4 comments/ 33936 views/ 13 favorites Season of Firsts Ch. 01 By: WFEATHER It looked like it would be an absolutely terrible Holiday Break for me. As an orphan, having been abandoned by my mother just days after birth and having never known my father, I had no family to go home to, for I had never been adopted. Even though there were some 3,000 students at my college, it had just happened that all my friends were either from the southern or western states, and I could not afford the airfare and spending money to go with them for the Holiday Break to spend the time with their families. Without a vehicle, I could not venture any further away than walking distance, and with the snow and ice associated with winter in the northern states, biking was definitely not an option. If there was any consolation, I would have the small dorm room to myself, for my roommate had barely done any work at all during our first semester of college, and the administration had forced him out until he had completed one full year elsewhere with at least a 3.0 GPA. I had been taking my final exam of Exam Week when he moved out, so we did not even have an opportunity to really say goodbye. Fortunately, I already lived in the only dorm which would be open during the Holiday Break, so I did not need to haul my meager belongings and move into someone else's room for several weeks. A friend had given me her television and laptop for the Holiday Break to help me pass the time, but still, I could only look forward to several weeks of boredom. It was Thursday night, December 13, but it felt very much like a Friday the Thirteenth given my gnawing apprehension of the long Holiday Break. As I slowly crossed the cold, snowy campus following my last final exam, each footstep was harder and harder to take, requiring more and more willpower on my part to finally arrive at the warmth and solitude of my dorm room. I stood at the door, staring at the Student ID card in my hand for several minutes before finally convincing myself that I had to swipe it through the reader to gain access to the building. With a heavy sigh as the lock disengaged, I opened the heavy double doors, the warmth whooshing out upon me, inviting me into my solitude. I would rather have spent several lifetimes in Hell, but, having no choice, I stepped inside, the doors closing and relocking behind me with a sense of finality, the sound echoing in the still hallway, echoing in my heavy soul. There was no relief in having finished the semester. There was no relief in the knowledge that I had aced yet another exam and would have a 4.0 GPA at the end of my first semester of college. There was only an emptiness accompanied by numerous tears throughout the night. ***** The dining hall was sparsely populated for breakfast, since only those students with classes at "off" hours during the semester, such as the 7:00AM classes or the night classes, had exams on Friday. Everyone else ate either alone or in small groups as they studied over pancakes and bacon. Clearly, I was the only person who was not part of the dining hall staff and was not preparing for one last final exam. Fortunately, I had thought to bring a sci-fi novel I had borrowed from the town library, but for once, I gained no pleasure in the futuristic tale of a sexaroid with an inexplicable sense of self. Lunch was much the same – only the food and the number of studying students changed. It was quite depressing at best. Dinner was even worse. There had only been one night class that semester, and a group of six astrophysics students sat at one of the round tables in the northeast corner conferring over their notes. I sat at the opposite corner of the large dining hall, alone, trying to force myself to finish the second chapter of the novel while holding back tears. When I returned to my dorm room, the tears could no longer be held at bay. The solitude pressed in upon me like a vice, crushing me. Never had I felt so alone, for at the orphanage, there had always been a few others like me: children who were unwanted by their birth parents or whose birth parents had died, children who no one wanted to adopt, children cast away and ignored by society. I was truly on my own for the very first time in my life, and it was more than I could bear. ***** I awoke during the night with tears still trickling down my cheeks. I could hear laughter and music from upstairs as the few remaining students celebrated the end of Exam Week and prepared to travel to see their families. By Noon the following day, they would all be gone, and the campus officially closed to all but the scant cleaning staff and the few students staying on campus for the Holiday Break. My only hope was that I would not be the only student here. ***** The morning reminded me of part of a poem I had once read online: Once again I awaken to find an emptiness beside me to hear the solitude deafening in the light of day. Despite the rare bright sunny day outside, dark clouds of despair filled the illusory cell. There would be no more meals in the dining hall until mid-January, just before classes resumed, so I was truly on my own in every way possible. Yet, despite the rumbling of my empty stomach, I was not hungry. As I heard someone walk past my door with a rolling suitcase, the tears began to fall anew. ***** I posted to the student BBS, inquiring as to whether anyone else was staying on campus for the Holiday Break. By Noon, no one responded. By sunset, I had not heard a single sound within the building – not even Security had come through to ensure that everything was normal. At last, I turned on the television, hoping that perhaps seeing people on a screen might help to lift my lonely spirits. I found the local evening news, and the lead story was about an impending blizzard likely to hit the state on Monday night. While I was not looking forward to a blizzard, it did give me something else to think about: winter survival. While I had thought to buy food and drink to last me throughout the Holiday Break, much of the food was designed to be prepared in a microwave, but if the blizzard resulted in the building – or the entire campus – losing electricity for several days, or even longer, then I would need to buy more food, just in case. I would also want to have another blanket if possible, just in case. I would also want more books, for without electricity, I would not be able to watch television or access the Internet. I had approximately forty-eight hours to prepare. That gave me approximately forty-eight hours of relief from my own mind. Sunday morning, since we still had electricity, I specifically ate some microwavable beef stew for breakfast, so that I could save the non-perishable, non-cook food for later, if necessary. Instead of opening a warm can of Sprite, I borrowed a cup from the small kitchenette down the hall and drank water from the tap, still thinking ahead to what might happen as a result of the impending blizzard. I did the laundry as I had planned, but that took on additional significance, for I could very well need as many clothes as possible to stay warm. At the orphanage, I had been through a major blizzard. For nearly thirty hours, there had been no electricity – nearly three days without electricity for that part of town, but we continued to have minimal power until the generator broke down. I remembered the cold, the shock at nine years old of being indoors yet seeing my own breath in the air. I remembered how my nose would run, and how I marveled at the trickle of warmth upon my cold face. I remembered how we were all huddled into a small room, so that our collective body heat would warm the air faster in the smaller space. I remembered how the adults kept instructing us to pace ourselves with the food and water we were given, to be only slightly hungry at the time so that we would not be absolutely starving in a few days if it took that long for the electricity to return. I remembered how even when the electricity did return, it still took considerable time for the indoor air to warm again. This blizzard was to be even worse, and it was to last even longer. That was why I was in survival mode. Around Noon, after eating microwavable spaghetti and again drinking water from the tap, I headed out into the winter cold. The sidewalk outside the dorm's main entrance was still a little icy, but I could see that someone had recently put down a fresh layer of salt. Looking around, I noted the expanse of white covering the area, the icicles hanging from the roof of each buildings. There was no activity in or around any of the nearby buildings, and not a single vehicle in the parking lot by my dorm. Pulling the hood of my sweatshirt over my head, I made my way east toward the tiny shopping district of this tiny college town. At one point, I turned to look back toward my dorm, but, as expected, I saw no sign of anyone's presence other than the fact that I had accidentally left the main light on in my dorm room. With some thirty hours before the blizzard hit, I went to the drug store and bought everything I could carry, and returned later for a second trip. I bought Pop Tarts, granola bars, beef jerky. I bought a second flashlight, several sets of batteries, several candles, a lighter. I bought a pair of Snoopy blankets which were on sale – with the students gone from the university, there was not much hope of anyone buying them except with this sale. Dinner was ramen noodles and more tap water. I ate while watching the evening news again, and they were projecting the blizzard to hit Monday night around 8:00PM. That gave me about twenty-six hours, yet all that really remained was to go back to the town library and borrow a few more books, and perhaps a few DVDs to watch on the television in the basement lounge while we did have electricity available to us. That night, I checked the student BBS again, and still no one had posted any new messages or responses. I had at least seen a Security team pass through the building when I was fixing the ramen, but most likely, I was the only person in the dorm for the Holiday Break. ...and that thought caused the loneliness to resurface with a vengeance. I was very thankful to finally fall asleep, for that would allow me to escape my own mind, at least for a few hours. ***** I returned from the town library with a sense of trepidation mixed with a sense of adventure. The adventure was clearly linked with the impending blizzard, its approach marked by the graying sky, the thickening clouds, the stronger wind, the plummeting temperature. The trepidation was clearly linked with lack of outside contact should the building or the town lose electricity. If we lost electricity, I would not even be able to call for help if necessary, since the college used a VoIP phone system, and I did not own a cell phone. With the dimming natural daylight, one would assume that any light on in the dorm would be clearly visible, even with the shades drawn over a given window. Yet there were no lights on in any of the rooms, not even my own. The trepidation grew. ***** The evening news again led with the blizzard as its main story. A live report from a sister station on the other side of the state showed just how bad this winter storm would be, for the journalist could barely stand erect against the onslaught of wind-driven snow. Watching her, I thought of watching people like Miles O'Brien and Chad Myers, attempting to stand upright against an onslaught of wind-driven salt water as they covered a hurricane in Florida. In the background, as she attempted to report on the blizzard, a semi jackknifed and slid along the road behind her. Already, more than two inches of snow had fallen in the three hours she had been at that location, which was a strong indication of what would soon arrive on campus. I wished that I could turn up the heat, so that if the building did lose electricity, I would be warmer longer before the cold set in and reminded me all too well of that blizzard at the orphanage. ***** I had borrowed Princess Mononoke from the library, and when it ended about 10:30PM, I stood and stretched, enjoying the story itself but still not quite certain why Jeremy and Abby both made such a fuss over animation from Japan. I rarely ever bought anything from the vending machines, since I needed to keep very close track of my meager scholarship-provided funds, but I decided that this once, I could "splurge" on myself. I had just unwrapped a Nestlé Crunch when I heard one of the stairwell doors open on the floor above me. For the first time in more than twenty-four hours, there was a sign that I was not the only person in the building! Slowly eating the candy bar, I retrieved the DVD and made my way upstairs, moving slowly and softly, not wanting to startle the other person who might also be thinking he was alone in the building. Emerging onto the ground floor, I looked around but did not see anyone, but could clearly hear the wind rattling the west-side windows. After quietly closing the stairwell door behind me, I headed toward the main lounge, but no one was there even though all the lights were beaming. Unless the other person was part of Security or was staying in one of the first-floor rooms, that left only three possible places on this floor to go: the men's restroom, the women's restroom, and the small library room. The library room was closest to me, so I finished the candy bar, threw the wrapper in the trash, and went to the door. I peered through the small square of embedded glass and saw that, indeed, I was not alone in the dorm. She leaned over the far end of the table, her face obscured by her hands and by the lengthy black hair. She was a small-framed person, fairly short, practically dwarfed by the tall-backed dark oak chairs in the library. From her body language, she was clearly crying, and a few moments later, the first sob permeated the heavy door. My heart went out to her. After all, no student really wants to be locked away in a dorm during the holiday season, especially when a blizzard was bearing down on the campus. Given that it had taken well more than forty-eight hours for me to find any sign of another student in the dorm, she probably still thought that she was entirely alone in the building. I was torn. I wanted to open the door and go to her an comfort her, this stranger, especially given that I definitely sympathized with her. However, she probably also needed this time to cry. I hesitated. I lingered at the door. Ultimately, I returned to my dorm room, putting the DVD away and retrieving the book before heading back downstairs to the main lounge, purposely selecting a chair near the library door but facing the opposite direction. I was probably halfway through the fifth chapter of the sexaroid novel when I heard the library door slowly creak open. Instinctively, I turned around to look toward the source of the sound, even though I knew who I would see. I saw a young, beautiful Japanese student, the cuffs of her college sweatshirt clearly stained with her copious tears. Her large hazel eyes were full of expression, of grief and disbelief, of sadness and hope, of resignation and surprise. Tears still streaked her cheeks, her lack of makeup quite fortunate. Her jeans had a noticeable rip just below the left knee, and it looked rather recent. She stood in the doorway, holding the heavy door open, and we looked at each other for a long time, neither of us saying anything. It was a moment of connection, a moment of relief, and for a few minutes, the sounds of the howling wind and the rattling windows faded away into silence. "You are here too?" she asked, her accent making her words soft yet crisp, her voice tugging at my heart. I could only nod, trying to keep my eyes from roaming her form. I had known a few Asian girls – two in the orphanage and several in my classes – and the exotic vision before me was certainly the most beautiful to my eyes. Very slowly, a smile turned up the corners of her mouth, providing a soft counterpoint to the tears still drying upon her cheeks. ***** Late into the night, we sat in the main lounge and talked. Her name was Megumi and she had been born in San Diego while her father was working in the States. By age three, the family had returned to Japan, to Kyoto, again because her father had been transferred due to a promotion. She had returned to San Diego for one year as an exchange student during high school, but with her father's death early in the past summer, there was just enough money to send her to the States for college as the family had long planned, but not enough to bring her home for the holidays. "So my older sister went into acting," Megumi concluded. "Only now is becoming popular enough to get more than bare minimum money to live. I admire my sister." A short silence passed as Megumi was clearly imagining her sister. "If she is as beautiful as you," I commented softly, "then I am not surprised she is an actress." The world seemed to stop as I realized the significance of what I had just said. I had never before said anything of the kind, not even to a friend, yet I had just said it to a quasi-stranger. Sprawled across an upholstered sofa, the Asian student's eyes grew slightly wider for a moment, then softened, a small smile upon her lips. "I could not do as she does," Megumi said, a hint of regret or remorse in her voice, "which is why I admire sister so much." "Does she do television? film? stage?" I asked, legitimately curious. "Film," she replied, then she fell silent, looking at the floor, at my feet. "I am not so beautiful," she finally said. "I have too small breasts." I had noticed her smallish breasts previously, but nonetheless found myself openly focusing on them for a moment before my brain realized what my eyes were looking at and forced my eyes to look elsewhere. A slight blush must have come to my face, for I felt suddenly warmer, which did not make sense given the impending blizzard. My thoughts turned to the blizzard, and its implication: I could very well be snowed in with a beautiful young Japanese student as my companion to help pass the time. Despite myself, I smiled, a smile which Megumi quickly returned. Perhaps it was the fact that we were both in an unusual situation and would be utterly alone without each other, but, somehow, we connected, a bond forming between us, surrounding us and holding the blizzard at bay. ***** Setting the book down, I looked upon Megumi and could easily have mistaken her for an angel. Her arms tucked underneath her head, the sleeping student was the personification of innocence, complete with a slight smile upon her face. Yet a slight shudder marred that angelic vision. As quietly as possible, I retreated, ultimately returning with the two Snoopy blankets I had bought. After draping one over her prone form, I knelt beside the sofa, gazing upon her fondly, trying to resist the urge to brush a few stray strands away from her face. I could feel a slight stirring in my loins. Somehow, even as I watched her sleep, I could "see" her standing before me, fully nude, her small breasts adorned with prominent large nipples beckoning for my attention... I tried to push such thoughts from my mind. After all, I barely knew Megumi, and had not even known her a full night yet. I could not even remember having seen her on campus prior to this particular night, which was significant since there was not much of an Asian population on campus. Yet, the stirring grew, lengthened. I hoped that she would not awaken and notice the growing bulge at the front of my jeans. After a few moments, I drew back from the sofa, from her, and returned to the cushioned chair, draping the second Snoopy blanket over me, thankful for the protection it afforded against any embarrassment. Season of Firsts Ch. 02 Thursday December 13 had been the end of the first semester for me, for that was the night of my last final exam. One week later, the date would be forever memorable for me because it was the day my companion and I were rescued from our isolation. It was nearly sunset when the work crew had finally cleared away the snow from the north-side door. I sent Megumi out first, and someone quickly grabbed her suitcase while someone else wrapped a large thick blanket around her and hurried her to an awaiting minivan. I received the same treatment, arriving at the minivan just as one of the doctors from Campus Health arrived. As we were whisked away, I saw why the crew had not used the south-side door, even though it was closer to the street: a large oak tree had fallen over due to the wind and the weight of the snow, and just barely missed hitting the south end of the building. We were checked, debriefed, and given plenty of food and water during the drive to the hotel. We were being taken to a suburb of a nearby city, a drive which should have taken about forty-five minutes with semi-heavy traffic, yet because of the number of fallen obstacles, the unprecedented snowfall, and the fact that most of the very icy route passed through rural areas, it was a very slow ride. When the wind had blown off enough of the top of the snow, the drive through the darkness was punctuated by the sparse lights of rural houses, and I assumed that the residents were using generator power to keep warm and be able to see. I wondered how the livestock was faring, especially if the winds had damaged or destroyed the barns and the pens, but in the near-total darkness, it was impossible to see anything not immediately in front of the minivan or near the windows of the farmhouses. However, for most of the ride, the snow level on either side of the road was too tall for us to see anything but the snow. The headlights were effectively brighter than usual, reflecting off the neverending rows of white. There were occasional breaks in the snow, which seemed to lead toward the sparse farmhouses or the occasional intersecting road. "How long do you think we'll be at this hotel?" I finally asked. "I'm guessing at least until Christmas, depending on the amount of damage in and around the dorm you guys were in," the driver replied. "But don't worry. All your costs will be taken care of. And most importantly, you two will be safe and warm. I'm just glad it was only you two staying on campus this year. There's usually about a dozen students staying on campus over the Holiday Break. With a major storm of this magnitude, it would've been a lot harder to get a larger number of students to safety." For me, Christmas was never really anything important, probably because I had never had a family of my own. However, knowing that many people considered Christmas to be a "family holiday," I wondered what Megumi was thinking. Not only would she be on the other side of the planet from her family for Christmas, she also would not be in a familiar place for that important day. According to the digital clock in the dashboard, it was nearly 10:00PM when we approached the suburb. I could tell because I could actually see streetlights ahead, and the road was in much better condition. I felt Megumi take my hand in hers, and I looked at her briefly, noting the expression of hope upon her face, and expression which had been missing throughout the lengthy drive. If anyone noticed that we were holding hands, they did not say anything. To be honest, I believe they were all just thankful and relieved to finally be nearing the hotel. ***** Megumi and I were given adjacent rooms. My room was small, with a single queen-size bed, a small table with two chairs, and a television with a built-in DVD player and VCR. A copy of the local newspaper awaited me on the table, but I did not care about the latest news. I cared only about Megumi, about what she was doing, what she was feeling now that we were finally safe and warm. There was a tentative knock at the door, and soon Megumi shared the room with me, looking around. "Just like mine," she said, "only slightly warmer." I shrugged and went to sit at the table. "It's definitely better than the dorm," I said, "but it is rather unfamiliar." Megumi nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. "The campus men gone?" I nodded. "They decided that it would be better to return to their families tonight. Besides, the college may be paying for us to stay here, but not for them. They would've had to pay out of their own pockets to stay here, plus they didn't really have anything needed for an overnight stay." "Not good. The college must change policies for these situations." I shrugged, leaning back in the chair and closing my eyes. It felt good to be warm without wearing bulky winter clothing. It felt better to be safe. It felt great to once again be alone in Megumi's presence. "You are so calm and strong," Megumi noted softly. "Were you not afraid at the dorm?" I opened my eyes, looking at Megumi curiously, before realizing that she had not known me before I had seen her in the dorm library. She had not known how I had cried myself to sleep, how depressed I had been at the prospect of being completely alone for three weeks. I told her. I decided not to inundate her with the details, but I did give her the general overview of my thoughts and experiences in the days leading up to the official start of the Holiday Break, and the time before I finally saw her through the door of the dorm library. When I finished relating my sad tale, Megumi reached out a hand to me. I stood and approached, and she hugged me, her ear pressed to my chest. With a smile upon my lips, I cradled her head to me, stroking her hair, enjoying the closeness, the companionship, the understanding, the swelling love passing between us. "I stay with you?" she asked quietly. "I get my suitcase and stay with you?" "I would like that," I replied honestly, having secretly hoped that she would ask. "I also not want to be alone. I never liked to be alone." I kissed the top of Megumi's head, and she looked up at me. We shared an gaze of understanding, of love, and of fatigue, for it had indeed been a long day, and just as importantly, neither of us had showered in several days, and I for one certainly needed to stand under a spray of hot water for a while. ***** As I lay upon the bed in my flannel pajama pants and wolf t-shirt again, I thought of the exotic angel in the shower. I had long believed that things happen in life for a reason, and that the people one meets in life all play a significant role in one way or another. Certainly, Megumi was important for alleviating the isolation which would have otherwise plagued me during the long Holiday Break. She was also teaching me things about sexuality, although things had cooled a bit in that regard. And through her, I was learning about relationships, for, although we had not declared ourselves romantically involved, I was beginning to feel like it was a true relationship, for even when she was not in immediate sight or earshot, she filled my mind, my heart, my soul. I thought of the enchanting student, separated from my sight by a thin wall and an even thinner semi-transparent glass slower door. I envisioned her standing underneath the hot spray, the water causing the suds to cascade down her bare skin, to reveal more and more of her natural beauty to my admiring eyes. Would she finally turn to me and beckon me to join her in the shower? My hand made its way to my crotch, gently stroking the lengthening bulge through my meager clothing. I imagined us in the shower together, kissing slowly, her hands moving down my chest and stomach to grasp my unavoidable erection and begin to slowly stroke me... I heard Megumi turn off the water at last, and I reluctantly retracted my hand so that my arousal would subside before she returned to the main room. By the time she stepped out of the bathroom, all was normal as I watched her emerge wearing her flannel pajama pants and her Hello Kitty t-shirt. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, and after setting her dirty clothes and her toiletries beside her suitcase, she came to the bed, kneeling beside me and reaching down to caress my cheek. I closed my eyes, reveling in her touch, and I again felt my arousal begin to grow. "What should we do?" she asked quietly. "We are here for several days or more." "Five days at least," I said after counting in my mind. "That gives us a lot of time with nothing to do." "A lot of time alone." I was uncertain if Megumi was stating a fact or "correcting" what I had just said. What I was definitely certain about, however, was the tenderness with which she was stroking my face and the effect it was having upon another portion of my anatomy. I reached an arm toward her and curled it around Megumi's waist. Opening my eyes again, I gazed up into her face, and was met with a weary but contented smile. That was exactly how I felt: weary but contented. She continued to stroke my face with her shower-softened fingertips until her hair had mostly dried, then went to hang up the towel. A few minutes later, we were under the covers together, holding each other close and falling asleep in the dark... ...this time, by choice. ***** We were awoken by the cleaning staff, having neglected to put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign. But that was good, because otherwise, we would have slept through the complimentary breakfast. It had been a long time since I had last eaten a true hot meal. The scrambled eggs were divine, and the coffee was far better than that provided on campus. Megumi clearly found the breakfast to be wonderful as well, for she was practically beaming throughout the entire meal as we almost literally stuffed ourselves. We took a few extra donuts with us and were passing through the lobby to go back to my room when the front desk staff called us over. Megumi and I were both quite surprised that the college had wired money to us, which we could pick up at a convenience store down the street. Since I never had a lot of money at any given time, I was thrilled at this unexpected news, and although she did not say anything about it, I sensed that Megumi felt the same. Returning to my room, we set the donuts aside and went to the large window, finally opening the curtains. The room overlooked a large park, and we watched for a moment as several work crews cleared away snow and fallen branches and trees. The snow did not seem nearly so tall; perhaps only three feet of snow had fallen in the park. In the distance, the skyscrapers near the city center stood tall and proud in the sunlight. They were essentially beacons of hope, still standing firm and erect even after some forty-eight hours of punishing winds. "We are warm, we can see, our stomachs full, and we are together alone," Megumi noted quietly, wrapping her hands around my arm and resting her head against my shoulder as she looked out the window with me. "This is very good." It was indeed good, even without the money we could collect later. "What should we do today?" I asked. "We should go get the money, of course, but what else should we do today?" She did not hesitate. "Enjoy warmth," Megumi replied. "Enjoy food." She certainly had a point. Actually, she certainly had two very good points. ...as well as two soft swells pressing into me. ***** We spent the rest of the morning sleeping, amazingly. Megumi lay upon her back, while I pressed my ear to her chest. Her foreign heartbeat sounded and felt very familiar, echoing my own. The rhythmic melody emanating from between her breasts lulled me to sleep as her hands cradled my head to her chest... When I awoke around lunchtime, Megumi was still asleep, but her heartbeat was just as calm, just as steady. I slowly extricated myself from her loose hold, not wanting to awaken the sleeping beauty, and slipped off the bed, returning to the large window, looking out over the snow-covered scene before me. Am I falling in love with her? I asked myself again and again. I had never loved anyone before. I had never had anyone to love before, not even in the familial sense. I felt – and I definitely was – so naïve in terms of relationships, and I found Megumi's almost easygoing "attitude" in her affection for me both greatly captivating and slightly troubling. As my eyes surveyed the whiteness before me, I had to ask myself: Am I falling in love with her or with the affection? Eventually, I sat at the table, watching the exotic angel sleep, noting her graceful curves, the slow and steady rise and fall of her chest, remembering how she responded as I touched her, remembering the taste of her lips, remembering the feel of her hands upon me... Am I falling in love with her? The question returned to my mind again and again. I felt drawn to her, wanting to please her and protect her, wanting to share everything with her. Yet, would others understand? Would they approve of our relationship? Would it matter to me? Would it matter to her? Megumi finally stirred, rolling onto her stomach. I wanted to go to her, to caress her and to give her my affection. But, would she want that? Would she accept my attention? I watched my companion sleep, so many important questions filling my mind... ***** Megumi accepted my arm, and we stepped out into the snow, into the cold, into the sunshine. The streets and the sidewalks were indeed clear of snow, but the piles of snow on either side of the street were indeed tall, nearly as tall as Megumi. I thought for a moment of suddenly shoving her into a snow pile, but figured that would simply be evil. We easily found the convenience store with the Western Union station, and obtained the money the college had wired to us. Afterward, we went across the street to a small coffee shop, sitting by the large window and watching as snow began to fall anew. "You are very beautiful," I commented quietly to her, suddenly feeling rather shy around Megumi despite everything we had shared thus far. I felt myself warm slightly, and not just because of the latte. Underneath the small table, the exotic angel slid her ankles against mine. I felt a jolt of electricity surge through me from ankles to forehead, warming me even further. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me knowingly, smiling as she raised her mocha to her lips. ***** As we strolled the neighborhood, we were almost completely silent, drinking in the sights. There were rather few vehicles on the street, and even fewer pedestrians. Most stores were open, but had no visible customers inside. The sky had darkened as snow fell a little faster, the wet white flakes chilling me as they fell upon my face. Yet it was all worthwhile, primarily because Megumi was at my side. We eventually returned to the hotel, just in time for the start of dinner in the hotel restaurant. While our sweatshirts and jeans had been acceptable for breakfast that morning, the same outfits certainly made us stand out at dinner, yet neither of us seemed to really notice. Instead, our focus was aimed upon each other, our quiet chatter rather sporadic as we instead gazed upon each other, our legs continually brushing together underneath the table. "You like me, do you?" Megumi suddenly asked out of the blue. I could not speak. I simply nodded slowly, with my head and with my eyes. "Am I first girlfriend for you?" That question answered so many questions which had been filling my head, calmed so many concerns which had been plaguing my mind. Only when Megumi's eyes widened did I realize that I had just exhaled somewhat loudly with relief. "That is a yes?" I smiled, then released a soft laugh, a laugh which was joined by hers. "That is a yes?" "Yes!" I replied, a little louder than I should have. We laughed again, then soon quieted again, speaking volumes with our eyes and with our legs. "You know what I'd like to do?" I asked finally. Megumi shook her head, her eyes never breaking our gaze. "I'd like to go back upstairs and cuddle with you, slowly explore you, really learn you..." "Learn me?" Megumi was baffled at first, but a few seconds later, her eyes widened again as she finally understood my meaning. Her smile widened as well. ***** After dinner, as some random film played quietly on the television, Megumi and I cuddled upon the bed, neither one of us paying any attention to the film. Judging by the music, the coarse language, and the number of gunshots, it was probably an action film, but I genuinely did not care about what was coming from the television. My only care was for the foreign student atop me, the beautiful angel gracing me with her presence and with her love. I thought briefly of the week which had passed. At that very moment one week earlier, I had been feeling sad for myself, facing a long holiday break of loneliness, sliding into a depression which loomed large and monstrous before my eyes. In the interim, I had made a friend, a companion, a girlfriend, and together we had weathered a severe snowstorm of epic proportions, a snowstorm which had forced the college to ultimately bring us to the hotel... In one week, I had grown in significant ways, made significant discoveries... ...and everything primarily revolved around Megumi. But do I truly love her? As my arms tightened around her, as her breath warmed my neck, as her hand caressed my cheek, and my heart beat a little faster, I knew the answer. "I love you, Megumi," I whispered. She pressed her lips to my neck, and I felt them curl upward into a smile. "Love," she whispered, her lips moving sensuously against my neck, the word sounding particularly strange yet enticing given her accent. "Love is good." We cuddled long into the night, kissing and touching with a greater, deeper tenderness given that we were officially, finally, girlfriend and boyfriend. ***** When I awoke in the morning, it was still dark, with the first hint of daylight peeking around the edges of the thick heavy curtains. I could just barely see anything, but something immediately alerted me that something was indeed different. It took me several seconds to realize what was different: Megumi was topless. That realization alone caused a stirring as my mind focused upon the bare breasts pressing against my t-shirt and the equally bare back beneath my hands. I closed my eyes, thankful that this moment was real and not a dream. The small hotel room slowly brightened as I held my exotic girlfriend. I fought the urge to lower the covers, to bare her torso and roll her to her back so that I could openly admire a pair of bare breasts for the first time in my life. When we had gone to bed, we had both been properly dressed, in that all body parts which needed to be covered were indeed covered. I had neither heard nor felt her get up during the night, so I wondered when she had removed her t-shirt and how she had done so without awakening me. I meandered into and out of slumber, but it was truly just a catnap at best until, at last, my girlfriend stirred in my arms, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. I smiled at her as she slowly opened her small hazel eyes and ran my fingers through her hair. "Sleeping Beauty has awakened," I said softly. Something instinctive happened. As of one mind, Megumi rolled to her back, and I rolled upon her, my hands trapped between her shoulder blades and the bed. Our lips joined, never separating until we were both breathless and indeed quite awake. We then rolled so that I was upon my back with Megumi upon me, and she slowly rose up, the covers naturally falling back away from us as she straddled my hips, her weight bearing down nicely upon my hardness, her bare breasts at last exposed to my appreciative gaze. She was still trying to regain her breath, her breasts moving mesmerizingly from her efforts, and I reached up, taking a breast in each hand, squeezing gently, marveling at the rigid nipples pressing into my palms. Season of Firsts Ch. 03 Despite being in a strange bed at a nearly-empty hotel, Christmas morning felt truly "right." I could hear the wind whistling past the window, and instinctively knew that virgin snow was falling upon the area. I was warm and cozy underneath the covers. And, most importantly, I was not alone. Megumi slept peacefully in my arms. I held a sleeping goddess, and I knew that a deity somewhere above was indeed smiling upon me. In time, I extricated myself from my girlfriend's feeble hold and emerged from underneath the heavy covers. There was plenty of instrumental Christmas music in an iTunes playlist, so I turned on the laptop, signed in, and activated the playlist, an all-bells version of "Jingle Bells" soon playing softly. Opening the heavy curtains, I gazed out upon the white scene outside, the snow falling fast and hard, driven by the whistling wind. There was no traffic in the streets, no passersby on the sidewalks, and only a lone stray dog meandering through the park. The sky was indeed overcast, giving a strong sense that this day would be full of nothing but snow, just as I had come to expect for Christmas in my eighteen years of life. Hearing a gentle rustle behind me, I turned away from the window, the curtains still parted, allowing some natural light into the hotel room. My goddess looked at me with sleepy eyes, her expression one of confusion. I returned to the bed, slipping underneath the covers once again, and Megumi clutched me tightly. I held her close as well, recognizing that, for once, Christmas held a particular significance for me, for I was no longer a discarded kid in an orphanage – instead, for the first time in my life, I was someone who was truly loved and cherished and wanted. And, just as importantly, I had someone to love and cherish and want. ...and I wanted to make this Christmas memorable for more than just spending the day in a hotel room. As Megumi slowly became more conscious, I began to caress her, kiss her, squeeze her. She said nothing with her mouth, instead allowing her eyes to speak what was in her heart. A contented sigh passed between her dainty lips, and she melted into me, completely at peace in my arms. "Merry Christmas," she finally whispered into my ear, punctuating it with a kiss to my cheek. "Merry Christmas, indeed," I replied, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I don't know about you, but this is already the best Christmas I've ever had." "That is very good," Megumi responded. Underneath the covers, she maneuvered herself upon me, her lengthy black hair acting like a curtain around my head as she kissed me. My hands roamed her back, and she whimpered softly into my mouth before her tongue slipped inside to slither against mine and cause my breath to catch in my throat. All too soon, my goddess rested her head upon my shoulder, looking across my neck toward the window. "Snow," she noted quietly. "Since I've lived all my life up north, Christmas is never Christmas without snow," I commented. "There is something unique about all the white covering everything which makes Christmas a particularly visual holiday for me." Megumi nodded against me, stroking my face. A moment later, she whispered into my ear, "I have special gift for you." "And I have a special gift for you as well," I replied, hoping that Megumi would truly appreciate the gift I intended to give her. "First, I must prepare," she responded, "so I take suitcase and go to my room. You come in... in one hour?" That surprised me, for I did not expect a gift which required preparation. "One hour it is, then," I agreed, and I could both see and hear the smile forming upon her lips. A few minutes later, Megumi was gone, having taken her suitcase and a small package of Ho Hos with her for breakfast. I heard her enter her hotel room on the other side of the wall, and I wondered exactly what she planned to give me for a Christmas gift. I spent the next hour getting dressed and then fretting about my gift to her. Suddenly, I was deathly afraid that my gift would overstep our unspoken bounds, that my gift might be the downfall of our budding relationship. Yet I could at least take some consolation in Megumi's dream: A dream about us. You were rich, with large house, nice car, own driver, many nice things. You had sold an invention, made money in market. We... We had kids. Three girls, all beautiful, all look more like you. With any luck, then, given her dream, my gift would not be detrimental to our young love. An instrumental version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" wafted from the speakers on the laptop as I stood at the window once again, surveying the white-covered suburb. The wind had diminished greatly, the trees in the park below no longer swaying nearly as much, the whistling sound no longer audible. In a way, it felt like a Christmas at the orphanage, looking out across the white-covered plain, but this was different, for then, I had no one, and on this particular Christmas, someone very special was awaiting me on the other side of the wall. I ate a pair of Twinkies and drank from a small bottle of water – not an ideal breakfast, but it would suffice until later in the day when we would certainly order something from Room Service. Then I went to my suitcase and retrieved the box of Trojans. I had plenty of time still before Megumi would expect me to knock at her door. While I could guess at how to put on a condom, I was uncertain. I could see that printed on the inside of the box was a set of instructions, with small drawings as guides, but I did not want to destroy the box just for that, so I decided to go to the Internet for advice. While the college had purposely paid for Internet access for me knowing that I had a laptop with me, I had not used it yet, and it took a few minutes and a call down to the main desk to finally get online. It did not take long to find an online guide – also with illustrations – explaining step-by-step how to put on a condom and how to remove it after use. The process was really rather simple, yet I spent perhaps another ten minutes reading and rereading and rereading the same guide, committing it all to memory. It somehow calmed me, and, in conjunction with Megumi's dream, allowed me to shift my focus from worrying about my gift to wondering about her gift. Clearly, I reasoned, Megumi was making something for me. I wondered what that could possibly be. Listening attentively, I did not hear any sound coming from her hotel room. The curiosity was beginning to gnaw at me, but I also knew deep inside that no matter the gift might be, I would be quite satisfied with it. As the hour drew to a close, I turned off the laptop, plunging myself into silence. After putting the condoms back in my suitcase, I went to the window one more time, my eyes drinking in the virgin whiteness cast across the suburb. A lone pickup truck drove slowly along the far end of the park, but otherwise, there was no sign of humanity. Yet, for once, I did not feel alone, as I knew that the young exotic student who loved me awaited me across the wall. I knocked and waited outside the door to Megumi's hotel room, and I heard no sound emerging from the other side of the door. My heartbeat was quickening, and I felt an unexpected nervousness suddenly rise up within me. But as soon as I heard the lock begin to disengage, the nervousness subsided, although my heartbeat remained accelerated. Megumi allowed me into the room, taking care to place the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the hallway-facing handle-style doorknob before closing and locking the door. Then she stepped into my arms, pressing herself fully against me as we embraced anew. "I did not think to buy wrap paper," she admitted once she stepped out of my hold, "but I hope you still like your gift." "I know I will," I assured her. My goddess smiled shyly, directing me to the bed. Sitting at the edge of the bed, I slipped off my shoes, noting that she had moved the covers to one of the chairs at the table, watching as she went to her suitcase and withdrew something, presumably my gift. She turned to me, hiding the gift behind her so that I could not see it, and slowly returned to me. "What I hold is not your gift," she informed me. "What I hold is the means to use gift." That was a perplexing statement, which must have been evident in my facial expression, for Megumi quickly added, "You will understand." There was a long hesitation, and I had the sense that this was a "now-or-never" moment for Megumi. I could almost see the thoughts and emotions whirling around behind her eyes. Then, her arms moved, slowly, and I soon saw the means in her hand. It was a box of Trojan condoms. I needed a few moments to get over the shock of seeing the condoms. Then I needed a few more moments to understand what Megumi had meant by "the means to use gift." I looked up from the box to Megumi's face. She was smiling shyly, clearly a little nervous knowing that she was heading into unexplored territory. "Megumi," I whispered, very uncertain what to say, how to express what I felt deep inside. "I am your gift," she said softly. "I give you me, completely. You have the heart. I now give you the body." Seemingly in slow motion, I reached a hand toward her, placing it directly over her heart. The rhythm was strong, and somewhat quicker than her erect stance would suggest, indicating that she was indeed a little nervous about this. Yet her eyes were full of love, and it was explicitly evident that she truly wanted to give herself to me, to give me her body, to consummate our young love at last. I thought back over the past ten days: the despair and the depression, the loneliness and the tears, finding that I was not alone, the hope and the joy, realizing that I was falling in love, the wonder and the exploration, the want and the desire... I looked at my hand as I felt Megumi's heartbeat resonating within my fingers, within my palm. On either side of my hand, I noted the swells, beckoning to me, moving subtly as she breathed. I could feel her love within my hand, and I could see her gift... "I love you, Megumi," I whispered, caressing her between her breasts, directly over her heart, noting the feel of her bra underneath her sweatshirt. Our eyes met once again, and she smiled with a greater confidence, even though I sensed she was still somewhat nervous. ...as was I. With both hands, I took the box of condoms from her and set it on the bed beside me. "I want so much to make love to you," I admitted quietly, feeling myself become rather warm – not from a blush, but from the love I truly felt for her. "'Make love,'" she repeated, having trouble with the "l" and "v" sounds as usual. "That is beautiful." I stood before her, taking the goddess into my arms. Slowly, my arousal made its presence known between us, but neither of us seemed to care. "I will bleed," she cautioned softly. "I am virgin." "So am I," I admitted. "So am I." Then, I suddenly realized that not only was Megumi giving me her body, she was also giving me something which she would never ever be able to give to anyone else: her virginity. She loved me enough to give me her most precious gift, even though it would hurt her, even though I would hurt her, even though I would tear her, even though her blood would be spilled upon the white fitted sheet. "I'll try not to hurt you too much," I promised her solemnly. "It is okay," she assured me. "I am supposed to hurt. Hurt me. Please." Her resolve was impressive, warming my heart. That anyone would love me enough to allow me and want me to hurt her truly moved me. "I want you in me. I am your gift." I hugged my goddess tightly, very much torn. As much as I wanted to make love to her, as much as I wanted to connect with her in the most intimate way possible, I wanted to be able to do it without hurting her, even though I knew that would be impossible. But, despite the necessary pain, I also wanted her to enjoy this experience, to always be able to think fondly upon this life-changing moment. "I want to be inside you," I assured her. "I want to make love to you and know you as deeply as possible." She gazed into my eyes, smiling nervously yet lovingly. Taking her head in my hands, I kissed her forehead, and I could sense her nervousness beginning to fade. "You are indeed a goddess," I whispered. Her smile brightened, as did the flame of love in her eyes. My hands slowly descended Megumi's back, and, somehow, we both knew what was about to take place. My hands slipped underneath the base of her college sweatshirt, caressing the warm skin directly, and I heard her sigh contentedly as she leaned into me. There was no rush, no hurry, no desperate need – I simply took my time, caressing her flesh, my hands slowly moving up her back, my fingertips stroking along her spine. She whispered something in Japanese, yet while I could not understand her words, the tone of her voice made it clear that she was definitely enjoying my loving touches. Yet my goddess was also touching me. Her small hands were all over my back, although remaining outside my shirt for the moment. She caressed me as if she were a little girl petting a much-cherished kitten, her touches soft and caring, loving and arousing, further solidifying my desire for her. Our mouths met again, my tongue brushing along her lower lip like a painter applying the final careful stroke to a masterpiece. Slowly, underneath her sweatshirt, my hands ascended her back, eventually reaching the clasp of her bra. She whispered something in Japanese, something which sounded like encouragement, and as she pressed her chest more firmly into me and kissed me anew, I fingered the clasp, mentally trying to picture what I was feeling, trying to figure out this feminine puzzle, and just as she softly giggled into my mouth, the clasp separated seemingly on its own, so that I was none the wiser about this feminine mystery. As her giggle subsided, my hands roamed her unfettered back, my fingernails gently dragging across her skin. And when at last I attempted to lift her sweatshirt from her, Megumi raised her arms into the air, allowing me to reveal much more of her body to my appreciative gaze. As her arms descended and I allowed the sweatshirt to fall to the floor, she reached for the straps of her bra, removing the garment and displaying her soft swells for me. "Megumi," I breathed, a hand slowly reaching toward her chest. I felt her bra alight upon my foot as I touched her breast, enjoying the smoothness, noting the subtle heartbeat. Our eyes met and she parted her lips to say something, but words would not come to her. I ensured her silence by kissing her again, but inadvertently thwarted that plan by gently pinching a nipple and causing her to squeal into my mouth, the sound sweetly accented in an inexplicable way which was quite arousing. Then, everything seemed to happen both quickly and languidly, at once as rapidly as a bolt of lightning and as slowly as a speeding snail. Along the way, somehow, at some point, shoes were kicked off and out of the way, my sweatshirt was discarded, her jeans, my jeans, my socks, her socks... ...and suddenly, without warning, my goddess was kneeling before me, my underwear at my ankles, my hands in her hair as I guided her head toward my tall erection. A sound I had never made before rumbled deep in my throat before rushing past my parted lips and filling Megumi's hotel room. Never had I imagined that a mouth could feel so good. Megumi's wet warmth was wonderful, surrounding the bulbous tip of my arousal and slowly descending my length as far as she possibly could without fear of gagging, her tongue gliding gently around my invading anatomy. With one hand wrapped around my thigh, her other hand gently kneaded my testicles, prolonging the virgin sound emerging from my throat. The vacuum of her small mouth was exquisite. The bobbing of her head was accentuated by the expression of delight in her eyes as she looked up at me. I held her hair out of the way so that I could gaze into her captivating eyes as I breathed a bit heavily, foreign sounds still occasionally passing between my parted lips. She looked so obscene with my anatomy disappearing between her lips, yet I could not get enough of this vision, and I wished that I had a camera to take a picture of her, her mouth filled with me, her eyes practically aglow with love. "If you don't stop," I cautioned between deep breaths, "I'll lose it, right in your mouth." Megumi lifted her head away, taking a moment to catch her breath, her small hands both stroking me. "Not my mouth," she requested, "my face." I recalled having seen a few images on the Internet of women with their faces and sometimes even their hair streaked with semen. While those images were intriguing, I did not then understand the appeal. Suddenly, I understood: The visual appeal of my own semen, part of the integral creation of life, streaked across the face of the woman who could one day produce a child for me was powerful, and the fact that she specifically asked for it, asked to be covered with my life-giving essence, caused my heart to swell. "Cum on me," she pleaded, a slight whine evident behind her accent. It was the first crass word Megumi had spoken around me, and it surprised me – pleasantly so – that it would be part of her vocabulary. Perhaps it was even more of a surprise because I rarely used such words myself, but the fact that she had used such a word seemed like "permission" for me to do the same. "You want me to... cum on your face?" Megumi nodded, still stroking me, her eyes pleading. I stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed, kicking away my underwear. After she had moved between my thighs, my surprising girlfriend sat back on her heels and resumed the exquisite work of pleasing me with her mouth, her tongue bathing me with desire. Even with her eyes closed, the expression upon her face was one of rapture, of delight, and it almost seemed to me that she felt this was where she belonged: between my thighs, pleasuring me in such an obscene manner. The vacuum of her dainty mouth was more powerful this time, as if she was trying to suck my entire body into her mouth and down her throat and into her stomach. Her fingertips pressed more firmly around the base of my hardened shaft. Her head bobbed more rapidly. Her tongue darted about like a scared bird trapped in a cage. All too soon, I felt it: a tingling within my testicles, a bubbling within my arteries and veins, my inhibitions beginning to crumble and expose my core. My own voice sounded foreign to me; even stranger, it sounded distant, as if I was hearing myself from the other side of a thick wall. The pounding of my heart was so loud that I was certain my goddess could also hear it. Her mouth felt so exquisitely good that I was practically doubled over, leaning over her, my hands fiercely gripping her head, my short fingernails burrowing deep into her scalp. Lengthy, barely-restrained groans erupted from my throat as I held her head in place, my jaw and my entire body quivering from the ecstatic sensations coursing throughout my being at the speed of light. Her expert tongue bathed the underside of my painful erection as she attempted to milk the white-hot desire from my bulbous tip. Her fingertips firmly and lovingly kneaded my testicles, heavy with my rising lust. My heart was pounding, fast and hard, shattering what remained of my inhibitions, thunderous in my ears, a rhythmic cacophony of primal need. I was almost certain that my goddess could feel the carnal rhythm twitching within her mouth, knocking at the top of her tight throat. I solidly believed that my heart would burst from my chest and bounce off the top of her head, such was the constant strength of its rhythm.