Nothing is What it Seems

After many years of reading Literotica stories, and a few years of having an account and commenting on other's stories, I'm finally publishing my first tale on this site. I'm not sure what possessed me to write a work of this length for my initial effort, but the story mostly wrote itself over time.

Big thanks to my editor for taking the time to provide feedback on this tome. It's taken me so long to finish this I've lost his username, but if you see this, GG, please contact me. That said, any typos or grammatical errors are mine. Although I have a couple of other pieces in work, my life is complicated right now with a family health crises and I don't have much time to write. Your feedback will determine how quickly I'll try to finish other pieces.

I hope you enjoy this story, it was fun to write. All participants in sexual activity are over 18 and any resemblance of the characters to actual people is entirely coincidental. No reproductions or exerts are permitted without my written permission.

1

"This is why I hate frat parties!" I thought to myself as I pressed my back against a wall, held my cup of not quite cold beer over my head, and watched two obviously drunk guys stumble past me towards the living room of the frat house. They were focused on the gyrating, denim clad ass of a slim blonde co-ed. This was definitely not my scene, but I had promised a buddy I would show up. For some reason he was concerned with my social wellbeing and thought I needed to get out more, or to put it bluntly; I needed to get laid! I'm not anti-social, but loud music, rooms full of boozed up guys staring at bouncing boobies, and hordes of cookie-cutter girls didn't appeal to me as a great way to start a meaningful relationship.

My name is Curtis Jacobs, and I'm a 21-year-old, third year, African-American student working on a triple major in economics, French, and Chinese. Yeah, I know it's weird. My goal in life is to work for the State Department or the UN and thanks to my dad's military career, I can already speak Spanish and German. I'm a fraction under six feet, weigh in about 190, and although I'm not quite scholarship material, I'm a pretty decent athlete, If I do say so myself, and lettered in two sports in high school.

Since I work to help get myself through school, I don't get to play intramural sports but I run 3-4 times a week, I lift weights twice a week and I hold black belts in three separate martial art disciplines. That was something I picked up traveling the world as an Army brat. I also teach a beginner's karate class on campus. It doesn't pay, but my instructor, who runs the program, doesn't charge me for my lessons with the advanced group.

I'm outta here! I had shown up as promised, had the obligatory cheap-beer-from-a-keg-in-a-red-plastic-cup and now it was time to leave. As I made my way through the crowd toward the front door, I saw a girl standing in a corner hemmed in by two hulking frat guys. She didn't look like she was enjoying the attention and actually looked a bit scared. How do I know her? Is she in one of my classes? The girl was about 5'6'', slim with dark, thick, curly hair, and looked like she was maybe mixed race. That's it! She sits across the room in my sociology class. What was her name? It's short and begins with an 'A'... Ali? Alex? Lexi? Yeah, that was it! Okay, it didn't start with an 'A'. So sue me!

I had noticed Lexi for two reasons. First, she always dressed the same: a university hooded sweatshirt and loose fitting, almost baggy, jeans. Tonight was no exception. Second, whenever she said something, usually only at the prompting of the instructor, it was deep and thoughtful. I had wanted to talk to her about a couple of her comments, but she was an expert at pulling a disappearing act as soon as class was over.

As I worked my way across the room our eyes met, and I swear there was a plea for help in her expression. Far be it from me to be a CB (cock-block) against any horny male but something about her look made me decide to get involved.

"Hey Lexi, there you are! I thought maybe you had already left. I'm leaving now so do you still need a ride back to campus?"

There it was: If she was looking to get away, I had given her an opening. If not, she could just blow me off.

"Thanks! I was going to look for you." There was more than a touch of relief in her voice when I stepped up.

"Sorry to break up what I'm sure was a captivating conversation guys," I said as I reached between them and gently took Lexi's arm. Maybe there was a touch of sarcasm in my voice because both of them gave me the hard stare. "but I'm sure you'll find other targets of opportunity just dying to hear of your exploits."

I ignored their posturing and steered Lexi towards the door. After we were outside, and the door was closed blocking most of the noise Lexi gave a deep sigh and glanced up at me.

"Thanks. I thought I could hide in that corner but once I got caught there, I couldn't figure out how to get away. You're Kirk, aren't you?"

"Actually, it's Curt. Short for Curtis, Curtis Jacobs. But my friends call me CJ."

"Thanks again CJ, you may have just saved me from dying of boredom! By the way, can I really get a ride back to campus with you?"

"Sure. How did you get here?"

"I rode with some other girls from the dorm. But I really don't want to wait around to see if any of them plan on making it back to the dorm tonight."

There was an edge in her voice that caught my attention and I glanced over at her.

"Are you okay? Those guys didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

"No. Nothing like that," she sighed again. "I never should have let myself get talked into going there in the first place. I don't have much experience in that kind of social setting and the beer breath on those two could have dropped a horse!"

I laughed.

"That only proves you weren't drinking, or you wouldn't have noticed! Anyway, I know what you mean. I was only there as a favor to a friend."

By now we had reached my car and I unlocked it, let Lexi in, and I walked around to the driver's side. By the time I got to the door she had reached across and unlocked it. My car is far from new and doesn't have electronic door locks. It was a little thing, but I couldn't remember the last time a date or any girl had done that. I slid in.

"Thanks."

I have an apartment off campus, but from the frat house I would have to go right past the dorms, so I knew generally where Lexi lived.

"I recognized you from Sociology class. In fact, I've been trying to talk to you for a couple of weeks but you disappear as soon as the bell rings. What's your last name?"

"Freeman. My next class is on the other side of campus and the only way I can make it without being late is to beat-feet as soon as the bell rings. And my C++ instructor is a royal pain if you're late. Anyway, I noticed you too. You're one of the few people in that class that take it seriously. Everyone else starts giggling or rolls their eyes as soon as the topic touches on anything controversial or challenging 'normal' (in finger quotes) views or perspectives."

"Thanks... I think. I'm a military brat so I've bounced around a good part of the world and met a lot of people that don't think like Americans. I've learned that different doesn't always mean wrong. But your comments tend to surprise me too. You've either had some very different experiences than most of the class, or you spend a lot of time contemplating some very strange stuff. At the same time, you never come across as sarcastic or flip. I was curious where your unique world view came from."

"Mmmmm. That's a long story and I don't know you well enough yet to even begin telling it."

We rode for a few minutes in silence when I heard a soft "Shit!"

"Something wrong?"

Lexi took a deep breath.

"God, this is going to sound awful and please don't get the wrong idea, but...!" There was a drawn-out pause. "... can I go home with you?"

I had stopped the car at a red light. I turned and looked straight into Lexi's eyes.

"What?"

"I didn't mean it to sound like that. I told you I'm not very good at the social thing! My roommate has her boyfriend over and I don't want to go near our room for the night. But the girls with whom I was going to crash are still at the frat house. And frankly, I'd only give it 50/50 that they make it back to the dorm at all."

There was that edge in her voice again, but I liked the way she said "whom".

"So it's not my magnetic personality or animal charm that has you wanting to share my abode?"

She giggled. It was really cute!

"No. But since you saved me once, I thought I might impose again. I promise I won't be a bother, and I can walk back to the dorm in the morning. By the way, the light is green."

I looked away with a start and took off before the cars behind me hit their horns.

"First of all, you don't know where I live so you don't know if you'd want to walk in the morning. Second, is there someone that's going to come looking to kick my ass when they find out you spent the night at my place?"

Lexi looked down at her hands in her lap and shook her head. I didn't say anything for about a block.

No, I'm not gay, and my mom tells me I'm not bad looking. At least I don't scare young children or small furry mammals. And no, I don't have attractive girls throwing themselves at me every day. But at this point in my life I like my space and I really didn't know anything about Ms Freeman. On the other hand, she was kind of cute although I couldn't really tell what kind of body she had under all the baggy clothes. And I had been looking for an opportunity to talk to her about some of the stuff we had covered in Sociology class.

"Okay. But you're warned; I'm usually up pretty early on Saturdays. That's my day for shopping and running errands."

"That's fine; I usually get up early too."

The rest of the drive to my apartment was spent in silence. To me, it was a comfortable silence, but I think Lexi was embarrassed at having to ask for the favor, especially from someone she barely knew. After parking the car, we walked up the stairs to my third floor, one bedroom home. It wasn't very elegant but I tried to keep it fairly neat and I didn't have to scurry about picking up dirty underwear or anything when Lexi came in. The furnishings were pretty basic. In the kitchen, there was a small table with two chairs. In the living room a loveseat, a coffee table, a TV on top of a bookcase, and a floor lamp. All the furniture, except the TV, was courtesy of either Goodwill or some other secondhand store.

I dropped my keys on the coffee table. "Can I take your...?" I paused realizing I didn't know if she had a shirt on under the hoodie.

"No thanks, I'm fine."

"Would you like something to drink? I have beer, wine; red or white, rum, Gator-Aid, and water."

"That's a lot of booze."

"I work at a restaurant as a cook so it's kind of my job to understand how certain wines and liquor go with the different meals. Sometimes when I'm off, I like to experiment here at home and I use some of the same stuff we have at the restaurant to make sure the tastes complement each other."

"Oh. Sorry CJ. I know I don't sound very grateful. Eventually you'll get tired of me apologizing for not being very experienced at social settings."

She was really kind of cute when she was apologizing.

"Man, are you this hard on your boyfriends?"

"I've never had a boyfriend so I don't know if I would be hard on one. But I would like a bottle of water."

The bells and whistles were going off in my head as I went to the fridge. Maybe she was a lesbian. That would explain a lot. Maybe she was an axe murderer! Or maybe I should take what she said at face value and not create entire histories based on a simple sentence!

We sat at either end of the loveseat facing each other but carefully not touching. Lexi turned out to be a great conversationalist once she relaxed and we covered a wide range of topics including our common class and our mutual dislike of fraternity beer parties. Best of all I found out a little more about her. Although this was her first year at Old Dominion University, she was a sophomore; a year behind me, and a computer science major. Lexi was short for Alexandra; she was an only child and had graduated high school in Tampa, FL. Her parents were still there, and she was half Filipino (her mother), and half African-American (her father).

I looked up at the clock; it was almost midnight.

"I hate to be a party pooper but I have to work tomorrow night and if my sleep cycle gets too far out of whack, I'm no good. You can stay up and watch TV if you'd like but I'm going to bed. Can I get you anything before I turn in?"

Lexi stifled a yawn.

"No. I'll be fine here on the couch. That's one of the few advantages of not being very tall! Thanks again."

I got up and headed for my bedroom. Suddenly it hit me. Jeez, I'm an idiot! I turned to the closet in the hall, getting out a pillow and a blanket. I went to my dresser and pulled out a clean T-shirt. I took the pile of things back into the living room. Lexi had taken off her shoes and was settling into a corner of the couch.

"Please forgive my lack of courtesy. My mom would kill me if I didn't offer at least the basics to a guest. If you look in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom you can even find a new toothbrush, and clean towels are in the bathroom too."

Lexi looked up at me with an odd smile.

"I said I wouldn't be a bother CJ, but thanks. You're sweet."

I didn't say anything about the T-shirt. She could see it and it would be her choice whether or not to use it.

"No problem. Good night."

After brushing my teeth, I went into my bedroom, closed the door, stripped down, put on a pair of gym shorts and slid into bed staring at the ceiling. I lay there for a few minutes thinking about Lexi. I found her fascinating. She was cute and very intelligent, but there was an air of mystery that really caught my attention. I knew her major, where she was from, but although we had talked for almost three hours, I didn't really know much about her personal life.

When the conversation turned somewhat personal, she deflected the question, changed the subject, or asked a counter question; all without blinking an eye. She had done this before. I sighed. This was too much to worry about tonight. I tried to build an image of her physique without the loose-fitting clothes; again, too much like work. Whatever! I turned onto my side and went to sleep.

2

I woke earlier than usual the next morning. It was barely 7:00. I lay there a couple of minutes trying to figure out what was different. Then I noticed the sound of light snoring through the thin walls of the apartment and remembered Lexi was sleeping on my couch. I changed into my running gear, hit the bathroom, and then slid into the kitchen to fix coffee.

I glanced over at the still sleeping form on the couch. She was curled up on her right side, facing the back of the couch, with the blanket pulled up to her chin, but I noticed her jeans, sweatshirt and a bra folded and stacked neatly on the table. The curve of her ass and the lines of her thighs under the blanket suggested Lexi was certainly not packing any extra weight. Her arm covered her breasts so it was hard to get an indication of size but I was guessing about a 34B (consistent with the size of the bra on the table!). Her dark curls fell over her face. Did I mention she had these incredible green eyes? They were so intense I thought she was wearing colored contacts, but it turned out that was their natural color. I later found out her mother had the same eyes.

After pouring myself a cup of coffee and getting a yogurt out of the refrigerator, I sat and just watched her sleep. Sounds a little creepy, right? I'm not sure what this attraction was that I had for her. My dick wasn't standing at attention, so it wasn't purely sexual. I just liked being near her.

As I watched, her curly head popped up and looked about frantically. When she saw me I received a sleepy smile.

"Hey! The smell of your coffee woke me up, but I panicked cuz I couldn't figure out where I was."

"Hey yourself. I didn't mean to wake you but I work from three to eleven today and nine to three tomorrow, so this morning is the only time I have to get anything done. I like to start Saturdays with a run. I'll be back in about an hour. You don't have to leave; I'll give you a ride back to the dorms when I get back."

Lexi sat up, carefully keeping the blanket over her legs and hips. I could see my assessment of her breast size was on target, with really perky nipples! She looked amazingly cute in my T-shirt, her hair everywhere, wrapped in a blanket.

"I might take you up on that. I would feel yucky putting the same clothes back on without a shower first."

"Mmmmm" I thought. "Not wearing panties! Must be under the hoodie!" I felt my groin tingle. Bad timing! Running shorts hide nothing!

"Okay." I said moving quickly to the door. "I'll see you in about an hour."

After a few stretches I took off on my 7-mile loop. Lexi remained on my mind as I hit the park where I covered most of my miles. No girl had captivated me like this since a rough break up last spring. I hadn't sworn off girls. I hadn't even sworn off sex! But no one had caught my interest for other than an occasional 'hormonal adjustment'. But Lexi was different. I didn't know how different at that time.

Pondering where this 'date' with Lexi would lead must have inspired me, because I looked up and saw I was back at my apartment complex before I knew it. I glanced at my watch: A new personal record for this course! I stopped in front of my building, walked back and forth for a couple of minutes for my breathing to return to normal and did a couple of stretches to keep from tightening up, and calming down, before climbing the stairs. Walking into my apartment, a dish towel hit me in the face.

"Hey! Is that how you repay my hospitality?" I pulled the towel away to see the kitchen table set and a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee for two.

Lexi grinned.

"I was watching for you through the window so the eggs would still be hot when you came in. I figured it was the least I could do for you after your letting me use your couch, shower and shirt. I'm not a professional cook but I do a decent breakfast."

Lexi was dressed in her sweatshirt and jeans with her still wet hair pulled back into a ponytail. A really thick, fluffy ponytail.

I was stunned. I looked at her to see if I was being teased but her eyes were sincere.

"No worries Lexi." I smiled. "That shirt looked better on you than it ever did on me."

She blushed.

"Towel off and sit down before it starts getting cold"

Everything was prepared perfectly, or maybe I was so happy to be with Lexi I wasn't paying attention to the food. After breakfast I jumped into the shower, brushed my teeth, and threw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. When I came back out into the living room the dishes were washed and the table cleaned. I was seriously impressed now.

"I have some errands to run: Groceries, hardware store, stuff like that. Would you like me to drop you off first or do you want to tag along?"

"Can you drop me off on your way out?"

"Of course."

I was a bit disappointed at not being able to spend more time with her but I suppressed my puppy-like urges.

After dropping Lexi off back at the dorms, the rest of my morning was routine; groceries for the week, pick up a pack of energy efficient light bulbs, stuff like that. I was back at my apartment by 11:30 and tried to concentrate on school work for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, everything I read reminded me of Lexi. My shift at work was so busy I didn't have time to think about my mysterious new friend. I got home dead tired and knowing I would be back at the restaurant in eight hours, the only thing I was concerned with was a shower and my bed. Yet as soon as my head hit the pillow the image of Lexi in my tee shirt came back to me. I remembered the curve of her breasts, the perkiness of her nipples, and the look of her hair falling into her face. I could feel a stirring between my legs as I imagined the parts of her body I hadn't seen yet.

When I'm alone I sleep nude. No big deal. I just like the feel of the sheets against my skin and it helps with temperature regulation. Anyway, I rolled over on my back and slowly stroked my cock to full erectness. I reached over to my night stand for some baby oil and imagined Lexi's small hands slowly working it up and down my throbbing mast. Using one hand to caress my tightened nut sack I imagined her warm breath against the head. I used long slow strokes imagining my cock being ravaged by her sweet lips and mouth, her tongue sliding from base to tip, those intense green eyes looking at me as her lips tried to suck the cum from my pee hole. Normally I can pace my 'self-pleasure' sessions but tonight my excitement peaked early. After about two minutes my scrotum tightened and seconds later gobs of cum blasted onto my stomach and chest. Streams of the stuff shot out with a surprising amount of force. After five or six strong spurts, several more spasms caused more cum to overflow my cock head and flowed over my pumping hand. After draining my balls, I went to the bathroom, cleaned up and slid back into bed. With a deep sigh, I drifted off to sleep.

Sunday brunch at the restaurant is always busy. The menu is extensive, and there's a buffet line that has to be kept full. This morning I was the in the back on the prep line and a la carte order station which is really the hardest place to work. But I liked it because it forced me to switch back and forth between different tasks and used different skills: mixing fresh hollandaise sauce, making blueberry pancakes, scrambling three dozen eggs at once, or building the perfect BLT. At 3:00 pm the brunch closed, the dinner crew rolled in to prep and I was done. Driving home I thought about what assignments were due this week and what reading I still needed to finish. That brought my sociology class to mind, and of course, that brought Lexi back into my thoughts. I tried to think of an excuse to see her before our Tuesday class when I realized I hadn't even asked for her phone number. Jeeez! Sometimes I can be so stupid!

I walked up the stairs to my apartment muttering to myself. As I turned the corner to climb the last flight I saw a bundle in front of my door and the top of a curly head laying on a pair of denim clad knees.

"Hey, Lexi! What a nice surprise! I was kicking myself because I didn't get your phone number yesterday."

She looked up at the sound of my voice. Her eyes were a little red. I thought she had been crying.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"Perfect." She replied, trying to smile.

When Lexi stood up I could see the wet spots on her jeans but I didn't feel like I knew her well enough to push the point. She wore her usual uniform; jeans and a hoodie.

"I had a question about our Sociology assignment and I also thought about not having your number. But since it was such a nice day I decided to walk over and meet you when you got home from work." She gestured down to her book bag. "I had plenty to read while I was waiting."

There were so many things wrong with that story the alarms should have been going off in my head. But I was glad to see her, so I ignored the inconsistencies.

"Sure. Come on in." I said. "Get yourself something to drink while I grab a shower. Have you had lunch? I should have something worth eating in there."

"Actually I want to spring for a pizza or Chinese food, for an early dinner, to pay you back for Friday night." Lexi said and followed me into the apartment.

"You don't owe me anything. I got more out of that evening than you did. But I won't turn down a free meal! Either works for me. Do you know a place that delivers?"

"Of course! I wanted to give you the option before I called."

"Okay, Chinese: Kung Pao chicken with extra spring rolls."

"Hey! That's what I was going to order! It's no fun to order the same thing. Then you can't trade food."

"Okay, you do the chicken; I'll go with sweet and sour shrimp."

"You give in too easy. Are you always such a charmer CJ? You seem too nice to be running around unattached."

I stopped at the entrance to my bedroom. I stared at Lexi for a couple of seconds trying to read, again, if she was teasing me.

"Lexi, I don't know what guys you've known in the past, and I'm sorry if someone hurt you, but not all guys are jerks and assholes. I don't think I'm all that special, I try to treat people that way I'd want to be treated. That's the way I was raised and if that makes me a 'gentleman' or something, then I guess I'm guilty."

Lexi took a step back.

"CJ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it as an insult, but you're not like most, no any, of the guys I've known."

"I probably over reacted." I paused. "I had a not-so-nice break up last spring and I've become a bit sensitive in the interim. Sometimes it seems like nice guys do finish last but that's not reason enough to make me change who I am, nor is it an excuse to snap at you."

"Don't change. What's the expression: Don't confuse kindness with weakness. I loved the way you handled those goons at the frat party. And I've never met anyone so generous to a relative stranger."

I smiled.

"You've figured all that out after spending one night with me, and not really 'with' me."

"Let's say life has taught me to be a pretty good judge of character."

The look in Lexi's face was one I had not seen before. There was sadness, some hurt, a hint of a smile, and she almost looked like she wanted to cry.

"Go ahead and take your shower," she said, "I'll call for the food."

The food was good, and the company was better. We chatted over nothing till the food arrived, fixed plates and then shifted into academic mode working through our sociology topics. After finishing that assignment, I had Lexi laughing as I practiced my Chinese vocabulary. She had a really great laugh. Around 9:30 I drove her back to the dorms. When I stopped the car in front of her building Lexi leaned across and kissed me on the cheek.

"Will I get to see you tomorrow?" She asked.

That earned a smile.

"Do you want to see me tomorrow?"

"Yes, I think so." She replied tilting her head and smiling "The past 48 hours have been the best I've had in a long time. I feel comfortable being myself around you."

"I teach a beginning karate class at the student center tomorrow night at 7:00. Why don't you come around? You can watch and see if you'd like to join the class. You can start at any time."

"Karate? You never cease to amaze me but I might take you up on that. After being cornered by those lugs Friday night, learning to defend myself might not be a bad idea." I laughed as Lexi gave a couple of TV karate chops and kicks in the air.

"Good night CJ." With another quick peck on my cheek she slid out of the car and ran to the dorm, flashing her ID to unlock the door.

I drove home in a daze. My cheek tingled where her lips had touched. It was hard to believe all this started last Friday. By the time I got home my dick was hard from thinking about Lexi. Fortunately it was dark so no one noticed the bulge in my pants as I walked to my apartment. I went in, stripped, lay down on the bed having never lost my erection and slowly stroked myself to an explosive orgasm. After I calmed down and cleaned up I drifted off to sleep thinking about her lips on my cheek and imagining what her lips would feel like covering my entire body.

3

The week sped by. Lexi came to my karate class; but only to watch. On Tuesday Lexi had to run, as usual, to get to her next class after Sociology but she flashed me a smile on her way out the door that kept me happy the rest of the day. Wednesday evening we ran into each other by accident at the student center. That was my weightlifting night, and it turned out she was taking yoga next door. When I dropped her off at the dorms I was rewarded with another kiss on the cheek. By now we had exchanged phone numbers and were texting each other at least 4-5 times a day. Thursday was a work night, and this weekend I worked Friday and Sunday. I figured on not seeing Lexi till sometime Saturday.

Friday it rained all day. Although not unusual for Norfolk in October, it was a particularly cold, wet, windy and miserable day. Driving home from work I hoped the rain would end before morning and was thinking that I might skip my run and sleep in a bit if it didn't. As I climbed the stairs and approached my door there was a familiar bundle curled up in the corner, trying to stay out of the wind, looking like a drowned river rat.

"Lexi! If you wanted to come over tonight you should have called or texted me! It's ridiculous to walk over here in this weather." I gently scolded her.

When she looked up, I thought she had been crying again, but she was so wet I wasn't sure. Although my doorway blocked the direct force of the wind, she was shivering.

"Come on in. We need to get you out of those wet things." I ushered her through the door. "You take the shower first. I'll throw some dry clothes in for you to put on. You know where the towels are. Go!"

Lexi dropped her book bag by the door and went straight to the bathroom. I soon heard water running so I dug out a hoodie (figured she'd like that!), a pair of sweatpants with a draw string that would stay up over her slim hips, and a pair of clean white socks. I quietly opened the bathroom door and placed the clothes on the commode. I picked up her pile of wet things and tossed them into the dryer. My apartment was pretty Spartan, but it did have a small, stacked washer/dryer. Next I went to the kitchen and prepped some hot chocolate to help warm her up when she finished the shower. When Lexi came out of the bathroom I handed her the hot chocolate and pushed her towards the couch where I had put a crocheted throw my mom had made for me.

"Thanks CJ." She said softly.

Now I went to the shower. I took a quick rinse to get the kitchen smells off me, then I slipped into a hoodie and a pair of sweats too. When I returned to the living room Lexi was wrapped in the throw and watching the end of Letterman. I plopped down on the couch at her feet.

"Okay! What's up with showing up at midnight in a rainstorm? I know I'm irresistible but that's still a bit much."

She peered at me over the top of her mug.

"CJ, my roommate, Becky, is a bully. She's been picking on me since the start of the term. It started out as little things and I thought she was teasing but then she started getting meaner and meaner. It progressed to putting me down in front of the other girls in the dorm. I thought if I was nice to her maybe she would stop but it's only gotten worse. Now she's intimidating the other girls in the dorm. Even the girls I was talking to in August are now afraid to even be seen with me. Tonight it got really bad and I just had to get away: she's attacking me online."

I was stunned. Of course I had heard of cyber bullying but I had never known anyone who had been victimized.

"Have you told the school officials? Have you tried to change rooms? Aren't there policies against on line bullying?" I asked.

"Of course I did. When I first complained they said there were no open spots in the dorms and to come back at the end of the semester. When Becky found out I had complained things got worse. She promised to make my life a living hell. And frankly she's pretty damn close now! I'm afraid to sleep with her in the room. Fortunately she spends most of her time with a girlfriend off campus smoking weed. She's only in the dorm room when she thinks her parents are going to show up to visit or to fuck her boyfriend when he comes in town. And of course all of her attacks have been anonymous, but she lets me know she's behind them."

As Lexi told her story I could see how upset it made her. She was near tears again and I had never heard her drop the "F" bomb before. I got up, moved around behind her and wedged myself into the corner of the couch. I took the half finished cup of cocoa out of her hands, put it on the table and put my arms around her, Wrapping her in the throw and pulling her back tight against my chest.

"You're safe now. No one can hurt you here. Relax, get a good night's sleep and we'll come up with a plan tomorrow."

For a second Lexi stiffened in my hold then relaxed, her head falling back against my shoulder.

"You're too good to me CJ. You don't know me that well yet you're always rescuing me. You need to be more careful. You don't know what you're getting into; things aren't always what they seem."

"Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not. Sometimes you just have to play the cards you're dealt and worry about the consequences later."

"When did you get to be such a deep philosopher? Sounds like something from a Kenny Rogers song!" Lexi giggled.

"Ever since I started rescuing cute, mysterious, soaking wet co-eds." I retorted."Anyway, it's late even if I don't have to work tomorrow. Let me get your blanket and pillow."

"Can I have the same shirt?"

"Gee, you get emotionally attached pretty quickly." I said with a grin. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Do you have an extra pair of gym shorts? These sweats are too bulky to sleep in."

"Sure. I'll be right back." I pushed up from the coach, gathered the blanket, pillow, t-shirt and found a pair of clean gym shorts that sort of matched the shirt. As I was walking back to the living room Lexi was headed for the bathroom.

"I brought my own tooth brush this time." she said with a smile holding up the device proudly.

I laughed.

"You're amazing. You're ducking a bully, walking in a monsoon, but you remembered to pack a toothbrush."

"Clean panties too! Some things a girl just has to have." Lexi threw over her shoulder as she entered the bathroom with her nose in the air.

An hour later everyone had settled in their respective positions asleep when the rainstorm intensified. A clap of thunder woke me as it shook the apartment building. Before the rumble had faded a bolt of lightning lit the entire room, soon followed by another window rattling clap of thunder.

"Damn that was close!" I muttered. I could hear Lexi bumping around in the next room, then my door opened and her head poked in.

"CJ, are you awake?" she whispered.

"I think the dead are awake after those last two blasts." I replied raising my head up from the pillow.

"Can I get in bed with you? I'm seriously afraid of thunder storms."

Now I had been careful not to put any pressure on Lexi for any type of physical contact. Until I held her earlier in the night we had never touched other than her kissing me on the cheek, not even holding hands. Now she was asking to sleep with me? Did I mention how hot she looked in my shirt and shorts?

"Sure." I said trying not to sound excited.

Fortunately I had put on gym shorts again with Lexi being there. I tucked my dick between my legs as she padded across the room. I didn't want to scare her the first time she trusted me enough to climb into bed with me.

"If you hog the covers I'll kick your little butt back to the couch!" I threatened.

"I'm glad you didn't say anything about snoring." Lexi giggled as she slid under the covers and turned her back to me. "Hold me like you did on the couch please. It made me feel really safe."

I pushed one arm under the pillow supporting her head, the other I draped over her waist, my finger tips grazing her belly button. Lexi reached down, took my hand and placed it over her shirt covering her left breast. Damn that felt good! I could feel my dick struggling to get out from between my legs. I wasn't going to get much sleep this night.

I pulled Lexi a little closer. Her ass fit neatly into my crotch.

"Good night." I said and kissed the top of her head without thinking.

"That's the first time you've kissed me. That was nice." She sighed.

The kiss felt so natural I didn't realize it was the first time. But before I could think of anything appropriate, or inappropriate, to say Lexi's breathing slowed as she drifted back to sleep. During the night the storm passed over, and remarkably I was able to fall back asleep despite the effort to restrain my throbbing cock.

4

I awoke in the morning on my back and unable to move. Looking down I saw Lexi facing me with her head on my shoulder and her right arm flung over my chest. Looking past her arm I could see the tent my erection was making through the covers, having escaped from between my legs during the night. As I lay watching it twitch, Lexi stirred.

"Hi!" She said with that cute sleepy smile. "I think that's the best sleep I'm had in a long time."

I didn't say anything, I just hugged her tighter. She let me hold her for about a minute before she pushed away.

"I gotta pee." She said and slid out of the bed.

"Thanks for sharing that! What happened to boundaries in a relationship?" I called after her.

"We don't have a relationship. We only sleep together. And it doesn't even involve sex."

"Doesn't that constitute a relationship?"

"Nope! There are certain milestones that have to be met before it can officially be called a 'relationship', and you've met none of them."

"Me? Like what?" I demanded.

"You've never held my hand; in public or private. We've never been on a date. The gym doesn't count! You've never kissed me. The top of the head doesn't count! Shall I go on? I had to put your hand on my boob last night. You act like I might break if you touch me!"

The last part of the conversation had taken place through the closed bathroom door. Now, it sprang open.

"Last night when you held me on the couch was the first time I felt like maybe you liked me. I know it may sound silly but my ego has really taken a beating lately and I needed that reassurance." She climbed back onto the bed. "But I see I'm going to have to take charge if we're going to have a 'relationship'."

Lexi leaned over and kissed me full on the lips. Not hard, but firm, slightly parted lips, but no tongue. It was hot! I maintained the kiss for several seconds before wrapping my arms around her slim body and pulling her down against my chest. I could feel her breasts flatten against me. Our kiss became insistent. I wanted more! I forced my tongue between her lips; there was no resistance. Lexi pressed her body against me as her tongue dueled with mine. There was no way to hide my woodie if she looked down! Eventually Lexi pushed away.

"Okay, you've checked the kissing block. But don't think that automatically qualifies this as a relationship." She said breathlessly.

I started laughing and couldn't stop, not even when Lexi started beating me with a pillow. At first I blocked the blows with my arms while I got my laughter under control. When I could breathe again I wrestled Lexi to the mattress on her back and kissed her, on the lips, again; this time a long, slow, soft, sensuous kiss.

I had learned a trick a couple of years ago of inhaling through my mouth as I kissed a girl. If you had a good lip seal, you could literally suck the air out of her lungs. The effect was to leave the girl slightly breathless and light-headed at the end of the kiss. It takes a bit of practice to kiss and inhale at the same time, but I had been practicing the technique over time and it worked that morning. When I broke off the kiss Lexi lay there with her eyes closed gasping for air.

"Oh my god! What did you just do to me? I feel dizzy."

"Just my charm." I smiled.

I slid off the bed with my back to Lexi to hide my huge erection and stretched.

"Are you up for a run this morning?"

"I was going to ask you if I could come along. I ran cross country in high school, and I really miss the feeling of going for miles at a time. I even packed my running shoes in my book bag. I just wasn't sure if that was your 'me time' or what."

"No worries. It's my turn to pee, and then you can have the bathroom to change."