They talked for nearly two hours, finding more and more in common. Dennis couldn't believe his luck. He was sure Gina was coming on to him. He was so excited he could hardly keep still.
Gina felt it too, but she was worried it was happening too quickly. She needed to think before things went too far.
"Would you mind showing me around a bit more? I've only seen the admin office, the gym and my dorm so far. This university is so much bigger than high school!"
"Sure. I mean, we shouldn't waste such a beautiful day in a coffee shop." They head outside and began to walk around the campus. Dennis rested his arm blissfully around Gina's shoulders, while Gina clung tightly to him with her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. This is what he had always dreamed of when he was still in high school. Back then he had never dared to try anything with Gina, but now, with a couple of years of experience behind him at university, and the allure that his familiarity with the campus scene gave him in her eyes as a new freshman, he finally had the confidence to do what he always should have done.
It was a warm, late summer day. Clusters of students were standing around on the grass, a few Frisbee tossing games going on lazily around them. Music with extra-loud base blared from large speakers shoved through the windows of one of the frat houses. A group of teens on their way home from the local high school stood on the edge of the green watching, wishing they were old enough to escape their parents, the girls tentatively preening for the attention of the college boys, while the boys admired the loosely-dressed college girls. Further away from the road there was a playful, coed football game in progress. Dennis admired the idyllic scene, enjoying the feel of Gina's soft, curvy body touching his.
"Isn't that Sharon, from high school?" Gina said, pointing in the direction of the football game. They shifted direction slightly and began to walk onto the grass. Gina immediately kicked off her sandals and left them behind, flexing her toes against the soft, cool grass. She let go of Dennis's hand briefly and did a quick cartwheel, giggled and then rejoined him. "This is so perfect! This is exactly what I imagined college would be like!' she said, hugging him and then letting him spin her around until she was too dizzy to stand up straight without his support.
"It doesn't get much better," he agreed, wondering whether to take the opportunity to kiss her right now or to wait for a more private time.
But Gina's attention was immediately diverted. 'Ooooh! Isn't Sharon good?" she said. Her friend had just caught a pass and was now running toward the goal until Chad Burke, one of the guys from the frat, caught up to her. Instead of tackling her he lifted her up onto his shoulders and ran the other way with her, depositing her behind the original scrimmage line and then holding her to the ground for a 'loss'.
"Hey! That was so mean!" Gina said, pouting.
"What do you mean? He was just fooling around. It's not exactly a serious game," Dennis said, wanting her to focus on him instead. 'Anyway, they're moving the line up to where she caught the ball anyway.
'That's not the point. He was showing off, making her feel small and weak, even though she's a really great athlete. You should see her play soccer. She's amazing.'
Dennis looked at the lithe, energetic Sharon, who had jumped off the ground, was brushing off the dirt on her shirt and alternately stamping her foot and glaring at Chad who had smugly crossed his arms across his formidable chest. She was talking to Bob Kohler, the quarterback, and clearly wanted another chance with the ball to score a touchdown, but he seemed unsure about it. They lined up for another play and Sharon moved opposite Chad.
'She has that look in her eye. She's going to do something to him. I know it!'
'Are you crazy? He'll flatten her if she tries to block him!'
Gina shook her head. She was leaning against Dennis and was playing with the muscles in his shoulder. 'No, he won't. She's too smart for that. You'll see.' She was getting excited and grabbed his camera, her finger accidentally pressing the button shifting the mode from personal portrait to landscape. 'You'll see,' she said, talking more rapidly. 'Oh, I gotta take a picture of this. You won't mind .... She's really quick, and she's stronger than you'd think. Just think what she could do if she were ... How does this .... Hey, that's cool!'
Before Dennis could say or do anything, she had snapped the picture. He felt as though he were swept up in a vortex. All around him everything was changing.