Sam toted a heavy duffel bag and suitcase while Kate carried a large backpack and box of books through the parking lot. Everywhere there were cars with the trunks open, students greeting one another and parents carrying stuff. They rode up the clanky elevator, which like the hallway, seemed outdated and a bit worn. It would be the first trip to Kate's new room in the dormitory high-rise and she was anxious to meet her roommate in person. They had emailed each other a few times over the summer and from what Kate could discern, Alex Rousseau seemed sweet.
Amid the bustling of frowning parents popping in and out of rooms, the tumbled clutter of empty boxes strewn everywhere, Kate finally made it to her room, number 316. She was disappointed to see that Alex wasn't there yet. So Kate decided to just pile her things in the middle of the room and wait until her roommate arrived in order to figure out which side she would like to occupy. Kate didn't want to be presumptuous about the sleeping arrangements and arbitrarily stake claim to a bed without speaking to Alex first. Her eyes travelled around the small room and she took notice that everything was identical, there were two single beds with cheap metal frames and thin mattresses, a pair of standard desks and matching chairs that were worse for wear and two old dressers.
"Katie, why don't you wait here and I'll make another run to the car and get the rest of your things." Sam's voice pulled her attention away from scanning the room.
"Are you sure you don't need my help?"
"Nope, sweetie, I got it. It's better you stay, in case your 'roomie' shows up."
Kate watched him exit the room and she then made it over to the large window so she could take a peek. When she looked out, she saw a courtyard where the center was filled with a green lawn bordered by Juniper hedges, it was crisscrossed by walkways and she noticed a few couples using the benches. She then immediately thought of Jack and whether they would one day be one of those couples that occupy benches together. He had started classes a week earlier. She'd barely seen him because in this short time, he had managed to swiftly submerge himself in the unrelenting medical school curriculum.
Jack had tried to convince her to come and spend that night at his apartment. It could have been the first time that they would spend an entire evening together at his place. They both knew that since she was now living in a dorm, the logistics would make it easier for them to make that a practice and without Sam finding out. But she turned him down and she could practically hear him frown over the phone. Kate explained that she felt that she should spend the first few nights with her roommate, but promised that she would soon sleep over.
Blushing, she recalled the day she spent at the Shephard house. During the end of July, Claire and Christian went on vacation to Europe for two weeks. And as Kate promised, they made love in his bedroom and she played each fantasy role he asked of her. They were uninhibited in every way and they both groaned and shouted words that were never uttered by them before. It was exhausting in the best way possible, they did it on nearly every surface in his room and when the evening came, Jack suggested that they go skinny dipping in the family pool. At first, Kate flat out rejected the notion, fearful that his neighbors could see. But Jack assured her that the expanse of Christian's yard, the high hedges and distance from the next house made it perfectly safe from prying eyes. With minimal additional cajoling on Jack's part, he had managed to sweet-talk Kate into removing her clothes by the pool's ledge. It was a beautiful summer evening, the steady staccato of crickets played in the background as they splashed and teased each other in the warm water. It wasn't long before they were laying glistening wet on one of the lush cushioned lounge chairs by the side of the pool.
It was a surreal experience, she felt so exposed, her peaked breasts and backside touched by the light cool summer breeze. They kissed, licked and sucked every inch of each other's body until they laid spent and breathing heavily. As he absentmindedly circled and thumbed the hard tip of her girlish breast, he quietly confessed that it was the first time he ever went skinny dipping and that disclosure made her smile. But then she asked a question, that deep down she knew she didn't want to know the answer to … but she probed anyway. "Did you ever have sex in your old bedroom before?" He was quiet and that gave her a hollow, jealous feeling. Angrily, she shifted her body, so he would shift too. He rolled onto his back and gave out a heavy sigh before turning to his side again, he took her chin into his palm and with utmost sincerity he answered, "No. But you'll be the last."
The sound of unrestrained eruptions of laughter broke Kate's drifting and meandering thoughts, so she poked her head into the hallway and was almost knocked over by a pair of boys wearing UCLA sweatshirts scampering furiously down the hallway. She yanked herself back into the room and sat on one of the chairs.
In the doorway appeared a girl about the same height as herself, with brown curly hair, not too different from her own. And ... they were both wearing fitted t-shirts, khaki shorts and flip-flops. Simultaneously, they drew wide smiles. Alex stepped in, shortly followed by a middle-aged woman with brown curly hair whom Kate presumed was her mother.
Seeing Alex stand there was surprising, but natural at the same time, "Hi. Alex?"
"Yep, that's me. And you're Kate. I'm so thrilled to finally meet you in person." They both took a moment to eye and carefully measure one another.
"Mom," said Alex, "come meet my roommate, Kate Austen."
Mrs. Rousseau approached Kate and clasping her hand with both of hers said, "Well… hello, Kate." Kate noticed that she had a heavy French accent. "Hello, Mrs. Rousseau-"
She brought her face closer to Kate's and peered carefully into her face, "Please call me Danielle. We've been looking so forward to meeting you."
Moments later, Sam returned. He placed the rest of Kate's belongings down and, cheerfully, introduced himself to Danielle and Alex. Danielle and Sam then proceeded to have a little discussion about the hassles of Los Angeles traffic and other light topics.
With a big smile, Sam then said, "So girls, where are we gonna put all your stuff?"
Kate looked to Alex, "Do you have a preference as to which side you want to sleep on?"
She didn't. So, with the assistance of their parents, the girls began to unpack their clothes and start making the beds. Not too much later they were all exchanging their goodbyes. Both parents couldn't stop themselves from getting weepy as they hugged their daughters.
Kate had to brush an errant tear that was rolling down her cheek, "Dad, I'm only about a half hour away."
Sam placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders, "I know sweetheart, it's not that. It's just … this is it. You're an adult now."
After the girls settled in, Kate suggested that they go to the campus bookstore and pick up some textbooks. The competing sound of blasting music speakers in dorm windows couldn't be missed as they walked through the quad and made their way across campus. Kate felt her phone vibrate and saw a message from Jack.
Where are you?
Kate quickly thumbed her response onto the flat keypad.
Heading to campus bookstore.
She didn't get a response from him so she simply shrugged her shoulders as she tucked her phone back into her pocket. It was hectic inside, students wandering around, with papers in hand trying to identify which books they needed for what courses and professors. Alex and Kate split up so they could find their respective course materials. As she started identifying which books she needed, Kate quickly realized that she would have to make a second trip. There was no way she would be able to carry all of the heavy books at one time. As she found her English Literature text, she could sense someone standing closely behind her. She bit her bottom lip and smiled. When she looked over her shoulder, she wasn't surprised to see Jack standing there, with a giant happy grin on his face.
"Hi, beautiful."
"Hi, yourself."
Face-to-face, they paused for a moment, carefully taking each other in, while they allowed their eyes to slowly trail over one another. Kate felt goosebumps and it wasn't from the air conditioning in the store. Finally, here they were, in a different environment, a place in their lives where it could finally make sense for them to be together. It almost felt like they were meeting for the first time. He then leaned against a shelf, briefly rubbing the flat of his palms on his upper thighs. He almost looked nervous or self-conscious.
She was the first to react, by shyly lowering her face and chewing the inside of her cheek. By now, she would have thought she had become accustomed to his gaze, but evidently she hadn't. It still made her tingle and feel excited.
"I miss you." He whispered.
"It's only been a week since I saw you." She giggled.
"That's way too long." He tightened his lips to restrain the small laugh that was itching to escape.
Kate looked around to make sure Alex wasn't nearby.
The bashful way she looked at him made Jack catch his breath and with his brows raised and looking more than a little hopeful, he asked, "Do you have some free time?" He was lifting his hand ready to graze his fingers along her shoulder and touch one of her curls.
"Kate?" They both stiffened and lifted their faces in the direction of the voice.
Kate smiled and gestured her roommate towards Jack, "Alex, this is Jack. He's … ummm… my friend's older brother. jack this is my roommate, Alex Rousseau." Jack nodded at her and gave a wide smile before saying, "Hey, nice to meet you. I have to grab a book, okay. See you around"
Once Jack was out of sight, Alex turned to Kate, wide-eyed, "Oh my god. Who is that guy? He's gorgeous!" Kate shook her head trying not to laugh, "He goes to med school here. Like I said, Jack is Claire's older brother. I went to high school with her."
"How have you not tried to attack him yet? I wish my friends had brothers that looked like that." Kate decided to not respond to that comment and rather let it disappear, the time would come soon enough, when she would tell her that they were dating. Kate then noticed the two fabric shopping bags in Alex's hands, "Are you done already?"
"Yeah."
"Listen, the check-out line is long. Don't wait for me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, positive."
They agreed to meet up for dinner later. Alex knew a few students and planned to visit their dorms in the meanwhile. With her arms full, Kate stood on the back of the line. Not more than a few seconds passed before Jack sidled up next to her. He grabbed a few books to lighten the load. "I'll keep you company." He then playfully winked at her.
As they slowly crawled to the front of the line, Jack asked, "Do you have time for a coffee?" She wanted to play with him, torture him a little. But then she saw how the warmest and sincerest smile imaginable spread across his face and she knew she didn't have it in her heart to tease him.
She gave him a smile that told him her answer - 'yes'.
Once they made it to the register and the cashier had rung up the books, Kate's jaw dropped. The sticker shock of the total cost of her books was apparent on her face. She swallowed hard as she dug into her pocket to fish out her credit card. And she had only purchased half of what she needed. Kate felt Jack shuffle slightly and before she had a chance to object, he had handed his American Express card to cashier and paid for the books.
As they exited the store, Kate huffed, "You shouldn't have done that."
"I wanted to, Kate. Especially, since I know how many cafe lattes and espressos you had to make to pay for a few books." Jack, of course, was referring to her summer job at Starbucks.
"But that was the reason why I worked, so I would have the money to pay for stuff ... like this." She pointed to his hands, carrying the heavy bags of books.
"I told you, Kate. You didn't have to work - "
Kate rolled her eyes, "Oh, I know. If I recall correctly, you offered to pay me to spend time with you instead of taking the job."
Jack laughed, "Yeah, and you weren't too happy with my idea -"
"Because, Jack! You were essentially proposing that I be your personal escort … a prostitute."
Jack laughed and playfully swatted the air in front of him, "You know that's NOT what I meant." They both laughed hard at the idea. But then he got a little quiet and paused for a second, "You know, all I wanted was to spend as much time with you as possible-"
Kate gently stroked his arm, "I know. And ... thank you for buying me the books."
They both went to a nearby coffee shop, each of them sneaking glances into each other's cups, not wanting them to be empty so they could prolong the moment. As Jack watched her sip her coffee, his mind shot ahead to a time in the near future when she would spend entire evenings with him and then watch her wake up in his bed the following morning.
As he thumbed the side of the cup, he asked, "So Kate, would you consider letting me take you out to dinner on Saturday night." She laughed at the unexpected question, the way he posed it so seriously, as if he contemplated it for some time. As if their cover story was real. She bit her bottom lip and decided that she wanted to play along.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" Consciously, she flipped her hair back and Jack could detect the hint of coyness in her voice.
"Yeah, you can say that." She noticed the way his cheeks flexed as he sucked in some air.
She nodded, "I'd like that."
By the time Saturday arrived, Kate was exhausted. She realized that college life would need some getting adjusted to. The workload was much more intense and even though she spent fewer hours a day in a classroom than she did in high school, she needed to study each and every single day. And then there was the social aspect that she found overwhelming, the loud noises and partying in the dorm. Boys and girls stopping by her room at all times of the day to just chat. Alex and few others dragged Kate to a frat party on Friday night and to her surprise she had fun, but made sure to monitor her alcohol consumption so she wouldn't have a repeat performance of the night of her eighteenth birthday.
Jack picked her up outside the lobby of her dormitory and they drove to a trendy sushi restaurant in Melrose. It was sleek in a ubiquitous way, with shiny bamboo floors and tables, each table adorned with an orchid or lotus flower. The restaurant played that steady minimalist lounge music where the tracks seem to blend into one another while beautiful people filtered throughout. She felt out of place, but excited at the same time, the steady vibration of the music somehow thumbing her insides. Jack had made a reservation and they waited at the bar until their table was ready. As he turned to the bartender to order them drinks, Kate finally took notice of his appearance, he was wearing dark charcoal grey trousers that almost looked black and a fitted button-down shirt that accentuated the athletic v-shape of his back and shoulders. His outfit was tastefully topped off with a black belt and matching loafers.
Kate wasn't sure what to wear, but she erred on the sexier side, at least that was what she thought it was until she saw all the countless beautiful long-legged women wearing tiny mini dresses and sky-high heels. Jack turned around and handed her a glass of white wine. The fact that she was under the drinking age, he let slip by. It wasn't as if he didn't sneak beers when he was in college. As he took a sip from his glass, he sucked her in, the way her shapely legs and behind filled out her black skinny jeans. She wore a green silky halter top and he couldn't keep his eyes off the way her small braless breasts seemed to bounce sweetly and freely as she moved or laughed. She smiled broadly at him, her toothy smile in full glorious view. Before he took a second sip, he leaned into her, pushing some of her curls behind her ear. He noticed the glimmer of a shiny silver hoop earring dangling there before he whispered, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world."
They sat at a table for two in an intimate corner of the restaurant. Throughout the meal they laughed and using chopsticks, they sampled each other's meals. They made small talk, each doing their best to act like this was their first date. And for some reason, this pretend game seemed to stoke some of the sexual tension between them. The food and wine made them full and not interested in dessert. Erring on the side of caution, after having perhaps one drink too many, Jack decided to call them a cab to take them back to his apartment.
Once they climbed into the backseat, Kate decided to tease him, "You're pretty presumptuous. What makes you think that I go to men's apartments on a first date?" She watched him set his jaw and rub the top of his close-cropped hair before craning his head back and delivering an intentional wolfish grin, "Well, I just figured with all that wining and dining, you were a sure thing."
A second later he felt her middle knuckle dig into his upper arm as she gave him a 'noogie', "Oh, is that what you think?"
He suddenly bent over and brushed her lips with a feathery baby kiss. His low raspy voice dripped with desire, "Yeah, that's what I think, Kate."
Jack didn't bother to flick on the lights as they entered his apartment, instead allowing the Los Angeles city lights to stream in from his windows and illuminate a path to his bedroom. Kate was practically floating as they hungrily kissed, fumbled and pushed past the blur of the kitchen, dining and living rooms towards their destination.
They both collapsed onto his bed, and as Jack laid over her he squeezed her breast and then dipped his face to suck a nipple through the silk. Even though it had only been about two weeks since they made love, to him, it felt like an eternity.
"I love you." He groaned.
"I love you too." She breathed back into his mouth. For a second, he stopped to just study her face and take in its beauty and perfection. He leaned down to reach for the hem of her blouse and to pull it up, but she grabbed his wrist.
"It's easier like this." She lifted her upper back slightly and reached around to the back of her neck to untie the halter strap. Perhaps her fingers were too shaky, because Jack quickly wrapped his hands around to assist her. They stripped off their clothes until they were lying naked on their sides, facing each other while sharing deep scorching kisses as their hands explored.
Using two fingers, Jack slid down and into her, making her buck into his hand. He trapped his bottom lip in between his teeth when he felt how damp and hot she was. Instinctually, Kate threw her right leg over his hip so he would have more room to work with and so she could reach down to take hold of him. He sucked in his breath when she curled her fingers around him and ran them up and down the length of him. Using her free hand, she gripped the back of his upper shoulder, squeezing her fingers into his flesh, as they both stroked each other, finding a steady motion that matched the other. He began sucking her shoulder and clenched his eyes shut, he knew he was close … too close. Into her ear, he whispered, "I want you to come."
In a swift movement, he nudged her onto her back and Kate opened her legs to him. He propped himself up to look again at her fine features framed by her wild and untamed curls, before settling himself in between her legs. He lowered himself, so he could hook his arms behind her knees and feel their warm pelvises touching. At first, he teased her by lightly jabbing his tip at her entrance, making her moan and lift her hips with impatience.
"Jack. Please. I need you." She begged.
He gave her one last wet kiss before taking his right hand to angle himself to enter her. He started out slow, penetrating her with long deliberate thrusts that he knew, while in this position, would bump and rub along her most sensitive part. The sensations were too much and Kate grabbed onto his flexed arm muscles and let out a little shout. As if on cue, he began to increase his thrusts, driving harder and deeper. Seeking out the rhythm and pace that would make him pant and groan. He spied her looking at where they connected and the thought that she enjoyed watching his cock enter her turned him on in an indescribable way. He continued the faster pace and the noise of their groins hitting against each other sounded almost deafening. He was so close, but he wanted her to come one more time, so he re-adjusted his position and his thrusts, so with each penetration he would hit all the right places. And then, after being brought to the brink of exhaustion, he finally seized and jerked, taking Kate over the edge with him. She grabbed the tight flesh of his behind, holding him into her, grinding him closer, not wanting their exhausted centers to part.
Their breathing steadied as their bodies cooled. Feeling as if his weight was too much for her, he reluctantly rolled onto his back. Kate naturally curled up to his side, nestling her head in the hollow space where his shoulder met his arm. They drifted easily into sleep, each with the happy thought that they would awaken to a new day together for the first time.
Author's Note: A special thank you goes to each one of you that has taken time to write a review or send me a private message. Little words of encouragement or gestures like that really make it worthwhile! I hope you enjoy this update and I hope to have another real soon.
And I apologize for the delay in updating this, I feel like I have neglected this little story and it deserves better than that.
Erica, I hope you liked their first date. I wrote it for you. I'm still trying to get comfortable with writing sex scenes. Yikes! I guess practice makes perfect, right? ;)