Dance of a Lifetime

by Frank Downey

  "As long as you're sure," Sophia smiled at her.

  "Sure as the sun coming up in the morning. They say you have to wait two months after starting the pill before you're safe, right? Two months is Labor Day weekend. Dad and Ellen are going away. I have a big surprise for my boyfriend," she giggled. "He doesn't even know I'm on the pill."

  "He's gonna be a happy boy. Send him back to the Prep with a smile on his face," quipped Jessie.

  "Oh, he won't be the only one smiling," admitted Kate.

  "So, what's up with Crash?" Sophia asked Jessie.

  Jessie looked at the floor. "We've decided to break up."

  "WHAT?"

  "Yeah. We've talked about it. Look, I'm going to Umass, and he's going to Northwestern. We'll be a thousand miles apart. I don't want to spend college cooped up in my room. So, we're going to see other people, and see what happens. If Jason is the one, then it will keep. Meantime, we do a little exploring, and figure out if each other really is "it". You're lucky, Soph, you're bringing yours with you. That was not possible for us, for lots of reasons."

  "True", Sophia smiled. "I know who I want. Of course, your idea sounds a touch intriguing, but I know that Warren is the guy for me."

  "Of course you do," quipped Jessie. "But what do you mean by intriguing?"

  "Well, before Warren and I knew we were going to be able to go to the same school, we discussed this, what would we do if we were separated. And we decided that we'd do exactly the same thing that you and Jason are doing. In our case, however, I think we knew it would just be a series of flings, and then we'd come back to each other. Warren is the guy for me, in the long run, and I know that completely. However, four years of variety has a certain... appeal." She giggled.

  "Well, ask Warren! Shit, if you want to open up your relationship, I don't think he'd have a problem with that," Jessie said. "Shit, he didn't have a problem with Jason."

  "Yeah, that's because he got you in return!"

  "I'm telling you, Sophia, if you opened up your relationship, Warren would not be staying home at night. All it would take was for one girl to experience that tongue, and it would be all over the University of Wisconsin and he'd be fending them off with a stick."

  Sophia giggled. "Yeah, that's what worries me. No, really, I don't really need anyone else, and I wouldn't want to do that with him there at the same school."

  "I don't see why you'd want it anyway. All you'll find out is that most guys can't hold a candle to that boyfriend of yours."

  "Yeah, and I know that, too."

  "Good."

  * * *

  Warren was talking to Jason about the breakup, also.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yeah," Jason said. "We just don't want to box ourselves in. We're young, we've got plenty of time to decide if this is permanent or not."

  "Hmmmm. I'd be afraid of one thing."

  "What's that?"

  "That I would realize I want it to be permanent and she would not."

  "Yeah, but that's the chance we've decided to take." Jason looked at Warren. "You're afraid of that anyway, aren't you?"

  "Yeah."

  "What, are you kidding? Sophie adores you, absolutely adores you."

  "Sometimes I wonder."

  "Well, this is new."

  "Not really." Warren sighed. "We're connected in so many ways, I'm wondering if those connections are what keep us together. She depends on me. She relies on me. There's the ice skating. I wonder if that's all we have, dependence and a career together. Not from my end, mind you, I love her more than life itself. But I wonder if she truly loves me. I wonder if she knows the answer to that question."

  "Jesus, Warren, you've been together for three years!"

  "Yeah, as have you and Jessie. And you're ending it."

  "First of all, we're not looking at it as an end, just a postponement. A hiatus. And, second of all, though I love Jessie, I have never seen our relationship like I've seen yours. You guys were made for each other."

  "I hope you're right. I've been thinking about this anyway, but moreso since you told me you and Jessie were calling it quits. Sophie and I did not have a good start to our relationship. She asked me out too soon after Scott, and she took me to bed too soon after that, and I went along with it. I still wonder if gratitude and dependence aren't all she has for me.

  "You're nuts."

  "Could be. I hope so. Because I don't know what I'd do without her."

  Chapter 54 - College

  Warren and Sophia drove Warren's van to Wisconsin, packed with all their stuff. They had a great time, driving halfway across the country, seeing the sights. They got to school at the beginning of the last week in August, as they had a week of Freshman orientation before school actually started.

  They lived in a high-rise dorm, which had sixteen floors in the high-rise part, with the dining hall on the first floor and the lobby on the second. There were two wings attached to the high-rise, with five floors each. The wings were, respectively, all male or all female. The tower alternated male and female by floors. Sophia was on the 9th floor of the tower, Warren on the second floor of the male wing.

  Sophia met her roommate, Elise Davenport, a pre-med from a suburb of Milwaukee. Warren's roommate was Tim Delfino, a business major from Philadelphia. He also met Paul Hurlihy, a fellow pre-med from Cleveland, who lived across the hall. Known by the nickname Papa Bear, due to his large size and his boisterous personality, he and Warren became fast friends.

  Warren and Sophia got through orientation, meeting new people and enjoying themselves. They even managed to get one of their rooms alone for a couple of hours a few times, so they could make love. They went over one of the University's ice rinks, took some of the money they had saved from their skating, and reserved a couple of blocks of time, two hours Sunday mornings and two hours Wednesday nights, for the whole year. The Sinatra free dance and their Original dance, which this year was a march, had been well worked out over the summer, but they needed to skate this fall. The people that ran the rink were thrilled to have the National silver medallists working out there, and gave them a good rate.

  * * *

  Sophia was sitting with her floormates at dinner, a couple of days before classes were due to start. Most of the girls at the table were checking out the guys. Sophia just smiled and didn't say anything.

  Courtney Bjornsen, one of the girls on Sophia's floor, noticed. "Whattsamatter, Sophia, don't like guys? I haven't seen you check out any of these specimens."

  "No," Sophia said with a smile, "I love guys. But there's one guy I love more than any others, so I don't have to look."

  "Oh, no, you're not one of those that's going to be loyal to Mister Wonderful back home, are you?" Courtney said snidely. "Mine thought I was going to. Yeah, riiiiiggggghhhhtttt. Like I wanna spend my college years pining for a guy at Penn State."

  "No, actually, mine is here."

  "What?" Courtney asked.

  "He's here. Lives on the second floor. We came here together."

  "WHAT?" Courtney was incredulous. "You went to the same college as your high school sweetheart? Why would you want to do that?"

  "Because we wanted to be together," Sophia said.

  "That's stupid," Jane, another girl from the floor, added. "College is a time for discovery. You're supposed to explore yourself. Not get stuck with the same old thing."

  "She's right," said Courtney.

  "Courtney, how long did you go out with that guy that went to Penn St.?" Sophia asked.

  "Started the first of this year. What's that, about eight months?"

  "I went out with mine for a year," Jane added.

  "Well, maybe it was easier for you guys, then." Sophia pointed out. "I've been going out with Warren for three and a half years."

  "WHAT?" Courtney sputtered. "Since freshman year in high school?" Sophia nodded. "All the more reason you should have cut him loose. You are trapped, girl."

  "Well, I don't think of it that way," Sophia sai
d. "Plus, we have a little... oh, creative and business venture that we're partners in."

  "Waitaminnit!" Melanie, one of the other girls, said. "I know who you are! You're Sophia Daniels!"

  "Of course she is, dummy, she already told us her name," Courtney said.

  "No, no," said Melanie, "she's the Sophia Daniels. Of Daniels and Kelleher."

  "What, are you famous or something?" Courtney asked skeptically.

  "If you are a figure skating fan, you'd know who I am, let's put it that way."

  "Sophia and that hunky boyfriend of hers finished second at the US National Championships in Ice Dance this year. And they won the Junior World Championship. And where did you finish at the Senior World Championships?" Melanie asked

  "Tenth. Which we were thrilled with, since it was our first try."

  "Oh, so you skate with your boyfriend," Courtney said. "So that's why you stay with him."

  "No, I stay with him because I love him."

  "Uh-huh. Well, I still think you're nuts."

  * * *

  Sophia was back in her room with Elise. She was thinking about the conversation with Courtney.

  "Hey," Elise said, "Courtney's a bitch. Don't let her get you down."

  "I won't," Sophia smiled.

  "I'm just glad she didn't ask me why I wasn't checking out the guys," Elise muttered.

  "What?"

  Elise sighed. "Since you're my roommate, you should probably know this, but please don't spread it around. I'm a lesbian."

  "Oh," was all Sophia could think to say.

  "Is that it?"

  "Well, I'm not quite sure what to say. I don't have a problem with it, if that's what you're wondering."

  "Good." She looked at Sophia with a big smile. "I must say it's a damn shame that you are straight."

  Sophia cracked up. "Straight and taken, and don't you forget it!"

  "You really love him?"

  "Yeah, I really do. He's wonderful."

  Elise looked pensive. "Technically, I'm bi. I am attracted to guys, but I've never had a relationship with a guy that wasn't a disaster, and every relationship I've had with a girl has been good."

  Sophia paused for a moment. "Well, what do you prefer... I mean... you know..."

  "Sexually?" Elise cracked up laughing, as Sophia nodded, blushing. "Well, so far, women. Most of the guys I've been with have been hopeless. I... well... I like to have oral sex performed on me. Girls are just better at that. And I like reciprocating, too, but the receiving... I've never met a guy that can satisfy me orally."

  Sophia cracked up laughing. "I should rent Warren to you for a day, you'd change your tune in a hurry."

  "Really?"

  "Oh, yeah." Sophia stopped for a minute. "He's very, very good in bed. Which makes things easier."

  "What kind of things, Soph?"

  "Well, I sort of understand what Courtney was talking about. I love Warren to death, but we've been together for quite a while. I find myself looking at other guys a lot... you know, wondering. Then I remind myself, I've got the best, who needs the rest?"

  "Hmmmm. Maybe Warren would be up for some experimentation?"

  "He probably would. I just don't know if I would. I'd feel guilty."

  * * *

  Shortly after that, classes started. And Warren found himself under an avalanche.

  Sophia found herself alone, far too often. Warren was almost constantly studying. Taking a full load of honors pre-med classes was proving to be tough, and Warren was still trying to organize his time properly. They went the first couple of weeks of school not seeing each other except for their twice-weekly skating sessions, and a couple of meals. Sophia was lonely, and horny.

  "Warren, please, just a couple of hours?" she said to him one Saturday afternoon in his room. "Elise went home for the weekend. I need you, Snugglebear."

  "Oh, Pookie, I wish I could. I have two tests on Monday, and they are both going to be tough. Let me see what I can get accomplished, and maybe I can take tonight off."

  "I have plans tonight. Can't you take the afternoon off?"

  "No, because that boxes me in, time-wise."

  "Forget it," Sophia said, and stormed off in a huff. Warren thought about following her, but decided against it. He really did have to study. He hoped she understood.

  She didn't. She studied, too-was doing very well, so far-and he was smarter than she was. She knew his courseload was particularly brutal, but still...

  After another week or so of this, Sophia was more frustrated, and hornier. It wouldn't take much for a complication to wreak havoc on her well-ordered life.

  And it did.

  Chapter 55 - The Complication

  The complication's name was Eduardo Gonzalez.

  Sophia met him in her calculus class-he was a math major. A native of the Dominican Republic, he had lived in New York City since he was thirteen. He was dark, and oh so gorgeous. Every girl in the class had been trying to catch his attention for a month. Sophia was bemused by it all-especially since Eduardo seemingly had eyes only for Sophia. He had made some sort of suggestive comment to her, a week into school, and she had just giggled and said, "Sorry, I have a boyfriend." This was the wrong thing to say to Eduardo, because he took it as a challenge. He muttered under his breath, out of her hearing, "Not for long."

  The little gifts came first. A pair of earrings. A box of chocolates. All with the same type of inscription on the card: "I am not your boyfriend... yet" said one. "Would your boyfriend be so thoughtful?" said another. When the CD of tunes from the Dominican Republic showed up, she figured out who the secret admirer was.

  She confronted him after class the next day. "Eduardo, all the stuff you've been sending me is sweet and thoughtful, but you've got to stop. I'm very, very taken."

  "Sure" he smiled, but thought to himself-let's see how taken she really is.

  Two tickets to the ballet arrived next, with this note: "These are yours to do with as you wish. If you have someone to accompany you, wonderful. If not, here is my number."

  She looked at the tickets, and called Warren.

  "Hiya Pookie."

  "Hi, Warren. Listen, I have the opportunity to get two free tickets for the ballet tomorrow night. You up for it?"

  He sighed. "Sorry, Soph, got a huge test on Friday."

  "Ah, can't you take a few hours out? Study more tonight, or something?"

  "I am studying tonight. I'm also studying tomorrow night. This one's gonna be a ballbuster, sweetie."

  "Dammit, Warren, this is important to me."

  "And passing biology is important to me. C'mon, Soph, gimme a break, huh?"

  "FINE!" She slammed down the phone. And picked it up, and called Eduardo.

  The ballet was wonderful. Eduardo was a perfect gentleman, holding doors open and stuff. She thoroughly enjoyed herself. And, when they got back to her dorm, he went to kiss her-and she didn't stop him. His lips bore down hard on hers, insistent, demanding, his hands massaging the small of her back. When he finally broke the kiss, she felt a little lightheaded. He smiled his rakish smile, and said, "There's more where that came from-after you become free."

  Free? Of Warren? He was promising her that if she broke up with Warren?

  The next day, in class, he sat behind her, his eyes boring a hole in her back. He brought his foot under her chair and rubbed her leg. He put his strong hand on her back. After class, he grabbed her, and kissed her again, in the open, with a strong, sure hand snaking up to grab her breast. He was dominating her, and she was on fire. And he said it again, "Remember, the whole ball of wax-after you become free."

  When she got back to the room, the flowers were there, with a similar card.

  She broke her date with Warren that evening, feigning sickness, and managed to avoid him all weekend with the same excuse.

  Monday, in calculus, he did the same thing. Surreptitious touches with a firm, strong hand. Footsie under the desk. And, after class, he grabbed her and kissed her again, one hand
on her breast, the other one snaking its way between her legs, rubbing her drenched pussy through her jeans. She felt powerless to stop him, and it turned her on. Finally, he whispered, "Are you free Friday night?"

  "Yes."

  "Really, truly free?"

  "I will be." She was in a trance.

  "Good. Friday I will take you, and make you mine, and you will no longer be free again."

  Sophia ran back to the dorm, wrote the letter, and dropped it in Warren's box...

  Warren bounded back from class, and checked his mail. Not much, except a letter from Sophia. A letter? She's not usually much of a letter writer. He walked into his room, and opened the letter.

  He read,

  My dearest Warren,

  I am sorry, but I think we have reached the end. There is someone else. I will always treasure what we had together, but it seems to have run its course. I have been worried about us for some time. I feel trapped. I need to experience more than what we have. I know this will hurt you, and I am truly sorry for that, but this is the way it has to be.

  Love,

  Sophia

  Enclosed with the letter were the pendant and the claddagh ring.

  Warren sat down hard on his bed, feeling like he had just been run over by a locomotive.

  Elise picked up the phone in the room. "Hello? Hiya, kid! Hold on. Sophia, it's Warren."

  "Hang up the phone."

  "What?"

  "Hang up the damn phone!"

  Elise didn't, but she said to Warren, "Warren, she's telling me to hang up the phone. No, I can't get her to talk to you. Sophia, he really wants to talk to you!"

  "HANG UP THE PHONE!" Sophia bellowed. Even Warren heard that one, so, when Elise went back to the receiver, Warren himself had already hung up.

  "Sophia, what the hell's going on?"

  "I broke up with Warren today. I left a note in his box."