As soon as he can.

We made plans to see each other at Fall Break and reassess our relationship, assuming that they reopened the airports soon enough. Thankfully, they did, and I was on a plane to see her as soon as classes ended.

Reuniting with her felt like becoming whole again. We barely made it in her dorm before we began shedding clothing, **** for as much skin-on-skin contact as we could get. I held her body as if she'd been plucked from a dream. Her curves felt incredible on me as our bodies joined. Sex was as natural as breathing.

The afternoon found us post-coital, lounging nude in bed. Elizabeth had her dark hair pooled on my chest and I was lazily tracing circles in her back. The door opened and a petite Chinese woman strode into the room and sat down at one of the desks.

Elizabeth didn't move but I instinctively pulled the covers up and started fumbling over the edge of the bed for our clothes.

"What're you doing?" Elizabeth pulled me back into the bed. Only then did her roommate take any notice of us. She turned and locked eyes with me.

"You must be Ian. My name is 李淑珍."

"Huh?"

She giggled. "Shuzhen Li, in English. You can call me Li. Everyone does."

The first thing that struck me was her total lack of accent. She was small, wearing a modest skirt, comfortable flats, and a tasteful cardigan with the sleeves rolled up. Her skin was smooth and clear, and she had her dark hair chopped into a smart, a-line bob. Also, Li was not bothered in the least that we were naked in bed. She smiled, turned back to her computer, and began typing.

My body tensed up as awkward nervousness washed over me. Elizabeth was totally relaxed, even seemed to be dozing on my chest. Li was typing away, paying no mind. So I talked myself down and settled into place, trapped on the bed.

Then I woke up with a start as Li slammed her laptop shut. "I'm headed to the library. Have fun, you two." The door closed.

Elizabeth and I got dressed, grabbed some local pizza, and walked campus. She showed me all her favorite spots and filled me in on her experiences over the past month.

"In short, I'm sick of men who aren't you. I haven't even talked to a guy besides you since... well, since September."

We let that hang in the air a moment before curiosity got the better of me. "What about Li?"

She dropped her eyes and smiled. "You know, I probably wouldn't have even talked to her except I kept bringing guys home that first month... and then, I caught her with my panties... she, um, she's not shy, but... uh... keeps to herself, you know? I've never seen her with a boyfriend, so I thought that she... liked girls. I thought, maybe she'll, you know, make a move on me. But, so far, nothing but questions."

"Questions?"

"She's really curious about... well, sex. Guys, girls... suddenly, I'm like an expert or something."

I flashed back to the demure beauty I'd first met a year ago... had it only been one year? Amazing.

The afternoon sank into evening as Elizabeth and I wandered back to her dorm. Taking me by the hand, she led me back to her empty room and kissed me before we'd cleared the threshold. Her lips were warm from California sunset. Our clothes landed in a heap. We found each other in her covers, tongues swirling as I caressed her gorgeous curves, teased her nipples, found her moistening clit.

The door opened. Hallway light spilled into the room then blackness. Li fell into her bed, six feet away across a narrow strip of carpet.