Catch Up with Charmaine

You decide to hang around the classroom, watching the others filter out until it’s just you, Charmaine, and the professor left.

“Did you want to chat, Alex? Charmaine’s already had the chance to pepper me with a bunch of questions earlier, so it’s only fair that you get to ask yours first now,” the professor says, giving Charmaine a friendly smile.

“I actually wanted to talk with Charmaine for a second,” you respond, and she looks over at you, seeming a little surprised.

“Ah. In that case…” the professor begins, but Charmaine shakes her head.

“I don’t have any questions right now either,” she says. “I’ll email you if I have any later!”

“Alright,” the professor chuckles, packing his books back into his backpack. “You two have fun!”

“It’s not like that,” Charmaine blurts out, but the professor is already off on his merry way, the door to the classroom swinging shut behind him.

She turns to face you, looking red in the face.

“Wow, he got under your skin,” you comment.

“That man knows just how to get on my nerves,” Charmaine says, shaking her head. “I swear, there’s only maybe… two other people in the world who can do that to me?”

“Oh, and who would that be?”

“One of them’s my da. He’s a trial lawyer, does product liability and personal injury stuff, and he always knows how to twist my words against me,” she says. “It’s crazy! I’ve never won an argument against him.”

“It sounds like he would be a useful resource for this assignment,” you say, thinking back to the argument that Charmaine delivered earlier.

“I asked him about it, and he just laughed at me, telling me he wasn’t about to do my work for me,” Charmaine says. “I don’t know why, but he seemed kind of awkward about it.”

“I get it,” you say, nodding knowingly.

She gives you a questioning look.

“It’s erotic,” you say, draping an arm lazily over her shoulder, “and that makes him uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean we all have to be such prudes.”

Your hand slips beneath the top hem of her shirt, rubbing a bared dark shoulder.

“My da’s not a prude,” Charmaine says weakly, but she does nothing about your hand, which now traces lower to her collarbone.

You’re about to go for more, when you suddenly recall what others have said about Charmaine—she still hasn’t put out for anyone yet. Though she seems receptive enough to what you’re doing right now, by pushing too fast now, you’re risking everything later for the sake of just a little bit more, now. Better to take things slower.

You retreat your hand, bringing it back to a more neutral position by her shoulder, and you feel her body shift under your arm, less tense, more relaxed.

“And neither am I,” you say. “By the way, were you serious earlier, when you were talking about love and sex and all that?”

“I mean, it might have been a bit embellished, but yeah, it’s what I think,” Charmaine says, glancing at you. “Why?”

“I was wondering what the professor actually thinks. You seem to have spent some time with him talking over this stuff, so… maybe you have a lead?”

“Are you just asking me this so you can regurgitate his thoughts in your essay and get a good grade?” Charmaine asks.

“No…” you begin saying, but seeing her raised eyebrow, “but uh… yes?”

She smiles and shakes her head.

“Come on, you should know by now that our professor isn’t the type to give people good grades because he agrees with them,” she says. “Besides, I don’t even know what he thinks! I’ve tried to get his opinion, but he always turns the question back on me, saying, ‘That’s a good question, Charmaine, what do you think about it?’”

“Very disappointing,” you say.

“Yep,” she sighs. “Like I said, he’s always on my nerves.”

“Hey, want to grab some lunch now?” you ask, checking your phone. “I’ve got an hour or two.”

Your question must catch her off guard, because she stares at you, blinking for a second or two, before she musters together a response.

“Today? Yeah, um… yeah, I think I could do that,” she says quickly, and you smile, leading the way to lunch.

Charmaine +10

If you haven’t heard the news yet, I’ve got a new story up! It’s got a sweet combat system that’ll take you back to your turn based RPG days and a riveting plot filled with holes of all shapes and sizes. Presenting… Paladin Simulator! https://chyoa.com/chapter/Introduction.749283