Some days, he felt like he was the only person in the world capable of stopping the Soviet Union’s nuclear threat. Like he’d have to hammer down the Berlin Wall singlehandedly. It was refreshing as hell to talk to a pretty girl who put no pressure on him.
She liked him for him, and she didn’t even know him. Not the real him.
“Work was boring,” she said. “It was a beautiful summer day, and everyone was outside. I think I sold two tubs of popcorn to the only two creeps who came to the theater. I don’t think they even wanted to eat the popcorn. They just needed the giant tubs to hide themselves jacking off in the last row. Losers.”
“People do that in the movies?” It was kind of thrilling to hear her refer to masturbation, but he was worried she’d hate him if she knew how frequently he jacked off, as she called it. Having no outlet for his burgeoning sexual needs, he was forced to hide in the bathroom at least once a day.
“No. Most people don’t do that in the movies. Only perverts do it in public. It’s something that’s best done in the privacy of your own home.”
“Is that where you do it?”
Silence from her.
“Allison? Did I lose you?”
“No, I’m still here. I, um, Peter, that’s not something people really talk about.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Do you?” she blurted.
“Do I what, talk about it?”
“No, jack off.”
Now it was his turn to be silent. He decided to tell the truth, because he couldn’t have a future with Allison anyway. Would it make a huge difference if his confession ended things sooner rather than later? “I did this morning.”
“Oh?” She sounded intrigued, not upset.
“I thought about you and what we did yesterday.”
“That’s actually kind of romantic,” she said. “I’ve never had a guy actually admit it before.”
“I thought about how much I liked it and wanted to see you again.”
“To have sex?” she asked.
“Yeah, but also I want to spend more time with you.”
“I’m not working tomorrow,” she offered. “We could meet for lunch, or maybe drive over to Annapolis.”
He thought quickly. There was a training session early in the morning and nothing too important after lunch. “Should I pick you up?”
“No, I can meet you there.” She gave him the location, and he committed it to memory. “See you tomorrow.”
“See you.” He hung up with a huge grin on his face. He was seeing Allison again, and no one on campus was going to stop him.
Peter found a parking spot in the quaint crowded waterfront village of Annapolis. Getting off campus had been easier than he’d dared dream. He’d simply informed his commanding officer he was leaving, grabbed the car keys and left. He looked around curiously, knowing that the town had a long history in the US and was home to the US Naval Academy. His comrades in arms, one might say.
Slowly, he made his way up the street, knowing he had time to spare. He was fifteen minutes ahead of the time Allison had planned to meet, but it was better this way since he didn’t want to keep her waiting.
Instead, he was kept waiting nearly thirty minutes. He was about to give up and go find a pay phone when she came dashing through the entrance of the coffee shop where he’d been sipping a Tab.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. I got into it with my parents, and, well, never mind. I’m here now.” Today her platinum blonde hair was in a high messy pony tail, and she had thick bracelets almost like cuffs on both wrists. She was a little taller than he remembered thanks to her high heeled ankle boots.
He’d stood the second she rushed through the doorway. She walked into his waiting arms now, and it seemed the most natural thing to lower his head and find her mouth for a kiss. He was new in the public world, but even he knew there were acceptable greeting kisses, and then there were kisses that were best saved for the privacy of your bedroom. Their kiss was of the latter variety.
“Wow,” she whispered when they at last separated and stared into each other’s faces. “Good to see you, too.”