Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 04

Reema said nothing, instead remembering her upcoming plans. "Oh, by the way. I won't be around this weekend. I'm visiting Miguel."

"I am sure I'll manage," Cassie said, nonplussed. "Do what you have to do." With that frank acknowledgement, the girls sat quietly in the sauna for a while, then hit the showers.

When the weekend hit, Reema was anxious to get away and visit Miguel. At noon, she boarded a bus that was bound for his university. She dressed for comfort on the three-hour ride -- baggy sweatpants, a cozy grey sweater, and white sneakers. All items from her old wardrobe. Just what Miguel expected to see.

The long trek also gave Reema a chance to catch up on some homework and read her novel. She started an English essay, but couldn't get into it. Leisure reading didn't do the trick, either. She ended up connecting to the bus's Wi-Fi, surfing the internet, and making a playlist on Spotify.

After several minutes, Reema's thoughts began to drift. Miguel hardly knew about any of the activities she had done over the last month. She was working out hard at the gym. She was going to campus pub nights. She'd been socializing -- a lot. She'd had her first experience drinking, and actually got drunk more than once.

Worst of all, Reema had run into Miguel's high school tormenter and even talked to him on a couple occasions! She and Miguel never discussed Josh or the cafeteria incident at all. It wasn't worth reliving. She decided not to mention Josh in any of her recent texts or Skype calls with Miguel because it would only be a burden. He had a heart of gold and didn't need the extra anxiety.

Reema basically resolved not to tell him anything. It was better not to taint their weekend with potentially awkward news. She just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend -- a normal weekend together. She closed her laptop, put it away, and retrieved her jacket. Draping it over herself, she fell asleep.

When Reema woke, she was in a different town, at a different university. Stepping off the bus, she saw Miguel dressed in a light blue windbreaker. He wore that thing all throughout high school, never replacing it. His hair was damp from the light showers that morning. Brown wisps of hair were matted to his tanned forehead, and droplets of rain dotted his glasses. His brown eyes lit up as he stepped towards Reema.

"Hey!" he enthused. They shared brief but meaningful hug. "Here, let me get that for you." He lifted Reema's bag off her shoulder. She noticed him labouring and asked if he was OK. Miguel laughed and made a joke about her having bricks in there. Maybe she packed a little heavier than the last time she visited, but she didn't think that would make it hard for Miguel to carry.

"How are you?!" she excitedly asked.

"Good!" Miguel confirmed. "Have you eaten? Are you hungry?"

"Very," Reema smiled as they began walking to his room.

Miguel couldn't be mistaken for anyone with natural athletic ability -- or even learned athletic ability. His torso was thin, his arms were thin, and his legs were especially thin. Regardless of his actual physical capability, he also didn't look like a powerful guy. The most active thing that Miguel did outside of gym class (which he quit as soon as it wasn't mandatory) was occasionally playing paintball. He had awkward posture and leaned forward when he walked. If not for the orthotics that reduced his flat-footedness, his strides would be even more off balance than they already were.

Miguel's dorm room was a lot more minimalistic than Reema's. Literally, it was just a bed and a desk. He lived neatly enough, although it felt like crammed quarters. He set down her bag and explained that this environment fuelled his 'laborious monk' mentality.

"Yeah, there aren't many distractions," he commented as Reema looked around the room. His desk was littered with stacks of textbooks, half-finished bottles of soda, and open boxes of Ritz crackers. His laptop was running some kind of software she didn't recognize.

"Hmm, still? Do you talk to your floor mates here?"

"Well, the guy next door said 'hi' one day when we were stepping out of our rooms." She knew it was Miguel's attempt at sarcastic humour, but it seemed sadly realistic to her. He quizzed her about her own classmates. "Have you seen anyone we know at Montgomery? I know Winston goes there."

Reema's skin jumped. There it was. She saw the oblivious look on his face. She had to spare him the distress. They were supposed to have a normal, relaxing weekend. Parting her dry, unglossed lips, she lied, "Oh, uh, no. I haven't actually. There are a lot of people on campus, though..."

"Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense. Big school," he shrugged. "I can give you Winston's number and maybe you can hang?"

"Uh yeah, maybe. That might be cool... Hey, what's this?"

She asked him about what she saw on his computer screen. Miguel was happy to say that he was learning to apply design principles to real-life projects, and this was just practice for their end-of-term project. He and few other classmates would design a real product for an engineering firm. He leaned over Reema's chair and clicked through the pictures on screen, showing her all of the product's features. Miguel was such an eager guy when it came to this stuff. It made him so happy. Reema really didn't have to bring up Josh. She was washing her hands of that completely.

Miguel's stomach started grumbling -- loudly. They both stopped and laughed. "I was going to ask if you wanted to eat, but I guess I'm hungry too," he chuckled. He proposed that they order a pizza and hunker down with a movie.

"Sounds like a plan," Reema concurred. That was about as normal as it got. "Oh! I brought something!"

"You did?" Miguel keenly inquired, watching her reach for her bag. He kept an eye on her hands to see what she would fish out. Then he saw her hoodie ride up, revealing her sweatpants were also hanging low.

The dark fabric of Reema's underwear peeked above her sweats. She shifted again, rummaging through her bag. Miguel saw how the underwear fabric narrowed as it plunged into her pants. As he examined the satiny black whale tail, his skin jumped. That was a thong! Undoubtedly, it was a thong. Miguel went from excitement to confusion. He wondered if he was missing something? Did Reema intend to tell him about that later -- as another surprise? Was there a special occasion he forgot?

"I'm pretty sure I put it in my bag anyways..." Reema said, oblivious to Miguel's thoughts. "Maybe I forgot. I was in a rush today..."

To be sure, Miguel liked what he saw. The panties were attractive. But that wasn't really the issue. They were nothing like he'd seen Reema wear before. It wasn't her style -- and he would know. Reema was an amazing girl, but not an adventurous one. She didn't wear skimpy underwear.

Reama straightened herself. "Uh, sorry. Guess I forgot it. I was going to bring you a book on -- hey, what's wrong?"

"That's...new," Miguel commented, his eyes focused on her waist. It took Reema a moment to notice what he was talking about. She looked down and saw the waistband of her underwear rising above her pants. In that moment, Reema couldn't believe her own stupidity! She had purposely dressed in baggy clothes to be comfortable on the bus, but also because she knew Miguel expected to see her in sweats. That was normal for them. She deliberately left her 'new' wardrobe at home. Meaning to keep her fashion experiments a secret, she was done in by a thong. It had completely evaded her! In retrospect, she remembered only seeing thongs and sheer panties when she went to get dressed in the morning. Ever since Cassie's lecture on "panty lines" she'd opted to wear tinier underwear without even thinking about it.

"Ah yeah, I forgot about that," she nervously laughed it off. "It was just something I picked up or something. Hey, do you want to order the pizza, or what...?"

"Oh, right. Let's do it!"

Miguel sat in front of the computer and brought up an online order form. "Pepperoni, green peppers, and mushrooms for the first one?" he proposed.

Reema shook her head, her hand resting on top of his chair as she leaned over him. "Chicken instead of pepperoni. And olives instead of mushrooms," she said. "...And onions instead of green peppers."

"You changed the whole pizza, Reema."

She giggled. "I know."

"OK," he laughed back. "Next one... All meat?"

"Sure! Who needs clean arteries?" she teased him. Reema wasn't going to tell Miguel about her healthy eating habits, either. This would be a 'cheat' weekend for her. It would kind of balance things out... like having a Relaxation Day after a night of karaoke and drinking. Well, sort of like that.

"Clean arteries are overrated!" Miguel quipped back, finally submitting their order. The pizza tracker graphic informed them that someone at Dominos was already preparing their pizza.

Twenty five minutes later -- just as the tracker predicted -- their two pies and Cokes arrived. Miguel insisted that Reema stay in his room while he went down and paid for it. While he was gone, Reema cursed herself again. How could she have been so careless? She'd made a point of leaving her makeup at home, too. Was it too late to change clothes now? No, that would just make things worse...she was already in deep trouble. The best plan was just not to draw any further attention to the underwear issue. She felt guilty about the secrecy -- as well as not being able to tell Miguel about Josh or pretty much anything else in her social life right now -- but, as Cassie would say, this was the best course of action.

Boxes in hand, Miguel walked upstairs still bewildered. He wanted to get the pizza alone because he needed to think. Should he say something about the sexy underwear his super-smart girlfriend was wearing? Maybe she was experimenting? Maybe it wasn't a big deal after all. Reema certainly acted like it wasn't.

Who was he kidding -- it was definitely a big deal!

As he backed into the dorm room, he decided he would let her speak first. If she wanted to talk about it, then it must mean something. "I've got pie!"

Reema, now sitting on his bed, savoured the great aroma. "Ooooo, can't wait!" Miguel set the boxes and drinks on a side table and cracked them open. Reema gazed at the pie intently, "Mmmmmm...that pizza look so good..." It also looked greasy, but she was committed to maintaining her traditions with Miguel, and at least the 'cheat' calories would be enjoyable.

"How's the newspaper going?" he asked.

Reema swallowed a bite. "Good. I've got a few articles to edit when I get back tomorrow night." That part was true, but she didn't mention her plans to pass over the reins to someone else. She also didn't let on how jam-packed her life was with other courses, being out of Cassie, and being at the gym. "So what are we watching tonight?"

"I was thinking we brush up on The Walking Dead to get ready for the new season," he eagerly opined, happy with his suggestion and thinking she would be appreciative of it.

"Oh yeahhh...that starts soon, doesn't it? I haven't been paying attention."

Miguel thought it was odd that she wasn't keeping up, but attributed that to Reema being distracted by her studies. "Oh well, next week!" he allowed, reaching for another pizza slice.

Reema nodded along. Internally, she wasn't sure if she would be able to tune in at all. If she did watch TV next week, it would likely be with Cassie, and they would probably choose something pointless like Sophie and Shannon. Or, maybe pointless wasn't the right word. Those shows did serve some purpose to them. Reema took a second slice and accepted another can of Coke from Miguel.

After eating, the couple sat in bed in front of Miguel's laptop as Season 4 of The Walking Dead played on screen. Each oblivious to the other, they were both thinking about the same topic. Neither was going to say anything, though, even if their thoughts were both centered on Reema's thong -- the proverbial elephant in the room.

"You OK?" Miguel asked at a random moment, breaking the silence.

Reema turned to him. "Hmm? Yeah. Why?"

Miguel shook his head, "Just checking. It's just quiet."

"The show is kind of intense," she sweetly reminded him.

They went through three episodes, then four, then five. With each passing installment, Reema's energy levels depleted. A three-hour bus ride (even after a nap) and a huge feast of junk food added to her drowsiness. She reclined further and rested her head on Miguel's shoulder. When she yawned and nestled into his neck, he swung his arm around her. She responded by resting a hand on his chest. He was staying passive and not asking any weird questions. That was good.

It was already clear that Reema's 'status quo' with Miguel couldn't always complement the new frontiers she was exploring with Cassie. His excited reaction to seeing her in a thong felt especially problematic, even if she couldn't fully articulate why. She just knew she didn't want Miguel asking questions that could lead in weird or uncomfortable directions.

Reema's eye alternated between open and shut. She hit the point where the images and words on the screen were just a meaningless blur. She became alert during a scary moment, but even a raid of zombies wasn't enough to hold her attention. She ended up dozing off again.

Holding Reema and feeling close to her again, Miguel wondered if he was overthinking things. Perhaps there was nothing going on after all. The Reema in his arms felt like the girl he used to hold during lunch breaks and at school dances. He thought about the thong he knew she was wearing under her sweatpants. It didn't make sense, but perhaps he shouldn't attach too much importance to it, either.

Miguel looked down and noticed the air faintly passing through Reema's nostrils. Disappointed, but understanding she was only human, he paused the video and gingerly moved out from under her. Gently laying her head on the pillow and removing her glasses, he nimbly lifted himself and the computer off the bed.

It was just after 10 PM and Miguel wasn't ready to call it a night. He eventually found himself toiling away at some homework while occasionally delving into World of Warcraft. Despite Reema coming to visit, this Saturday felt very familiar in terms of its solitariness. He nibbled on a remaining pizza crust and fulfilled a WoW mission. He had to admit, the bedroom seemed pretty lonely right now. His wonderful girlfriend was lying on the bed in a thong, and he was playing fantasy computer games.

Sometime later, Reema stirred. Slowly opening her eyes, she took a moment to figure out where she was. She saw a blurry form was sitting at a desk -- Miguel. "Hey, you stopped watching the show..." she said.

He swirled around in his chair. "So did you," he smiled.

"What time is it?" she asked with a sleepy grin.

"Almost midnight."

"Oh, OK," Reema said, rolling over and resuming her sleep. Miguel swivelled back, focusing on his Paladin character again.

The next time Reema awoke, it was morning. She rolled over in what she found to be an empty bed. After sitting up and wiping her eyes, she reached to the nightstand for her glasses. With her vision restored, she saw an empty room. A few moments later, the door opened and Miguel popped in.

"Where'd you go?" she asked.

He held up two coffees. "Breakfast!"

"You're so sweet," she thanked him, accepting a Styrofoam cup as he passed it to her. Miguel took a bag from his coat pocket and handed that to her, too.

"It's just butter on a plain bagel. There's oddly not much selection on Sundays," he explained, smiling.

"That's alright," she said. Part of her just wanted to come clean about everything -- Josh, Cassie, the socializing, the new wardrobe, the thong under her sweats. But that thought was fleeting. It wasn't realistic, and departed almost as soon as it came. Reema did feel guilty for sleeping through much of their weekend, however. "Sorry about last night. I was super tired."

Miguel shrugged it off. "It's OK. That happens."

Reema took a conservative bite from her bagel. "What are the showers like around here?"

"Well, they fixed some of the grime in the stalls before you came," he said with a sly smile.

Reema grimaced. "That doesn't give me a lot of confidence."

"Hey, we can't all have personalized Montgomery bathrooms, OK?" Miguel teased. Reema maintained her unimpressed stare -- half playing along, but also seriously desiring some sanitary conditions. He finally admitted, "I'm sure you'll be fine."

Reema finished the rest of her bagel and grabbed her bag. "Great. I'll be back in a bit!" She left the room and padded down the hall.

Miguel was alone again, which was fine, because Reema had every right to take a shower. Unfortunately, she had been very liberal in her definition of 'a bit'. As far as Miguel remembered, Reema didn't take particularly long showers. Fifteen minutes became twenty minutes, which then became half an hour.

In about 45 minutes, Reema came back wearing a fresh set of clothes -- a university sweater and a loose pair of jeans. She had replaced the thong with less adventurous underwear, too -- a regular pair of blue panties.

"You smell great," Miguel commented, noticing the lilac body spray.

Reema giggled. "Thanks."

For their last afternoon, the plan was to watch a movie at a nearby multiplex. Reema didn't think that would be Miguel's preferred activity, given their limited time together. But if he wanted to sit silently for a couple hours, she wasn't going to protest. She remembered her primary goal: keeping things as ordinary and normal as possible between her and Miguel. At least watching a movie wouldn't create a situation where they had to, well, talk a lot.

Miguel put his arm around her and she moved closer. Other than that, they didn't interact much. Reema knew Miguel wasn't the type of guy who saw this as chance to make out with his girlfriend. He actually wanted to watch a film. Guardians of the Galaxy was a big, special effects-driven superhero movie that he was particularly eager to see. She knew she couldn't divert his attention from that.

At the end of the picture, Miguel kept exclaiming how 'awesome' it was. Reema sheepishly agreed. She liked Marvel movies, but didn't feel totally invested in this one. They ate Thai food at the mall, then rode the bus back to Miguel's campus. They hung out a little while longer, but soon it was time for Reema to get on another bus home.

"Well, thanks for visiting," Miguel told her as they stood at the platform. The humming coach was about to depart. "I don't know when I'll see you again... but hopefully soon!"

"We'll figure it out. Hope I'm not too busy," she chuckled.

Miguel concurred. "Or me!" They paused after sharing a short laugh. "Well, guess I should let you get going."

"Yeah, that would be good. I shouldn't miss my ride," Reema said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. She insisted on carrying it herself this time, unlike when Miguel originally picked her up. "I do have all those articles to read, after all."

Miguel delayed before answering, "Uh... yeah. That's true." He looked up at the driver behind the windshield. "I think he wants you to get on."

Reema pushed herself into his arms. "We'll talk soon." They kissed and then she started climbing the steps, without lingering or looking back.

Reema settled for a row near the back. She exhaled while taking her seat. Miguel was now standing underneath her window, waving and smiling eagerly. She waved as the bus pulled out of the bay. When he was out of eyesight, she leaned back and emitted another sigh. She would definitely have some stories for Cassie next week.