I leaned my head against the hard window of the Suburban as the Springs faded behind us. I closed my eyes and suppressed a sigh. Not that I was going to miss the Springs. Not really. Besides, I’d be home often enough. It was just, well, something familiar. Unlike where I was going.

The warm car made me sleepy, but I knew I wouldn’t actually sleep. My mind was too busy, too chaotic. Home. College. Everything.

Dad chortled to something the talk radio hosts said. I didn’t quite catch it. Something about Reagan’s greatness.

“See, Carolyn? See?” Dad said.

“I do, I do,” Mom echoed.

“You see, Mike?” He called back.

I cracked my eyes open. Next to me, Michelle raised her book up to her face, like a shield to block our parents out. It wasn’t fair that she could read in the car and not get sick.

“You see, Mike?” Dad repeated. “We were talking about it the other day.”

“Sorry.” I sat up straight. “Wasn’t listening.”

Dad grumbled but then proceeded to repeat whatever he’d just heard. I didn’t listen the second time. Dad was a good man. He worked hard and took care of us. But his politics?

Let’s say we didn’t see eye to eye. For one, I really couldn’t take it as seriously as he did. For another, Reagan had his flaws, even if Dad didn’t see them. The political discussions were one thing I was ready to be away from.

Maybe the liberal bastion of Boulder would be good for me.

I snorted softly. Andrea had said the same thing our last time together…

“Boulder will be good for you,” Andrea said.

I stiffened, not quite ready to have the argument once again. She sensed my tenseness and snuggled into my side. Her thick brown hair fell into my face until she brushed it back.

I squeezed her tight as I took a deep breath.

We both ignored the movie we’d started on the VCR.

I didn’t want to have the argument, but I couldn’t help myself.

“We can make it work,” I urged. “California isn’t that far away.”

“It’s far enough,” she said quietly.

“But Thanksgiving and Christmas⁠—”

“We’ve talked about that.”

I dramatically sighed. Yeah, it made more sense for her parents to visit her for the holidays, since that’s where her extended family was anyway, but I didn’t like it. Shouldn’t people who loved each other be together?

“If only you’d gotten in…”

That stabbed my gut. I’d honestly thought I’d had a shot at USC…

“You’ll be fine in Boulder.”

“But we love each other.”

“Mmm.”

That… wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

The door from upstairs opened. We stiffened, but Andrea’s mom didn’t come down.

“Andrea,” she called. “I’m going to the store. I’ll be back before your movie’s done.”

“Thanks, Mom!”

The door shut and Andrea stirred in my arms.

I gestured at the screen. “Do we want to keep watching? We know how it ends, and…”

“And?”

“And I’ve got a condom.”

“Oh.”

“We do love each other…”

I held my breath, waiting for her to agree.

Instead of saying anything, she swiveled in my arms to look into my face. Her eyes were sad, probably mirroring mine, but she forced a smile.

“Okay.”

Dad coughed, loud and long. A lung cough with all the associated hoarseness. It broke me out of my daydream. I cringed but said nothing. What was there to say that the doctor already hadn’t?

“Oh, Frank,” Mom chided.

“I’m fine,” he gruffed.

She sniffed in disagreement.

Michelle rolled her eyes at the old argument, but her book still blocked Mom and Dad from seeing her. I did my best to keep my face neutral, in case either Mom or Dad looked back.

Mom didn’t quite change the subject. “So, I was talking with Reverend Phelps about the power of prayer. Well, he told me about this man in Wichita. He had cancer, and the doctors couldn’t do anything. So his whole church prayed for him. And he was completely cured!”

“That’s nice,” Dad said.

“It really was a miracle,” Mom said. “Even the doctors said so.”

“They did, did they?”

“Yes, they did. So maybe Sunday…?”

Dad tensed, but then slowly nodded.

“We’ll all pray together.” Mom twisted around. “And Michael, you can pray for your father Sunday, too.”

I grimaced. Mom’s newfound religious fervor since Grandma and Grandpa died annoyed us all. We tolerated it, mostly. For her.

“You do remember the church’s address, don’t you dear?”

In fact, I did not. I had zero intention of going to church. Not that I was going to tell my mother that unless I absolutely had to.

“Exactly which Boulder hippie church was that?” Michelle needled.

Mom huffed.

“The whole town’s a bunch of hippies,” Dad sourly agreed.

Mom sighed. “I just don’t know why⁠—”

Dad cut her off. “We talked about this, Carolyn. It’s the best school in the state.”

“But—”

“He’ll be fine. Mike’s a good kid.”

“Yes, but the temptations…”

“He’s a good kid,” Dad repeated. “Boulder won’t corrupt him.”

Behind her book, Michelle and I shared an amused look. I wasn’t worried about temptation. I’d already faced it and done just fine. Even if it had pissed off Kelly at the time…

“What the fuck, Mike?”

Kelly glared at me, his hands on his hips. It didn’t help that the neon lights behind him cast his face in darkness but gave his hair a demonic red glow.

I had to force myself to breathe.

“What. The. Fuck?”

“I… I just don’t⁠—”

“It’s a strip club, Mike! Naked women! Shaking their tits!”

“I know! I wanna, but Andrea⁠—”

“Andrea’s not here! And besides, it’s not like you’d be cheating on her!”

“Still. I don’t⁠—”

“God!” He stamped his foot and stormed off. Fortunately, he only went a few feet. The club’s parking lot wasn’t that big anyway.

I looked at him, and then at the club door. The neon signs were actually pretty tasteful, and part of me really wanted to go inside. What was it like? What were the dancers like? Was it a big stage like in Gypsy? Or a bunch of smaller stages like that seedy club in Flashdance?

I wanted to know. I wanted to go in.

But…

Andrea wouldn’t be happy if I did. I knew that, even without asking her.

“Dammit, Mike!” Kelly called, without turning around. “Why’d you say you wanted to come?”

“I did! I just… I just changed my mind.”

“Fine. Be a goody-goody.” He turned and strode back to me and the car. “Let’s go.”

I let out a ragged sigh of relief and opened the passenger’s door.

He climbed into the driver’s seat and glared at me again. “When did you become a fucking prude?”

I winced, but kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t, but there was no way he’d understand.

I just nodded along as Mom went on and on about the great benefits of going to church. After a bit, she ran out of steam. Dad changed the subject by commenting on something the radio talk show host had said. We still had an hour before we got to Boulder, which was way too long for me to avoid letting my thoughts drift.

Despite my parents’ derision, I didn’t see how Boulder could be that bad. It didn’t have a beach, as Andrea repeatedly pointed out, but it did have mountains and a really beautiful campus. Yeah, it’d been a liberal hotbed in the Sixties, but these were the Eighties. I wasn’t even sure there were any hippies left.

The only real problem with CU Boulder (and no, no one really understands how the letters got reversed) was that I didn’t have any friends there. Kelly was up in Greeley at the University of Northern Colorado. Craig had actually enlisted. And Andrea….

I sighed. She’d gotten into CU, too. She’d just chosen USC.

That sat like a leaden lump in my gut.

I was happy for her. It’s what she’d wanted, but…

I stifled a sigh so Michelle wouldn’t notice. She’d give me a hard time if she twigged to what I was thinking. She’d made her opinion of Andrea, and my need to get over her, clear enough. Better to focus on something else.

I tried to mentally name all the people I did know at CU. The list was way too short. I wasn’t particularly close to the ones I knew and none of them were in my dorm. Worse, my dorm sat on the far side of campus from all the other residential halls. I wouldn’t exactly be popping over to the next building to hang out with former classmates.

I’d have to make new friends, which both exhilarated and terrified me.

That led to me wondering about my roommate. All I knew was that “Leonard Freeman Junior” was from Loveland. The town, not the ski area. I knew nothing about it, though at Michelle’s prompting, I’d actually looked it up on the map. That hadn’t helped. It was north of Boulder, which meant we wouldn’t be carpooling or anything. Since neither of us had bothered to write, his name and address were all I knew.

We finally turned the corner to face my new home.

My chin dropped.

I hadn’t seen any pictures or visited it when we were on campus, so this was my first look, and it was, on the outside, amazing. Two five-story wings with towers made Sewall Hall look like a miniature castle, complete with an arched entryway to a small courtyard. On the one hand, it was cool as hell. On the other—just how old was it? I had visions of Rapunzel leaning out of one of those tower windows pining for rescue. I certainly hoped it had all the modern amenities. It had to, I immediately realized. They wouldn’t house students otherwise.

That meant it was just cool.

Dad harrumphed as the Suburban lurched to a halt. The single-lane roundabout in front of the dorm had turned into a parking lot and there wasn’t a real parking lot anywhere in sight.

I grinned. I was pretty sure medieval kings didn’t need to worry about unloading zones. But we did. And apparently four hundred of us were all trying to unload in the same place at the same time. It was single file, with each car unloading a full load before it could move forward and the next car could begin. Molasses in winter moved faster.

Dad shifted into park and we waited. And waited. And waited. Other cars pulled up behind us, trapping us in place.

“Okay,” Dad said, “this as good as it gets. Mike—go find out how we’re supposed to unload.”

I climbed out of the car into one of those deceptively warm August days. The breeze coming off the mountains raised just enough hair on my arms for me to grab my windbreaker and slip it on. It’d be beautiful once the wind stopped, but until then…

I stared up at the towers as I walked toward the courtyard. I was really impressed. The red sandstone that made up the bricks of the wall beautifully offset the classic Greek architecture. Or was it Roman?

When I got closer to the courtyard entry, I paused. The central arch was jammed with people. Fortunately, It looked like I could slip to the right between the stone pillars. I hustled up the steps and then spotted the scrollwork at the top of the pillars. That was definitely impressive.

I hurried around the corner and⁠—

—almost smashed into someone coming the other direction. I dodged to the side, tried to turn, and caught my foot on the top step.

And went flying forward. I threw my hands out and somehow turned my fall into a full somersault.

I landed on my butt, hard. My hands smarted from where I’d scraped them.

Stunned, I gasped for breath.

“Are you hurt?” A feminine voice from behind me.

I turned to see the woman I’d basically tripped over coming up behind me.

Her blue eyes met mine, full of concern.

“Just a flesh wound,” I said.

She smiled.

The most beautiful smile I’d ever seen.

Somewhere, clocks ticked. My heart didn’t. I sat, frozen by the woman’s smile. Her face, surrounded by her long blonde tresses, was angelic. Then she quirked an eyebrow, which broke me out of my spell.

“So you’re okay.” She extended a hand.

“Yeah.” I let her help me up. Fortunately, she didn’t brush my scrapes. “Sorry about that.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t looking⁠—”

“Neither of us were.” I quickly checked myself over. Other than a sore butt and the scrapes, I was fine. “But no harm, no foul.”

“You sure?”

I nodded.

“Okay.”

With one last smile, we went our separate ways.

Except I couldn’t help myself. I turned and watched her. She wore a bright green t-shirt and dark green shorts that hugged her ass. And man, what an ass it was. In other words, she was out of my league.

I sighed deeply. I’d actually quoted Monty Python. I hoped I hadn’t sounded too much like an idiot.

But then, I’d made a fool of myself when I’d asked Andrea out, and that had worked out okay…

“You’re gonna make a fool of yourself,” Kelly warned.

The school librarian glared at us. Kelly immediately straightened up and tried to look innocent. It didn’t work very well. The wider his eyes, the guiltier he looked. But the librarian just tssked and returned to shelving books.

“Am not,” I whispered back. “She’ll love it.”

The object of my affection was bent over her notebook, absorbed in taking notes from a chemistry book. I admired how studious she was. Andrea was smart, quiet, and really pretty. She had long brown hair that framed her face like a picture, and curious eyes that peered out of through glasses that made her look as smart as she was. We’d been in honors classes together for three years and I’d always admired how much she participated in class. She was perfect, at least when she wasn’t chewing on the end of her pencil.

“You are,” Kelly insisted.

I rolled my eyes. Kelly’s own girlfriend had told me that Andrea liked me. I didn’t see how I could screw this up. Besides, this always worked in romantic comedies.

That didn’t prevent my nerves from being on fire. Was I making a mistake?

I took a breath and reached into my backpack. I found the rose, gently nestled in a clean towel, and pulled it out. The padding had worked and it wasn’t crushed.

“Don’t do it!” Kelly said, once again not quietly enough.

I shook him off. After another deep breath, I strode over to Andrea. She didn’t look up until I was right next to her.

“Would you go to homecoming with me?” I thrust the rose forward.

The library fell into an expectant silence. Everyone was staring, I could tell. Andrea looked up, first at the room and then at me. Her eyes went wide when they fell on the rose. I couldn’t read her emotions well, but then… she pursed her lips in a small smile.

“So…,” I said, “will you?” I locked my elbow to prevent my arm from shaking with nerves.

Her smile widened, before she nodded. “Sure.”

I shook myself out of the memory. That’d been almost a year ago, and I’d gotten a lot better about my romantic gestures. At least with Andrea, because, well, I hadn’t dated anybody else.

My gut twinged at that. I’d thought… well, I’d loved… well…

I sighed. It didn’t matter what I’d thought or felt.

It was over.

It still hurt, but with some help from Michelle and my friends, I’d come to accept that it was done. Andrea and I weren’t… well…

We weren’t. That was probably the best way to say it.

Ruminating on it wouldn’t change anything, so I joined the back of the line for check-in.

It didn’t move.

I grimaced. I didn’t like Dad having to idle in line, but I didn’t know quite what else to do. I was annoyed, and I wasn’t the only one. The guy in front of me actually muttered something that sounded obscene under his breath. He glanced toward the courtyard entrance, muttered something again, and left. I figured I could always let him back in line and moved forward.

I ended up behind a wiry blond guy. He had this casual air about him that almost struck me as cocky. Almost. He glanced my way and smiled, but then his eyes dropped to my U2 concert shirt and his grin widened.

“Nice shirt.”

“Thanks.”

“I actually saw them in July.”

“Seriously? Me too! At McNichols?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Nosebleed seats.”

“No way! Which section?”

“Far back on the left.”

I laughed. “We were far back on the right!”

We chatted about the concert for a bit as the line edged forward. He had a really laid-back demeanor, but his face still lit up as we talked about specific songs. We started talking about the U2 albums when he stuck out a hand.

“I’m Len.”

My eyebrows shot up. “My roommate’s name is Len.”

He laughed. “Really?”

“Len Freeman from Loveland?”

“Yeah! You must be Mike.”

“Yeah! Mike Mahoney, your roommate.” I took his hand and shook it.

“Ah! Cool!”

“Funny running into you in line.”

He shrugged. “Dumb luck.”

I chuckled, though it actually made sense—it was either here or in the room.

We talked a little as we continued to wait. He was in the business school but hadn’t decided exactly what he wanted to do. Marketing, maybe, or business administration. He thought it was cool that I was pre-med, and mentioned that one of his sisters was pre-vet up at CSU. The other sister was much older. She worked in California as a massage therapist. He was surprised that Michelle was only a year younger than me. He was two years younger than his sister who was at CSU. We drifted back to talking about U2 and music until we got to the front of the line.

The resident assistant had us sign some forms and made sure we read the code of conduct, which both Len and I skimmed. Then she handed us our keys.

“You’re on the fourth floor, right under the northwest tower.”

She pointed to a window, way above our heads.

“You can use the freight elevator,” she continued, “but there’s a long line. The stairs are through that door.”

I nodded as I tried to get my bearings. Then I remembered the important question. “Where can we park?”

“Wherever you can find a spot. There really isn’t any parking on this side of campus.”

I grimaced in frustration.

“My dad found a spot down the hill,” Len offered, “but the lot’s probably full by now.”

“Great.” I forced a smile. “My dad’s stuck in the traffic jam.”

“That sucks,” he said sympathetically.

“It is what it is.” I shrugged. “Meet you in the room?”

“Yeah.”

Michelle was clearly annoyed when I returned to the Suburban, and it wasn’t hard to figure out the source of her ire: Mom. I couldn’t exactly ask what had happened, so I told them about the parking situation. Dad grumbled about it.

“Fine,” he said. “You get out here. I’ll wait until something opens up.” He gestured at the half-dozen spots for street parking, currently all full.

Mom, Michelle, and I hopped out and converged on the rear of the Suburban. I opened the tailgate and reached for my computer manuals bag, which I did not want Mom anywhere near. Then I grabbed my computer, since it was the heaviest of what was left. Mom and Michelle grabbed the bags with my clothes. When Mom’s back was turned, Michelle shot her a nasty glare, which made me wonder what’d happened in the car while I’d been gone.

I was actually impressed when we got to the room. It was a large corner room, with two windows and plenty of light. The furniture was solid wood, which I liked. I surveyed it all and quickly decided the one thing I really wanted was the desk by the door. I set the computer and manuals bag down on it and then took off my windbreaker and hung it on the back of the chair, effectively claiming it. I turned to my mom and sister.

“Gotta wash my scrapes.” I held up my hands.

“Oh? What happened?” Mom reached for them, but thought better.

“Just me being clumsy.” I gave her a sheepish smile.

Mom nodded, but Michelle rolled her eyes. At least it was a good-natured eye roll.

I then zipped down to the bathroom to wash my scrapes. They stung, but they’d be okay. I’d barely returned when Len appeared in the doorway.

“Hey, Mike.” He smiled at my mom and sister. And then two women followed him in.

The younger one wore a green and gold Colorado State T-shirt, just like the girl in the courtyard. She even had the same long legs, same cute shorts, same smile⁠—

She quirked her lips in amusement and I felt my cheeks burn.

“This is my mom, Linda,” Len said, indicating the older blonde woman, “and my sister, Lori.”

“We’ve met,” Lori said wryly.

“In the courtyard,” I added. “We ran into each other. Well, I ran into her.”

“Literally,” Lori agreed.

“What?” Michelle exclaimed.

I shrugged. “Wasn’t looking.”

“It was my fault,” Lori said.

I shook my head. “No, mine.”

“I wasn’t looking where I was going either.”

“No harm, no foul.”

Mom interrupted by extending her hand. “I’m Mrs. Mahoney.” Mom’s eyes fell on Len’s mom’s peasant blouse and fringe-lined skirt. I knew what she was thinking, but she didn’t let on.

We made introductions all around. Then Len’s mom and sister headed down to get more of his stuff, with Mom and Michelle right behind them. Len and I shifted the furniture where we wanted it, including raising one of the beds on top of the other. We finished just about when Len’s mom and Lori returned, this time accompanied by a large, blond man with a trimmed beard that reminded me of Grizzly Adams.

“This is my dad, Leonard Senior,” Len said.

“Call me Lenny,” Len’s dad said. He shook my hand, and I got the impression he could crush it if he wanted to, but his eyes were warm instead of threatening.

A moment later, Michelle and Mom returned with more of my bags. Len introduced them to his dad. Mom again smiled, but, again, I sensed her disapproval.

“Dad’s still circling,” Michelle told me. “He said he’d buy dinner if you wanna unpack later.”

“Dinner?” Len’s dad said. “Perhaps we could join you?”

“It’s up to Frank,” Mom said.

Len’s dad smiled. “Let’s go down and find out.”

Lori grinned at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

I’d just met her! So what the hell was wrong with me?

Dad had actually found a curbside parking spot about a dozen car lengths back from the roundabout. He still idled the engine, and I was sure he was frustrated about how far back he was. He did turn the engine off and get out when he saw the mob of us approaching. After the introductions, Len’s dad smiled at mine.

“So,” he said, “we’d love to join you for dinner, seeing as how the boys are going to be living together. Is that okay?”

Mom and Dad exchanged a few silent words.

“Fine by us. We were thinking of The Little Russian Cafe. We’ve heard good things about it.”

“Oh, it’s really good,” Len’s dad said. “We enjoy it a lot.”

Dad forced a smile. Eating out was a rare treat for us.

“Uh…” Lori raised her hand.

“Yeah?” Her dad asked.

“I’m not dressed for that.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I should change, too,” Len said. He gestured to his shorts and blue t-shirt.

“Okay…”

Len turned to his sister. “I’ve got a shirt and some longer shorts you can borrow. That is… if you don’t mind your little brother’s clothes.”

Len and Lori exchanged a few silent words and then she smirked.

Their dad smoothly turned to my dad.

“We can meet you there,” he said. “It may take us awhile.”

Dad shrugged. “Sure.”

Mr. Freeman gestured at the traffic. “You too, probably.”

Dad sighed. “Yeah…”

The Freemans waved and headed off and my family climbed back in the Suburban.

And then we sat.

Some cars had pulled up to get into the roundabout and were now blocking us in. Dad tried to nudge forward, but they wouldn’t let him in. I could see Dad getting frustrated, but Mom gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed, nodded, and shifted back into park.

We sat.

Michelle stuck her head back in her book. I sighed and settled into wait. My thoughts drifted back to earlier…

I rounded the pillar and found myself face-to-face with a blonde woman. Her eyes went wide as I dodged to the side. She darted the other way, but it wasn’t enough. My foot hit the top step and I tumbled forward.

I threw my hands forward as the cement came up to meet me. I instinctively tucked my head, which turned my fall into a roll. My shoulders hit and then my butt slammed down. My breath whooshed out of me as I came to a stop.

“Are you hurt?”

The voice came from behind me. I swiveled around. It was the blonde.

Her blue eyes met mine. Such a deep blue. They were full of concern. I appreciated that.

“Just a flesh wound,” I said.

She quickly smirked—she recognized the quote—and then her smirk turned into a full smile.

The most beautiful smile I’d ever seen.

My heart froze. I sat, taking in the way her long blonde tresses framed her face. The way her high cheekbones gave her an elvish look. The shape of her nose—cute but not small.

Then she quirked an eyebrow.

“So you’re okay.”

She extended a hand. Fine-boned, with long fingers. I took it and felt her strength as she pulled. The scrapes on my palm tingled, but I ignored them.

“Yeah,” I said as I scrambled to my feet. I took in the rest of her—the gold and green Colorado State shirt filled out with her amazing curves. The green shorts that hugged her hips. The long, long legs to die for, stuck in sneakers with short white socks peeking out the top. “Sorry about that.”

“No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking⁠—”

“Neither of us were,” I reassured her.

A small breath escaped. Relief. Her smile widened.

“But no harm, no foul,” I said.

“You sure?” There was a hint of tease in her voice.

I nodded, as confidently as I could.

She looked me up and down. “Okay.”

With one last smile, she turned and walked away.

A sudden gust of wind broke my reverie. It whooshed by the car and bent the branches on nearby trees.

“Do you have your windbreaker?” Mom asked.

I glanced at the seat next to me, and then the memory of hanging it on the back of the chair came back.

“I left it in the room.”

“Might as well go get it.” Dad gestured in frustration at the car still blocking us in. “At this rate, we’ll still be here.”

“Mmm hmm,” Mom said.

I shrugged. I wasn’t sure I’d need my windbreaker, but I didn’t want “I told you so” if I did. So I hopped out and headed to the dorm.

I didn’t want Dad to actually be able to pull out while I was gone, so I picked up my pace a bit. I took the stairs two at a time, occasionally peeking out the windows to see if traffic was moving. I couldn’t see the Suburban, but nothing I could see moved at all.

I was out of breath by the time I got to my room. Panting, I got out my key and unlocked the door. I barged in⁠—

—and froze.

Lori stood in the middle of the room.

Naked.

My eyes locked with Lori’s and my mouth went dry. She calmly returned my gaze and she raised her bra in front of her breasts, but not before I got a good look at them.

The vision burned into my memory.

Her breasts—full, and curved like teardrops. Large dark areolae—with fat suckable nipples⁠—

I lowered my eyes and noted she wasn’t quite naked.

Light green panties.

That image, too, is locked in my mind.

My brain froze. Belatedly, I remembered to avert my eyes. Len said something, and Lori too, but the words didn’t register. I just kept thinking about Lori’s breasts.

I hung my head and heard movement. I couldn’t help myself. I peeked.

Lori had her back to me as she fastened her bra. Her ass—God, I wasn’t as ass man but I wanted to take a bite out of it.

“Mike, Earth to Mike.” Len’s words penetrated my skull.

“Yeah…?”

“Give us some privacy.”

“Uh… sure,” I somehow said. With my desk near the door, my jacket was almost within reach. “Sorry.”

Without looking up, I took a step forward and snagged my windbreaker. I closed the door behind me.

In the hall, I straightened up. My heart pounded. I couldn’t get the memory of Lori’s breasts out of my mind.

Holy fuck.

I winced. That was stronger language than I normally used.

But… holy fuck!

I stood there, trying to calm the beating in my chest. My mind raced in loops.

Len bailed me out. The door opened a crack.

“Hey, Mike,” he said. “Look, sorry. Bad timing. Lori had just picked out what she wanted to wear.”

“Oh…,” I managed to say. “Okay.”

“We’ll meet you at the restaurant, ‘kay?”

‘Yeah. Sure.”

“Lori’s almost done,” he said. “Heck, we might beat you there.”

I nodded. “Yeah. See you in a bit.”

He shut the door again.

I walked back to the car in a daze. Lori’s were the second set of breasts I’ve ever seen in the flesh. They were amazing. Of course, I couldn’t help thinking of the first set I’d seen. I still had vivid memories of Andrea’s…

“Let me turn on a light,” I murmured between kisses. I continued to cup her boob in my hand.

“I don’t know…,” Andrea said.

“I want to see you. All of you.” I nuzzled her neck.

“Okay…”

I flipped the switch on the end table lamp. A quick glance confirmed the door to the upstairs was still closed, and I couldn’t hear Andrea’s mom…

Andrea sat up and I shifted back so I could get a clear look. Her blouse hung open, but still obscured her breasts.

“Can I…?” I gently tugged at the fabric.

She gave me a nervous smile, but then nodded.

I gently tugged her blouse open a bit more, until I could see everything. Round and smooth with tight, erect nipples… My eyes drank in every inch.

She squirmed.

I gave her a reassuring smile. “Wow.”

She let out a relieved breath.

“They’re… they’re not too small?” Her voice quivered.

“No. They’re amazing.”

I kissed her again, hot and passionately. First her lips, then her cheek. Then her chin. As I worked my way down her neck, she moaned with pleasure.

I pulled back for one last look, memorizing the curve of her flesh and the way her chest rose and fell with her breath. Then I kissed one nipple. Then the other.

She sighed and leaned back. When I looked up, she was smiling softly.

“They’re beautiful,” I said. “You’re beautiful.”

Her smile grew.

“And if you don’t mind…”

Her eyebrows rose questioningly.

“I’d like to get to know them better.”

When she nodded, I kissed her nipples again. Then I began to suck…

I’d gotten out of my head by the time we arrived at the restaurant. To my amusement, Len’s prediction had been right. The Freemans were waiting for us out front, with Mr. Freeman having already put his name in for a large table. Lori and Len both smiled at me as if nothing had happened. I did the same, though I couldn’t quite meet her eyes.

Then, to my mixed horror and amusement, I ended up sitting right between them at the large round table. Thankfully, Michelle sat on Lori’s other side and immediately asked her about CSU.

Len asked me, “So, what other bands do you like?”

I blinked. I’d still been thinking about boobs, and I needed to get my mind back in the present.

“Besides U2,” he continued. “Who do you like?”

“Oh…, The Police. The Talking Heads.”

“They’re cool.”

I smiled, glad to be back on good conversational ground. “I’m pretty eclectic, though. There’s even some Country I like.”

Len chuckled. “Yeah. There’s plenty of good stuff out there.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Dad’s big into jazz and early Sixties stuff.”

“Late Sixties for my parents.” Len smirked. “They were at Woodstock.”

I raised an eyebrow. If his parents were hippies… my gaze darted to Mom, who wore her “polite smile” as she listened to Mrs. Freeman. Dad was saying something perfectly normal about “logistics” to Mr. Freeman.

I was interrupted by Lori. “Do you like Depeche Mode?”

“I don’t know them that well,” I admitted.

“Ooh!” Len said. “I’ll play ‘em for you later.”

“Cool,” I said. “I’ve got some stuff you might like.”

He nodded, clearly pleased.

“Just don’t play that soundtrack for him,” Michelle teased.

I shot her a glare.

“What soundtrack?” Len asked.

“The one about the…, “Michelle’s eyes darted over to Mom, “…you know.”

“Irma La Douce,” I said dryly.

Len laughed. “The early Sixties comedy about the prostitute?”

“You know it?” I stared at him in shock.

“Know it? I own it!”

“Oh, boy.” Lori rolled her eyes. “Now you’ve done it.”

“I’m a huge film buff,” Len said.

“Me, too!” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice.

“Yeah. What do you like?”

“The classics, mostly. Bogart. Grant. Stewart.”

“No way!”

“Yeah.”

“I’m more modern myself,” he said, “but the classics are great, too. I love Casablanca.”

My chin dropped. “That’s my favorite movie!”

He laughed. “Really?”

“Really!” I lowered my voice and quoted, “Round up the usual suspects.”

He grinned and fired back his own quote. “I believe… this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Oh, boy.”

Lori suppressed a laugh.

Len and I just grinned at each other. We were off and running, caught up in our own little conversational world.

“Michael!”

Dad had raised his voice enough to cut through the conversation I was having with Len. We immediately broke off, even though Len was in mid-sentence.

The table fell quiet. Dad gave the Freemans a sheepish look.

“Sorry,” he said. Then to me, “When do you need to be back?”

I furrowed my brown. “Back?”

“When’s your curfew?”

“Uh… Dad. This is college. They don’t have curfews.”

“What? They did in my day! Well…” He gave Mr. Freeman an apologetic look. “At least that’s what I understood.”

“No curfew?” Mom asked me. “So you can stay out all night?”

“Well, I could.” I shrugged. “But I do need sleep.” I smiled to take the edge off my words, but Mom still gave me an annoyed look.

“So when do we need to get you back to the dorm?” Dad said.

I shrugged. “Whenever.” I knew Dad would want to be back on the road home before it got too late.

“Well… okay…”

Mr. Freeman leaned forward, after a quick smile at my Dad, as if asking for the proverbial conversational ball.

“So, Mike,” he began. “Your dad says you’re pre-med. I was wondering—are you taking any humanities, or it is all science classes?”

“Science and math,” I said, “at least the first year.”

“Practical stuff,” Dad said with a nod.

“Well, there’s something to be said for the humanities,” Mr. Freeman said with a smile. “A well-rounded individual and all that. We’ve encouraged Len to take more than just business classes.”

Len shrugged. “I’ve got that composition class.”

“I keep urging him to take some art,” Mrs. Freeman said. “That’s how Lenny and I met.”

“In college?” Mom asked.

“Oh, no,” Mrs. Freeman continued. “At, well… uh… in a pottery class.

“At the Community Center,” Mr. Freeman added.

“It was the dining hall,” Mrs. Freeman corrected.

“Dining hall?” Dad asked.

“Yes, the community dining hall. It’s where everybody ate.” Mr. Freeman smiled but also set his jaw. “We met at a commune.”

Mom and Dad both visibly stiffened at the word “commune.” I could see Dad’s emotions warring between wanting to be polite and wanting to say something. Something he knew would be rude, given the way he ground his teeth. Beside me, Lori sucked in her breath.

I needed to intervene. Fast.

“So are you an artist?” I asked Mrs. Freeman.

“Oh,” she demurred with a smile, “when I can.”

A small collective sigh circled the table. Even Dad relaxed an inch.

“She’s a really good painter,” Mr. Freeman bragged. “Really good!”

Mrs. Freeman beamed at the compliment but then smiled at Mom. “I’m just so busy. You know how it is, raising children.”

Mom couldn’t help nodding in acknowledgment.

“Carolyn keeps busy with her work at the church,” Dad added. “She’s there two to three nights a week, volunteering.”

“And which church is that?” Mr. Freeman asked.

“First Evangelical,” Dad answered.

Next to me, Lori squirmed in her seat.

“Which church do you attend?” Mom asked.

“Oh... ah… we don’t,” Mr. Freeman said. “We’ve found that we can appreciate God without, ah, weekly church attendance.”

I wasn’t sure if that would mollify Mom, but I knew she wouldn’t say anything. Fortunately, Dad jumped in.

“Carolyn here runs the church’s hospital visitation program. She’s excellent. She and her team make sure that anyone who’s sick gets a visitor, you know? How important that can be? And if they need help with something, Carolyn makes sure they get it.”

Mom blushed at the compliment

“Yeah,” I said, “Mom’s really good at it. Even the hospital staff says so.”

“Oh, that’s the work of a saint,” Mrs. Freeman said. “A true saint.”

“I was naked and you clothed Me,” Mr. Freeman quoted. “I was sick, and you visited Me. I was in prison and you came to Me.”

Mom’s eyebrows rose. “Sermon on the Mount?”

“Actually later in Matthew,” Mr. Freeman said. He smiled at Dad. “I studied the Bible back as a kid.”

“Ah.” Dad grinned broadly. “Yeah.”

“But these days, with all the travel…” Mr. Freeman rolled his eyes. “I’m on the road again tomorrow.”

“Another sales call?” Dad asked.

“Sales and service. San Jose this time.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound fun…”

The conversation broke up into smaller pockets again. I took a moment to figure out what I could say to Lori.

“So,” I asked, “why do you want to be a vet?”

“Oh,” her face softened as she smiled. “I just love animals.”

“Because…?”

“They’re so cuddly and wonderful. And they have their own personalities.”

I chuckled. “Cuddly? What about snakes?”

She grinned. “They can be.”

“So you have pets?”

“A cat.” She smiled. “Mom and Dad have one, too.”

“Ah.” I realized if she had a cat, she couldn’t be in the dorms. “So you’re off campus?”

“Oh, yes!” She rolled her eyes. “I got tired of dorm food pretty quickly.”

“Yeah,” Len chipped in. “We’re stuck for at least a year.”

“You’ll survive,” she shot back. Then to me. “What about you? Pets?”

I frowned. “I wanted a dog when I was little, but Dad said we couldn’t afford it.”

She nodded knowingly.

“You should’ve seen Mike beg—,” Michelle began, but I cut her off with a look.

“So what about you?” Lori asked. “Why pre-med?”

“I like helping people. Medicine is one of the core benefits of civilization and I’d like to do my part.”

My sister rolled her eyes, and my face reddened as I realized I’d basically quoted the rote words of too many essays. Lori didn’t. Thankfully. Instead, she just pursed her lips in amusement.

“Besides,” I quickly added, “biology is cool. Especially the way nerves work? Electrical and chemical? Crazy!”

“Yeah,” Lori laughed. “It is cool.”

We talked about biology until our entrees arrived. I’d ordered this beef stroganoff, which turned out to be amazing. It didn’t have the usual egg noodles mucking it up and was pure savory, meaty goodness.

Dad was similarly delighted. After his first bites of Chicken Kiev, he couldn’t keep the stupid grin off his face. Mom saw and good naturally rolled her eyes.

“This is really good,” Mr. Freeman said about his meal. He got a round of “mmm hmm” agreement and it took another minute before Mom broke the quiet.

“Frank,” she said, “you know I have a recipe for that.”

“You’re gonna have to make it then.” He took another bite and his eyes lit up as he chewed.

Mom nodded and then frowned. “Next week is so busy…”

“I can do it,” Michelle volunteered.

“You cook?” Lori asked.

“When Mom’s volunteering.”

“Lori and Len both cook,” Mr. Freeman said. “They’re both quite good.”

“Lori’s better,” Len quickly said.

She rolled her eyes. “I just do it more.”

“Which is why you’re better.” He grinned at her.

She pursed her lips like she was going to say something, but then quickly glanced around the table, and smiled instead.

“So,” Lori said to Michelle, “what do you like to cook?”

As we drifted out of the restaurant, we found the wind had actually died down. A light breeze still tousled Lori’s hair. She turned her face into the setting sun, closed her eyes, and smiled. I watched as long as I thought I could without staring.

But then I realized our little group had spread out more than I’d thought. No one else stood within earshot of Lori and me.

“Sorry about earlier.” I pitched my voice low. “I should’ve knocked.”

“It’s okay.” She actually smiled.

“Yeah, well…” My face heated.

“It’s fine. Just… uh… don’t go thinking I show my tits to anyone, okay?”

“Uh… sure. It, was, uh… just bad timing.”

She chuckled. “Or good timing.”

“Uh… what?”

She smirked. “Thirty seconds later and you wouldn’t’ve seen ’em.”

If my face had been pink before, it now had to be bright red.

She laughed lightly and walked off.

I watched Lori walk away for far too long. Her words—no, her tone—still rang in my ears. She hadn’t been at all upset that I’d seen her naked. Well, in just her panties. I couldn’t forget the sight of those, either. Still, she hadn’t been upset.

Michelle sauntered over. “Dad wants to go to the Boulder Bookstore.”

“He buying?”

She shrugged, which meant probably not.

“Sure.”

Len waved from the front of the restaurant. “See you back at the dorm!”

I nodded and returned the wave. Then my eyes moved to Lori, who was also waving at me.

I couldn’t help smiling and waving in return.

“Geez,” Michelle said. “Wipe the drool off, will you?”

I glared at her. “I’m not drooling.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yeah, well what do you know?”

“A lot!”

“Yeah, right.”

“I was right about Andrea. Remember?”

I actually did…

I looked up from my desk when I sensed someone in my bedroom doorway. I needed to let the glue dry on the Christmas card I was making for Andrea anyway.

Michelle leaned against the doorjamb, her arms crossed.

“Yeah?”

Her eyes dropped to the card. She sighed.

“What?” I snapped.

“She’s not right for you, you know.”

“Yeah, and what would you know about it?”

“That she’s not right for you,” Michelle repeated.

“She’s perfect!”

“She’s too fussy,” Michelle shot back.

“She’s not fussy,” I huffed.

“Oh, yeah?”

“She’s not!”

Michelle just looked at me with pity.

“She’s not,” I repeated. “She’s just… particular.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I waved a dismissive hand. “She’s smart and she’s thoughtful and she loves me. And I love her.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, it’s time for dinner.”

I was still thinking about Michelle’s opinion as we reached the bookstore. I had loved Andrea. Deeply. At least I’d thought I did. And she hadn’t been too fussy…

… except, well…

Michelle wasn’t entirely wrong.

I sighed and pushed it out of my mind. It didn’t exactly matter anymore, anyway. I had to remind myself of that. I hated that I had to remind myself of that. But I needed to move on.

We browsed for a while in the bookstore. Dad spent most of the time in the history section, which didn’t surprise me. I wandered pretty much everywhere. I wasn’t planning on buying anything. Better to save my money until I found out what the University Library had.

Then to my surprise, Dad, one of the most financially tight-fisted men I knew, actually bought me a book. Admittedly, it was from the used books section, but it was in pretty good shape.

“I know you like his reviews,” he said as he handed it to me.

I smiled when I saw Roger Ebert’s picture. “Yeah… I do.”

He nodded. His return smile was a bit more nervous than I expected. Was his tough guy facade cracking?

“Well,” he said gruffly, “don’t spend all your time watching movies.”

“I won’t.” I was genuinely touched.

You gotta do well in class, you know.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

I collected goodbye hugs from my family in front of the dorm. The traffic had dissipated, which I suspected was the real reason Dad had suggested the bookstore stop. He actually hugged me instead of giving me the handshake I’d expected, before I got the more usual squeezes from Mom and Michelle. Mom didn’t quite tear up, which was a relief, although she did ask me to go to church again.

I stood on the curb, watching, until they’d driven out of sight. I wasn’t quite sure what to feel. Mixed, at best. When I couldn’t see their lights anymore, I turned back to the dorm. Light poured from most of the windows, and a mix of music bounced and echoed around the courtyard. As cacophonous as it was, now it was home.

I arrived at my room to find Len sitting on the edge of his desk and chatting with two girls. Err… women. A slim brunette and a chubbier blonde. Conversation slowed when I walked in.

“…but that’s why he’s a musical genius,” Len finished saying.

The brunette in my chair gave me a lazy smile. “Hey.”

“Hey, Mike,” Len said. “This is Julie,” he indicated the one in my chair, “and Karin.”

The blonde in his chair nodded and gave me a three-finger wave.

“They’re down on the second floor,” Len continued.

“Right across from the bathroom.” Karin wrinkled her nose.

“At least it’s not a tower room,” Julie said.

“Yeah. Ugh.”

“What’s wrong with them?” I asked.

“Four to a room?” Julie snorted. “No thanks.”

“Yeah,” Len agreed. “No thanks.”

I nodded. That sounded miserable. Way too many ways you could come to hate your roommates when you had three of them.

“It’s gonna be bad for you guys.” Julie pointed at the ceiling.

I frowned, and then realized we were right underneath one of the tower rooms.

“Why?” Len asked.

“I have a friend who lived here last year,” Julie said. “She says the tower rooms are where all the parties are. Loud parties.”

“Great,” I muttered.

“Eh,” Len said. “It won’t be that bad. There are quiet hours.”

I nodded. I’d remembered something like that in the paperwork, but I’d have to read it again to be sure.

“That presumes they’re enforced,” Julie said.

“If they aren’t?” I asked.

“Just go crash the party!” Karin said. “What are they going to do, stop you?”

Len shrugged agreement.

“I’m serious,” Karin continued. This one time, on a ski trip, the people in the condo above us threw this raging party. So of course we crashed it! There must’ve been fifty people there, and they had a ton of booze…”

Karin continued describing this “raging party” and all the things she and her friends had seen at it, including people doing coke in the bathroom. She talked non-stop for several minutes, raising her voice whenever it looked like Len or Julie might try to jump in with a comment.

I couldn’t help it. My eyes glazed. I thought back to the last bad party I’d been at…

The party was so loud and crowded, I was sure the neighbors would call the cops. I wondered if Craig had talked to them or something. Even without a blaring stereo, the noise had to be filtering into their houses. Maybe it wasn’t enough to keep them from sleeping.

Andrea and I stood in Craig’s living room with Kelly and Ann. We’d tried to talk, but we’d finally just given up. With fifteen other people in the room, it was just too loud.

Finally, Kelly looked at me until he was sure he had my attention and then hooked his thumb at the back door. I nodded, and the four of us headed out to the backyard.

It was one of those warm December nights in Colorado, which meant it was cold. Like an outdoor ice rink. Andrea shivered and I wrapped my arms around her.

“This sucks,” Kelly said.

“No kidding,” I said. “Do you want to get out of here?”

He nodded.

“I thought you wanted to hang out with new people,” Ann said.

“Yeah, but…” He shook his head. “Not if we can’t talk.”

Andrea shivered again, and I rubbed her shoulder.

“Hey,” I said, Let’s go to Denny’s, Hot chocolate for my lady.” I slipped my arm around Andrea and gave her a squeeze. She stiffened in surprise.

“Yeah,” Kelly said, “let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Back in the real world, Len laughed at something I hadn’t heard. I laughed along desperately trying to recall the punchline I hadn’t paid attention to. When Karin laughed, wow. A full horse guffaw. Not nearly as melodic as Lori.

Len changed the subject and turned to Julie. “So do you ski?”

“Not a fan.” She shrugged indifferently.

“Why not?”

“Too cold. I’d rather do something warm.”

Len’s eyebrows shot up, but then he looked questioningly at me.

I shrugged. “Never been.”

“You grew up in Colorado?” His voice was filled with disbelief.

“My parents didn’t ski,” I said with another shrug. “Dad said it was too expensive. By the time I could go with friends, they were doing double diamonds and I didn’t see the point in going just to spend the day in lessons while they skied.

“We always get season passes to Copper,” Karin said. “My senior year, my boyfriend and I were going almost every weekend Can you believe it? If you get up real early, you can be on the slopes by eight. There’s nobody there. Can you believe it?”

Len drew a breath to speak but Karin didn’t even notice.

“Of course John always loved it,” she continued. “Have I mentioned John? He’s my boyfriend and he’s amazing. This one time, we were up at the top of the mountain at Copper…”

I shared a look with Julie. She was as bored as I was, which made me feel sorry for her. At least I didn’t have to live with Karin.

Karin prattled on, but then Len’s attention turned to something down the hall. I twisted around and looked through the open door to see two guys carrying cases of beer down the hall.

“Hey,” Len said, interrupting Karin, “There’s new guys with beer!” He grinned. “I think it’s time to meet more of the neighbors.”

We headed down to the little impromptu party at the other end of the hall. Len was charming enough that they didn’t seem to mind us joining in without our own beer contributions. Cans of Coors were immediately pressed into all of our hands.

Still, the room was crowded, and quickly became loud and hot. One of the guys was smoking, despite that being banned in the dorm, and not enough of the fumes were going out the window. On top of that, all the conversations were the same.

“Where are you from?”

“What’s your major?”

“What’d you do in high school?”

“Where’s your room?”

My enthusiasm quickly waned.

Honestly, it all blurred together really fast. So did the names. Mark, Aaron, another Mike? Political science majors. Pysch majors. Foreign affairs? I did my best to keep people straight, but it was too much, too fast.

Len had wandered off, along with the women, and I was in the middle of a long, winding conversation with two guys about high school football, which I cared nothing about, when Len sidled up to me. He listened for a moment, and actually knew what they were talking about, which shouldn’t have surprised me. When there was a break in the conversation, he jumped in.

“Hey, guys, do you mind if I steal Mike? I want him to meet someone.”

The guy speaking furrowed his brown in confusion and glanced at me. He’d been mostly talking to the other guy anyway. “Yeah. Sure.”

We stepped away and that’s when I spotted Julie waiting by the door. Without Karin, thank God.

“We’re gonna get some ice cream,” Len said. “Wanna come?”

“Uh… what about Karin?”

“Nah. She’s having fun. Just us.”

“Sure,” I said, “Let’s go.”

Len and I stopped by our room and grabbed our windbreakers. He pulled out a dark blue sweatshirt with Winter Park written on it for Julie, so she wouldn’t have to go back to her room. I smiled. Avoiding Karin was a good idea.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Len said. You looked like you were ready to get out of there.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“It was too crowded,” Julie added.

“Uh-huh,” I agreed again.

We headed down to the courtyard, where the noise from a dozen open windows made it clear that we hadn’t been at the only party that night. I wondered what the school year would be like.

“Hey,” Julie said. “There’s a Dairy Queen on the hill that’s open late.”

“Sounds good to me,” Len said.

“Yeah,” I added.

The noise from the dorm faded behind us as we walked through a quieter part of campus, the old part with huge trees and original buildings. The crisp night air felt great when I breathed deeply. I started to stretch my legs and enjoy a real walking pace. I was glad we’d gotten out of there.

“Hey, Mike, where’s the fire?” Len asked.

I slowed up as I realized I was outwalking him.

“I was keeping up,” Julie said. She wasn’t even breathing hard.

Len chuckled. “Well, you’re in better shape than I am.”

She grinned. “Maybe you should go to the gym sometime.”

“Maybe.” He returned her smile. “Been a while since I’ve been in a weight room.”

“I go all the time.”

“You do?” I asked. I didn’t know many women who did weight training.

“Yeah. I play softball. Well, played. High school.”

“You gonna go out for the CU team?” Len asked.

“Probably not. But it’s not ‘till spring, so I’ve got some time.”

“Ah.”

“And you?” she asked him.

He chuckled. “No sports.”

“Oh?”

“I’m a lover, not a fighter,” he said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes but also grinned. “Sure you are.”

“Yeah, well, I mean it. I don’t see how violence really solves anything.”

“Ask Gaddafi about that,” I quipped. Dad had raved for days after Reagan had ordered the Libyan strikes.

“He’s got a point,” Julie said.

Len gave me a sour frown. “Let’s talk about something else.” He turned to Julie. “Mike and I are both into movies. What about you?”

“Mmm. I’d rather be outside.”

“Oh? Doing what?”