The next day Hollis had a lot of work to do, being Monday, but he talked his boss into letting him go at 5:30 so he could go home and shower before he was supposed to meet Claire. It must have been the slowest day of his life.
He jumped into his truck and rushed home. He rented the bottom apartment of a two-apartment house with two friends of his he’d known most of his life, Will and Tyler. Will worked in a lumber yard and Tyler
“Shit, dude, I didn’t hear you come home,” Hollis said.
“I just got home maybe ten minutes ago.” Will looked up at him. “What are you all dressed up for?”
Hollis sat next to him. “I got a date,” he said, lighting a cigarette.
“Oh yeah? Anyone I know?”
“No, don’t think so,” Hollis said.
“Oh,” Will said. “Is she hot?”
“Fuckin’ smoking,” Hollis grinned.
“Nice,” Will said.
Hollis got up from the couch and grabbed a beer from the fridge and drank it within two minutes. He finished his cigarette standing up and grabbed his dark gray jacket. “I’m outta here,” he told Will. “I’ll see you later.”
“Hey, see ya. Have fun! Be safe, man,” Will called out as Hollis left.
Hollis got into his truck and drove to the meeting spot with twenty minutes to spare. He sat in his truck next to the fire hydrant and within ten minutes Claire crossed the street and got into the truck, smiling at him. She saw how his jacket was the same color as his eyes. He smiled back at her. Neither of them had spoken. He thought she looked more beautiful than the day before. She was wearing a pair of burgundy pants and a tight, long sleeved black shirt and the same black sweater, unbuttoned and the same purse strapped across her torso.
“I brought party favors,” Claire said, pulling a small bottle of bourbon and a small sack of weed out of her purse. Hollis could only keep smiling. He wanted to lean over and kiss her but he knew it was too soon. He pulled out into the street and found a safe place to park on a small tree-lined street next to a wall a few blocks away. They passed the bottle of bourbon back and forth and smoked a bowl before getting out of the truck, talking about what they should do. They were both hungry so they decided to walk around Telegraph St. until they saw someplace to go.
Telegraph St. was only a couple blocks up the street where Hollis’ truck was parked. Once they got there the crowds got thicker. They’d have to squeeze through people at some points outside popular spots and eateries. As the passed through, Hollis would sometimes feel Claire’s hand on his arm or back. When they were walked next to each other he felt the urge to put his arm around her but he was also still too scared of her to touch her.
They stopped inside a coffee shop that wasn’t too crowded. Both of them ordered plain drip coffee, nothing fancy. Both of them drank it black. They sat at a small table in the corner, away from most of the people in there.
“So you’re 19?” Claire asked him. “I thought you were older.”
Hollis chuckled. “I thought you were older.”
“What month were you born in?”
“February,” he told her.
She raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He nodded. “What day?”
“The 26th,” he said, drinking his coffee.
“You and I have the same birthday,” she told him. She drank her coffee while staring into his eyes.
Hollis drank his coffee so he wouldn’t have to say anything. She obviously came from a good family and he was afraid of her finding out that he was an orphan.
As they sat in the corner Hollis glanced around the room and noticed people looking at them. Well, they were mostly looking at Claire. He felt a little possessive. He didn’t want anyone checking her out. She was with him. She was there for him to look at. He suggested leaving. He also felt hungry. He had eaten a burrito 5 hours ago, that was all for the day. Claire downed the rest of her coffee real quick and under the table she filled her cup halfway with some bourbon. Her long hair was blocking the view of her face from everyone except Hollis, who she was facing. When the bourbon bottle was put away she agreed to go.
He led her away from the crowded street. They passed the cup of bourbon back and forth. Once it was empty they threw the cup away in a public trashcan. Hollis pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering her one before taking one himself. He held out a flame for her and she steadied his hand with hers as she lit up. He lit his own and walked down the street close to each other until they ended up in front of a small Ethiopian restaurant.
“Have you ever been here before?” Claire asked Hollis.
“No, but I’ve heard its good,” he said, telling her the truth.
“Same here,” Claire said.
“Do you want to try it?” Hollis asked.
“Yeah, why not?” They stood outside until their cigarettes were gone and they went inside. Hollis felt Claire’s hand on his elbow while they were escorted to their table. They were given a small private table where they sat on pillows on the floor surrounded by thin wooden walls. The menu offered finger foods cooked in curry that you ate with freshly made flat bread.
After they ordered they sat reclining on the floor facing each other over the table. They both had a good buzz going on. Hollis wanted to ask her questions about herself but he knew she’d ask him the same questions in return so he didn’t speak much and sat looking at her. She was checking out the décor of the room. She took off her purse and sweater and he saw how her shirt was molded around her body. It showed no skin but was the sexiest shirt he’d ever seen. It left him wanting to see what was under the shirt. He followed her example and removed his jacket. When he looked back up at he she saw her looking at him.
“So,” she began, “are you from around here?”
“Yeah,” he said, not wanting to reveal too much about himself. “I grew up in ‘Frisco.”
“Me too.” She paused. “What high school did you go to?”
“Uh, I didn’t really go to high school.”
“You didn’t?”
“No.” He paused. “I was kind of privately tutored and I passed my G.E.D. when I was 16.”
“Oh,” she said. “I graduated early, around the time I turned 17.” She picked up her water glass and sipped it, staring at his eyes. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
Hollis exhaled. “Yes and no.” Claire raised an eyebrow at him and he continued. “I have some friends who are like brothers. But I don’t have any… blood brothers.” Claire nodded, understanding him and he changed the subject to her. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Yeah. I’ve got five.”
Hollis blinked at her. “Five?”
“Yeah. My oldest sister is 25. She has two kids. My older brother is 23, he has a son. My younger sister is 16, she has a baby, and my twin brothers are almost 10.”
“That’s a big family.”
“Yeah,” Claire agreed. Just then their food was brought to them and they started to eat.
“So if your brothers and sisters all have kids at young ages, why didn’t you?” Hollis asked.
Claire shrugged. “I didn’t want to have a kid or get tied down to someone I don’t like, like them, so I never had sex with anyone. I’m the first to go to college, after my dad of course.”
“You never had sex?” He asked.
Claire shook her head from side to side and fed herself some food. Hollis was looking at her. “You don’t believe me?” She asked.
“Well, you’re just so pretty…”
Claire chuckled. “What, pretty girls can’t not have sex?”
“Well, no, I mean, no one’s tried to get you in bed?”
“Oh, they’re tried. And, I have been sexual before, I just never went the whole mile, you know? I didn’t want my life to turn out like my sisters’, stuck with a high school boyfriend she’s not into, or raising a baby at home, by herself, in her teens.”
“I see,” Hollis said between bites. “That makes sense. You were around it and you didn’t want the consequences so you avoided it.”
“Exactly. It’s not that weird, at least, not to me.” She ate some food and watched him eat and on an impulse she asked, “How many girls have you had sex with?”
“Um,” Hollis chuckled and ate a bite, thinking about it. “Nine, I think.”
“That’s quite a tally you have there.”
Hollis shrugged. “Most of those girls kind of talked me into it.” He drank some water. “I only really liked one or two. Anyway, that’s nothing compared to my friends.” He stopped talking, wondering if he had said too much. He felt awkward and wasn’t looking at her anymore. If he had been looking at her he would have seen her smiling at him. She didn’t care if he’s been with a bunch of girls. It made sense, he was hot. It’s rare to find virgins in this day of people their age. She knew she was an anomaly. She also didn’t want to touch most of the guys who tried to get her in bed. She didn’t want to be some guy’s number 30th lay.
“Well,” she said, getting his attention. “I can see why so many girls went after you.” He looked up at her as she put her lips around some food. He gave her a crooked smile and at some of his own food. She excited him.
Claire had finished most of her food and was done eating. She brought out the bourbon bottle that was mostly gone too. She took a swig and gave the rest to Hollis. The food they ate had absorbed most of their buzz. Hollis drank the last swig and gave the empty bottle back to Claire who put it away in her purse just in time before their server returned to take away their plates and ask about dessert. The two declined and the server left and returned with their check.
Claire and Hollis sat studying each other. They were both at a loss for something to say. They both reminded each other of themselves. They had only just met and barely knew each other, but they both wanted the same thing, which was each other. When Hollis moved she could see the shape of his body moving under his shirt. At times he caught her staring at his shoulders. She glanced into his eyes and smiled.
“Ready to go?” Hollis asked.
“Yeah, I guess. Where do you want to go now?”
Hollis shrugged. He didn’t want to take her to his place around his friends yet, but he didn’t want their night to end.
“Do you want to go to my room? I’ve got more drinks there,” she suggested. “Also more smoke.”
“That sounds good,” Hollis said, leaving a $20 bill with their check which was more than enough for their meal. They stood up and put their jacket and sweater on respectively. On the way out Hollis was brave enough to put his hand on Claire’s back.
Outside they both lit up a cigarette. They strolled back the way they came and Claire hooked a finger through one on Hollis’ belt loops. He glanced down at her and they smiled at each other. She finished her cigarette and dropped it on the sidewalk. He did the same. Before they got back to the crowded streets Claire tossed the empty bourbon bottle in a trashcan. As they got closer to the university and the streets got more and more crowded Hollis casually swung his arm around Claire’s shoulders. She fit perfectly into his arm and next to his body. He liked feeling the movement of her body against his.
“Do you want to leave you truck where it is, or park it closer to the school or something?” Claire asked him, her fingers tugging a little on the hem of his shirt.
“I think its fine where it is. I didn’t see any signs around where we parked.”
“Okay,” Claire said casually. He could feel her fingers travelling around his torso to his back and holding onto his shirt. His hand squeezed her far shoulder. “So you like to work on cars, huh?” Claire asked.
Hollis shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. It’s a job. It has a high demand. I’m pretty good with tools and machines.”
“Is your dad a mechanic?”
Hollis hesitated. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie but he didn’t want to tell the truth. He didn’t know why he was scared to tell her the truth about himself. “Uh,” he started. She looked up at him. He was looking off ahead of them. “I don’t know what my dad does,” he finally said. Saying that, he decided to get it all out into the open. He didn’t want to lie and keep things from her, and if she didn’t like his life and he never saw her again he’d be sad, but it wouldn’t hurt him as much as it would have if he’d waited to tell her. “I don’t have any parents,” he confessed. “I’m an orphan. I was abandoned before I was one year old.”
“Really?” She asked, looking at his face.
He turned his face down to hers. They’d stopped walking. They were somewhere on the campus now. “Yeah. I don’t know who my family is.” He felt her fingers kind of scratching his back. He liked it. He wanted to bend down and kiss her. Then he noticed all the people walking around them and he didn’t move. He was also unsure of how she felt. He didn’t want to push himself on her.
“So you’ve been alone your whole life?” She asked. They were standing facing each other.
“Pretty much.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Wow, you’ve done pretty good for yourself, huh?”
Hollis smiled. “Yeah,” he said, “yeah, I have.”
Claire smiled back at him and took his hand from his pocket. She led him to a side door of a tall building. Out of her purse she took her wallet and held it up to a small box with a red light next to the door. They heard a beep, the red light turned green and there was a click. She pulled it open and led Hollis inside into a white stairwell leading up with blue doors and windows at each floor. He followed her up the stairs. From below her he had a great view of her ass walking up the stairs. She kept walking up, passing floors 2, 3, 4, and finally stopped at 5. She opened the door up there the same way she opened the first door. She led him through hallways past doors plastered with pictures, names, and white dry-erase boards with messages written on them. There were banners hanging from the ceiling with words like “Go Bears” written in blue and yellow. From behind the doors he heard people talking loudly and loud music of a type he would never listen to himself. From what he saw, the whole college scene looked a little super-fiscal.
After following her past doors and around corners she stopped in front of a door with nothing on it except the numbers 2522. She opened the door with a key and found a folded piece of paper on the floor inside the room. She picked it up and opened it. It was a note saying: “C- come see me, M.” Claire folded it back up and led him inside her room. He followed her inside and she shut the door.
The room shot out in front of them in a rectangle. To the left was a bathroom and to their right was a bed, a desk and a dresser that all looked plain un-used. Hollis saw a couple of pictures taped to the wall where he recognized some of the girls. He couldn’t tell which one the bed belonged to.
“This is my roommate’s stuff,” she told him.
“You have a roommate?”
“Yeah, but she’s never here. I might have seen her four or five times this semester.”
“Ah,” Hollis said, a little relieved they wouldn’t be interrupted.
She walked towards the back of the room and opened a window. He stood watching her. The room seemed to jut out in an L-shape. She turned to him.
“You can make yourself comfortable. I have to use the restroom,” she said to him.
“Okay,” he said as she disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. He walked around the corner and saw her bed. She had a couple of pillows in pillowcases with small purple flowers on them and a big quilted blanket. Above her bed was her only poster which boasted the words “Iggy and the Stooges, Sonic Youth and Mudhoney, May 3rd,” and had a weird collage of pictures of people on it. Her desk and dresser were along the walls, littered with small toys and trinkets and personal belongings. He stood around until she came out of the bathroom, then went in himself.
When he emerged he went around the corner and she was sitting crossed-legged on her bed packing a bong. He grinned at her and sat next to her on the bed. They sat smoking the bong and she pulled out some vodka and orange juice from a small refrigerator next to her desk, almost hidden, and made them some drinks. Hollis drank his quickly and set the empty cup on the carpet. He rubbed his hands on his thighs and looked over at her. She was finishing her drink and set her empty cup on the windowsill. They sat staring at each other.
“Do you want another drink? She asked. “More pot?”
He shook his head no. What he wanted was to kiss her. Being around her relaxed him. Claire stretched hey legs out to the floor. She turned her head to look at Hollis. He smiled slightly and raised his hand to her face. She glanced at it and then to his face. Before she could blink he leaned to her and his lips pressed gently on hers. She closed her eyes and her hand raised and hovered it in front of his shoulder. He pulled his face a few inches from hers. Their eyes locked and her hand fell onto his shoulder. The only sound was the sound of them breathing. He leaned back towards her and she met him halfway. Their lips locked passionately and her arms crept around his neck. Hollis put his arms around her back and they pressed their bodies together.
He laid her on the bed and brushed the hair from her face. He lay over her and their legs stretched out on the bed. He kissed her again, trailing his hand down the length of her hair. She pulled away from him, looking at his face. He blinked at her, afraid he did something wrong. He was about to pull away from her and sit up but she raised her hand and took off his glasses, folding them in her hand. Her arms went around his neck again and she kissed him, caressing his lips. He returned her kiss and trailed his hand down her body to her leg and back up.
They began to make-out heavily, breathing hard and pressing their bodies together. Claire groped at his arms, shoulders, put her hands up his shirt and felt his hard chest and abs. Every single part of his body was hard and firm. Especially his erection which she felt pressed against her body.
While her free hand was feeling his body his hand travelled over hers. She felt soft and smooth. She smelled soft and smooth. Their legs tangled together. He took his glasses from her hand and reached over to set them on the windowsill. He kissed her face down to her neck and she tore his jacket off his body, letting it fall to the floor. They shifted and she was leaning over him. As they kissed his hands went up her shirt and he felt lace on her breasts. Her hand crept up his shirt again while the other slowly unbuttoned it. Her lips went down his neck and kissed his chest.
Hollis’ breath became shallow and his hand pulled her shirt up. He felt her fingernails trailing along his chest and he pulled her shirt over her head. He saw her breasts through her lace bra and flipped her back underneath him, kissing her newly exposed skin. Her breasts were beautiful with dark nipples and perfectly round, dark areolas the same color. They filled his hand perfectly. He kissed them through the lace and he tilted his head up and looked at her. Her eyes met his and he brought his lips up to hers. Her fingers trailed through his short hair and dug into his neck.
They continued touching each other and bonding throughout the night. Eventually they both ended up topless, only in their underwear, touching every inch of each other’s bodies. Hollis fell asleep on her twin bed halfway through the night with Claire sleeping in his arm, resting her head on his chest, rising and falling as he breathed in and out.
No comments:
Post a Comment