Leave it to Chance, part two
By Empath 
Copyright, 2001

-------

Disclaimer: This story contains explicit descriptions of 
sexual activity and shouldn't be made accessible to minors. 
I, the author take no responsibility if this restriction is 
not upheld.

Copyright Notice:

Author's Note: This is the second part of a (possibly) 
continuing story. Unlike most, this one can't stand on its 
own - you'd better go find chapter one in the same place 
you found this...

=============

I stepped out of the locker room feeling like a million 
dollars; not only did I just have an invigorating workout 
and a cleansing shower, but the conversation during the 
workout had done wonders for my state of mind. 'Now if she 
hasn't ditched me, I might have a good meal to go along 
with that,' I thought.

As I waited, I began to think deeply about Linda. I'd only 
met her just...well, okay two hours before - more than I 
thought but still not enough to...what? What did I want 
from her? So far, we merely seemed to be new friends who 
could banter easily. It would be presumptuous to expect a 
romantic involvement or even meaningless sex just because 
we were going out for dinner. 

'Hell, even if I've just made a friend, I could do a lot 
worse!' The way she counseled me earlier showed she was a 
nice person. Kind enough to reach out to a stranger and 
get him talk of his problems while she listened and shared 
their burden.

Sharing burdens...that was just the sort of thing that 
Becca and I broke up over. I was ready to enter a lifelong 
relationship while she still had some youthful exuberance 
to get rid of. Linda was the sort of woman I had wanted 
for a helpmate, and she must've known it by now since I'd 
discussed these very things with her. Was fate giving me 
just what I wanted? 

No, I couldn't get my hopes up - it would be too much to 
hope for. Maybe Linda didn't want to get involved with 
someone as vulnerable as I was right now. Maybe she didn't 
go for guys like me at all. Maybe she was a lesbian. 
Maybe I'd stop trying to predict how our relationship would 
develop, good or bad! Fortunately, Linda chose that moment 
to come out into the lobby and bring my dithering to an 
end. 

She was gorgeous. She'd washed and dried her blonde-
pageboy and the straight golden tresses shone like...well, 
like gold drawn into shimmering wires. Her face was fresh 
and clean, without any obvious makeup. Her clothes were 
subtle and attractive, what little I saw of them before she 
buttoned up her heavy coat. But most of all, she was in a 
wonderful mood; it shone from her like heat and light - I 
was tempted to hold my hands out and warm them against her 
good spirits. She caught my eye with hers, and something 
passed between us. I don't know exactly what, but it was 
discombobulating enough for her to sneak up to me and take 
my hand. Her words broke through to me: "Are you SURE 
you're not an epileptic?"

We laughed as we stepped out the door into the chill autumn 
night, and I watched our frozen breath blow away in wisps. 
"So, do you have a car?"

"No, I got my roommate, Bonnie, to drop me off - was going 
to call her to pick me up."

"Oh, good - you've got an escape route." I started for my 
car, and she followed.

"Huh?"

I shrugged. "Well, in case things don't go well at dinner 
you don't have to depend on me or a cab; you can just 
leave."

I caught her smile in the corner of my eye while I unlocked 
the car. "A little pessimistic, isn't it?"

"Hey, I'm an accountant - who's always telling you to 
prepare for the worst?"

"FEMA?"

I took a trick from her and stuck out my tongue. We threw 
our bags in the back seat and got in.

"Right. Now what?"

Linda looked around the interior.

"Well, the stick shift's too tall for me to lean over to 
you, and the back seat looks too small..." She met my gaze 
and winked at me. I just shook my head and rolled my eyes.
"I dunno, what do you feel like having for supper?" she 
asked, putting the problem back in my court.

I thought the choices over. It was almost half-past eight 
on a Thursday night; she probably had classes and I 
definitely had work the next day. "Do you like Chinese?"

"Yeah, and I know the perfect place not too far from here."

"Well, that's decided then," I said and started the car.

* * * *

It was a well-coordinated jaunt; the traffic was light, and 
Linda's directions were clear and given with plenty of 
warning. To my credit I drove efficiently and with enough 
grace to follow her directions, easy as they were. We 
found a parking space just under a block past the 
restaurant, and walked back to it.

It was fairly small - just a dozen booths along the sides 
and some tables in the middle. There was no maitre'd or 
anything so we just sat in a booth and shrugged off our 
coats. 

At that hour there were few customers - several people 
sitting alone, and one group of three men discussing 
something while drinking lots of coffee. Our waiter 
quickly arrived, we made our orders, and he just as quickly 
disappeared.

"So," I began, at a loss for something to talk about.

"Buttons!" Linda retorted with a smile. I caught her drift 
after a second or two and my smile joined hers. "You're 
really eager on your psychology studies, are you?"

"Yes. The human mind fascinates me - it's like the most 
complex computer we've ever encountered. There's no real 
difference in structure between the silicon chip ones we 
make and the organic ones inside our head."

"But there are differences-"

"Not in the basic way they're organized; gates and pathways 
for electrical impulses. What you're thinking is that our 
PC's are much less..." she floundered for a word, "advanced 
than our brains. That's true, and they're not nearly as 
big, either. But our personalities are actually nothing 
more than a really big set of rules for responding to 
stimuli - desires, taboos, fears, obligations, instincts - 
all that is our 'code' as the computer people term it."

It was like she'd pulled back the curtain hiding the 
'wizard of oz'...I saw how the amazing thing actually 
worked and was shocked, but also disappointed. "Well, if 
you put it like that it seems to demean-"

"Ah, but what a program! Like I said, the basic building 
blocks of it are so simple and rudimentary, but that's 
looking at a tiny part of the system. When you step back 
it takes on a whole different image...or perspective...ah, 
I dunno!" Linda looked slightly annoyed at her inability 
to find the perfect wording.

I thought about her statement, and visualized what she 
described. As I did, an analogous image formed itself in 
my head. "Say; it's kinda like the pictures in a 
newspaper."

"What?"

"Well, when you hold a picture like that under a magnifying 
glass, you see that it's all made up of nothing more than 
black dots - big dots to mark dark areas, small dots to 
show light patches, and no dots for white stuff."

"Yeah." She was following me, but hadn't made the jump to 
where I was leading.

"Well, at that level they're simple and basic, right? Just 
dots. But what happens when you take away the magnifying 
glass and look at the whole picture? Just what you said, 
new things appear; three-dimensional perspectives, facial 
expressions - all that sort of thing you'd scoff at if I 
said I could use a bunch of dots to convey them."

"That's it! I never thought of it like that, but you hit 
it dead center! Thank you!" She enthusiastically grabbed 
my hands and held them. I barely noticed that for the 
passionate gleam in her eyes. "Yes, emotions, reasoning, 
free will, all this heavy stuff, all of it created in a web 
of tiny wiring for simple electrical impulses. But take it 
as a whole, all these little rules and codes, together they 
make something - no someONE - so complex and adaptable, so 
fascinating in detail, it's just..."

"Amazing," I said, trying to help her complete her thought.

She sighed pleasantly (both for her, and for me) and said, 
"Yes."

We were kept from getting further lost in this discussion 
by the arrival of our food. We began to eat, and after a 
period of adaptation, continued to talk. About what I'm 
not exactly certain - to this day I cannot remember, and I 
think it had something to do with the dainty way Linda ate. 
Or her animated body language when she talked. Or the 
laughter in her eyes when I told a joke.

I know, I know; I fell in love - it's obvious now, but when 
it hits you, you just can't see it; like that 'picture' 
analogy, you're flooded with little dots, and you can't see 
that they form a heart shape.

I'm ashamed to say that Linda had to carry the 
conversation, for I fell prone to bouts of being mesmerized 
by her. I'd notice when she stopped - though maybe not 
right away - be startled and then try to keep up, saying my 
piece. I think we'd discussed our personal histories - in 
general, at least - but as I said, I never got a chance to 
put that stuff into long-term memory.

Before we knew it, we'd finished and the staff was making 
subtle hints they wanted to close for the night. We split 
the check and got our coats. 

The weather outside was even colder, without a cloud in the 
night sky, and the wind enough to pinch at our faces. 
Without thinking, I put my arm around Linda's shoulders and 
pulled her close to me. She looked at me with an odd 
expression, but then wrapped her arm behind my back and 
nestled her face into my chest.

I was pulling out of the parking spot, shifting into second 
when she placed her hand on top of mine on the gearshift. 
I paused for a split-second and returned to driving, 
enjoying her warmth. We didn't talk much; I had to 
concentrate more on driving than normal, and she must've 
needed to watch my driving to move her hand in sync with 
mine. Despite the silence, we were hardly uncomfortable. 
At least, not until we got to her apartment building.

We looked at each other, not knowing what to say - we both 
knew her roommate was home, and asking her if she wanted to 
go back to my place seemed...wrong, somehow. I took a 
moment to look out at the twinkling stars, and the maddened 
congress of voices in my head made a resolution:

"I'd like-"

"I guess-"

We smiled at each other and apologized in unison. "You 
first," I insisted.

"I was just going to say that this is probably the end of 
our date; I enjoyed myself, Ted."

"Good; I was going to ask you out again."

She looked me in the eye, just stared silently for a 
second, and reached a decision. "I'd like that, Ted."

I began to breathe again. "So sometime this weekend?"

"Oh, no - I'm going to visit my folks back in Ohio. I'm 
leaving Friday night and getting back Monday afternoon; 
yes, I'll miss a couple of lectures but I've got people who 
will cover that for me, and its been almost a year since 
I've seen them. It's my dad's birthday."

Surprisingly, I didn't feel that disappointed. "Okay, 
then. Maybe something next week after you get back?"

"How's Monday night for you? I don't have any early 
classes the next day, and my mother can be such a nag - I'd 
probably need some cheering up."

"Okay, Monday night it is, what shall we do then?"

"Ah, let's wait and see what kind of mood I'm in. Give me 
a call..." she started rummaging through her purse, which I 
stopped by clearing my throat and pointing to the pad and 
pen I had affixed to the dash.

"You really plan WAY too much, Ted." 

"Hey, it just served its purpose. I can throw it away now 
that it's paid for itself!"

"Fine, fine. Here's my number and the time my flight gets 
back. Gimme a half-hour to get home from the airport." 
She punctuated her directions with a sudden peck on the 
cheek. "Thanks, I had fun."

I was paralyzed for a second, and then reached back for her 
gym bag. "I did too, and I'm looking forward to repeating 
the pleasant experience. Good night, Linda."

"Good night, Ted."

* * * *

The phone rang twice before I was confronted with a grumpy 
"Yeah?"

I was nonplussed, this sounded nothing like Linda - female, 
yes, but deeper, and with a hard edge I couldn't conceive 
existing in Linda's psyche. It took a curt "Well?" to snap 
me back from confusion, and it occurred to me: this was 
Linda's roommate!

"Ah, sorry. This must be Bonnie. I'm calling Linda. You 
can tell her it's Ted."

"She's not here, Ted."

"She isn't? Where'd she go?"

"I dunno if I should tell you, but I will: to see her 
folks."

"Yeah, I knew she flew back to Ohio to see her parents for 
the weekend, but she should be back by now-"

"Why? Her flight's not for another hour and a half."

"Four? She said she'd be back by two."

"Sorry, but four-oh-seven is the arrival time I have on 
this itinerary here."

"Oh." I looked at the slip of paper sitting on my 
keyboard. "Hah. I'm the one who has to apologize - it 
says four o'clock here too. I don't know why I thought 
two-"

"Well, thanks for the mea culpa, but do you want to leave a 
message? I'm a little busy here."

"Right, sorry again." I thought quickly, and had a 
devilish idea. It wasn't easy getting it all worked out 
with Bonnie (if she's reading this now, I must apologize 
yet again, and tell her that I hope I hadn't screwed up her 
project), but before too long we had the message ready for 
Linda. I thanked Bonnie, wished her well in her work, and 
heard her give me a terse "Yeahbye" and hang up.

* * * *

Linda got home at a quarter to five. She lugged her bag 
through the door and shut it, turning the deadbolt and 
calling out "I'm back!"

"Hey, Lin - gotta message for you!"

"Message? Who from?" Linda took her coat off and hung it 
up. Silence. 'Damn her and her teasers!' she thought with 
a smile on her face. 'She must be busy, and she's useless 
to the rest of the world like that.' Linda shook her head, 
and went to the door of Bonnie's room.

As always, Bonnie's back greeted her at the open door. She 
was working away on her computer - fiddling with one of the 
CAD programs that Linda had installed for her. This one 
had a wide assortment of colored spheres on a black 
background; most were touching and connected in an 
intricate pattern, but some were apart from the rest, 
adrift in the black space around this complex molecule that 
Bonnie was trying to simulate.

"Bon? I'm fine thanks, good luck on the cure for cancer, 
and you said you had a message for me?"

"Yeah, shit - where'd I put those notes?" Bonnie rifled 
through the papers she had piled on her desk. "Right; Ted 
called at about two-thirty. Got your arrival time screwed 
up apparently."

"Oh! I'll call him...wait - did he leave a number?"

Bonnie wheeled around in her chair her mouth set in a 
sardonic smile. "Hold on Lin; I've got instructions to 
follow."

"First: if it's past four-thirty you won't be able to catch 
him at work." Bonnie made a show of looking at her wall 
clock. "Yep, so bye-bye to that number," and she chucked 
the first slip of paper over her shoulder. Linda darted 
forward and tried to catch it.

"Second: if it's not yet five o'clock, he's probably still 
stuck in traffic, and he won't be answering his home 
phone." Another slip went flying away, much to Linda's 
annoyance.

"Third: if the other two aren't answering, you should try 
his cell phone at this number," and Bonnie handed her 
roommate the paper. Linda reached over, picked up her 
friend's extension, and called me. As per the plan, I 
didn't answer it.

"Yeah, Ted - it's Linda and it's four-fifty-two; you 
called, maybe about doing something? Can you call me at 
the apartment when you get a chance? See ya."

"Ah-hah. Voice mail." Bonnie flipped through a couple 
more slips of paper, and recited from the right one. "If 
you get his voice mail, either he's just too busy to answer 
or possibly physically incapable of calling. If that's the 
case, you should wait a day for his reply; if he doesn't, 
you should call the police and report him a missing 
person."

Linda gave her an odd look as she flipped to one last note. 
"And if you have trouble getting through to the cops, 
there's probably some serious disaster or incident going 
on, so then - and ONLY then - you can call FEMA. There! 
So what the fuck is all this about and why are you laughing 
like that?"

* * * *

The date was wonderful! In a fit of egalitarianism Linda 
picked me up with their car, we went to a franchised 
Italian restaurant where the food was decent - and the 
conversation better - and we went off to see...uh, some 
romance flick. No, I don't remember much of the movie, 
because reflex put my arm around her shoulders before the 
previews ended and we spent the entire time - credits and 
all - leaning on one another. I do remember that the 
soundtrack was pretty good, if that's any consolation.

Besides, what happened on the way home was more notable 
than a good but predictable screenplay. No, the only thing 
that 'detracted' from the date wasn't that bad...

Linda ran out of gas. It's quite possible when you've got 
two people using the same vehicle, and thankfully we were 
only a couple of blocks from my apartment. We hurried 
pressed together against the bitter wind, and went up to my 
place of rest.

While Linda called Bonnie to tell her what happened, I made 
us some coffee. We decided it was too cold to go straight 
back out and get some gas at a station, so we took a 
breather first.

When I brought the coffee back, I'd sat down close to 
Linda. I swear that this wasn't a conscious effort - but 
I'm glad my subconscious made me do it. I handed Linda her 
drink, and noticed that her nose was a bright pink from 
being exposed outside. "Oh, here let me-" and I moved 
closer and breathed hotly on her frostbit nose. Yes, it 
was an extremely silly and pointless thing, but it was a 
trigger: we looked each other in the eyes, and kissed.

It wasn't a 'flail the arms, mash the lips, and fell her 
like a tree' kiss. The first was just a mutual peck on the 
lips, as was the second. Having felt each other out, the 
third was probably medium-pressure, but really long on 
duration. After an interminable time, we had to breathe, 
and broke off.

I looked at her and my mouth dried out in an instant. She 
was breathing hard, shoulders rising and falling, and her 
eyes were afire. The pessimistic planner in me demanded I 
ask, "Is Bonnie going to need the car early tomorrow?"

It took a few seconds for her to digest my question and 
formulate an answer. (I'm flattered; I didn't think I was 
that good a kisser.) "No, Ted. Her first class is at four 
in the afternoon, and my first is at ten ay-em."

"Well, we'd better put our coffee down before we burn 
ourselves." I took the two mugs, put them safely on the 
coffee table, and stood to take off my coat. When we'd 
divested ourselves of our outerwear, I took her hand and 
led her to the bedroom.

* * * *

We fell onto the bed, kissing each other. My lips moved 
across her face as my hands stroked her arms and shoulders. 
I felt my belt buckle tighten, then loosen. I followed 
suit by undoing the buttons on her blouse. I saw no bra 
strap in the gap. Pushing the garment open, I revealed her 
breasts.

They were on the smallish side, like beautiful grapefruit 
halves. Lying on her back, they stood straight, not 
sagging in any direction. Her nipples were dark brown with 
a hint of pink, and encircled by tiny areola. I wrapped 
my hands around her mounds, leaving the nipples untouched 
in the vee between fingers and thumb. A light massaging 
movement made Linda moan. 

I looked her in the face, regarded her slitted eyes and 
slack mouth, and returned to her chest. I teased her for 
what seemed like hours, trailing my fingers over her skin, 
nibbling at her breastbone, lavishing kisses everywhere 
except the proud, twin peaks of Mount Tits. I only ended 
my torture when she grabbed my head and dragged my mouth to 
a nipple.

Then I let her have it; I latched onto that nipple with my 
lips and sucked; I pinched it ever so lightly with teeth; I 
flicked my tongue against the tip, then lapped at the 
entire nipple HARD. And it worked - before long her moans 
merged together into one long keening, and I felt her body 
shake under me. 

I kept up my stimulation all through her orgasm, and when 
she started to come down I hugged her close, kissing her 
neck. Her breathing calmed down, and she pushed me back 
far enough to look at me. "That's never happened before!"

"What, never?"

"Well, not with just my boobs!"

I just batted my eyes coquettishly. "Gosh, y'all - you're 
too kind!"

We laughed for a second, and resumed disrobing. As I slid 
her skirt down her legs, I noticed a damp spot on her 
panties. I smiled to myself.

Linda pushed me back onto the bed, and exposed my body. 
She licked at my nipples, and though the sensation was nice 
we both knew her efforts would not be as well rewarded.

She pulled my pants zipper down, and slipped a hand in to 
search for...something. When she found my semi-hard cock, 
she smiled at me. "Not like steel - should I feel 
offended?"

I shrugged. "Maybe he was feeling ignored?" She grinned 
evilly and replied, "I'll fix that!"

She made me lift my hips for a second to pull my pants and 
shorts off my pelvis, and regarded her new patient. "Hmmm, 
circumcised, average size, fairly clear of hair - do you 
trim this stuff?"

"No. I guess-" I stopped as both her hands grasped me and 
held me in their warmth. She stroked me gently, watching 
my groin with rapt attention. 

I responded, my manhood filling with blood, my breath 
shortening, and my desire rising like water in a boiling 
pot. I pulled Linda next to me, letting her continue her 
stimulation, but also allowing me to reciprocate. 

I licked my fingers and stroked her pussy. The lubrication 
wouldn't have been necessary - she was hot and slightly 
damp. I traced the outline of her four lips, avoiding her 
clit for as long as possible. 

I never did get a chance to diddle her that night; just as 
I began to insert a finger into her moist depth, she 
stopped stroking me and stared at me with a palpable 
hunger. 

I almost pounced on her right there and then, but this 
dammed rational side of my brain insisted I dig out a 
condom first. I was lucky I still had some from before 
Becca moved in - and that they hadn't expired (yes, I 
checked) - else I might've had a mental breakdown that 
night.

Linda took the foil wrapped object from me, and made me 
enjoy having a condom put on me. It was sweet torture to 
feel her light touch here and there. Before I knew it, 
she'd completed her task and pulled me toward her.

I carefully entered her, letting her satisfy herself with 
just the head at first, then a little more, and a little 
more...before we knew it I was pushing my pubic bone 
against hers, and my lips were worshipping her face.

She took hold of my shoulders and encircled my legs with 
hers. Then, without a word spoken, she told me to fuck her 
hard and fast. I complied.

We never broke eye contact in that whole time. Her legs 
had worked their way up to link behind my kidneys, and my 
knees were almost under her backside, but I only remember 
looking deeply into her soft brown eyes. And in that time, 
we knew. We knew every flaw, every ugly secret, every 
shortcoming the other had. And we'd accepted them in each 
other.

I think she came twice - it may have been only once, just 
before I did, and the other shiver was for cold - but I had 
enough reserve to allow "ladies first." Somehow she knew 
when I was nearing the peak, because she pulled me down and 
kissed me deeply, just as I let go.

I was at peace with the universe; everything was right, 
perfect and just. I knew this feeling would be momentary, 
but I promised myself that I would visit this nirvana as 
much as I could. The woman who brought me here - who had 
joined me in this place - I would not let her go.

We came down and held one another until we caught our 
breath. I rolled off of her, slipped the condom off and 
chucked it in the garbage. I used the cloth I put aside 
for cleanup - hey; proper planning keeps the mood from 
being broken - and looked Linda in the eye for a second 
before pulling her into my embrace. We pulled the blankets 
over us and snuggled in for a longish autumn's nap.

* * * *

The phone rang, disturbing me from tracking down a $700 
discrepancy between what an employee earned and what the 
company paid them. I saved my progress and picked up.
"Baker, Accounting."

"Ted? You still alive?"

It was Pete, my closest friend, and one to whom I hadn't 
spoken in over a month. I started guiltily. "Oh! Hi, 
Pete. What's up?"

"My curiosity. Usually around now you've finished moping 
around about your breakup and you call me to go get drunk. 
I hadn't heard from you, so I decided to check in on ya. 
How far off the schedule am I?"

Oh, Pete, if only you knew... "Um. That's a funny thing, 
Pete. I haven't called you in all this time 'cause-"

"You went and tore a muscle, didn't you?"

"Pete-"

He ignored me and ranted on. "Dammit, Ted - I WARNED you 
not to fuck around. Christ!" 

"Pete?"

"People always say 'don't go for a drive if you're upset' - 
the same thing applies for weights! How bad is it?"

"Pete! I'm fine - I got someone to spot for me that night 
and I got my arms worked up nicely. I'm uninjured, Pete."

Pete grunted whether he believed me or not.

"Pete? I met someone. The woman who spotted for me in the 
weight room." I proceeded to recount the last month of 
meeting Linda every Thursday evening to work out, and going 
out on a date at least once a week. I left out our sexual 
activities, for I'm a gentleman, after all.

"Oh." It seemed I had stopped ol' Motormouth cold.

"Yeah, Pete. It's pretty serious, if I do say so myself." 
I began to take a dismissive tone to my friend. "So I'm 
glad to say I won't be needing your services this time 
around, so if you could push off, there's a good man!"

"But I was right, wasn't I? About getting back into the 
saddle right away?" His words were spoken with mocking 
laughter behind them; I could just feel his smug grin 
staring at me.

"Oh, fuck off, you ungrateful prick! You just don't know 
when you're beaten!" I was having difficulty speaking 
clearly for all the laughter bubbling up in me.

"Stop talking to yourself, Ted - it's a sign of insanity! 
Admit it - you skipped right over your usual habit of 
sulking and moping for a month after a breakup and you did 
just FINE."

It took me a moment to think about this. "Okay, you may be 
right, Pete. I didn't go hibernate this time. But it 
wasn't because I planned on 'going fishing'; this woman and 
I just got pushed together by fate. Karma, kismet, God's 
will, the luck of the draw; call it what you will, it just 
happened."

Pete's tone lost its humor and took a note of quiet 
respect. "Those are the best kind, man. Take care. So 
when do I get to meet her?"

"Well, you could always meet us at our Thursday night 
workout-"

"No can do - I ended up late for that shift last time; 
there isn't enough time between when you get off work and 
when I start."

"Oh, sorry to hear it. Ummmmmmm. Maybe we could double 
date? You seeing anyone?"

"Not right now; say, has this Linda got a friend?"

I thought about Bonnie. "Um. She does have a roommate; 
she's studying biochem-"

"Ah! My first degree! We should get together."

"Er, yeah. She's a little..." I wondered how to describe 
Bonnie. "Er, a little terse. Every time I've met her, 
she's been busy studying. Never seems to have much time 
for conversation."

"Heh; must be aiming for pre-med. A gal after my own 
heart! You should ask Linda to feel her out; even if it 
doesn't work out, just so I can meet her and watch you two 
together."

"Yeah, alright. We're meeting for dinner tonight; I'll 
mention it."

"Bah, you don't have to make a big deal or anything. 
Anyway, good to hear you're doing well. We'll talk again 
soon!"

"Right. Thanks, and talk to you soon."

* * * *

"Hiya." I gave Linda a kiss as I moved to my chair. 

"Ted, would you be interested in popping up to Canada for 
the day this weekend?"

"Why?"

"There's a band Bonnie and I like, they're performing in 
Toronto. We saw them a few years back when they toured the 
colleges, and we got hooked. I think you've heard some of 
their songs on our stereo."

"Uh-huh."

"So are you interested?"

"Well, I like what I've heard, but it's a long drive from 
Detroit to Toronto."

"Four hours both ways, yeah. But you've GOT to see them 
live; the CDs just don't do them justice."

"Yeah, okay. We'll take my car since it's bigger; more 
comfortable for four people."

"Four? It's you, me and Bon."

"Isn't she bringing a date?"

"Well, she's worse than I am for neglecting her social life 
in favor of her studies!"

I didn't need a red flag waved in my face. "Um, Lin? 
Would Bonnie be interested in..." I paused, trying to 
figure out a tactful way of phrasing this; I failed. "Er, 
a blind date?"

Linda looked worried enough for both of them; I love her 
concern for her friends. "Don't get me wrong; Pete's an 
old friend. One I haven't seen in oh, about a month."

She caught my drift. "Oh! Oh, sorry Ted; I didn't want to 
come bet-"

"Relax! You haven't; every time I go through a breakup he 
knows to back off from this 'wounded bear' for a while 
until I'm done brooding; then I go get blind drunk with 
him. He was just off the mark this time!"

"Oh, okay."

"Yeah, and he'd like to meet you; check you out, kind of. 
When you mentioned this road trip and the uneven number of 
our party, I just thought we could kill two birds. But if 
Bon's not interested-"

"Well, I'll ask her; she's not a nun or anything."

"Yeah - oh, Bonnie's planning on medicine eventually, isn't 
she?"

"Yep."

I made an expansive gesture. "Well there you go; Pete's 
already a resident at University - Mercy; they can always 
talk shop!"

"Okay, I'll feel her out for ya."

"Thanks, it'll lighten the gas burden, too!"

At this point the waiter delivered our food, and I realized 
Linda had ordered for me. And ordered well. I gave her an 
admiring look, then started eating.

* * * *

Linda was right; they were a live-performance band. In 
this era of studio creations, this was a group that truly 
shined when they had a real audience in front of them. 

Pete and Bonnie hit it off well enough on the ride up; as I 
figured, they spent the time talking biochemistry and 
medicine - I think Bonnie's found a mentor rather than a 
boyfriend.

As for the concert, I can't put it in words...the closest I 
can come to it is "Infectiously buoyant". Many of the 
songs were fast and upbeat, with much of the concert hall 
standing and dancing in the narrow rows! Linda dragged me 
up, despite my protesting that I didn't dance. 

It was no use when Bonnie grabbed my other arm, and the 
four of us joined a row-long 'chorus line'! I followed the 
girls' footwork for a while, and realized the moves weren't 
very complicated; after a couple of songs, I was keeping up 
ably enough.

I *really* enjoyed myself. When the boys changed to their 
ballads, most people sat down, though some couples tried 
slow dancing. Linda kept me standing. We hugged each 
other close for these love songs and sad ballads. 

One particular one hit me right in the heart and made me 
tear up - a song about someone worrying about hurrying into 
love too quickly. As I said, I wept while the vocalist 
sang, and the lyrics really made me think about what Linda 
and I were doing. Before the last chorus, I'd come to the 
decision that unlike the narrator, I *was* "ready to say 'I 
love you' yet".

Before I knew it, show was over, and we were making our way 
back to the car, arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm; four old 
friends. Bonnie took the return leg (Pete had imbibed at 
the bar, and I was beat from the drive out and the 
dancing). 

By the time we got back to the U.S., we were all showing 
the effects of a tiring day. We agreed to all crash at the 
girls' apartment - Pete would take the couch and Linda 
would share her bed with me.

As we undressed, I paused and looked at my girlfriend. My 
girlfriend. She was beautiful, even when she stumbled 
getting her skirt off. And despite her appeal to me, I had 
to ask her: "Hon? Do we...well, do you want to..."

"Tired?"

"Mmmm-hmmmm," I replied, forcing my head into an 
approximation of a nod.

"Okay, then; we'll actually SLEEP together! We don't have 
to. I'm rather bushed myself."

"I thought you didn't like women in that way?" I may have 
been tired, but not ignorant of a punny opportunity.

"Oh, shut up, lover. I never told you one way or the 
other; stew on that while you get in here!"

I chuckled tiredly, and climbed in bed alongside her.

I dunno why I do this - maybe exhaustion clears out all the 
petty little shit we worry about to avoid the big concerns 
- but I lay there, holding my darling Linda in my arms, 
dwelling on the unknown future.

"Linda?"

"Mmmmm?"

"I have to ask you something." My tone must've gotten to 
her, because I could feel her rouse in my embrace. 

"Shoot."

"Lin, what do you want from me? We both know I'm attracted 
to you, and why - you're sexy, beautiful, intelligent, 
caring, funny. You're just what I've been looking for, and 
don't say you didn't know - we've talked about it often 
enough.

"But though we have talked about you some, I still don't 
know what you want from life at this point. And neither do 
I know what you want from this relationship; I've got 
several different ideas, but I don't know your mind."

She pulled back and looked up at me. "Oh, Ted! You think 
you're just a 'patient' to me, like some kind of project - 
a lonely, heartbroken man to be cheered up, helped over his 
loss and sent on his way?"

I nodded.

"Never. Not in a million years. I won't deny that I 
thought of you like that at first - I saw you were 
struggling with something and needed an ear to listen to 
you. But once I got listening, I fell in love with you! 
Just like you feel about me; I think you're funny, smart, 
handsome, very studly," this comment was accentuated by a 
hand squeezing my cock, "warm, gentle, and full of love. 

"I love the way you fuck me. I love the way you dance," 
she cut off my laughter with "even if it was your first 
time. I love the way you just zone out sometimes when you 
look at me. I love how you cuss like a teamster when you 
get behind the wheel, yet remain the most considerate 
driver I've ever seen. 

"Theodore Baker, I love YOU, all your strengths and 
foibles, every trait that makes you unique - all the little 
dots that make your picture!" We smiled at 'our little 
analogy'.

Then she raised a finger to my cheek and wiped away the 
tear there. "And I love that I can make you weep like 
this; it means you love me, too."

What could I say? She'd summed it all up in one neat 
package, and besides - a night like we'd had had given me 
God's own case of cottonmouth! I just nodded, and pulled 
her to me for the most loving kiss I've ever given or may 
ever give. I guess that song - "Fast as I can" - isn't 
appropriate for us anymore.


Fin

=============

Author's Postscript: Well, there you go - all you folks who 
wanted more about Ted & Linda! (I don't know why everyone 
bitches about getting no feedback; I've gotten plenty from 
one story! And don't get me started on Dancer's fanmail!)

I'd only intended for this to be a one-parter at first, and 
then detail crept into it until I reached my self-imposed 
limit of 30kb. (M$ Win's Notepad jams up not long after, 
and I like its speed and simplicity for reading stories, 
so...) 

If people nag at me enough, I MAY do more; but I still have 
more 'Mikel & Nadine' episodes to work on; the (barely) 
fictionalized life of Dancer and yours truly. And that 
sci-fi fanfic I promised I'd write for a friend. And that 
other story Dancer expressed an interest in. And...but then 
you get the picture.:) Thanks for reading, and best 
wishes!

empath