The New Girl - A Man's Perspective Ch. 13

Chapter 13: Rollercoaster

The next morning, Saturday, I woke up in Amy's bed to the smell of coffee. I called out for her, but there was no answer. I swung my legs out of bed and stretched, then rubbed my eyes and looked out the window. I sighed and thought, 'what am I going to do?' I pulled on my jeans and buttoned up my shirt and walked downstairs. There was a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me with a note that said:

"Good morning sweetheart! I hope you slept well. You were out cold. I'll be back soon. Kisses! - Amy."

'She must have just left,' I thought. I took a sip of coffee and was surprised how delicious it was, then remembered Donna buys vacuum sealed bags of Cuban coffee beans. She must give some to Amy. I went to the living room and sat on the couch, looking out the front window. I could see Greg & Mindy's house from here. They and the boys were driving away in their minivan. I remember Greg saying he would never buy a minivan, and yet, there he is driving away in his minivan. I chuckled and shook my head. Then I saw Amy walking up the front step. She unlocked the door and walked in. I think I startled her, because she jumped high enough to hit the ceiling. I almost spit coffee through my nose, I was laughing so hard.

"Oh my god, Jeff! You scared the shit out of me!" she said.

"I'm sorry, babe, I really didn't mean to do that. It was hilarious, though," I said, laughing.

I set my coffee down and went to hug her. She must have been at the yoga studio or out running. I kissed her and gazed into her eyes. She gazed back at me with a smile.

"I take it you slept well?" she asked.

"Fantastic. Was, um, was I soring last night?" I asked, timidly.

"Yes, you were, but it was very quiet. It was cute. I tried to wake you up. I even rubbed my tits in your face again but you didn't move. The stubble on your face against my nipples felt pretty good, though," she said with a sly grin.

"Shit," I said, embarrassed.

I looked away and grabbed my coffee cup. I always snore when I'm exhausted and have always hated it. I meant to go get it taken care of but just kept putting it off. It was stupid, but I was still embarrassed.

"Babe, don't be embarrassed. It's cute. Come on. Let's go for a walk," She said, grabbing my hand.

She pulled me over to the couch and pushed me down. She straddled my lap and grabbed my chin and kissed me. She leaned back, looking at me and smiled, resting her forehead on mine.

"Why did you do this to me," she asked.

"Um, what are you talking about," I replied.

I thought for sure she was going to ask if I was the camper her mother rescued. She knew I was out camping, or at least I thought she did.

"Why were you hiding from me my entire life and why have you put me under your spell," she asked, still smiling.

I was relieved. Still a bit nervous, and forced a chuckle. She leaned back in and kissed me then got up and I put on my new hiking boots. We walked out the door in the cool February sun, and I saw how happy she was. I wasn't sure if she ever told me about her past. I know I never told her about mine. So, I asked.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, as we walked holding hands.

"Of course. What's up, babe?" she said.

"You said before that you had dates and one-night stands, but what else happened," I asked, looking down at the sidewalk.

"You really want to know? I'm not sure you'll like it," she said.

"Yes, I can handle it. That was in the past. Now you're with me," I assured her.

"Ok, we'll, where do I start?" she said.

"From the beginning. Where did you grow up in Pennsylvania? What schools did you go to. Why did you decide to go into marketing, I suppose," I suggested with a smirk. I was excited to hear about it.

"I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania and attended a private school. I excelled in class and was put in honors and joined the dance team. My dad wasn't in the picture. He left while mom was still pregnant with me, so I had my friend's dad's. Mom knew everyone in the school because she was part of the school board," she chuckled as she recounted the memories of childhood.

"What then?" I asked.

"High school was sort of a blur because I was in all a ton of clubs and sports. I've always loved sports. Hey, we should go to a basketball game sometime! I can get us courtside seats," she said excitedly.

"Yeah, that would be pretty fun. I've never been. Only watched football with my dad and brother. I sit and listen to both of them argue about who the best quarterback is and best draft picks are they're both armchair coaches. It's pretty entertaining," I laughed, "anyway, so what else happened after high school?"

"I got into the University of Cincinnati and worked my way up to my masters in marketing. I was told by several professors that I can sell ice to an Eskimo," she said laughing.

"I majored in marketing and minored in partying," she said, laughing so hard she snorted which made me laugh.

"Your turn, big guy. Tell me about growing up as Jeff Baker," she said.

"Not much to know," I said.

"I grew up in a 1980's cookie cutter neighborhood. Went to public school where I was beat up on more than one occasion in later years. I was a nerd in the computer club in high school. No sports, no music, no girls and still got beat up, even from girls. Went to community college here in town and was hired on at the firm because of a high school professor. Been there ever since," I rambled off.

I didn't mention that I fixed our family computer every time my brother infected it with a virus from porn, and always hid tech magazines under my mattress.

"Wow. Quite the ladies man, eh sport?" she said, again laughing with a snort.

"Was the firm your first job out of school or did you do something else before here?" I asked. She left that part out.

"I graduated college summa cum laude, then second guessed myself about marketing, so I worked at Starbucks for, gosh, 6 years, I think. Mom moved out here and I stayed. I interviewed with a small marketing company In Pennsylvania and got the job. Worked my way up from there," she said.

"And now you're with me. What an accomplishment, I must say," I said, antagonizing her.

"Shut up. It wasn't easy working my way up. I was not good at marketing. And I'm not proud to say, in fact you're only the 2nd person that knows this, but I ended up sleeping my way to the top at a larger firm in NYC," she admitted, apologetically.

I could hear in her voice she was sincerely regretful of it and probably wished she could have a do-over. Although, from what I've experienced, she probably moved up the corporate ladder fast as hell.

"Wow, geez," I said, not really knowing what else to say then.

"What, you didn't realize you're with a former slut," she asked.

"No, for your information, I didn't, actually," I admitted unapologetically.

"And how does that make you feel? Did you lose respect for me," she asked in a very serious tone this time.

"No, of course not, babe. Look, a girl like you with a guy like me is mind blowing to me. I mean, of all the guys you've been with or could have been with, you chose me, a dorky IT nerd whose office is pretty much the basement," I said, "I dress like Dwight from The Office, and my duplex has 80's metal posters covering the walls. Why would a girl like you choose a guy like me?"

"Well, what's wrong with that," she said.

"From my perspective, absolutely nothing. I just don't feel worthy enough to be with a girl like you. Like I said, it just blows my mind," I explained, "don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change this for the world. I just can't seem to wrap my brain around it. That's all."

"Well, darling, as long as we keep things straight and open, we won't fall apart. I learned a shit load of lessons in my past and I don't plan on repeating any of it," she assured me.

"I believe you, Amy," I said.

"I have something special planned for you today. So let's go. It's right up here. I hope you like it," she said with excited anticipation.