She climbed into bed and rolled me over on my side so I was facing away from her, then snuggled into me, wrapping her arms around me and adjusting the covers and pillows for both of us.
"Can you sleep like this?" she asked me.
"Yes," I said, squirming against her a little.
"Stop that," she said, giggling.
I settled in, closing my eyes, and I felt her breath against my ear.
I still had questions flitting through my head, but none of them chose to land. I thought I couldn't sleep, but then I did.
Chapter 8: Learning the Ropes
I woke twice in the middle of the night. The first time, Veronica had rolled away from me and we were sleeping with our backs to each other but still touching. The second time, I was cuddling her and she was murmuring in her sleep.
I didn't wake again until there was daylight streaming in the windows. Veronica's arms were around me, but her breathing was even and I thought she was still asleep. I didn't want to wake her, but I really had to use the bathroom. I slipped out of her arms and carefully got to my feet. I shuffled slowly around the bed towards the door, trying not to trip while my feet were still tethered together.
"You can't leave," she said from the bed.
"Just the bathroom," I said. "I won't leave."
When I got to the bathroom, I found she'd left out fresh supplies for me, including a new toothbrush still in the container. I did the morning rituals, even finding a brush for my hair. Then still naked, I shuffled slowly back to the bedroom. Veronica was awake, watching me.
I sat on the bed. "I should go."
"What? No. Come back to bed."
"There's a bus in an hour," I told her.
She looked at me sadly. "You want to leave?"
"No," I said. "But I don't want to wear out my welcome."
At that point she sat up and put an arm around me. "Shane, was last night a one night stand for you?"
"Not for me, but maybe for you," I told her.
"Shane, you listen to me. You can't wear out your welcome. As far as I'm concerned, you can stay forever."
I thought about what she just told me. "You've known me for all of fourteen hours," I pointed out.
"I've been looking for you for ten years."
I didn't understand, so I backtracked. "Did you just invite me to move in with you?"
She thought about it before responding. "I guess I did. Yes, I definitely did. I know it's crazy."
I considered my words carefully. "I presume that means you're also inviting me into a relationship?"
"Oh yes," she said.
I looked away for a moment. "Would it be an exclusive relationship, or would you see other women?"
"There's no one else I want to see, and I would not let you to see anyone else, either."
"The invitation to move in, I presume, is dependent upon the relationship."
She nodded. "Of course."
"Is the invitation to a relationship dependent upon moving in?"
"You don't want to move in?" she asked.
"I want to know what my choices are," I told her.
"Right. Okay, moving in is dependent upon the relationship. The relationship is not dependent upon moving in." She paused. "The relationship will be exclusive or it won't be at all. I don't share."
"Can I kiss you?"
It was a lovely kiss and we both sort of melted into each other. At 19, 34 seems so old and wise, but in reality, 34 is still young sometimes, too.
"I can't move in with you," I said. "It's too far from school, and I won't drop out for you."
"Oh, of course not! How silly of me."
"My education is my first girlfriend. You'd have to share with her."
She began to smile. "And my job is mine, I guess."
I needed to make sure she understood, so I explained my schedule, and I explained that attending school functions was important to me, too.
"Is the offer still open?"
She nodded.
We didn't stop kissing for several minutes.
"I still have to go," I said after we came up for air. "I study every day, and I need a workout."
"Can you study here?"
"I could if I'd brought any of my books. I could listen to my MPEGs, but that's not enough."
"MPEGs?" she asked, so I explained.
She considered everything. "So, I'll drive you to school. Will you let me work out with you?" I nodded. "We'll collect your things, clean up, and come back here. You can study here, then we have the evening together. I'll drive you back tomorrow."
My smile was interrupted by my cell phone. The sound was muffled and I remembered it was in my purse which was still in a shopping bag near the front door.
"That's Molly's ringtone," I said. "Oh my god, I was supposed to be home last night!"
I got up and almost stumbled trying to rush to the phone.
"Veronica, my phone!"
Veronica laughed but dashed around me to collect my purse. By the time she got back to me, the call had rolled to voice mail. She dug my phone out of my purse and handed it to me.
There were twelve text messages. A new one arrived as I was checking them. "In two minutes I am calling the cops! Where are you?"
I hit redial to call her back, and she answered on the first ring.
"You better be lying dead in a ditch," she told me, "or else you're dead meat."
"Oh Molly, I'm so sorry. I'm fine." I grinned at Veronica. "I just got a little tied up last night, then completely forgot to tell you. I'm so sorry."
I heard her leave our room then enter another room. "She's alive," I heard her say. "You can call off the APB." Then she was talking to me again. "This better be good, or Janice says you'll live to regret it."
"I met someone."
There was silence.
"You slept with someone on the first date?" she said. "I damn well hope he used a condom."
Veronica spoke quietly to me. "Tell her I'm sorry and I won't let you forget again."
"Molly," I said. "She says she's sorry, too. And we didn't use a condom."
"I knew it!" she said. "What's her name?"
At that question, I heard intense squealing from the background. "Just a minute," Molly said. "I can't hear you." The squealing continued for a while. Eventually Janice and Kelly calmed down and Molly got back on the line. "Okay, what's her name, and when do we meet her?"
I turned to Veronica. "They want to know your name and when they can meet you."
She pursed her lips. "Mute it," she ordered. "Just a minute, Molly, I'm muting you for a minute."
"They won't understand the age difference," Veronica told me.
"Are you having second thoughts?" I asked her.
"Don't be daft."
"Neither am I." I unmuted the phone and told Molly. "Her name is Veronica. Molly, she's older than me. In fact, she's practically ancient."
Veronica's jaw dropped down and she glared at me.
"In fact, have you ever seen the movie Harold and Maude. It's like that, except girl on girl."
"Paybacks are a bitch," Veronica said quietly.
"Yes, just like that. She has to take her teeth out at night. She laughs at my jokes though. In fact, she couldn't remember it, so I was able to tell the same joke four times last night and twice more this morning."
"You are so full of shit," Molly told me.
"Okay, you're right. Actually it's the other way around. She's only 12, but she seems so wise, almost like she's 14."
"What's really wrong with her?" Molly asked me quietly.
I looked at Veronica who was busy making tickle-my-rib gestures at me.
"Molly," I said in a quiet voice. "There's not a single thing wrong with her. She's perfect."
"You're in love," she told me.
I heard more squealing.
"I don't know," I told her. "Maybe."
"What's wrong with her," she asked me once more.
"She's older, okay? Not old, but old e
nough you're going to comment. So just don't, okay? I'm happy, okay?"
"You're in love," she said.
"Yeah, probably." I admitted. "I don't know. Look, we'll be there in an hour."
Veronica started gesturing, holding up two fingers. "Wait," I said. "Two hours." I giggled.
Molly and I signed off.
"Harold and Maude?" Veronica said immediately. She began tickling me. I tried hopping away, and she chased me around the apartment, tickling me, eventually herding me back to the bedroom. It didn't take long for my screeches to turn into moans of pleasure.
* * *
We both took showers afterwards, which seemed like a waste, as we'd just need another one after working out, but neither of us wanted to show up in front of Molly looking like a pair of slobs.
Veronica had lightly applied some make up, but I went with a bare face. We both got dressed, with me wearing a pair of Veronica's panties. I was perfectly happy to put on the pair I'd worn yesterday, but she refused to let me. Then I looked at the outfit that Victoria and Wendy had given me. Veronica asked me, "Will you wear it at school?" Probably not. "But you'll wear it for me." Of course. She made room in her closet for it.
During the car ride to Knightly, we chatted about small things. Veronica asked me about Molly and Janice and Kelly. That led to the story about the duct tape. She liked the idea of using cosmetics brushes. I knew I was in trouble.
I found I couldn't stop touching her. I didn't want to interfere with her driving, but I just kept touching her arm or her leg. She didn't seem to mind.
We pulled up at the dorm, and then I stopped to think for a minute. "Veronica, I'm not necessarily out here."
"Oh I think you are now."
"Oh sure, with Molly, Janice and Kelly, but they won't have told anyone else."
"So the people here that are most important to you, the ones who were worried about you, already know about our relationship?"
I nodded.
"Then that's enough for me." She paused. "But around my friends, you're my lover. Can you deal with that?"
I nodded, and we got out of the car. I thought about what she said, and we hadn't taken ten steps before I took her hand. She looked over at me. "Are you sure? There's no going back."
"I don't want to go back," I told her.
She smiled, and hand in hand, we headed to my room.
We got there and I found Molly, Janice and Kelly were all in my room waiting for us. I invited Veronica in, still holding her hand, then closed the door. The three girls stood up, not saying anything, but Molly looked at us holding hands. Then she walked up to Veronica and looked her straight in the eye.
She looked at me. She looked at my hand in Veronica's. She could see I was hanging onto Veronica as much as she was hanging onto me. Molly was the first one to speak.
"You're not so old."
I introduced everyone. Janice and Kelly hung around just long enough for introductions, then headed for the door. "Just imagine," Kelly said. "Little Miss Muffet has a girlfriend."
The door closed behind them, and Veronica raised an eyebrow at me. "Little Miss Muffet? That's not the first image that comes to mind."
I let go of her hand for the first time since taking it, went to the closet, and pulled out one of the conservative dresses. "Are you sure?"
"What is that hideous thing?" she said. Then she paused. "Which is the real Shane?"
I put the dress back. "That's the Shane my parents want to see. It's not me. But I don't know yet if the outfit from last night is the real me either." I shrugged.
Molly was watching us carefully. She was still eyeing Veronica with a little bit of suspicion. "Why are you after Shane?" she asked bluntly.
"Molly!"
"It's okay, Shane," Veronica said. "She's protecting you." She turned to Molly. "You're not serious about that question though, are you? I think it's obvious."
Molly wasn't expecting that answer. Then her eyes narrowed. "You're after her body."
"Of course I am," Veronica said. "It's a fantastic body."
"Shane is a lot more than just a hot piece of meat," Molly said, her voice rising.
"Yes, she is," Veronica agreed. "She has one of the most complicated minds I've encountered in some time. She's amazingly bright and has a fabulous sense of humor. She's sweet and innocent and blushes the most wonderful shade of red. Yet there's also something haunting her a little, but I think perhaps not in a bad way. I hope someday she'll tell me about it."
Molly harumphed. "I still am not sure I trust you," she said. "You know she works her tail off for school, and when she's not doing schoolwork, she's exercising. I don't know when she's going to have time for you."
"I have no intention of intruding on her studies. Nor do I intend to get between the two of you." Veronica paused. "I appreciate you protecting your friend. Trust takes time to build. I hope you have an open enough mind to give me the chance to earn your trust."
Molly continued to glare at her but after a moment, her stance softened. "Okay," she said. She turned to me. "Will you be gone again tonight?"
"Yes, but I'll be home tomorrow afternoon."
"When are you going to study?"
"I'm bringing everything with me. I've already explained my study habits to Veronica, although I'm not sure she fully appreciates what that really means."
"I don't?" Veronica asked. "Tell me, between your studies and working out, do you think you spend more than 60 hours a week?"
I did the math in my head. "No, probably 45 to 50."
She nodded. "That's still pretty devoted for a college student. Now, there's a joke about small business owners. When you own your own business, you only have to work half time."
Veronica paused, letting Molly and I come to our conclusions. I don't think either of us saw where she was going.
"Yes, not only that, but you even get to pick which 12 hours a day you work."
She let that sink in. Molly thought about it, smiled, and said, "I may decide to like you." Her expression turned serious. "Don't let it go to your head."
Veronica laughed. "I'm glad Shane has you for a friend."
The three of us chatted for a while longer, then Veronica and I changed into workout clothes and headed for the gym. I was used to getting checked out by the guys when I went there, but I think it amused Veronica not only to see me getting checked out, but when some of the guys were caught staring at her ass.
We had a nice workout. I had switched entirely to a toning and maintenance lifting plan, but I decided to show off. Nothing wrong with a little vanity from time to time, is there? I have good legs, but it's hard for me to actual show off my lifting with my legs. Everyone can lift a lot with their legs, after all, and I thought Veronica might be able to lift more than I could just because she's taller and not as slightly built as I am. So I had us do an upper body workout.
For upper body, I always start with shoulder lifts but then move to bench press. Normally I use weight machines when I'm alone, but for bench press I moved us to the free weights. I spotted Veronica for a set. She just lifted the bar with no weights at all. Then I put weights on for me and asked one of the guys to spot me.
"I can spot you," she said.
"I'd prefer one of the guys," I told her, calling over one of the guys. I think his name was Jim. I did a set. Veronica looked miffed, but I had a pretty good idea what I looked like while lifting that much.
Jim helped me pull all the weight off the bar and Veronica did another set.
Then Jim helped me put the weights back on but we added five more pounds to either side. I did a set, and this time I think Veronica was starting to catch on to what I was doing.
Jim and I cleared the bar and Veronica did her last set.
I pursed my lips then started putting weight back on, Jim matching me on the other side. I was a woman of course, and a small woman at that. Compared to a guy, the weight we were putting on wasn't much. But for a woman my size, it was a lot. I knew my maximum bench
press weight, and that's what we put on. Then I pulled off a five pounder on my side and replaced it with a ten. Jim copied me.
"This will be a short set," I said. Then more quietly when my back was turned on Veronica and only Jim could hear me. "Just don't let me drop it but make sure I earn it." He nodded once, understanding.
I lay down and grabbed the bar. Jim stood over me and wrapped his hands around it, ready to steady it or catch it if I dropped it. I lifted the bar off the rack. Shit, it was heavy. I lowered it slowly, and I knew my chest and arms were straining. I caught a sight of Veronica watching intently, but I had to focus on what I was doing. The bar touched my chest, paused for a moment, and then the hard part came.
It was hard. It was really hard. I made some very un-lady-like noises, but I lifted it! A new max for me.
"Good!" said Jim. "One more?"
I nodded, lowered the bar, took a breath, lifted.
"Two!" said Jim.
"Done," said I, almost dropping the bar. Jim placed it back in the rack for me. I lay on the bench panting for a minute then Jim grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
"Thanks," I told him.
"New max?" I nodded. "Grats!"
By now Veronica had moved over to the bar and was counting the weights. She looked at me suspiciously then counted again. All she said was, "Shit."
I thanked Jim again. He nodded and ambled off. I sat on the bench trying not to rub my sore muscles. Veronica sat down next to me.
"You're forgiven for replacing me as your spotter. Do you always lift like that?"
I looked at her. "Roni," I said, using the name she told me I could only use when we were making love. "You know darned well I was showing off for you."
That was the last time I ever replaced Veronica with a different spotter. Which isn't to say she didn't sometimes ask a guy to spot for me just so she could watch.
We finished the workout and headed back to my dorm. I gave a mini tour of the campus as we went. Molly wasn't there when we got back. I told Veronica, "I need another shower."
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