What's Her Name? I Can't Tell You!

"What's to explain? He's nuts, and he thinks I'm the one who's nuts!"

"There's a perfectly good reason for what happened!" Brandy said. "It was really that jerk Eric's fault! You shouldn't let him come between you and James."

"What?! Eric, how could that be, I've never even met him!"

"I know," Brandy said, helping herself to the last empty chair at the table -- the one that should have been James', she thought to herself as she sat down. "James didn't really know him either, but --"

"Then how could it be his fault?! Look, I know James is your friend, but I'm done with him!"

"Sarah!" Becca piped up. "Just listen to her! That's only fair!"

"I agree," Michelle said. "You think we don't know you're crushed about James? What if there is an explanation for the whole thing?"

Sarah folded her arms defensively, but after an awkward moment she looked at Brandy and said, "Okay. I'll listen."

James, who had already once again poured himself into his studies to cope with his grief, was torn between being proud of Brandy and Paul and jealous that he hadn't been involved in bringing Eric down. Now that he knew what Eric had cost him, he was almost sorry the bastard was gone; James would have liked to inflict some punishment of his own. Keeping his nose buried in a history book in the sanctuary of his room was enough to almost keep thoughts of the week's events -- and of Sarah -- at bay. Almost. But as he did his best to make sense of modern perspectives on the French revolution, precious memories of their one golden afternoon at the coffee house stabbed at him now and again. How absolutely perverse, he thought as he slogged through his book, that the stomach-churning violence in the streets of Paris barely registered with him while misty images of Sarah nearly made him cry every few pages.

So it was no surprise that when the phone rang, he felt like throwing it against the wall rather than answering it. But answer it he did.

"James? This is Sarah. For real, this is Sarah, honest!"

"Oh, look, I know now what happened --"

"I know! So do I. Brandy told me everything."

"She did?"

"Yes, and I'm...touched. Touched and flattered, and I really don't want that bastard Eric to win. Will you come by my room?"

"Sarah, look, if this is some kind of joke to get back at me --"

"It isn't! Do you really think I would pull something like that after what you've been through? After what we've been through? I did tell you how much I enjoyed our conversations too, didn't I?"

"Sure. Yes, you did. But I'm sure you can understand if I'm a little paranoid here."

"Of course I do! That's why I want to talk to you in person!"

"Then why don't you come by my room?" James asked.

"You'll see why when you come here," Sarah promised. "I've got a bit of a surprise, and I think you'll like it. Please, James?"

James stared at the phone. For all his efforts to keep his crush under wraps, the whole campus seemed to know about Sarah now. If there were any chance of salvaging things...and it was not as though the situation could get any worse. What difference did one more round of maybe looking like a fool make if it also might make Sarah fall in love with him?

"I'll be right over."

Sarah had spent over an hour after dinner tidying up her room and making it look as girly as possible, which, she had to admit, really wasn't very. She didn't own anything pink or ruffly, for one thing, and who had time for serious interior decorating when there were always piles of homework to be done? Still and all, a nice lavender bedspread over matching freshly washed sheets and a few bucolic postcards pinned to the wall with her football posters temporarily hidden away in the closet were better than nothing. A few containers of makeup spread across the dresser weren't a bad touch, even if she hardly ever touched the stuff -- not even tonight, no point in overdoing it after all. Dressed in her frilliest long skirt and her fuzziest sweater, Sarah reasoned that if the room might not pass muster, at least she likely would.

As soon as she and James had hung up, Sarah lit the two candles and the incense stick she had picked up in town that afternoon, turned off the lights, settled herself on her bed with her skirt pooling enticingly all around, and waited. She had just enough time to begin worrying there was something else Brandy might have told her that she'd forgotten before the knock came at the door.

"Come in!" she called out cheerfully, careful not to move and spoil the scene in any way.

James stepped in and took in the sight of Sarah and the room alike, and she recognized his embarrassed grin. "Oh dear God, when you said Brandy told you everything, you weren't exaggerating, were you?"

"I hope you don't mind, James. I thought it was a lovely image. It's not really who I am, I'm afraid, but it's beautiful all the same. And when I think of what most guys would fantasize about when a woman catches their eye...well, I'm relieved!"

"Relieved," James repeated, still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. "I guess I am, too, that you don't think I'm a silly hopeless romantic for this."

"Or maybe I do, but I like that about you!" Sarah rejoined. "Love it, even." She patted the empty space on the bed before her. "Come join me, James."

Though still unsure just what to make of it all, James kicked off his shoes and did as he was told. "Sorry I'm not dressed for the occasion," he said; he was wearing a rugby shirt and jeans.

"I couldn't very well order you to, could I?" Sarah said, taking both his hands in hers.

James chuckled. "Of course not. Listen, Sarah, I'm sorry. You don't have to do this for me. I've been a complete fool. I finally let my guard down for you and we actually hit it off, but then the whole thing turned out to be a fraud and I pushed you away. I'm such a moron!"

"Don't talk like that, James!" Sarah ordered. "It was a nasty prank and it wasn't your fault...and I was delighted to finally get to talk to you again. Who cares why it happened? What matters is that it did happen. And it was great, and now it can be that way again!"

James nodded. "I'm so damn embarrassed, though."

"Why should you be embarrassed?" Sarah reached out tentatively for a hug, which James allowed; she hoped he liked the cheap perfume she had also bought in town after the talk with Brandy. "You've got nothing to apologize for here, except maybe believing that second phone call."

"So you were interested in me?" James said, finally allowing the thrill of her arms around him to melt his discomfort.

"Ever since December," Sarah said. "You just came across as such a nice guy, and I thought we'd be great friends from then on. I admit I was a bit put out that you didn't talk to me again after that, but now that I see it's only that you were shy..."

"Shy and madly in love," James confessed.

"Really?"

"Like I said that day at the library, that first chat of ours had a big impact on me."

"But you were afraid I was going to end up like Brandy?"

"Afraid so. It just seemed safer to imagine."

"Just what did you imagine?" Sarah asked. "I mean, once we were snuggling on my bed like this, what came next?"

James laughed. "I never allowed myself to think beyond that," he said.

"Just holding me, James? Is that all?"

"It's as far as I ever allowed myself to imagine," James said. "That day I won the 10K..."

"Yes, I saw that!" Sarah said. "I was so impressed! I kept thinking, how can he keep up like that for so long when he's so wiped out, and then still win on top of that?"

"Thanks," James said. "You know how I kept up?"

"Tell me!"

James allowed an embarrassed laugh. "I imagined you waiting for me at the finish line, with your arms open."

Sarah dissolved into gentle giggles. "Aw, James! That's either the cheesiest line I've ever heard, or the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me. Or both. But either way...now they're definitely open for you!" Sarah tightened her embrace, kissed him on the lips and pulled him down with her. James responded tentatively, then more confidently as he felt her tongue reaching in to graze his. "Was this worth running the race?" she asked after the kiss was over, grazing his chest through the thick fabric with her fingers.

"Better than I imagined," James said with a grin. "But are you sure about this?"

"Completely."

"Are you sure?"

"James! Yes, I'm sure! Who cares how it started? The important thing is, it did! You have feelings for me, and now you know I do too. If you throw this away, you'll be letting Eric win! You don't want that, do you?"

"No, I don't want that," James said.

"Do you want me?" she asked with a hopeful smile.

"You know I do!" James said. "I'm just...intimidated."

"Don't be," Sarah said. "I told you, I'm not a princess. I'm not even a valedictorian or any of that other stuff you guys always think about me. I'm just like you, James, I go to track practice and do my homework, and sometimes I fall in love."

"We don't have to do it tonight if you don't want to, you know," James said, though he was gazing longingly at her breasts as he said it.

"And if I do want to?" Sarah asked. Following his gaze, she took his right hand and drew it to her breast. "Don't be shy now, James!"

Still in disbelief, James was nearly breathless as he stroked her breast, carefully at first and soon with a firmer touch that she welcomed. "That feels great," she whispered, and she lost no further time in pulling his shirt up and off. With the spell momentarily broken as he sat up to toss his shirt aside, Sarah followed suit and also pulled her sweater off. Enjoying his absolutely transfixed reaction to the first sight of her lacy dark red bra, she cupped both breasts in her hands. "I'm yours. They're yours. Let's show Eric just what he got for his trouble!"

Sarah was pleasantly surprised at how little trouble James had in undoing her bra, and at his no-nonsense approach to kissing and caressing her eager breasts once he had liberated them. His lingering kisses were gentle and reverent, and his touch firm enough to reassure her that he wasn't going to treat her like the china doll she'd begun to fear he imagined she was. He was still shy enough to keep his hands above her waist for the time being, but Sarah hardly minded that. She, though, had no such inhibitions, and enjoyed several rubs of his bulging jeans before she could resist no further and unbuttoned them.

"Ought to be a relief to let this out," she quipped as she undid his zipper and reached in.

"Ooohhhh!" he gasped. "Two can play at that game!" At last he reached down.

"Please do," Sarah said. She even gathered up her skirt for his convenience as he finished what she had started and kicked his jeans to the floor. His boxers leaving nothing to the imagination anyway, he also pulled them off to her delight. She drank in the lovely sight for a moment, then added, "Now help me off with my clothes!"

She could tell it was a real struggle for him to work up the courage to reach under her skirt, even as she gave every indication that it was most welcome. But he did, with both hands, and pulled her panties gently down, still not touching or even looking at her pussy just yet. Sarah pushed her skirt down after them, and then welcomed him into their first nude embrace. "Doesn't that feel delicious?" she whispered.

"Better than I always imagined!" James agreed, just before he once again went to town on her breasts. Sarah was afraid she would have to take the bull by the horns with respect to play elsewhere; but at long last she felt his fingers padding gently around her vulva. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked her in a tentative tone, though he didn't stop caressing her down below.

"Mind?! I love it, James! Can't you feel how wet I am? For you?"

"Wet?" James gingerly pushed his index finger into her vagina. "Wet!" he repeated, more affirmatively now, and they both laughed. "I guess you don't mind!"

"I might mind if you don't play a bit more with me, actually!" Sarah said huskily as she enjoyed his gentle inner caresses. "That feels wonderful! Don't stop!"

He didn't. A bit too slowly at first, but gaining in speed as he gained in confidence, James looked on in adoring admiration as Sarah lost herself in pleasure. Wiggling her hips in rhythm as he curled his two fingers in and out again and again, she left James with no doubt that she wasn't the unattainable idol he had imagined, for her responses were deliciously base. "Do it, yeah! Finger fuck me again and again! Give it to me! Yessssss!"

"So beautiful," he murmured as Sarah came -- a small one, but she left no doubt that it had happened.

"Not as beautiful as this will be!" She grabbed at his hard cock and pulled it gently towards her. "Put it in. Now. Now!"

James let her guide it in, and thrilled at every inch as she slowly but surely enveloped him. "You're right, that is even better!" he said.

Sarah couldn't help laughing as she pushed him all the way in. "You are so endearing!"

He was also so eager to please and to make it last. Sarah had been a bit worried about his staying power, though she had also been prepared to console him should he come too soon. She needn't have worried, as it turned out: James easily humped her to a second and more intense orgasm, kissing her passionately and occasionally flicking at her breasts with one free hand or the other as he went. Once her own delighted howling left no doubt that she'd come again, he picked up the pace and she was soon treated to her own wonderful show as he came.

"Where'd a shy guy like you learn to do that so well?" she asked a moment later, still clamping him inside her.

"Years of imagining, I guess," James said. "Sorry if I got anything wrong."

"James!" She took him in a fierce embrace. "Stop apologizing! Just stop it! You were great, and we're only going to get better at it!"

"Okay," James said. "Sorry, I..." Realizing his poor choice of words, he burst into laughter, and Sarah joined in. "Yeah, I'll just shut up and hold you now," he said.

"Excellent idea, dear," Sarah said.

A week later, James found holding Sarah's hand in public could still have him walking on a cloud as they enjoyed lunch with Brandy and James and Rachel and Todd. The small talk was of plans for the summer; Brandy was saying something about a lawyer's office where she was planning to work, but James had little doubt she was admiring the sight of her friend happy at last with Sarah as she prattled on about the office. "Lots of paperwork and typing," she said. "But hey, it pays. How about you, Rachel?"

Rachel looked at Todd. "We're thinking about applying for Amtrak. They have some kind of summer program where you can work on the trains."

"That's romantic, isn't it?" Brandy said.

"Todd," came a voice the others didn't recognize; they looked up to see a guy he knew but they didn't.

"Hey, Rich," Todd said. "What's up?"

"You do know your parents are here, don't you?" Rich said.

"What?!"

"They're waiting outside your room. I said I was pretty sure you were at lunch and you'd be back soon. You were expecting them, weren't you?"

"Yes and no," Todd said, looking terrified.

Rachel jumped up. "Todd, can you take my tray up? I've got this. I'll see you at your room in about ten minutes?"

"What are you talking about?" Todd asked.

"You'll see. Trust me!" And she was off.

"What's she got planned?" James asked.

"I have no idea," Todd said. He looked at his watch. "Ten minutes? What's she going to do in ten minutes, to undo my parents wanting to pull me out of school? I ought to just go get it over with now."

"Don't!" Sarah said, taking Todd's hand. "I don't know what she has planned, but it might work. Better than not even trying."

Todd did not look convinced. But he stayed in his seat for the appointed ten minutes, while the others did their best to comfort him.

At the moment of truth, Todd opened the door from the stairwell to his floor with a deep breath and did his best to hide his dread. He braced for his mother's sternest recitation of his name.

Instead, he heard only her gentlest one. "Todd!" she said, rushing down the hall to greet him with open arms. Behind her, he saw Rachel in a conservative blue dress he'd never seen before, chatting amicably with his father.

"Mom? Dad? What's going on?" Though relieved, he was as confused as ever.

"Why on earth didn't you tell us about Rachel, dear?" his mother said.

"Well, I was going to. But..."

"Todd, I'm afraid we received a rather nasty letter from someone here," his father said. "Someone made some very ugly accusations about you, and your mother and I felt we had to come here to confront you about it." Turning back to Rachel, who responded with her most adoring smile, he continued, "But I now see it was all someone's sick idea of a joke."

"I think we owe you an apology too, Rachel," his mother added. "Had we only known Todd had found such a lovely young girl, we never would have worried so."

"Oh, I understand!" Rachel said. "I know he was planning to tell you about me soon enough, too. It's just that we're still just getting to know each other, and it's all going so well, I guess we didn't want to jinx it!" She stepped up to Todd and put her arms around him chastely. "A wonderful guy deserves a wonderful girl, doesn't he?"

"Couldn't agree more," Todd's father said. "Listen, why don't you both join us for dinner tonight, at our hotel? I'm sure we'd all like to get to know one another better."

"I'd love to," Rachel said before Todd could object, and plans were made then and there. Once they were settled, Rachel added, "Well, I ought to get back to my own room."

"We should be going, too," said Todd's mother. "I am glad to hear you're staying in your own room, incidentally. What a relief to hear Todd hasn't tried to push you into anything inappropriate."

"Oh, he knows better than to do that to me!" Rachel reassured her as she led them to the stairwell door. "Just one more way that we're good for each other, I suppose."

"I am ever so relieved," said Todd's father.

Todd stood just inside the door and waved as his parents headed downstairs and Rachel went upstairs. As soon as he heard the outside door downstairs swing shut, he looked up to see Rachel returning. "Coast is clear!" he said. "And thank you!"

"My pleasure," Rachel said, taking him by his hand and leading him back down the hall to his room. "That was actually kind of fun. Worth every penny for this silly dress, too."

"I didn't know you owned anything like that," Todd said.

"I didn't. I got it at the thrift shop just in case your parents did turn up. Don't count on seeing me in it again, either!" As soon as she and Todd were safe in his room with the door shut, she added, "But you certainly can see me out of it!"