. He wanted very badly to discover this new phase of life with her. Nicholas was a skinny brown-haired, and gentle boy of average height. He liked science fiction and comics but didn't know how to drive yet, nor did he have much money. And because he had very little idea about girls, he had never been able to really let her know how he felt about her. Yet he loved Meredith wholeheartedly, and he was almost certain that she felt the same way about him.

On the other hand, Meredith was a studious girl with a serious but kind look to her. She was not considered particularly popular nor pretty, perhaps because she always dressed in a very covered-up old-fashioned way. Her dresses always reached beneath her knees, her fine silky hazelnut hair was usually put up in a messy bun, and it seemed almost as if she was trying to look like a librarian from an old sepia-colored vintage photograph. She was slender, perhaps a little too slender, but she had a delicate elf-like quality about her. She had a heart-shaped face, a forest of freckles spreading from one cheek to the other across the bridge of her elegant nose. Above her round glasses were thick but well-groomed eyebrows, and her eyes were expressive and of a pleasing leaf-green color. Meredith usually hung out with a few of the more bookish students in their class; she played chess, and somehow, she also loved debate club. When he saw her debate, it was a pleasure for Nicholas to hear her usually quiet voice speaking out firmly about a point she was making. She also often took part in Nicholas's interests, such as going to the movie theater or to various anime, comics, and videogame-related conferences, even going so far as dressing up as some of the characters and cosplaying together a few times. He had a special memory from one of those times that he knew he would never forget until the day that he died. It was the memory of the day she had taken off her heavy winter jacket to reveal that skimpy cosplay costume and the punch of adrenaline that had left his ears ringing.

One day he caught up with her after class, and he was out of breath from running. Graduation was drawing near, and somehow, he knew it was a deadline for his unclear relationship with Meredith too. Perhaps at the movie, he could finally...

"Meredith, would you come with me to this new sci-fi movie tonight? It's supposed to be really awesome!" he said breathlessly.

"Sorry, Nicholas, I don't think I can this time," Meredith answered, but even when she turned him down, there was an air of kindness about her that always made him feel perfectly at ease.

His ears turned red as he heard someone mimicking his voice from behind him. "It's supposed to be really awesome!" They said mockingly.

Turning around, he saw another boy standing there looking at him. It was Jack, one of the popular boys who sometimes bullied him.

"Don't be mean to him, Jack!" Meredith said reproachfully, her eyes narrowing.

"Okay, virgins," Jack said, leaving with a snicker.

"How about studying together at your place instead?" Meredith asked Nicholas cheerfully after Jack had gone, and his face brightened up instantly.

They agreed to study together, and that whole day Nicholas was happily looking forward to seeing her. Then, later that day, when she finally arrived at his house, his father called out from the first floor, "Nicholas, your little friend is here!"

His heart got stuck in his throat when he saw Meredith greet him with a cute wave as he came down the stairs to meet her. Her hair was in a neat braid, reaching almost to her waist instead of her usual messy bun. A puzzling feeling gripped his heart when he saw that she looked prettier than usual, and part of him was willing to believe that she might be looking that way just for him.

"Hey, church mouse," he said, which was a bit of a teasing nickname for her, and she punched his shoulder playfully.

Her outfit was nothing too out of the ordinary for most girls, but Meredith was usually highly conservative in her choice of clothing. Well, except for that one time at the conference that still seemed like it had been just a dream... He knew it was because her parents were very religious and attended church regularly. Then, as they studied, he could not help but take quick glances at the small amount of cleavage that her dress revealed. She pretended not to notice, but he still quickly glanced away every single time. All in all, it was hard to make any progress on his studies, with his best friend sitting beside him looking like she did, especially with his next question burning inside of him. Finally, he couldn't take it any longer.

"Will you go with me to Derek's house party this weekend?" Nicholas blurted out in between math problems.

"Sure, I can go with you to the party," Meredith answered without missing a beat, her face still buried in her problem-solving.

His heart jumped in happiness but then immediately sank back down. "I just remembered my parents can't drive us this time. I really wish I could drive us there," he said.

"It's okay, silly. I'll drive us," Meredith said, looking up from her book with a smile that was playfully teasing him for not having his own car yet, but then her eyes gave him that kind look that softened any tease.

When the day came, she texted him that she was there, and he came out of his house and saw her standing beside her little white car by the side of the road. He thought he was dressed up for the party with his fancy shirt and pants. He almost didn't look like a nerd, but he couldn't believe how amazing she looked. In fact, until she waved at him, he thought she might be a different person, a sophisticated young woman he did not know who was out meeting her lover for a date night. She was wearing red high heel shoes and a little red dress held up by thin straps, her rich hazelnut hair cascading down her bare shoulders. She was also not wearing glasses this time and must have put contacts in. Altogether she looked so pretty that he felt being with her like this was too good to be true.

His heart jumped every time she looked at him as she drove. It seemed like she noticed and also became more anxious, but together, they managed to get past it and keep the conversation going. They talked about their upcoming college life and how they would be together at the same school again. They were going to the same college because, back when he had found out where she was going, he had immediately, perhaps foolishly, convinced himself to apply to the same place. Then, as she drove, they were silent for a moment, and he realized how her perfume's soft, understated scent filled the car. Nicholas felt he was drifting off, intoxicated with something stronger than alcohol simply by looking at the beautiful profile of her face, her soft bare shoulders, and watching her delicate hands on the steering wheel.

It was getting dark as they approached the huge mansion of a house where the party was being held, and they started feeling the rumbling bass of the music in their bones. Heading towards the backyard, they saw many others were there already. Festive strings of amber-colored lights hanging between the trees gave the place a warm ambiance. There was a concrete patio where some people were dancing, others were swimming in an in-ground swimming pool, and there was a large fire pit in front of which some others were sitting and telling stories. As they were taking it all in, Simone, a friend of Meredith's, walked up to them.

"Hi, guys! Can you believe Derek's parents are gone for the night, and they trust us to run this party?" she said with a laugh. "There's drinking going on, and maybe other forbidden things will happen tonight," she added with a wink at them.

Then Meredith said she had to freshen up for a moment and catch up with some of her girlfriends and that she would be right back. Waiting for her, Nicholas wandered around the party, sitting at the fire pit and talking to a few others here and there, but mostly his mind was filled with countless visions and thoughts of Meredith, how lovely she looked that night, and how he was looking forward to her coming back. Maybe he also did imagine that little dress of hers coming off for him, but that was too much to dream of for tonight. But after a while, he felt it was taking longer than he had expected, and he stood up to try and find her. That was when he saw her talking enthusiastically and holding hands with none other than the boy who had made fun of him the other day, Jack!

Her back was facing Nicholas, and he could see the nape of her neck, her long hair tossed over one shoulder. Jack was looking directly at Nicholas. In an instant, Jack quickly pulled her lithe figure to himself, one strong hand closing around her shoulder, the other going through her thick flowing hair as he embraced her tightly... and she returned the embrace! She was looking up at Jack with what seemed like excitement in her eyes. Then, following Jack's gaze, she turned and saw Nicholas watching them.

"I'm so sorry, Nicholas... "Meredith said, pulling away from Jack as though his touch were scalding hot. "Jack was just joking around. You should come and listen to him. He's so funny," she added weakly.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Jack smirked at Nicholas, then he motioned towards Meredith and made a heart with his fingers, silently mouthing the words.

"She's mine."

Nicholas thought about giving her up, turning around, and leaving her behind. A grey lifetime's worth of feelings and thoughts rushed through him in an instant as he envisioned just going home and then going through the rest of his life without her. He had never been strong before, and silently turning his back and leaving her with Jack would have been par for the course for him. This time though, because it was Meredith, he felt a fresh new resolve fill him with a fighting spirit he had never known before. Looking into her eyes, he saw that she was ashamed and confused and needed his help. He had to be strong for her sake and come up with the right words to give her another chance. With all eyes on him, he felt so small, and it was so hard to get his words out, but he knew he had to get them out no matter what, even if it killed him.

"Meredith, please listen to me. I'm so sorry I never told you this before. I guess I was still acting like a kid when I shouldn't anymore," he said, smiling ruefully and looking her in the eyes. He didn't dare believe the effect his words were starting to have on her, but he continued through the hardest part. "Meredith, I want you to know that... that I'll always love you no matter what happens," he blurted out.

Meredith did not hesitate for one moment. "I love you so much, Nicholas!" She said, the words gushing out of her with relief as she ran to him.

She threw her arms around his neck, and it felt like a water-filled balloon had exploded on his shoulder as she burst into tears. He felt an indescribable thrill as he held her tightly, and his heart melted with joy at her words but faced with her tears and the stares from everyone around, Nicholas found himself tongue-tied again.

"Come, let's go for a walk," he heard himself tell her comfortingly despite the confusing torrent of feelings and the shaking of adrenaline throughout his body. It was hard even to say those words, and he felt as if he were barely managing to guide his words and actions by remote control.

"Sure," she answered back, looking up at him with eyes that were red and puffy, managing a brave smile and a small laugh through her tears.

She looked so lovely to him then, despite her mascara-stained cheeks, that he just knew that this was one of those moments you remembered your entire life. Then, as they walked away, Jack and Nicholas exchanged glances, and for once, Jack did not tease him and only looked back at him with a measure of respect. In turn, the partygoers around them slowly stopped staring at them and went back to enjoying themselves.

Their excitement was slowly winding down as they walked together silently on the neighborhood sidewalk, awkwardly holding hands. Then Meredith took a deep breath and started talking, her words painfully stumbling into each other.

"I'm so sorry, Nicholas... he was just making me laugh so much with his jokes... and then when he saw you, he grabbed my hand and pulled me in, and for a moment I... I just couldn't help it..." Meredith paused and looked at him apologetically. "It was so scary when I thought that you were going to leave. I couldn't find the right words to say... I'm so sorry I hurt you. I never want anything like this to happen to us ever again..." she said, and a few more tears came down her cheeks as she looked at his face expectantly.

Nicholas struggled with how best to comfort her. "It's alright, Meredith, really it is. It's my fault for not telling you sooner," he managed to say.

"No, it's not your fault Nicholas. It's not! I feel so embarrassed. Should we just go back home?" she asked, looking down at her feet.

Nicholas knew that he had to dig even deeper within himself to find the words to make her feel better. He paused for a moment and started speaking more reassuringly. "Meredith, everyone here knows that Jack is an ass, and no one is looking down on you. So, I don't think we should let him ruin our fun. Let's continue walking for a bit and then we'll go back and enjoy ourselves at the party." Nicholas said.

Meredith seemed to shake it off. "Yes, I think you're right," she said, wrapping both her arms around one of his.

"Don't you worry, my cute little church mouse," Nicholas whispered in her ear as they walked.

"Oh, my sweet Nick," Meredith answered, resting her head on his shoulder.

When they got back to the party, some of the others smiled at them.

"Look at the cute couple!" One girl gushed, and both their faces turned bright red.

Meredith went to wash up quickly, then they sat at two chairs on the edge of the party and talked for a long while about friends and dreams and what they expected from college life. Mostly the others left them alone, but they could feel everyone's goodwill toward them. Then Simone came over excitedly.

"Oh my god, you guys have to come see what's inside! Come with me." She whispered urgently.

Nicholas looked at Meredith, who just shrugged her shoulders, and they decided to follow Simone. Inside the large house, they passed a sunroom filled with plants, and there was the sweet smell of flowers in bloom as Simone guided them to a small and secluded bedroom on the edge of the house.

"Take a look at this guest room!" Simone said and shoved them inside, closing the door behind them.

Their eyes were immediately drawn to the single purple-colored condom wrapper, which had been conspicuously placed in the middle of the bed, with the embarrassing words "her pleasure" plainly visible on it. He could see Meredith's cheeks had turned a saturated shade of crimson, and he felt his ears burn as they looked at each other.

"I hope this isn't a joke..." Meredith said in a low voice.

He was very worried about his next move, but he committed anyway, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him gently yet firmly. Tentatively at first, Meredith put her arms around his waist. She turned her face up and looked questioningly into his eyes for a moment; then, she closed her eyes. They kissed, and what a sweet kiss it was! He felt such unexpectedly delicious feelings pour into him like intoxicating wine. Her lips felt like silky-soft butter melting against his own, and the feeling of her breasts pressing against him as they kissed was unbelievable. His manhood quickly shot up iron rod straight, jabbing her in the stomach, and he pulled back, embarrassed. But then, it felt sweeter than he imagined heaven could ever feel when she gently put her hands around his waist and pulled him back against her. The feeling of being accepted by her and of belonging with Meredith was too much to express in words.

"I'm excited, but I'm also a bit scared, Nicholas," Meredith said when the kiss ended, looking up at him with a serious look in her leaf-green eyes.

"You know you're so beautiful right now that I would do anything to have you, but Meredith, I never want to pressure you," Nicholas answered. "Let's just call it our first kiss and go back to the party," he added, turning towards the door.

But before he could take a step to leave, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Then she went down to her knees, looking up at his face. Electric tingles shot throughout his whole body like a shower of sparks as she undid his belt buckle slowly, ever so slowly and deliberately, and then pulled down his pants. He grew even harder, feeling her delicate hands against the skin of his legs as she pulled down his underwear. Then his manhood popped out, and Meredith let out a small gasp. As far as he knew, she was a virgin too, so she must not have seen one hard like this before. And it felt very strange to be exposed in front of her, but the fact that it was Meredith, his best friend, and now, amazingly, also his lover, made it okay.

"Just let me just lock the door first!" Nicholas said, and Meredith giggled nervously as he went to lock the door and came back with his stiff pole waving back and forth.

"That looks painful, Nicholas." She said, looking at how it was so straight it seemed to be straining against itself. "I want to relieve you, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I hope it feels okay," she added in a weak voice.

"I'll actually be happy with anything that you manage to do." Nicholas managed to say in a jokingly strained voice, and she laughed nervously once more.

She hesitated for a moment but soon put her soft lips around his tip, and he couldn't believe how good it felt. It felt like a dream. It was so surreal, and he couldn't believe this was something that was happening to him as she took him deeper into her mouth and started sucking rhythmically. In no time at all, Nicholas groaned and felt himself lose control as he released what felt like a lot within her small mouth. However, Meredith didn't seem to mind and kept on sucking him for a while longer, looking up at him with an amused and tender look in her eyes while he stood there lightheaded.

"I'm so glad you enjoyed it," she said after a while, and he realized that she must have seen the relief and elation painted wide on his face.

"Let's lie down for a while," Nicholas said in a daze.

It was all happening so fast, and while he was overjoyed with it, he needed to take a moment's break. He also wanted to make sure Meredith really felt safe and okay with what they were doing. So he turned off the lights, went over to the bed, pulled down the comforter, and lay down on his back on the sheets, still wearing only a shirt. Meredith joined him, sitting on the edge of the bed, taking off her high heel shoes, then lying down next to him in the dark, with her arms and legs wrapped around him. It felt amazing how she made small loving sounds as she embraced him. They lay there for a long while, and it was the sweetest feeling just to be there next to her, enjoying each other's warmth and closeness.