Chapter 2

Meredith

I returned to my small studio apartment in Brooklyn. I had taken over the tenancy from a High School teacher called Parker just after school was out for the summer. He had been giving up teaching he’d told me, instead he would work for his father’s publishing company. He was also getting married. I had to admit I had experienced feelings of jealousy that he and his fiancée were buying a large new home while I was taking over their old, small apartment, but it was within my budget from my professor’s salary and I was thankful I had seen the rental ad almost the minute it had appeared on a teaching forum I belonged to on the internet for all teachers and professors in the New York vicinity.

There was room in the corner for a queen-sized bed; in another corner, there was a small kitchenette, and nearby further room for a small dining table and chairs. That was the set-up Parker had had. There was a separate bathroom off to the rear. I had brought my queen-sized bed from the old apartment I had shared with Tana, a fellow professor at school. She had fallen in love and gotten married, so I had needed to find myself somewhere else to live. I had decided I had had enough of sharing my space and that even if it was smaller; I wanted a place of my own, one where I did not have to hear an engaged couple having noisy sex almost every night. Where Parker had had his table and chairs, I put a desk. I could eat with my plate balanced on my lap, but also there was a small piece of counter top in the kitchen area that I could buy a stool for. I wanted somewhere to put all my academia, so the desk won.

At the opposite side of the room to my bed I had a small black couch and a large floor standing lamp. I had a television mounted on the wall that could be swiveled to face either the couch or the bed. Nine times out of ten I chose to lay on the bed. It was much comfier. I wondered if I would ever have a visitor to come sit on the couch, or whether I should have forgone it and bought some exercise equipment to use at home instead. Maybe it would have been a better use of that space.

I organized everything I needed for the start of the new semester and placed the clothes I planned to wear over the back of the bathroom door. After eating and then reading for a while, I settled down under the comforter to get a good night’s sleep.

My new students had seemed okay. This year I was teaching about tax, not the most interesting of subjects for the majority of people, but I loved math and accounting. It had been strange not seeing Marcus’ face when I had arrived but I discovered he had left me an envelope in my staff room locker which had said ‘open at the end of the first day’. I sat in the staff room intrigued about what I would find. I tore open the envelope and extracted the typed letter.

Mer,

Are you missing me already? Hope you scored over the break or by now you’ll no doubt be very stressed and are now without your helping hand. What are you gonna do?

Well, I have a dare for you if you are up to the challenge.

Unknown to most Profs and students in this school there’s a secret group that gets together at the beginning of the new semester to initiate any potential new roommates.

There was a drawing of the house and an arrow showing me where the ‘Dares Room’ was that the initiations took place in.

If you get the chance, dress down in black and sneak around there and look through the blinds. It will give you some naughty visuals to keep you occupied during any lonely nights or for when you need to reapply that ‘lipstick’ after school ;)

The final dare always takes place at 11pm on the first Friday so you have plenty of time to think it over and prepare. Just remember, you like the thought of being caught!

Enjoy!

Marcus.

I folded the letter and placed it in my purse. A kind of fraternity, here? At this small business college? I wondered how Marcus had gotten to know about it. The house he had drawn me a map of was on campus and not far from the student residences. I had always just assumed that it was rented out to a group of the wealthier students. And what had Marcus meant by naughty visuals? What the hell was the initiation about? He’d been a good guy, so I doubted what went on there was anything illegal. He’d been right though. The thought of watching some kind of daring initiation through the blind was a turn on. But wouldn’t it be young students? I pulled a face. Depending on who it was it could be the complete opposite of sexy.

I gathered my belongings and headed straight to the gym. I was in a quandary, did I do it for the sheer exhilaration of hiding around campus and the house and not being caught? I could always walk away if it was debauched, maybe even tell someone in a higher authority what was going on. That was it, I decided. I’d go and see because it might just be that I’d be doing people a favor if this needed to be made public and stopped. Worst case scenario I had to become a whistleblower, best case I had some fun.

Due to my extreme lack of any kind of social life I would head to the gym every single night after school. I missed Tana. Though she’d been engaged, she’d still been my roomie, and we’d had a lot of laughs. It would take some time to get used to my own company. I liked living on my own, but it would be good to have some other friends to hang with occasionally. For now, I would have to put up with idle chatter at the gym with people whose names I never got to know, or I failed to remember.

I walked into the gym and there he was - Garrett. I hadn’t seen him since I’d fallen off the treadmill and embarrassed myself the week before, having avoided him by attending at different times. It looked as if he too, had now changed the time he attended. As if he detected I was watching him his gaze met mine. He raised a hand in recognition and then returned to bench pressing. Relieved he would not come over, I headed toward a treadmill.

After running for thirty minutes while listening to some tracks via my earbuds, I looked around to see if Garrett was still there. I had been focused on my routine and had been stopping myself from thinking about either Garrett or the secret society. I didn’t even know what my problem was with Garrett, anyway. Was I too scared to even talk to a guy now? Yes, my last break up had been nasty but I could not stop myself from talking to men. One day I wanted marriage and a family. I would not get them if I never talked to another man, was I? Having spotted Garrett on a rowing machine I grabbed a paper cup of water for myself and one for him and I walked over to where he rowed.

“Hey there.” I said. Not the most exciting of conversation starters but at least I had tried.

He stopped rowing, and I offered him one of the cups of water.

“Thanks. Hold it a minute.” He requested, then he got up and dried himself on his nearby towel.

“I’d just been thinking I needed a drink.” He said. “Though it wasn’t water I’d been considering.”

Before I could think the words, they were out of my mouth, “Well, we could always grab a couple beers?”

Garrett smiled. “And there I thought you’d been avoiding bumping into me again, then you ask me on a date. Shows what I know about women.” He laughed and once again his blue eyes twinkled.

I felt heat hit my cheeks. “I-, it’s not a date, I just needed to eat and so when you said-”

He put a hand out and touched my arm. “I’m messing with you. I need to eat too, so why don’t we hit the showers and I will meet you in the cafeteria afterwards?”

He noticed my expression straightaway. “I only meant we would meet there, not eat there. See you in fifteen?”

I nodded and went off to the showers.

I was glad of the cool water to calm down the heat that had hit my body with my embarrassment. Also, when he had said for us to hit the showers, it had brought to mind a vision of me pushed up against the wall, water pouring down my body, while those plump lips of his pressed against my own. It would appear I had developed a crush on Garrett the gym guy. Whereas my usual MO was to shower and run, this time I showered, blew out my blonde, medium-length hair and put on a little make-up. I still managed to be out of the room within fifteen minutes though. As I headed towards the cafeteria, I could see Garrett was already waiting outside. He was talking to another guy, and I watched him, taking in that heavenly looking body and those chiseled features. Had I really scored a kinda date with this guy?

Garrett suggested a restaurant within walking distance of the gym that he said he’d been to a couple times before. I was happy with his suggestion and we ordered beer and some pasta. I found him real easy to chat to. He exuded confidence and kept our conversation light but continuous.

“So, what do you do for a living?” He asked me.

“I’m a Professor in Accountancy at King’s Business School.”

He almost choked on his drink.

“Excuse me?”

I repeated what I had said then added, “What’s so weird about that? Can’t deal with you choking on your beer.”

He recovered himself and then spoke. “You just don’t look much like an Accounts Professor. I guess I’m being stereotypical but I would have expected a guy in his early fifties with glasses.”

“Yep, Stereotyping much? I happen to love figures.” I told him.

“Me too,” He quipped and then winked. “But somehow I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing.”

I smiled, but I felt my cheeks pink up so I took a drink of my beer.

“If you don’t find this question too personal, how old are you anyway?” He asked me.

“Hmmm, I don’t know if it’s right to ask a woman her age,” I teased before admitting I was twenty-five. “How about you and what do you do?”

“Twenty-three.” He replied, “and I am a Personal Trainer.”

“Ah, sounds good.” I told him. “Maybe I will hire you to help me keep this body, because school is the worst for making me head straight home to pizza and wine.”

He took a piece of paper and a pen from his duffle bag and wrote out a cell number. “Here you go. I am out of business cards right now, so this will have to do. If you want to tone up, call me. I’m sure we can arrange a gym-buddy discount for my new friend.”

“That would be great.” I told him honestly. “I will give it some serious thought.”

We had finished our meals, and I was just drinking up the last of my beer when Garrett raised the subject of relationships. Damn. Another five minutes and I could have been out of there unscathed.

“I have not dated for a long while.” I told him, deciding to be honest. “Without going into too many details, I had a long-term relationship which ended badly. My ex developed a drink problem. He got abusive.”

“He ever hit you?” Garrett’s jaw had tightened.

“No. I didn’t let it get that far. He grabbed me once and got in my face. It was scary enough for me. I left him and moved back in with my parents for a short while until I rented an apartment with a friend.”

“Guys like that make my blood boil.” He answered.

“Yeah, well, it was a long time ago now.” I told him.

“Not long enough if you are still wary of dating.” He replied.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I came out with you, so I’m getting there. Though this was not a date.” I gestured between us both. “Just two gym buddies having some food.”

“Well, maybe one day, I will get you out on a date.” He said. “In the meantime, let’s get the check and I will see you around the gym, yeah? Unless of course you take me up on my offer of personal training, or decide to change your times to avoid me again.” He winked. “You have my number, so if you ever want to go for a drink or to the movies, well,” he paused. “I’ll leave it to you for when you’re feeling a little braver.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

We left the restaurant and Garrett walked me to my car before bidding me goodnight.

It had boosted my mind and mood no end to have gone out with a good-looking guy for food and I drove home with a smile on my face.