The Trans Ultra Collection Vol 2

by Ursula Lovelace

  Amanda was the most beautiful girl I had ever met. Strangely enough, she was as shy as a doe. The girl didn’t have any presence on social media or even a Facebook page. As far as I knew, she didn’t seem to have any female friends. For that matter, she didn’t seem to have a boyfriend either.

  I wanted to ask her out. I knew that Amanda didn’t live too far off from campus. She lived nearby with her parents and commuted to college. In other words, she was a townie. That’s a college student who goes to an in-state school near where they live.

  I knew that she was an Art History major. As luck would have it, the wife of one of my other professors headed a local art gallery. The professor always left pamphlets and tickets out for the art shows his wife hosted. He wanted to drum up support for his wife but most of the class wasn’t interested. I figured I could feign interest in an art show and ask Amanda if she wanted to accompany me.

  It would practically be a date.

  Of course, I needed to work out the courage to say something to her. I usually said ‘hi’ or talked to her about classwork. I tended to get tongued-tied whenever I talked to her about anything else. Hell, talking to a girl in general was a challenge for someone like me.

  “Hey Amanda,” I began after clearing my throat. “Are you busy this weekend?”

  She flashed me a heart-rending smile. “What’s up, James? You want us to study together?”

  “My physics professor’s wife is hosting an art exhibition,” I replied, remembering my pitch. It sounded smoother in my head than it did in practice. “I got two tickets if you’re interested.”

  Amanda looked surprised that I was talking to her about something other than classes. “Are you asking me out, James?”

  That was more direct than I had expected. I decided to hand her one of the spare pamphlets I had for the event. “Yeah…”

  She sighed as she took the pamphlet. “It sounds interesting… but I’m not sure my parents will let me go.”

  I knew Amanda still lived with parents and cared deeply for them. I just didn’t know why an adult had such a strict curfew. However, I never wanted to pry too much into her personal affairs.

  “It’s nothing wild like an erotic nude gallery,” I chuckled. I didn’t know why she was so reluctant to attend. It seemed like Amanda was genuinely interested in seeing the art gallery. “It’s going to be classy with expressionist paintings.”

  “The art exhibit is fine,” she replied, giving me a weak smile. “It’s just that I don’t know if my dad would like me going out with someone from college.”

  I felt deflated. “I-I understand. The offer’s still there if you change your mind.”

  I saw pity in her eyes. It made me regret even asking her out and being humiliated. “Thanks anyway, James.”

  That put me in a dour mood for the rest of the day. I didn’t understand why she was reluctant to go to the exhibit with me. Amanda liked fine art in and out classes. She liked me well enough to talk and study with me. I guessed her parents were just that strict.

  I forgot about the whole art exhibition when I went back to my dorm. There was no point in going there without Amanda. Those two tickets I had would go unused.

  Or so I thought.

  That evening, I got a call on my cell phone. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was Amanda. She had me on speed dial in case she needed help with homework. I immediately picked up the call and said. “Hello?”

  An older woman’s voice replied on the other end. “Hello, is this James?”

  I wondered who this person was and why she was using Amanda’s phone. “Yes, who is it?”

  “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself,” she replied. “I’m Amanda’s mother. I couldn’t help but notice that you offered to take my daughter to an art show this weekend. I saw the pamphlet for the event and it looks wonderful!”

  That was surprising to me. I had thought that her parents were the ones keeping her from going. “Yes, Amanda told me she couldn’t go.”

  “Oh, that’s nonsense, young man,” she laughed. “My daughter’s too shy for her own good. I know that she would love it if you took her out for the night.”

  It almost sounded like she was setting up her daughter for a date with me. Not that I minded it. “Oh, is Amanda okay with it?”

  “She will be,” she answered. It sounded more like a command than a statement. “Let me get her.”

  A few seconds later, I heard another voice.

  “Hello James,” Amanda answered, sounded embarrassed about the whole ordeal. I could tell that calling me up to backtrack wasn’t her idea. “I’m sorry my mom sprang this up on you. She found that pamphlet you gave me and asked what it was about.”

  “Hey, I understand it if you don’t want to go,” I said, sounding a bit dejected. I wanted to go out with Amanda but I didn’t want her to be strong armed into it. “We can drop this if you have other plans for the weekend. I won’t hold it against you.”

  I heard her sigh. “No, my parents were persistent about me going after they found out that you had tickets. When is the art exhibition?”

  Well, I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially a beauty like Amanda. “It’s at six. I can pick you up at five. We can kill time until then.”

  There was a small pause before she spoke. “Okay, James. See you tomorrow.”

  I couldn’t wait to see her. I knew that Amanda wasn’t completely happy about the whole prospect of being forced to go on a date with me. Nonetheless, I figured I could show her a good time and make it worth her while.

  When I picked her up that day, I saw that Amanda had dressed up for the occasion. She had put on a nice, flowing dress that highlighted her curves. Her hair was sleek and braided into a nice bun. Despite her lack of confidence, the girl was a looker.

  I flashed a smile at her. “Looking sharp.”

  She giggled. “My mom spent hours fixing me up. It took forever to get my hair right.”

  “It was well worth it,” I replied as she got into the car. I couldn’t help but sneak glace at cleavage spilling over from her dress. “Did you eat yet? I figured we could have some tea at a bakery that’s not too far away from the art exhibit.”

  Amanda nodded. “Sounds good, James.”

  We stopped by a French bakery close to our campus. Like a gentleman, I bought both of us a pair of iced green teas. It wasn’t like I planned on spending lavishly on Amanda. I was a poor college student with little money. Those tickets to the art exhibit would have set me back a hundred dollars if I hadn’t gotten them for free. Nevertheless, I wanted her to have a good time.

  We talked over tea about school, our parents, and anything that caught our attention. It felt as if this was the first time I had spoken to Amanda to something other than schoolwork. As an art major, she was an expert on what was being set up at the art gallery. I figured I would let her do the guiding once we got there.

  After we finished, I drove us to the art gallery. The parking lot was surprisingly packed. We had to do quite a bit of walking to the entrance. I didn’t envy Amanda’s feet but she didn’t mind strutting around in high heels.

  “I can’t believe they have a real Leyendecker,” she said in amazement, reading the program guide. At least one of us knew what the show was about. “Everyone likes Norman Rockwell but this guy’s my favorite.”

  I didn’t know anything about fine art. “Uh-huh. Sound great.”

  Nonetheless, I knew I had her by the hook. Amanda just ate up the art exhibit. We didn’t need a guide since she told me everything about even the most obscure painting. Most of the stuff was over my head. I couldn’t tell a neo-classical painting from something that was supposed to be post-modern.

  I just enjoyed having Amanda walk hand in hand with me. Most of this stuff was over my head but I could listen to her drone on about the differences between Romanticism, Impressionism, and Contemporary art all night long. She was actually starting to get me a bit interested in classical art.

&nbs
p; We went from exhibit to exhibit. Along the way, we scarfed down some free finger food. I was having a great time here, especially with a pretty girl by my side. Most people would’ve thought that we were boyfriend and girlfriend.

  “James, thank you so much for taking me out,” Amanda said as we exited the art gallery. She still hadn’t let go of my hand. I felt like I was walking on clouds. “I’m sorry I didn’t say ‘yes’ the moment you asked me to with you. It would’ve saved both of us a lot of trouble.”

  I waved it off. “Don’t worry about that. I wouldn’t have known the first thing about that place if it wasn’t for you.”

  On the way to the car, she told me this was the first time someone had treated her to a night like this. I couldn’t believe that another guy hadn’t asked Amanda out for a date. It didn’t seem that her parents were overly protective of her. Perhaps, she was just too shy to go out with a boy without her mother’s intervention.

  I drove us back to her place to drop her off. I felt sad to let her go. This truly had been a night to remember. When I parked, I watched as Amanda got out and said. “Thank you so much, James. I had such a wonderful time.”

  I was star-struck at her beauty. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. After all, I had been on a date with the girl of my dreams. “Anytime…”

  Suddenly, Amanda leaned in through the open car window and kissed me.

  It warm.

  It was wet.

  It was positively electric.

  I stared back in complete astonishment at what had just happened. Only the cool breeze of the night told me that this was real. Finally, Amanda broke the silence. “James… I should get back to my home.”

  I smiled. “Think we can do something like this again?”

  She looked pensive. “I’m not sure about that, James.”

  I cursed myself for going too fast for her. “How about next weekend? Just as friends?”

  Amanda sighed. “I should get going. Thanks again for having me.”

  I was utterly stunned. I watched as she shut the door to her home. After a kiss like that, it felt like she was leading me on and playing with my heart. I wondered what this night meant.

  Chapter 2

  “Hey, James… can we talk?”

  I looked up to see Amanda sitting next to me in the college cafeteria. I couldn’t remember the last time she had taken the initiative in talking to me. I suspected she had as many mixed feelings out that date as I did. “Yeah, I got some time before my next class. What is it, Amanda?”

  She looked like she was struggling to find the right words. “Sorry about the other night. I still want to go out with you…. I just didn’t know how to put it into words.”

  I couldn’t help but act a little cold towards her. I didn’t like being led on by a girl. “Really? I couldn’t tell after treating you to a night out.”

  I immediately regretted my words when I saw the pained expression on Amanda’s face. Something about seeing a woman in emotional pain always broke down a man’s defenses. Within seconds, I brought her into my arms and rocked her. You wouldn’t have been able to tell that I was the one who got the cold-shoulder a few days ago.

  We went to get some tea and found a table where we could get some privacy. Amanda sipped her cup and said. “Thanks, James. I guess I should explain.”

  I asked. “Did I do something to make you upset?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not that. You were wonderful. I was just scared about dating. I always feared that someone would hurt me.”

  I chuckled. “I wouldn’t lay a finger on a pretty girl like you, Amanda.”

  “I’ve lived a bit of a sheltered life,” she replied. “My parents were very protective of me. Now, they want to me to come out of my shell and do stuff like dating.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to date me? I understand if you-”

  “Yes I do,” she interrupted with a brilliant smile. “I’m just a new to this kind of… boy-girl stuff.”

  I chuckled. “You sure about that? I don’t want to get stood up at a date.”

  She laughed. “I’ll give you an early warning if I do!”

  With our relationship mended, we set another date night. I was still a bit apprehensive about dating Amanda after the awkwardness of our first date. Nonetheless, I really liked her and she wanted to make it up for me.

  Next Saturday, I showed up at her house in my car. This time, I had a jolt of confidence. Amanda was probably way more nervous about the date than I was. Finally, the door opened and she appeared.

  For a shy and sheltered girl, she knew how to dress to impress. She wore another stylish dress but her makeup was immaculate. It was likely her mother’s handiwork.

  Amanda got into the car and asked. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Wherever you want us to be.”

  She giggled. “I’m in the mood for a movie.”

  I nodded. “Sure thing.”

  One of the better things about this town was that it had a drive-in movie theatre. While they used to be quite popular decades ago, these types of theatres had slowly become endangered over the years. Luckily, we had one theatre nearby that was run by an old married couple. It did brisk business and had a reputation of being a town landmark.

  After driving, Amanda and I watched some chick flick that was in rotation. It was her choice and I really didn’t feel like fighting it. Together, we snuggled together in the front seat of the car. I only left her side to buy popcorn and drinks from the concessions stand.

  When the movie finished, Amanda looked like she would give it a standing ovation. I wasn’t as impressed with the cheesy romance I had just witnessed. I couldn’t help but tease her. “If that’s your idea of a romance, then I’m in some deep trouble.”

  She flashed a smile at me. “My standards aren’t that high. Like I said, I’m new to dating.”

  “I can teach you a few things, if you’re up to it.”

  Amanda sat closer to me. “I am.”

  After the credits rolled, I drove us to a secluded park at the edge of the town. It gave us some much needed privacy. Reading the signs, I knew that Amanda was in the mood to get a bit frisky.

  I began by kissing her on her plump lips. She replied enthusiastically by kissing me back. What Amanda seemed to lack in experience, she made up with intensity.

  After a bout of kissing, I moved on to unbutton her blouse. It had a low-cut that revealed quite a bit of cleavage. I couldn’t wait to see what was underneath it. I trailed my kissed down to the swell of her breasts. Amanda moaned in approval.

  I cupped her clothed breasts before pinching her nipples. I felt them grow hard between my fingertips. The sound of her groaning echoed with the car. I could tell that she was really enjoying this.

  So it came as a surprised when Amanda pulled back. “Sorry, James. It’s just happening to quickly.”

  I didn’t bother to hide my disappointment. At the same time, I didn’t want to pressure her into something she wasn’t ready for. “I understand, Amanda. Just know that you don’t have to be afraid of me. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

  She blushed. “I heard from other girls how it felt so good to have a guy touch you. I just didn’t believe it would be this intense!”

  I gave a half-smile. “There’s always next time.”

  After that, we drove home. I felt a little blue-balled but it had gone much better than our first date. Amanda told me that she wanted to go out next week when she was free.

  I could sense that she was starting to open up and become comfortable dating me. It was easy to tell that I was her first real boyfriend. Her parents were the ones forced this change. Not that I wanted to complain about having such a beautiful girlfriend.

  At the same time, I wanted to have make love with Amanda. The kissing and foreplay we did earlier had me hungry for more. I knew Amanda wanted to be patient but it was hard when the girl was so gorgeous.

  Over the next
week, I felt a wordless change in our relationship. We were more or less boyfriend and girlfriend. If this was in high school, then there would’ve been a bit of gossip about us. In college, everyone was too busy to notice that we were dating.

  Regardless, I spent as much of my time out of class to be with Amanda as I could. We studied and ate together on campus. We attended college shows and other events. From time to time, we kissed in public. I wasn’t the type to make out with a girl but I didn’t mind the occasional smooch in the college courtyard.