Nothing in Common

Keri took a deep steadying breath as and straightened her soft black skirt and checked her makeup in her compact before snapping it closed. Reaching out with a dark blue painted nail rang the doorbell. Immediately there was a call from inside.

"Be right there!" A male voice said. Keri smiled in spite of the fact it sounded like he was way too young for her.

Keri forced a nervous smile as the door unlocked and was flung open and the slightly shorter blonde headed guy stood in the threshold. His cheeks visibly red and a great big uncertain smile on his face.

"Come in, please." She could smell candles. He was really trying. She stepped over the threshold and felt her nerves soften a bit. His place was cute in the way most unsure guys places are. There were more pictures of family than she had expected, but the rest fit, posters of this video game or that. Lots of book shelves with books on science fiction and fantasy. A great big computer that was sitting idle for probably the first time in many many years. His college text books were stacked nearby and he papers and notes organized again probably for the first time in a while in an attempt to clean up for her sake. The big TV was on and there was a couch a chair and a coffee table. The room looked like he had really tried to make her feel welcome.

Cute and endearing, not in the way she was used to. As captain of the Volleyball team for her college she was more used to guys trying to schmooze the normal way, booze and sex appeal. A cut torso and flashing their daddy's money around to try to get her attention and her panties off.

Keri was not new to this. She had let it happen a few times over her four years of college, enjoyed it a few times but none of them had meant anything or been in any way of longevity.

Jason was different though. He was not captain of the lacrosse team like her last boyfriend. He was not a gym rat or an alpha male in the least. He wasn't overly tall or broad. About average really. No tattoos. Nis hair was long and kind of ratty, or at least it had been, he looked as if her cut it maybe even that day. Good complexion, sexy blue eyes and thick rimmed glasses like the nerds of old. Some may have thought he was trying to do a hipster thing until you talked to him. Then you knew there was not an insincere bone in his body. When he wasn't too nervous to smile he had great big pearly whites that were straight and nicely fit his mouth. He was a good looking kid. But most people who met him thought of him as just that a kid.

Jason was a genius. Legit. Rumor has it his IQ was super high, not like the wheel chair guy but definitely smarter than most guys Keri was used to. But her last three boyfriends combined IQ was less than Jason of that she was sure.

"You want something to drink?" he asked, swallowing twice before he finished. He was wringing his hands a bit. She could almost smell how nervous he was. She smiled without thinking and took his hand in hers and he calmed immediately.

"Jason, this is not the first time we have been here. Relax I promise I won't bite. Unless you want me to." Keri smiled impishly at the end and she saw his cheeks flush.

This was the big night the night he had been hoping for and Keri wasn't going to lie. She was looking forward to it too. It had been 5 long weeks of working up to this and now, even though she was no rookie, she was honestly a bit nervous.

Jason took a deep breath and let it out. Reaching up he ran his hands into her shoulder length blonde hair.

"I really like this cut. It frames your face really well. Lets people see you." His hand lighted on her soft cheek and she couldn't help but feel the warmth spread from her cheek down to her nipples and then further down. Being this close to him he smelled nice. Not over much but just the right amount. And Keri smiled again as she caught the scent, it was the one she had recommended to him off handedly a few weeks ago. Jason never forgot anything.

"Thanks. I'll have a beer if you have one." Keri said and he smiled at her again and moved to the small kitchen. Keri took a steadying breath and moved over to the couch. Sitting back she took off her sexy black heels and lay them under the table crossing her legs she was again made aware of the soft nylons she was wearing and she pulled the skirt bottom down a bit, concealing the black bands of the thigh highs she had picked out especially for tonight.

"Keri listen," Jason said from the kitchen as he opened a beer for her and one for himself as well. "You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to." Jason crossed the small room and sat opposite her on the stout coffee table and handed her the beer as he took a small sip from his and tried to hide the grimace at the taste and failed.

"What do you mean? Don't you want to?" Keri asked the warmth of anticipation in her stomach was quickly becoming a heavy weight as she thought he was going to back out of her part of their agreement. Jason laughed, it was a genuine and sweet laugh like everything about him.

"Oh my god, of course I want to I just don't want you to feel like you are in some way obligated. I would have helped you no matter what. All the stuff we have talked about and...done since this thing started have been amazing but I don't want you to feel like you have to do that specifically if you don't want to."

"So what's the problem?" Keri asked. Scooting forward so she was now much nearer to him. She reached up and took his glasses off and set them on the coffee table beside him before she dropped her hands to his knees and she felt him take a stiff breath in. Jason hesitated, there was so much red in his cheeks it was hard to believe they had even done all the stuff they had already.

"I'm just a bit worried you won't like it. That I'll disappoint you in some way. Just want to be honest with you." Jason said. His admission was felt in his tense shoulders, the tension she felt in his knees as she sat very close to him. Keri smiled and lifted his chin and leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, enjoying how soft and light he could kiss.

"Do you have anywhere to be?" Keri asked. Jason shook his head and moved to kiss her again and she leaned back, sitting back on the couch and as she did she spread her legs a bit revealing the lacy black crotch of the panties she picked out for tonight.

"Well neither do I." Keri smiled again at him. "Let's just enjoy this and we can do all the other stuff first and anything else you want to. I'm more than ready and I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be".

"Wow." Was all Jason managed before he moved beside her on the couch and she melted into his embrace.

******

5 weeks ago.

"I had hoped for more from you Miss Weller." The professor said as he handed her the weeks quiz, a great big letter D with a plus beside it. It was official, she was bombing physics. She was working hard and studying every night and still just didn't get it. Keri was not a Rhodes Scholar, she was smart but she was also in her senior year and making up the last few non major related credits she had to from when she transferred sophomore year. She was captain of the volley ball team this year and a D in physics was not going to cut it. She was going to lose her eligibility, and while she might not make it to nationals or anything she loved the game, it kept her in shape and she wouldn't miss her last season with the girls that had become her family over the past two years. Plus she had thought about applying for law school and with a D on her record that would likely not work.

There was a loud thump and the guys two rows up laughed as the skinny guy with thick rimmed glasses pushed himself up to his knees and surveyed the slew of spilled papers all over the floor. He sighed, tried not to look at the jocks who were still laughing at him, and began to gather up his papers. She let her gaze linger on him for a bit. You could tell he was young, younger than the rest of them in this class for sure. Everyone know who he was though, Jason Clark was the schools pride. Some said the next Hawking. If the stories were right he had graduated from HS at 12, finished his degree in 3 years and his PHD was finishing up in the spring. He was going to be an 18 year old theoretical physicist. Working on space ship and stuff and solving the math of the universe. He was the TA in her 200 level physics class for some reason. Helping those that asked with the same ease she moved about the court.

She admired him. He was so quite unless he was teaching. Then he talked a million miles an hour. He answered questions with the methodical precision of a walking computer.

But there was something else. Rumors said for years he never left his dorm room except for classes and his lab time. But she had seen him once or twice eating at the quad, people watching it seemed. He would try to smile when he saw her, blush till he look like he was going to pass out when he realized what he was doing and then turn away.

Keri had seen him at some sports too. Some of the meets and even a few of her volleyball games. He sat alone, clapped like a gentleman while the painted meatheads screamed and acted like morons. Throwing popcorn at him or stealing his book bag like they were still in high school. He never said anything, just patiently waited for them to relent and then he would gather up his things and move on. She hated seeing this and had said something more than once given that most of the morons were dating friends of hers or members of the team but it was no big deal they said, they were just ribbing the genius weirdo or whatever.

Her most recent, now ex-boyfriend had loved to pick on Jason. Part of the reason they were now no longer together was because his hijinks with Jason had showed him to be cruel, and no amount of great sex or a lacrosse player's body was worth that kind of cruel partnership.

He hadn't taken it well and would glare at her all the time or spread rumors, recounting their private sexual exploits with surgical detail to any who would listen. It made her sound like a whore to some but she always knew that she loved sex, she like to take care of the guys she was with and expected to be taken care of as well. When she was she rewarded her boyfriends.

If that made her a whore then so be it, being a whore felt really good and she like it.

The bell rang releasing the class and Keri stood up gathering her bag and reaching down, the last few papers that had fallen from the stack Jason had been carrying.

He smiled at her as he took the papers she offered. His eyes were so pretty. He was pretty cute even though he was shorter than her and where she was toned from hours and hours in the gym and on the court he was thin, skinny in the way that it looked almost like he didn't get enough to eat.

She turned about to get her purse when she saw that her quiz had fallen on the floor and she reached for it, wincing as she saw Matt, her ex reach down and snatch it up.

"Ooooo, Keri. And here we thought you were smart or something." Matt said with a smile, drawing chuckles from his cohort of lackeys that followed him around and laughed at all his jokes.

God how could she ever have dated this guy.

"Something no one would ever accuse you of." Keri shot back trying to snatch the paper away but Matt was a quick as he was mean.

"You should come over, study with us. We could help you pass the class for sure. And if not we could have some fun at least." Matt leered at her, his eyes passing over her body up and down, clearly undressing her with his eyes. His buddies slapped hands and laughed following his que and doing the same. She felt dirty under their gaze and tried to snatch the paper again but again he was too quick.

"Mr. Faulk? Don't you have a class or practice to get to?" A quiet voice said from behind Keri. All laughter stopped. A look of pure anger passed over his sharp features as he stared past her. Keri turned and Jason was standing to her left. His clip board in his hand. "Although you should sign up for my study group after this week's quiz...and last weeks."

Keri had to stifle a laugh as she saw the color rise in Matts face. He was fuming, she had seen that face before a time or two. Matt was ready to fight, but Jason was technically a teacher, and striking a teacher was an instant death warrant for all his big plans.

Matts rage suddenly turned into a fake, shark like smile and he nodded to Jason, the look saying a million small syllable threats but he dropped Keri's quiz to a chorus of snickers from his gang before they turned and left the auditorium. Jason sighed and picked up her paper and handed it to her.

"I do study sessions from 7-9 for athletes like yourself on Wednesdays." Jason said as he released the paper. "It will help keep you eligible to play if nothing else, that much I promise if you put in the effort."

Keri thought for a second as he smiled again at her and walked away with his clip board. It was nice of him to offer. She had no time. With school and practice and her boyfriend...

Oh wait, she didn't have a boyfriend anymore. And if she didn't get this grade up it could alter her life and not in a good way.

"Sir?" She hard herself say as he was getting his coat and computer bag.

He looked around and then looked at her and mouthed me as if they were a long way away or someplace loud, it struck her funny and even more so that he was not trying to be cute or funny. His every manner just reeked of lack of experience with women or men, she wasn't sure how he swung and until that moment she hadn't even thought about.

"I would love that. Anything that would help me get my grade up would be great. I'm not sure it will help but I can't lose my eligibility to play." Keri said, sweeping her hair back over her ear. She could see color rise in his cheeks as she had crossed the room and was now very close to him.

"I promise you. You will see an improvement. You are smart enough to do the work, perhaps you just need to look at the information in a different way. And no need to call me sir," Jason said, smiling a fidgeting a bit nervously as she continued to stand the socially acceptable distance away. He glanced at his watch and began to fish about in his shirt pocket. Finally producing a business card which he handed to her which had his name and info on it. "Sorry I have to run, my time in the lab starts in about 10 minutes and if I'm not there I'll lose my spot."

She nodded and he excused himself. She watched him go, noting his nice almost semi-formal clothing style, the simple nerdy cut of his hair and his passive stance. Something about his beta male ways filled her with, not pity, but a want to see if there was more beneath.

Whatever, she had no shortage of suitors and her grades were the main concern at hand, not the fact that her bed was going to be empty for a bit. Or at least until she decided to go find someone to fill it. The idea of which exhausted her. Most guys in college just wanted to fuck and then bail with the path of least resistance. She didn't mind that so much as it was nice to have someone steady who you could enjoy and explore with, someone you knew was safe and not sleeping around who you could really let out your inner whore for them when they behaved and have fun in bed which was the whole fuckin point.

Grades. Think about grades. She sighed and left the room, she had a lot of work to do and she wasn't even sure she could bring her grade up in time.

*****

And so it went for 3 weeks. She showed up to his tutoring sessions, usually it was just her or maybe one other. Most must have figured if they didn't get it they wouldn't no matter how much help they got from this young prodigy of a TA. But she really seemed to benefit from the one on one review and lab sessions. Her last three quizzes weren't great per say but they were leaps and bounds better than any before that.

Jason was a great teacher and to see how knowledgeable he was of this was staggering. His intelligence was so incredible but in no way did he seem to hold it over any of those he helped. He was really good at it too. Keri noted that Jason shined in his post of teacher. He was confident, he was direct and was to follow, and he even made a few jokes that were actually funny. Keri saw a whole other side of him and Keri would be lying if she said it wasn't a little bit sexy. There was no way she could tell anyone on her team, any of her friends. I mean it was one thing to watch him pass and look at his ass, the front of his tasteful slacks and wonder what he had in there, how well he used it.

The things any red blooded straight woman who wasn't ashamed of sex thought.

She had seen him at her last three games, cheering and clapping. By himself but still more than she had seen from him since she heard that a super nerd genius was on campus.

She had waved at him. Or had he waved at her first. Who cares? It didn't matter. She liked it that he was there. Not even totally sure why. He was just there to watch the team and cheer for his school. That's what she told herself. But not everyone who saw him there felt that way.

*****

"Where is Jason?" Keri asked herself out loud. She had asked both in class and then again when she went to the study session and he was not there. Keri was on her way over to the lab to see if maybe he was in the middle of a project or something. She figured he would have said something. She had seen him in the quad a few days ago. He had laughed with her and she had complimented him on his new shirt and shoes. He was not as overdressed as he had been, he had cut his hair a bit and seemed looser.

She was reaching for the lab front door when her phone dinged saying she had mail.

It was from the Dean of the Department, on HR watermark on the email. She had to read it three times and she still didn't get what it meant. She was being asked to report to the school HR office and answer some questions about some alleged improper conduct on the part of her TA.

Someone had said something, told the school that something was wrong between them. When all he had ever done was try to help her stay eligible for her favorite sport and the means to allow her to afford to attend school and progress forward with her dreams of success.

She was in a fury when she entered the HR office. They told her to calm down lots of times but she wasn't having it. An anonymous email, saying that they had been sleeping together and that Jason had been using his influence as TA to garner sexual favors. Keri was furious. Adamantly denying that anything like that had ever happened.

She threatened to go to the student union. To tell the paper both city and campus. To light them up on all social media. How dare they suggest that Jason, who was the picture of propriety in everything that had concerned her, had used her to get sexual favors? He had never even told a dirty joke around her, or even seemed to know that sometimes he said some stuff that was unconsciously an innuendo to her dirty, playful mind.

It had taken a call from her coach to calm her down. Even the suggestion of impropriety forced their hand. Nothing would be on either one of their records, but he was no longer allowed to TA for her class or any other class for that matter.

Keri did fine on her next test. Not great but fine. Something was different though. She missed Jason. She missed hearing his voice, seeing him stand at the white board in his button up shirts and tailored slacks. The subtle cologne or maybe his deodorant. She missed how he didn't make her feel like some stupid sports chic like most of the meatheads she had been with before.

Then had come the night of her birthday.