The crush

[Pywakit]

Maria

Class was half over before Maria finally realized that Rick wasn't going to show for class. She sighed as she felt the depression she had tried to escape by moving out here settling in to its familiar nooks and crannies. She tried to pay attention to the lecture, but her mind couldn't focus. By the time class was over, she'd filled half a page with doodles.

She had a few more classes, but she didnt' feel like going to them, so she rode her bike off campus and into town. The weather was perfect for riding, and by two she'd found herself a nice park. By three, she was nearly completely exhausted. She thought about heading home, but decided against it. Instead, she went to see a movie. But like the lecture earlier in the day, she found she couldn't concentrate on the thriller's complex plot. When it devolved into a series of car chases and boat chases and airplane chases, it was actually a relief.

When she emerged from the theater, night was already approaching. She stopped at an Itallian restraunt for dinner, then felt too tired and glum to ride home so she took a bus, her bike wedged safely in the bike carrier in the front. By the time she realized she'd picked a bus that was heading onto the freeway, it was too late. "Perfect way to end a wasted day," she thought bitterly. It was 11:00 at night by the time she'd finished her 3 hour bus ride through the far side of town, and as she fumbled with her keys in the door, she could think of nothing more than the depressing dreams she knew were waiting for her once she fell asleep.

 

[Beach Boy]

Back in the dorms, Rick showered quickly and headed back to his room. He was going to have to hurry if he wanted to make the rest of his classes.

Ricks roommate Steve was sitting on his bed giving him a funny look when he came in. "Some girl left you a funny message on the phone."

"Really?" Rick asked feeling suddenly nervous. He punched the play button on the phone.

"Ummmm... hi there. This is for Rick... I mean, this message is for Rick.
Ummm... this is Maria, and I was just wondering, uh, I mean... I guess I'll
see you in class. Right? Okay."

"Maria? She sounds like a hottie! I'll bet she has some hottie friends! She sounds like an eastern girl. Does she call New York 'Nooo Yock'?"

"Get outta here you idiot. I've gotta call her back, and I want a little privacy."

Rick picked up the phone and dialed Maria's number anxiously. Maybe he'd get lucky and catch her at home, and get to talk to her! But the phone just rang and the answering maching came on...

"Hey Maria, this is Rick. I uh.. had breakfast with Tracy... and I wasn't able to make it to class. So I was wondering if I could get notes from you? I mean... I just sort of ran into Tracy this morning... and breakfast went longer than we thought.. and I was just wondering? Umm.. goodbye. I'll see you later."

Rick set the phone down and began reluctantly gathering his books. He was going to have to wait until later to see Maria, and even be able to talk to her.. All he could think of was the intense, almost sad, penetrating look in Maria's eyes and a desire to take her in his arms and hug her close. And it was frustrating because it was all in his mind and it would have to wait until he was finally with her again.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

She was greeted by a single blinking red light in her dark apartment. The answering machine. She flicked on the light and threw her keys down on the endtable as she pressed the play button. It was Rick.

"Hey Maria, this is Rick. I uh.. had breakfast with Tracy... and I wasn't able to make it to class. So I was wondering if I could get notes from you? I mean... I just sort of ran into Tracy this morning... and breakfast went longer than we thought.. and I was just wondering? Umm.. goodbye. I'll see you later."

She stood there for a moment, unsure what to think. She played the message again.

What did he mean by 'had breakfast with Tracy,' and why did he sound so flusterd? And why did he feel the need to suddenly backtrack and explain how he "just sort of ran into Tracy this morning?"

A sick feeling was blooming inside her as she felt her imagination start to take over. She tried to stop it, but it went there anyway. She imagined him, frustrated at being interrupted in their shower, then maybe calling Tracy to complain to her or look for some attention, maybe getting her attention, maybe even going over to her place... and then next morning calling from her place after they'd had breakfast to see if Maria had been a good enough girl to take some notes for him.

She sat down heavily on the couch, then turned on the TV. As usuall, there was nothing on, so after five minutes she turned it off and sat there, quietly thinking, for a long time. A strangely familiar sense of hollowness was settling in, the same feeling of hollowness she felt a few months ago when everything had started to turn so sour and horrible. It had started slow like this, and then had suddenly mushroomed into a nightmare.

That time, she'd had Tracy to fall back on. Tracy had been there to help her make her escape to the west coast. But if it happened all over again... there wasn't anyone else she could turn to. And that prospect was perhaps the most horrifying of them all.

Eventually, she shook her head. "It's just your imagination, girl! You've had a shitty day, spent three hours on the bus, and now you're just reading too much into eveyrthing. Go to sleep." She didn't stand up. "Go. To Sleep! You're talking to yourself, for Chrissakes!" That did the trick. She stood, turned off the light, then stumbled into her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, still fully dressed. In less than a minute, she was asleep.

 

[Beach Boy]

"Dude, just give her a call." Steve shook his head in disgust. "Or get her flowers... Girls always like to get flowers!"

"That's not a bad idea." Rick jumped up off of his bed.

"Dude, the stores are all closed by now."

"That's okay." Rick grinned as he slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed a windbreaker. "I may be back a little late, don't wait up."

"Okay honey." Steve replied sarcastically.

Rick headed out of his dormitory and across the campus. The night air was cool and crisp with a light breeze that made the palm trees rustle. And the campus seemed a different world shrouded in the darkness. It almost always seemed to make Rick feel a little melancholy. Maybe Maria had thought that he had been avoiding her when he hadn't shown up at class?

Rick flicked on the lights in the greenhouse, opened a cabinet near the door, took out a wicker florists basket, and headed towards some plants he was growing. Some of the Ghost orchids were in bloom. They had little green flowers and no leaves. But Ricks prize Cattaleyas, with their big showy flowers, would be better. He placed three of the best around the edge of the basket and the prize blue Australian cycad in the middle. He decorated the basket with some purple ribbon that he found in the florists cabinet. And on a simple plain piece of paper he wrote a note.

Maria,

Just a gift, for a very special girl who is always in my thoughts.

Love,

Rick

P.S. The little blue Australian cycad has been around since the time of the dinosaurs. I hope you like it.


Rick parked his car a little ways from Maria's apartment and quietly walked up to her front door. He carefully set the basket to the side of Maria's door then snuck back to his car. Hopefully he'd see her in class in the morning.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

The next morning, when her alarm went off, Maria didn't even notice. At first. She noticed about two hours later when she woke because the sun was shining through her window into her eyes. Her first reaction was confusion... Who was shining a flashlight in her eyes? When she opened them and realized it was nearly 11:00, she jumped out of bed with a start.

And just as quickly sat back down. Her class was starting in less than three minutes, and she was a good ten minute bike ride from campus. She still felt all clammy and gross from the bus ride fiasco of last night, and on top of it all, was still quite a bit upset over Rick not showing up for class the day before. And then there were the rapidly fading memories of her dreams... the same old shit, depressing in some incoherent way. In another minute, she made her decision to skip the class for the day.

She took a long shower, then ate a bowl of cereal for lunch with some coffee. By noon, she almost felt back to normal, the memories of her forgotten dreams just that, forgotten. Except for that vauge gnawing in her stomach. She was starting to feel gross again, even nauseous, and ended up wandering back into her room for a nap.

A nap that turned into a six hour snoozefest.

She woke at 6:00 to a strange trilling sound. What the hell was that? Her hand shot up to hit her alarm snooze, but the noise continued. It took her a few more seconds to realize it was the phone ringing...

 

[Beach Boy]

"Dude, you look like your dog died."

Rick looked up at the ceiling of the Student Union.

"Forest I just don't know what happened.."

"Dude, just give her a call. You know dude.. if you just left the flowers on her front porch somebody might have grabbed them before she ever even saw them."

"I guess I didn't think about that."

"And dude I didn't know you grew flowers."

"Yeah, well.. you know.."

"No no, it's cool dude!" Forest saw the embarassment.

"Okay..okay..you talked me into it. I'll give her a call. " Rick agreed.


The phone rang several times and Rick was about to give up hope when suddenly Maria answered. "Hello?"

"Hi Maria, this is Rick."

"How are you doing Rick?"

"Ow, not bad." Rick lied "But I haven't seen you in class. How are you doing? And...uh... did you get the flowers I left next to your door?"

Rick heard the phone drop, a door open, and then the sound of water running at the sink.

"They're a little wilted.." Maria said sheepishly.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

Maria didn't know how to feel. Her brain was still fuzzy with sleep, and now here she was holding a basket of wilted prehistoric flowers.

"I... I kinda didn't really go out much today, to tell the truth," she said into the phone as she looked the flowers over. "I woke up only a couple minutes before class started, and then felt gross after eating some breakfast, and took a nap. Actually, I still feel kinda sick to my stomach... anyway... So! Did I miss anything good today in class?"

To tell the truth, the nausea she felt was starting to fade away. Talking to Rick, holding the flowers that she hadn't even noticed, it was working wonders. And at the same time, she felt exhausted, like she was racing along a rollercoaster track.

 

[Beach Boy]

"So! Did I miss anything good today in class?"

"Yeah we went over index fossils. I could come by and give you notes if you'd like.." Rich volunteered nervously.

"I really don't feel that good.."

"Have you had anything to eat for dinner? Maybe you have low blood sugar?"

"Um yeah.."

"Well would you like to go out for dinner? Have you ever eaten at the Paragon?"

"No.. I mean sure!"

"Cool! I'll see you at nine?"

"See you at nine!"

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

After she hung up the phone, Maria sat for a moment, still a bit flummoxed at the sudden turn of events. Eventually, she stood and wandered into the bathroom for a quick shower.

She'd never been to the Paragon, but she'd always meant to go. The place had a great reputation on campus as a place that you could not only get great food at, but you could do so for a great price. Always a nice combo for the standard college student.

As she finished her shower, and dried off, her stomach grumbled. "Good," she thought to herself, "At least your appetite's back."

She wandered back into her room, naked, and tried to decide what to wear. It was really no more than a spur of the moment decision, but a few moments later she had put on the thong and swimming top she'd modeled for Rich a few days ago. Who knew? Perhaps they'd go for a quick swim after they ate... an HOUR after they ate, Maria reminded herself.

She threw on some jeans and a dark green shirt, tied her hair back in a tail, and then forced herself to watch a little innane TV to calm her nerves before she set out for the Paragon.

She got there about 20 minutes early nevertheless, so she took a seat at the bar and waited for Rich to show up.

 

[Beach Boy]

Rick looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. It was almost as if he were looking for reassurance. Finally he was going to get a chance to see Maria. Women were hard to understand sometimes... He wondered what she'd be wearing tonight. A dress? Nah... Maybe slacks or something more casual like jeans? Rick imagined wrapping his arms around Maria, putting his hands down on her thighs and rear, hugging her close, and kissing her intimately.

The town was bustling with activity and the Paragon was a popular evening hangout. Rick didn't see Maria waiting at the entrance, but when he poked his head in he thought he saw her seated at the bar.

I'd better get over there before some other guy beats me to her!

"Hey Maria! How's it goin'?" Rick felt himself smiling and felt even better when Maria smiled back.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

'Oh, there you are!" Maria said as Rick called out her name. "I've got a table waiting for us; follow me. OH, and I got you this," she said as she handed him a dark, foamy glass. "I wasn't really sure what you wanted, so hope a Guiness works for starters at least."

They wound their way through the crowd to the booth near the back wall. Maria slid into the comfortable bench as Rick sat down opposite her. There were a few moments of awkward silence as the two of them sipped at their drinks. A chirpy waitress eventually came by and took their orders. As she left, Maria looked back at Rick and smiled tentatively.

"So what have you been up to?" she aksed. "Have the police talked to you any more about... well... a couple of nights ago?"

 

[Beach Boy]

"So what have you been up to?" Maria asked. "Have the police talked to you any more about... well... a couple of nights ago?"

"No, you know they haven't.. I don't know.. I wouldn't be suprised if Bodie doesn't disappear again."

Maria studied an old wooden surfboard hanging on the wall and nodded, "And I'm sure you wouldn't be sorry to see him go."

"That's for sure."

Rick looked at Maria nervously, "So uh... I've missed you at school. How are things going for you?... I've really missed you."

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

Maria smiled and looked down at the table. "Things have been okay, I guess. Felt like crap earlier today... upset stomach and all that nonsense. But I'm feeling better now. Sorry I missed class though..." She looked back up at the surfborad.

"So! How hard is it to learn to surf?"

 

[Beach Boy]

"Well.." Rick paused "It takes a little work. Are you a good swimmer?"

Maria flashed a wounded look "Yes. We swim back east!"

"Sorry.." Maria caught herself.

"Well you first need to learn how to paddle around on the board. You'll find it's easier to paddle if your body is a little behind center on the board with the nose in the air a little bit. You kind of raise your shoulders and paddle like you're performing a crawl stroke."

Maria listened intently.

Rick grinned self-consiously "So anyway.. we could start by working on the paddling."

"I'd like to!" Maria nodded.

"After we eat do ya wanna go for a walk on the beach?"

"Just stick with me this time, okay!" Maria set a hand softly on Ricks shoulders and gave him a smile.

"I wouldn't dare to let you out of my sight."

--------------------------------------------------------

It had been a hot day but a cool refreshing breeze was blowing in off of the ocean. Maria walked closely by Ricks side. Instinctively he reached over and put an arm around her and she snuggled close to him as they walked through town towards the ocean.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

Maria thought back over the past several days... it was hard to believe that so much had happened during them. Even harder to believe was how well she felt she knew Rick now. Walking at his side, pressing against him as they wandered up the beach at twilight, watching the sun set... it was weird.

Even weirder was actually going out on the ocean. Maria lay flat on the surfboard and paddled while Rick swam alongside. They didn't go out to the large waves, and that was all fine with Maria, especailly once they reached some good but small surf and she tried to balance standing on the board. She fell off over and over, but eventually, with Rick's help, she acutally managed to stay on for a few dozen feet as a small wave carried her back toward the shore.

By the time they'd finished, the sun had set and it was getting pretty dark. The two of them returned to the beach and ran back to where they'd stashed their towells... it was still pretty warm, but it still felt good to wrap up in them.

"Wow... that was really fun, Rick," Maria said after she sat down on another beach towell. "Only, it's a lot more tiring than it looks. My legs are killing me!"

 

[Beach Boy]

" Would you like your legs messaged?"

Maria smiled "Sure".

Carefully Rich began softly messaging Maria's left foot than he slowly worked his way up to her calf.

"You did great!" Rich grinned "You're a natural! Don't worry your legs will get stronger."

Maria lay her head back as Rich moved up to her thigh and began messaging it with long smooth strokes on all sides. A couple of times he messaged a little too far up the inner part of her thigh and touched her moist bikini bottom. Maria giggled and Rich apologized and went to work on the other leg.

"That feels good." Maria murmured

"Feels good to me too." Rich said. Maria laughed and Rich joined her.

"Oh I love the sound of the waves." Rich lay down on his back but continued messaging Maria's thighs.

"Me too."

"Oops" Rich messaged a little too high again.

Maria giggled, "Here let me help." and sat up.

Rich felt Maria's hand move his hands a little ways down her thigh then he realized that she was removing her bikini bottom.

"There, that's better." Maria said in mock seriousness. She grabbed Rich's right hand and slid it up her thigh. "You missed a spot."

Rich felt his bathing suit bulging up into a pup tent as he grew rock hard and he sat up for a better view as he explored that wonderful "spot" that he'd "missed".

Rich heard some voices behind them and suddenly tensed up.

"Oops, there's other people here." Maria whispered as she fumbled to put her bikini bottom back on.

"You know it's going to be getting cold here soon, with the wind blowing in from the ocean."

"You want to go back to my place."

"Yeah." Rich whispered under his breath.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

They were back at Maria's apartment in less than fifteen minutes. Maria fumbled with her keys a bit as she tried to unlock her door. Her hands were shaking. And not from the cold. She dropped the keys and sighed in exasperation. A few moments later, the door was open.

"Have a seat, Rich," she said. "I'm just gonna check my messages real quick." She stepped into the kitchen, out of sight from him, and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted him. Badly. There was no denying it any more. And it looked and felt like he might want the same.

She didn't even bother looking at her answering machine.

"No messages," she reported as she stood in the archway between the kitchen and the living room, looking at Rich. She had put on a pair of shorts for the ride home, but still wore her bikini and little else. The waist straps of her bottoms slung up high on her hips. She leaned her back against the arch, so he could look at her profile.

"So... you, umm... want something to drink? Or eat?" She smiled and bit at her lower lip at the same time... hoping he'd just take the hint and come get her.

 

[Beach Boy]

"Oh, I don't know..."

Maria smiled comfortably at Rick and posed her hips to one side.

"Thank you for today." Rick set a hand softly on Maria's shoulder and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"Thank you too." Maria returned Ricks kiss with one of her own and leaned her body warmly into Ricks and nuzzled her head against Ricks chest.

"Mmmm.."

Rick massaged Maria's back and enjoyed her hard nipples against his chest.

"Is that in the way?" Maria asked as Ricks hand slid over the strap of the bikini top.

"Here." Rick carefully unhooked the strap, and Maria stepped back allowing her bikini top fall to the ground and reveal erect nipples on her firm breasts.

Rick pulled his shirt over his head then Maria's arms reached for him as he reached for her and they cuddled topless. Rick's hands drifted down her back and he very softly massaged her rear as he felt himself growing bigger and pressing into her.

"Are the shorts in the way?"

"Yeah." Rick grinned.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

"Well... we'll just have to do something about that then, won't we?" Maria said, a mischevious glint in her eye. She kissed Rick on the tip of the nose, then slowly dropped to her knees, dragging her tits down his chest as she slid. Finally on her knees, she slid her fingers in over the top of Rick's shorts and fished out his drawstring. It took a bit of doing, but in a few moments she had the knot loosened. His erection was straining against the fabric of the cloth now, tenting up the front. Maria pretended not to notice as she loosened the drawstring and "accidently" bumped the side of her hand against him. She stood again. "There ya go... should be loose enough to slide right off you now. Only... they're not! Why is that? Almost like they're hung up on something..." She smiled and winked at him

 

[Beach Boy]

"Here's the problem." Maria exclaimed. She reached into his shorts with one hand, wrapped it around his warm swollen penis, then used the other hand to pull down his shorts, which fell to the ground.

"That's better." Maria grinned standing up. She reached for Ricks hands and guided them to her own shorts.

"I never finished the message!" Rick said with mock seriousness. First he messaged her through the shorts, then getting down on his knees he removed Maria's shorts and thong so that he could finish with a proper message.

He finished with a kiss on the inside of her left thigh, rose, kissed both nipples, then allowing his swollen member to press into thigh and slide between her legs he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips.

Maria took his hand and pulled him towards her bedroom.

 

[Pywakit]

Maria

As they entered the room, Maria turned to face Rick. She smiled, then kissed him quickly on the lips before she let go of his hand and jumped onto her bed. She rolled over onto her back, her legs spread slightly. She cocked her head at him, her eyes trailing down his body to his erection.

"Come over here, Rick. Come lie down with me."