That evening Claire sat in her dorm room helping Mina with her trigonometry after she was done working at the library. Mina had met her at the library and they had gone to get sandwiches at a deli nearby before going up to Claire’s room. Claire sat on her bed eating her sandwich and listening to an internet radio station while Mina sat at Claire’s desk with her trigonometry book open, picking at her own sandwich and asking Claire math questions from time to time. Mostly, Mina was asking Claire about her new flame.
“I spent the night at his place last night, and he was here the night before.”
“Damn, since you met him I’ve barely seen you at all. I don’t like this. You’re my girlfriend. Are you breaking up with me, Claire?”
This made Claire laugh. “No,” she told Mina.
“What did you do with him? You didn’t give it up to him already, did you?” Mina asked.
“No, we just met on Sunday.” Claire paused. “I went down on him, though.” She grinned.
“Damn,” Mina said. “That was fast.”
“Well, he’s hot. And I like him more than I’ve liked any guy. He deserved it.”
“Where does he live, anyway?”
“Oh! You’re never going to believe this. He lives near the supermarket on L Street and you went out with his roommate last year.”
“I did? Who’s his roommate?”
“That guy Tyler
Mina thought for a second. “I don’t think so. I didn’t meet almost any of his friends. We only went out like, three times. I think Hollis would be a name I’d remember. You know how most guys are named Mike or Matt or Mark or Chris.”
“Yeah.” Claire took a bite of her sandwich. “Tyler
Mina laughed this time. “Yeah, if I’m desperate.” She looked around Claire’s room and sighed. “We should still be roommates. Yours is never around and mine always is. We should get transferred together.”
“Yeah, but that would be too much hassle, I think. We should just get a place off-campus together after this semester.”
“Definitely,” Mina agreed. She started to ask Claire how to solve her current problem when they heard the room door open. Mina turned around and saw Claire’s roommate Donna walking in, talking on her cell phone. Donna was a big girl who teased her hair to twice the size of her head, wore excessive eye make-up and never failed to show way too much skin, especially for a girl her size. Mina whispered to Claire who was now leaning over Mina’s book, “Speak of the devil.”
Claire turned around and said, “Hi Donna,” which Donna ignored. Claire shrugged and helped Mina out with the problem she was stuck on and sat back on her bed finishing her sandwich.
After a few minutes of hearing Donna’s constant banter on her phone she called over to the girls, “Can you turn off your music? I’m trying to talk on the phone.”
Mina turned to her and said politely, “If we turned off the music then we’d hear every word you’re saying in your private conversation. It’s on for your protection.” Mina smiled at her and turned back to her book, rolling her eyes. The music wasn’t even very loud. If it were, they’d have to shout at each other. Donna stared at Mina and sneered. Claire sat on her bed hidden from Donna’s view, silently laughing. She wished Donna would leave. With her there, they couldn’t smoke freely.
“Did I find all the solutions for this problem?” Mina asked Claire. Claire got back up to check her answers. She went over the problem in her head.
“You missed one. Try this.” Claire showed her how she missed a step.
“Oh, duh. Now it makes sense,” Mina said.
Claire sat back down on her bed and glanced at the phone. Hollis told her he was going to call her. She couldn’t get him out of her mind no matter what she did.
Hollis hadn’t called her yet because his friends wouldn’t leave him alone. Once he got home from work they were both there and they grilled him with question over question about his new girl. They wouldn’t let him go until he gave them an answer. They wouldn’t even let him go take a shower until he just walked away from them. First they asked if he’d fucked her yet and where they met and what they did. Then they were trying to tell him that she was too hot to be faithful and how they’ve seen girls like her before and how he’s just going to get hurt in the end, but he knew they were just trying to get her themselves and they were all wrong about her. He didn’t really speak much and shook his head and chuckled as he walked away. When he got out of the shower and dialed her phone number it was after 9:00.
Mina was done with her homework, finishing her sandwich and talking to Claire when the phone rang. Claire’s head jerked toward the sound of the phone. It rang a second time and on the third Mina asked, “Do you think that’s him?”
“Probably,” Claire said.
“I’m going to answer it,” Mina said as it rang a fourth time. Claire didn’t stop her. “Yes? Who’s this? This is Mina. Yeah, she’s here. You want to talk to her?”
Donna, who was still on her cell phone looked over at them and asked, “Is it for me?”
“Hold on, Hollis,” Mina said and looked over at Donna. “No, it’s not.”
“Did you just say Hollis?” Donna asked.
“Yeah, why?” Mina started to hand the phone to Claire.
“I know Hollis. It must be for me.”
Claire had the phone now and tentatively said “Hello?” into the receiver.
Mina said, “Well maybe it isn’t the same Hollis, because the phone’s for Claire. Why would people be calling you on a landline anyway when you have you cell phone?”
Donna gave Mina a sour look and started talking on her cell phone again. She stood up, gathered her things and left the room in a huff.
Mina looked at Claire and said, “Mean fat girls always leave with some wind trailing them.”
Claire laughed at Mina into the phone.
“What’s so funny?” Hollis asked from the end of the line.
“Oh, my friend said something funny and made my roommate leave,” she told him.
Claire and Hollis exchanged their first awkward phone conversation while Mina and Claire smoked from the bong. Claire felt awkward because her friend was there and Hollis felt awkward because he was still a little scared of her and in the back of his mind hoped that what his friends told him wasn’t true. Not after too long Mina excused herself and went back to her room with her math book and Claire was left alone. Their conversation started to relax a bit.
Eventually Hollis said, “I missed you today.”
Claire smiled and couldn’t stop. She was glad she was on the phone with him and not in front of him. “I missed you too,” she said to him. They found that saying things to each other was easier on the phone than it was in person. Also, if they were in front of each other they wouldn’t be talking as much. She knew this.
“I want to see you tonight,” Hollis said.
“I have an early class again tomorrow,” she told him.
“I don’t mind waking up early. Honestly I don’t know how well I’d sleep tonight if I wasn’t with you,” he said.
“I think you’d sleep better, actually. I won’t be there to distract you.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to see me?”
“No. I’m not saying that,” she said.
“Well, what would you say if I told you I’m coming over?”
“I wouldn’t say no.”
“Then I’m coming over.”
Claire smiled. “Okay.”
“Meet me by the entrance? In around ten minutes?”
“Okay.” She was going to leave right away.
“Good. I’m leaving right now.”
“Okay,” she said for a third time. “Bye, Hollis.”
“See you soon, Claire.” He hung up, put on his shoes and threw on his jacket and he was out the door. His roommates heard him leave and knew where he went. He was there in less than ten minutes and she was waiting for him at the south entrance smoking a cigarette. He walked up to her and she was looking at him. They stood in front of each other just looking at one another for a minute, then he swept her up in his arms and kissed her. She dropped her cigarette and flung her arms around his neck, pressing his head into hers. Their lips broke apart and she nuzzled her face in his neck.
“Hi Claire,” Hollis said.
“Hello, Hollis,” she replied. Hollis leaned down and kissed her again. It was like they hadn’t seen each other for a month, but it hadn’t even been a day yet. She let go of him and took his hand, leading her to her room. She hoped her roommate wouldn’t come home that night, that Mina had pissed her off enough to stay wherever she usually stays. They were in luck, Claire’s room was empty, and stayed that was for the rest of the night.
From behind Claire, Hollis wrapped his arms around her body and held her. She felt right in his arms. She fit against his body perfectly and she had the best smell. He let her go and followed her to her bed where he sat down. They smoked and drank a little until they were lying down on the bed making out. Hollis was enjoying playing under her skirt. Eventually they broke apart, taking a break. Claire was lying next to him with part of her body draped over his, their hands clasped on the other side of Hollis’ body, both in their underclothes and under the blanket.
“Hollis,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“I want to tell you something.”
“What’s that?”
“I like you, and I don’t mess around with things like that. With the other guys I’ve gone out with I’ve lost interest in them pretty quick because they all wanted the same thing. But you’re different. I enjoy you. I think if I was a guy, I’d be you.”
Hollis looked at her and kissed her forehead. “Claire, I don’t want a day to go by where I don’t see you.”
She smiled and let go of his hand, propping herself over him. He brushed away her hair hanging down between their faces and they kissed. They continued kissing and rubbing their bodies together until after 3AM when they both couldn’t stay awake any longer.
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