little known fact that as a party progressed, he often added more liquor to his concoctions, so it literally became more potent as time progressed.
'Good batch,' she said, flashing a smile at him and playfully digging her nails into his knee just a bit more than she needed to. 'I like the lime this time. Adds a little exotic twist.'
They talked more and various friends came and went and, although they enjoyed the company, in retrospect they would realize that the talk of partying and the other silliness which made up most of collegiate life was just that: silliness.
Debbie and her boyfriend Jack came over, with Jack sitting across from her but on the cheap coffee table in the room. They were so close that their knees touched and rubbed against each other.
Liz didn't know if it was reciprocated, but she'd always been intrigued and attracted to Jack in the worst possible way and for the life of her she couldn't figure out the cause. He was handsome, but by no means overly so. They'd known each other almost since their first day on campus, a day on which she'd become instantly smitten with him. At times it seemed on the verge of more, but that was only in her mind. He was shy to a fault.
And even though she flirted with him from time to time and sometimes even outrageously so, he'd never taken the bait. Perhaps this apparent lack of interest was what made him so desirable, but Liz thought it was a bit more.
After about a year, she'd realized what made Jack different. It was how he treated girls, or at least how he treated Liz. They talked often but it was always platonic, but what made it great was not only what they discussed but how they did it. It was almost never sports, though Jack was a bit of an athlete. It was even less often the party from last weekend- or the one coming up this weekend.
Rather, they talked about meaningful things like politics, the environment, and their lives after college. What made Jack so wonderful was that he seemed more interested in what she thought than even she did. Unlike most all men she knew, he treated her as an equal- an intelligent and vibrant one. He made her feel all powerful, like she could accomplish anything. It was an exhilarating feeling. Oh, and he listened too.
On second thought maybe he wasn't a man at all, given that last thought. The thought of Jack being a closet transvestite made Liz burst out laughing which drew more than a little attention from the increasing crowd in her hotel room. Feeling amused but still just the slightest bit embarrassed, she stood up to excuse herself as she felt the first hint of a flush come over her face.
As soon as she did, though, she realized she had done so a bit too quickly. Her drink went to her head — she doubted the lime was the culprit — and for a moment she almost fell forward as the result of a little wobble, but was able to put her hand on Jack's shoulder to steady herself.
A few eyes looked her way, but most all turned away when they realized she wasn't going to cause a scene and fall into the floor. Jack looked hard at her, as if searching for something to say, but seemed reassured when she squeezed his shoulder with a bit of confidence as if to tell him she was okay.
'Shake it off, Lizzie,' she heard Curtis cackle from slightly behind her, though she could tell he hadn't moved an inch to check on her. He was too busy now being the loud center of attention at an increasingly loud gathering of half drunken coeds.
Now having regained her composure, Liz stood completely and let her fingertips brush across Jack's jawline as she took her hand off his shoulder. He hadn't shaved yet and she found the prickles of his stubble teasing her imagination. Feeling a bit more color coming her face's way now, Liz opted to head for the bathroom and a splash of water.
She didn't look back over her shoulder, but if she had she would have seen Jack slowly turn to follow her with his eyes.
Liz got to the bathroom and closed the door, turning the water on in the basin as she did so, gazing at the tepid water as it ran over her freshly manicured hands before gazing at herself in the mirror. Her lightly made up 'day face' as she called it, still looked pristine in spite of the slight buzz she was starting to feel. In a bit she'd shower and put on her 'night face,' but she wanted to enjoy the company of her friends a bit more first.
Feeling the water finally warm to her touch, she gently splashed just a bit on her face, being careful to watch for any running of her make-up. Damn it, she thought, looking at herself again in the mirror. She'd managed to loose an earring!
Without much more than a moment to consider where it might be, she heard a slight rapping on the door.
'Occupado,' she yelled, leaning toward the door a bit, though without taking her eyes off the mirror.
Suddenly she realized that she had not latched the door as it was slowly opening and she could see a pale face slowly emerge.
'Jack,' she whispered, suddenly confused and realizing that perhaps she was a bit more buzzed than she'd originally though, 'Give me a minute.'
'Well that's just it,' he said, dropping his voice still further and pushing her gently back into the bathroom so he could enter and then shut the door after him, Liz distinctly heard the door latch this time. Oddly she found that it didn't bother her.
'I've given you almost three years,' Jack said, continuing, 'And it won't be long before we will both be leaving to really start our adult lives.'
'I know,' Liz replied as she sat on the edge of the tub to face him and crossed her legs, 'I can't wait to get started.'
'But,' he said, cutting her off, 'have you finished your bucket list for college? Any regrets for things you haven't done?'
Where was this going? Liz hoped everything was alright between Jack and Debbie.
'Sit,' she said taking his hand and guiding him to the commode, which she'd thankfully previously closed the lid on. 'You okay? What is up?'
'I don't want to leave here without being honest about the things I've dreamed about,' he replied wistfully, 'I at least need to share them, or I can't live with myself.'
'What, like proposing to Debbie?' she asked, becoming lost in his conversation as it was already too deep for her.
'No, she and I have already agreed it is over,' he said, visibly looking at the ceiling now, 'It's other things, things that may get away. It's a convergence I feel. No, maybe not a feeling, but a need, or even yearning.'
'Dammit', she thought- the bathroom at the Holiday Inn wasn't the place for a deep discussion on the meaning of life.
'Sure,' she replied, still wondering where to go next, 'What can I do?'
'You… you…,' he whispered, bringing his gaze back to her. 'What would… can't.'
Liz was starting to worry, as it wasn't like Jack to ramble like this. He seemed on the verge of telling her something, but could never get there.
'Tell me, Jack,' she said, squeezing his hand for more attention. 'No matter what, I'll always be your friend.'
Jack's gaze moved to the towel rack, then slowly, almost inaudibly, he whispered, 'More.' Then he weakly squeezed her hand.
Suddenly Liz realized what this was all about. The sly, but incredibly shy dog was finally hinting at taking things to a different plane with her. She breathed a sigh of relief for two reasons. The first of these was the reassurance that her friend wasn't going crazy.
'Yes,' she whispered back, sliding down the side of the tub until she her lips were almost brushing his ear. 'More would be wonderful.'
He smiled and still didn't turn to face her, but she could see color start to return to his face, which most folks, including her, would consider to be a good thing. Gently she reached out and turned his head so that their faces were mere inches apart.
'You have no idea how that makes me feel,' Liz cooed. And yes, she thought, cooing was the right word. She felt a slight but sudden swelling in her chest and a tightening sensation between her legs with an emotion she hadn't felt before. It was somewhere between fear, excitement, and pure joy. She could only imagine how tough it had been for Jack to get this far given his extreme shyness. Moving things along would be firmly in her court.
Without thinking, she kissed him on the lips and he jumped slightly. Soft was the first kiss they shared.
