When Kat Met Arthur

Silence filled the dorm room, which was just as Kat preferred it. Her bed filled the corner opposite her roommate’s, across the window. The closets on the near wall were shallow, but wide. The wooden dressers and desks at the foot of each bed felt narrow in comparison, but they fulfilled their functions well enough. 

Kat sat on her bed with her back to the wall, her legs tucked to the side, and her arm resting on her pillows as she read a well-worn copy of The Chosen Road, the newest in a line of junk-food romance novels from a hack writer. Her junk-food reading habits aside, it was a great way to spend the early hours of a Saturday morning, and it took her mind off the anxiety-inducing trials to come. 

Yet, all too soon, her roommate arrived to interrupt her peace. It was almost as bad as rooming with her sister again. Kat heard her approach as she laughed with one of their suitemates, then opened the door to the room. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Mandi said, smiling widely and beckoning Kat toward her with one hand. “Come on, we’re gonna get some practice before the tryouts.” 

“Don’t you need to shower first?” Kat asked, eyeing Mandi with curiosity. Her disheveled appearance, rumpled clothes, messy hair, and sloppy makeup were all trademarks of her walk of shame from whatever cute guy she’d met last night. “Or change clothes?” 

“Do I look that bad?” Mandi asked, holding up her phone to check herself in the camera. She winced when she saw her hair and sighed. “Okay, give me like, ten minutes, and then practice?” 

Kat nodded and returned to her reading. Another blissful ten minutes passed, and Mandi stood before her in blue spandex shorts and a tight white t-shirt knotted above her navel. Kat happened to be wearing the same thing, unknotted, but prepared for their tryouts.  

Mandi was like Kat in some ways, and totally different in others. They both had long hair that reached the middle of their backs. Mandi’s red hair color came from a bottle, and her brown roots were getting long. Mandi was half a foot taller and more athletic. Both had curvy hips, round, mid-sized breasts, strong thighs, and flat stomachs. Mandi’s brown eyes were darker than Kat’s icy blue-gray, but both wore contacts. 

Style-wise, however, they couldn’t be more different. Kat never left the room without being fully clothed. Mandi walked to and from the showers with only a towel. Kat wore clothes that covered her entire body, favoring pink and traditionally feminine colors. Mandi wore clothes that were, for lack of a better term, slutty. She showed off her body, dressing to attract every hot college guy on campus if she could. Kat couldn’t imagine dressing that way, but she wasn’t Mandi’s keeper. No one held her responsible for Mandi’s poor decisions at college. 

Ten minutes went too fast, but at least she’d finished reading the fight scene between the heroic romantic hero of her novel and the guys who harassed his soon-to-be girlfriend. Kat took another five minutes of reading as Mandi did her makeup. 

“Now, are you ready?” Mandi asked. “I thought we could stretch and exercise before tryouts. Maybe you can give me some last-minute pointers?” 

“Sure,” Kat said, closing her book. She'd been helping Mandi learn the game, and a last-minute review couldn't hurt. She slid on her kneepads, and Mandi did the same. 

“What are you reading, anyway? Anything good?” Mandi asked as Kat tied her sneakers. 

“Good? No, but I enjoy it anyway. It’s just another smutty romance novel.” Kat said, shrugging. “They’re on a road trip and–” 

“You read like my mom,” Mandi said, chuckling as she held the door open. “What was the last one? Some guy falling in love with his nanny?” 

“It was more nuanced than that,” Kat said, tying her sneakers. “But that was the basic gist, yeah. That one had better sex scenes, though. This one is pretty tame.” 

Mandi rolled her eyes. “Your life needs better sex scenes.” She joked. “Then you wouldn’t have to worry about reading them so much.” 

Kat feigned shock at the suggestion, laughing with Mandi as she hurried Kat along with a wave of her arm. “Jog to the athletic center?” 

Kat nodded, following Mandi out of the suite as she pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail. 

“I’m thinking of going blonde next,” Mandi said. “Or maybe green?” 

“Green?” Kat asked, surprised. 

“It’s spring, so green seems appropriate,” Mandi said, which made Kat chuckle. 

They emerged from the Lincoln dormitory and began their trek toward the athletic center, walking together on the sidewalk. They walked swiftly, warming up before they broke into a jog at the end of the parking lot. Kat blushed slightly when Mandi glanced in her direction, her eyes falling from Kat’s face to her breasts, before turning forward again. 

“I wish I had your tits,” Mandi said, shaking her head. “How do you not have a boyfriend?” 

Kat shrugged. “You don’t have a boyfriend either.” 

“I get plenty of guys, I’m just not looking to get tied down,” Mandi said. “Not until I meet Mister Right. But you don’t even hook up with anybody. Are you gay?” 

“I’m straight,” Kat said. “I like men, I just don’t have the patience for fuckbois. I want a gentleman.” 

“You want a whirlwind romance like something out of your old-lady novels,” Mandi said. “An outlander in a kilt to sweep you off your feet.” 

Kat smirked. “I’ll settle for a guy whose idea of flirting isn’t staring at my tits when he says hi. They’re not even that impressive.” 

“They’re more impressive than mine,” Mandi said, chuckling as they jogged. “Even in a sports bra.” 

“And yet, you get all the guys,” Kat said. 

“I don’t flirt by asking them to list their top three favorite authors and then make harsh, judgmental faces at their answers.” 

“He said his favorite author was William Shakespeare, and then didn’t know what a sonnet was, or the difference between Hamlet and Macbeth,” Kat said, defending herself. “That’s fuckboi energy.” 

“Maybe he was just nervous because you’re so pretty?” Mandi suggested an alternative hypothesis. 

“Doubt it. I shot him down, and he immediately moved on to the next girl.”

Mandi chuckled. “His loss.” 

“Yeah, by that logic, this University is full of losers,” Kat said, shaking off the conversation as jogging took their focus. 

The athletic center began as a distant speck, but loomed large soon enough. Since the outdoor training areas were full, they moved to the indoor courts. A short one-on-one game allowed Kat to critique Mandi, which she took with dutiful dedication. 

By the end, a few people were watching them from the windows on the second floor, but only out of boredom, from what Kat could tell. She and Mandi switched from one-on-one to drilling passes and other coordinated plays that Kat had developed over her years on her high school team. They practiced longer than they had intended, and by the time they finished, they needed to arrive at the gymnasium for tryouts if they wanted to be half an hour early, which Kat insisted they should be. 

The gym had a few volleyball nets set up, and two current members of the school's volleyball team sat behind the sign-in tables. Beside them, two other girls from the team had boxes of shirts and shorts. Kat signed in with her name, years of experience, and contact info. The waiver and other paperwork came next, and Kat waited impatiently as they copied her school ID. 

Mandi did the same behind her, as Kat received a name tag and a uniform to try on. 

“You do tryouts in the uniform?” Kat asked, surprised. 

The girl behind the table nodded. “Yeah! Coach wanted to try something new—something that helps you visualize yourself on the team and get accustomed to the uniform, or whatever. I see you have kneepads and proper shoes, but if you need to borrow any other equipment, just let us know.” 

Kat nodded, not seeing a place to change. 

“The locker room is just through the doors.” The girl pointed, and Kat realized her searching expression must’ve shown her exactly what Kat was thinking. 

Kat smiled. “Thank you.” 

She took a shirt and a pair of shorts in her size, and Mandi took smaller ones; they changed in the locker room. The shorts proved tighter than Kat expected, and showed more of her ass than she was entirely comfortable with, but that was the price for freedom of movement, or so the story goes. 

“Damn, these make my ass look good,” Mandi said, turning to display her butt in the mirror behind the sinks as they walked past. “And look at you!” Mandi gestured to Kat’s backside. “You have such a great ass.” 

Kat laughed. “Thanks? I guess?” 

They returned to the gym to find that more people had entered during their absence, and soon enough, the space started to fill up. Most were people who had come to try out, while others had come to observe and sat on the bleachers. Still others observed from the second-story windows that overlooked the gymnasium. 

“Woo!” One of the guys sitting on the bleachers shouted behind them. 

Kat turned and sent the man a glare fierce enough to melt steel. Mandi sent a wave and blew him a kiss. 

“Don’t encourage guys like that,” Kat said. “They’re assholes.” 

“They’re horny, that’s all,” Mandi shrugged. “It’s a compliment.” 

“It’s a lack of self-control,” Kat corrected her. “Not an attractive quality in a man.” 

Mandi rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen some of those bodice-rippers you read. How much self-control do you really want a man to have?” 

“That’s different,” Kat argued, but didn’t have the time to explain as the line of women from the locker room ended, and the coach rose from the front row of the bleachers, blew her whistle, and moved to the mic set up in the center of the gym. 

“Good morning, everyone,” She said in a voice that boomed through the gymnasium. “My name is Coach Winters. I'll be leading tryouts today while my assistants take notes. We'll start with a warm-up, then split you into batches for physical assessment and skill assessments, and finish with group skirmishes, okay? When I call your name, please start a first lap around the gym. This is not a race, it’s just to get your blood pumping.” 

Kat’s name was toward the end of the roster, which seemed to be in alphabetical order by last name. The uniform’s tight shirts and short, brief-like shorts made jogging through the gymnasium an almost embarrassing experience. Coach Winters and the others maintained a professional demeanor. However, a few of the guys on the bleachers made hushed comments to one another, elbowed and ribbed each other, and occasionally pointed. 

After the jog came the dynamic stretches, moving through poses to loosen the joints and muscles. Loosening her joints helped her feel limber, but again, the audience made things awkward. Kat didn’t get much attention from guys. She dressed to show as little skin as possible. She rarely met anyone interested in flirting with her when girls like Mandi were right there, willing to pretend their observations on sports were interesting. 

Then came the plyometrics, which consisted of numerous knee lifts, jumps, and sprints. The jostling motions received even more attention, and Kat supposed she should be thankful no one in the bleachers had binoculars. A few attendants had already yelled at them for their phones, which had to be put away / not recorded. Kat wondered how much of that was anti-espionage or for the girls’ benefit, but by the end of her wall sits, she didn’t care. Her legs burned, and she regretted warming up with Mandi before the tryout. 

Her physical assessment included measurements and stepping on a scale, all of which felt humiliating next to others in line who had their measurements read out. Kat wasn’t a typical beauty. She was softer and curvier than some of the other girls. She couldn’t help the wideness of her hips or the narrowness of her waist. Her breasts weren’t small enough to avoid attention, nor did they seem particularly athletic. They were round sacks of fat that hung on her frame no matter how many pushups she did. Her thighs maintained a layer of chubb as well, though she had plenty of muscle beneath what her mother called ‘baby fat.’ Her face was sharp and harsh, contrasting the softer tone of her physique, but the attendant didn’t care. Height, weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and bone density were measured, calculated, assessed, and recorded. 

Her jump height was at least enough to impress the assistant coach, though Kat didn’t know whether it was because it was higher than the others or because her height and build set the expectation that she couldn’t jump. Whatever the reason, Kat frowned at the remark and moved along to the skill assessment portion. 

Here, Kat was finally allowed to shine. She might not be confident in her looks and physique, but she knew how to play volleyball well. Her serving skills proved formidable, and she was the best in the batch she witnessed. Her passing skills were top-notch. Sliding, saving, and volleying were second nature to her, and she was confident that her skills proved themselves superior to the others. 

Then came the group skirmishes. Girls from the current team filled out the roster, so there were six girls on each side of the net at a time. Mandi was on the opposing team, taking a hitter position, while Kat took the setter position. Mandi’s team had a current team member as their setter, while Kat’s team didn’t have anyone but tryouts. Playing the game was fun. Stressful, on account of the assistant coach observing them and making notes on their clipboard. 

One of the girls on Kat’s team fumbled an easy block, and Kat couldn’t help but exasperatedly cry in frustration. She dove for the ball, knocking it into the air and passing it to another hitter, who mistimed her jump and sent the ball into the net. 

Kat hung her head and huffed, infuriated and glaring at the hitter who cost them the point. 

Mandi and her team high-fived. 

“Oh come on, you didn’t score from your efforts, you scored because she fumbled,” Kat said, annoyed as she retook her position. 

The rest of the game proceeded in a similar vein, making her increasingly frustrated as time passed. She wanted to win, as if winning the skirmish secured her a place on the team, but she was stuck with teammates who didn’t know their knees from their elbows. 

By the end of the match, they’d lost, and Kat was inconsolable as she sat on the bench. 

“Okay, everyone, thanks for coming out today,” Coach Winters said without her mic, but speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. “We’re going to lead you in some cool-down stretches, and you’ll receive an email about our decision whether you made the team or not. You were pretty impressive out there, and I look forward to coaching some of you in the near future.” 

The encouragement was exhilarating, even as the professionalism meant she was delivering the compliment to those who weren’t as impressive. Kat glanced at the girl who’d fumbled multiple shots on her team. Her name was Kennedy, and she was one of a pair of twins that sat beside each other on the bench. Kat wasn’t impressed. 

The cooldowns consisted of static stretches performed as a group, and teammates made ice packs available for those who needed them, wrapping them around their joints. The locker room overflowed with women looking to shower, and Kat’s stomach growled at her for skipping breakfast. 

“Wanna hit the cafeteria before we shower?” Mandi asked, coming alongside her. 

Kat nodded. “Yeah, the locker room’s pretty crowded. Nice of them to let us keep the uniforms.” 

Mandi chuckled. “I got the scoop on that,” She said as she took Kat’s arm and led her away from the crowd. “Apparently, Coach Winters hates the uniforms and wants more modest ones, but the school won’t let her order new ones until she runs out of the old ones, so she’s been giving them away at tryouts, even shot some out of a t-shirt canon last season.” 

Kat chuckled. “Malicious compliance?” 

Mandi nodded. “They’re pretty short… even my ass looks good in them, though. Though I’ve got nothing on yours.” 

Kat shrugged. She knew she had a good ass. She was weirdly proud of it, but it didn’t bring her any luck. Her bigger breasts and bigger ass didn’t get her any attention over the skinnier girls like Mandi or Kat’s younger sister, Selene. The guys went nuts over Selene’s diminutive stature and graceful ways. 

Kat and Mandi made their way from the Athletic Center to the nearby cafeteria. A small group of young women joined them, realizing that taking showers in shifts was the better way to go. The spring breeze outside cooled them, and the sweat stains on their white shirts faded. The shorts and knee pads marked them as volleyball players, though they removed their paper numbers and name tags as they left the building. 

The campus walk was filled with students from the dorms looking to get lunch, and Kat and Mandi joined the stream. They weren’t the only ones in revealing clothes, though. Campus coeds marked the first few warm days of spring by baring as much flesh as possible and lying out in the sun. Multi-colored towels and tones of pale but tanning flesh dotted the grassy lawns by the dorms. The traffic into the cafeteria was a mix of people, growing in number over time and splitting off into the various aisles for food. 

Shorts and skirts were back today, and the guys celebrated with rowdy high-fives and leers that made Kat roll her eyes. Most of the guys at this school proved to be nothing more than immature jerks who thought with their dicks. Where were the real men? Where were the guys who were serious about their studies? And weren’t douchebags about it? 

That last part was crucial. Far too many guys who considered themselves ‘intellectual’ were even more condescending than the jocks who bullied them. Intelligence didn’t mean kindness or awareness, which were traits Kat desperately sought in a partner. She wanted someone as emotionally intelligent as they were booksmart, like one of the guys from her romance novels. 

The ideal woman in a romance novel written by a man had enormous boobs that bounced breastily every time she walked and a sex drive stronger than the sun’s gravity. Appearances varied, as did attitude and theme, but those constants were non-negotiable. Was it possible to meet such a woman? Sure, but to hold every woman in the real world to that rarity as an ideal felt unfair. 

On the other hand, the ideal man in a romance novel written by a woman had an emotional IQ higher than the stars, understood women without asking questions or being told the answers, was dangerous and safe at the same time, and had a dick that defied physical descriptions if not physics. Looks varied, but hotness was non-negotiable for both genders. 

Realistically, she knew she’d never meet a man who checked every box in the list of women-written romance tropes, but she could hope for someone who met at least some of them. She wasn’t holding men to an unrealistic standard; she was asking for maturity and respect. Emotional intelligence wasn’t that hard to ask for, was it? She didn’t even want someone with movie-star good looks. 

A young man chest-bumped his friend in the lobby as they passed, laughing over a picture of a woman they admired on his phone. 

Kat’s hope for romance died a little each day. 

A twiggy young man ahead of her in line took the last slice of pizza, so Kat waited for a fresh pie with her back to the others. 

“Damn girl! Back that ass up and I’ll show you where to park it.” 

Kat looked over her shoulder to see a short young Indian ‘gentleman’ biting his bottom lip and nodding at her with his chin. 

Her resting bitch face morphed into a glare so full of hate that he had the decency to look ashamed. 

“I’m just kidding, sorry. I couldn’t think of how else to get your attention. I’m Sanjay.” He offered her his hand, but she didn’t take it or shake it. “You play volleyball here?” 

“I’m not interested,” Kat said, polite, sharp, and to the point. “If you follow me, I will brain you with this tray.” She walked away, forfeiting her awaited piece of pizza for freedom, leaving the pizza line and joining the sandwich line with Mandi instead. 

“Bitch,” Sanjay mumbled as he waited in line for the first slice of pizza. 

Kat placed her order for a sandwich and waited with Mandi while the overworked, underpaid, and unassisted student worker tried to take orders and make sandwiches amid the rush. Was a sandwich the healthiest meal in the cafeteria? Not the one she ordered. Was she hungry enough to eat as many carbs as she could fit into the Turkey Club with extra bacon? Absolutely. Also, she’d totally killed it at the tryouts, so she deserved a treat. 

“How do you think you did?” Mandi asked. 

“I think I did pretty well, even though my team lost the skirmish, obviously. Hopefully that doesn’t bite me.” Kat said. “But it’s not my fault that the people they paired me with were terrible.” 

“Yeah,” Mandi said. “Sorry that we had to beat you so badly, but those tips and pointers you gave me really helped. Thanks.” 

Kat chuckled, but her laughter died as a loud wolf whistle cut through the din from directly behind her and Mandi. A small group of three young men in their shorts and t-shirts stood behind them, lifting their eyes from Kat and Mandi’s asses as they looked over their shoulders. 

“Please tell me you’re single,” The ringleader said. “And that you have one more friend for my boy, here.” 

“Boy is right,” Kat said in a hushed tone, which made Mandi laugh. 

“I’m Mikey, this is Jake, and Matty.” The ringleader introduced himself and the two goons beside him. They weren’t bad-looking guys. Mikey and Matty might’ve been related, as they both had brown hair, brown eyes, and similar faces. They dressed similarly, both wearing Pendleton Wolves T-shirts and khaki shorts. Jake dressed more professionally in a pair of slacks, a button-down shirt, a loose gray scarf, and a fedora. He wasn’t as fit as the others, and his patchy beard got an A for effort, but an F for results. 

“I’m Mandi, this is Kat, we’re just waiting for our food,” Mandi said, polite but smiling and unconsciously knocking her ponytail over her shoulder as she said it. 

“Are you single? Can I get your number?” Mikey asked. 

“Oh, no thanks,” Mandi said. “I have a guy I’m interested in.” 

“Oh come on, it’s just a phone number? We can text and get to know one another before you decide if you want to get a coffee or something,” Mikey said, as if explaining how anyone might use a phone number. 

Kat rolled her eyes. “She said no thank you, so you can go try to poison the gene pool elsewhere, Mikey.” 

The way Kat said his name made it sound like an insult, and if that didn’t do the trick, the insult before it might’ve clued them in to her dislike. 

“Oh, the Kat has claws,” Jake said, laughing at Mike’s failure to come back with a witty response. 

“Just leave us alone, we’re waiting for our food,” Kat said. 

“Cool, cool. Where are you sitting? You can join us for lunch, can’t you? We don’t bite, unless you’re into that.” Mikey said, as if Kat hadn’t spoken. 

“Uh, no thanks. We’re going to sit with our new friends from the tryouts,” Mandi said. Her polite smile and friendly demeanor made the rejection somehow sound like an invitation to the asshole pestering her. 

Kat didn’t know how to make themselves clearer. Her scowl seemed to encourage Jake, who stepped closer to her as if he wanted her to strangle him with that nonsensical scarf. 

“Yeah, we saw you in the tryouts. We were watching from the bleachers. I must say, you look fantastic in that uniform.” Mikey said, shuffling closer to Mandi in line. 

Mandi didn’t say thank you; she just smiled and turned to the side, so she was waiting for her sandwich without turning her back to the guys. 

“And it looks even better on you,” Jake said to Kat. 

“I will cut you if you step closer to me,” Kat said, eying the butter knife on her tray. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut the skin quickly, but that didn’t mean she’d give up. 

“Oh, ho!” The guys jeered.

“The Kat’s got claws, Jake, watch out!” Matty chimed in, slapping his friend on the back. 

“I might be into that,” Jake said, winking at her. 

Kat’s evident disgust did nothing to deter him. Fortunately, their sandwiches were ready, and Mandi and Kat took theirs and fled to the cafeteria. They didn’t spot the girls but sat at an empty table near the back, hoping it would be enough seclusion to let them eat in peace. They were mistaken. 

Mikey, Jake, and Matty followed them, as if the girls agreed to eat with them, and set their trays on the circular table around them. 

“So, about that phone number,” Matty said as he sat down. 

“She said no,” Kat said, standing up and picking up her tray. 

Mandi smiled softly, as if embarrassed that Kat was speaking so loudly and so rudely. 

“Don’t be a bitch,” Matty said, defending Mikey. “She can give him her number if she wants to.” 

“She doesn’t want to!” Kat said. “She said no, but you didn’t listen, and now you followed us to our table? Get lost!” 

“Just give us a chance!” Jake said, practically begging Kat. “You haven’t even given me a chance to ask for your number.” He said to Kat. 

“I’m not giving you my number,” Kat said. “I’m not interested.” She grabbed her tray. “Come on, Mandi, let’s switch tables.” 

“Oh, come on,” Jake said. “You’re really gonna try to tell me that you have a boyfriend?” 

“Hey!” A deep voice cut through the chatter as someone from the table behind Kat rose to their feet. 

Kat turned to see who it was. He was tall. That was the first thing she recognized about him. Six feet four inches of well-built muscular stock with shoulders like mountains. He’d sat alone with a book he’d been reading beside his tray. Little Women. His suit was dark, his jacket unbuttoned to reveal a pastel-blue shirt beneath, with a black tie. The tight tuck of his shirt and the way it fell suggested abs and pecs forged in the gym. 

“Leave her alone. She said no.” The man said, his voice deep and commanding in a way that made Kat forget she wasn’t who he was talking to. “She won’t say yes to get you to stop asking, and she shouldn’t have to.” 

“What the fuck business is it of yours?” Matty said, getting to his feet and standing a full head shorter than the newcomer. Mikey and Jake got to their feet as well, staring up at him along with Kat. The man moved, shifting and putting himself between Kat and the guys. She stared at his back, admiring the cut of his jacket and the way he spread his arm beside him. He splayed his fingers as he protected her with his body and guarded her with his arm. 

“You made it everyone’s business when you decided to ignore a simple no,” The man said, gesturing to the crowd around them that had suddenly turned to witness the altercation of one towering man confronting three frumpy men for the sake of two women he didn’t know. 

“Come on, man,” Mikey said, tugging at Matty’s shirt. “They aren’t worth it.” 

The man stared at them, unmoving and unyielding. He waited until they were gone before he released a long exhale that sounded like a sigh of relief. 

“Are you okay?” He asked Kat first, staring into her eyes with such a handsome face that Kat’s language skills suddenly fled her head. 

“Yup,” Kat said, nodding. 

“Oh my god, thank you so much,” Mandi said, stepping between Kat and the newcomer. “I’m Mandi,” She offered her hand, and giggled slightly, for no reason that Kat could discern. 

“I’m Arthur,” he said, shaking her hand briefly and releasing it immediately. “Do you two feel safe? Is there anything I can do, or do you need anything? Do you want me to flag down security so you can file a harassment complaint against them?” 

He met Kat’s eyes again, and she blinked at him. 

“Oh, no, no need for security when we’ve got you around,” Mandi said, giggling. 

Kat smiled. “You’re our knight in shining armor.” 

“Heh,” Arthur chuckled, smiling as if Kat had made a joke that was funnier than she knew. “I don’t know about that, I just don’t like bullies.” 

Kat brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and nodded. “You’re reading Little Women? Is that for a class?” 

Arthur shook his head. “No, I try to read a book a month for pleasure. My buddy Mark started a book club, and we’re trying to broaden our horizons beyond the typical dude novels, so we read some Austen recently, and we’re reading Little Women this month.” 

“Did you like Austen?” Kat asked. 

Arthur nodded. “Sure, though admittedly I find some of the tropes tired, but I realize they were fresh when she wrote them. I can’t hold everyone following her example against her,” 

Kat smiled. An intelligent but not condescending observation about an author besides the one he was currently reading. Wow.  

“Do you want to sit at my table?” Arthur asked. “You can put your backs to the wall that way, or you could use my jacket if either of you is still uncomfortable. I only have the one, but I can probably find something in the lost and found if–” 

“Of course, we’ll sit with you,” Mandi said. “Thank you.” 

Kat brought her tray over to his table. He began to move his so that they could take the seats with a view of the cafeteria, but Mandi stopped him. “Oh, you can still sit here, don’t worry.” She said, putting her tray directly beside his. 

“Oh, if you’re sure,” Arthur said. 

Kat eyed Mandi suspiciously and put her tray on the opposite side of Arthur. 

“So, are you an upperclassman?” Mandi asked as the three of them sat. 

“Hm?” Arthur asked as he turned to see her. “No, second-semester freshman.” 

“Us too,” Kat said, nodding. “What’s your major?” 

“Business,” Arthur answered. “Yours?” 

“English,” Kat said. 

“Oh, so that’s why you were interested in what I was reading,” Arthur said before Mandi could volunteer her major. He patted his book and set it down in front of him. 

“I’m just surprised to find a guy reading Little Women in the cafeteria,” Kat said, brushing her hair behind her ear again. 

“Are you using it to pick up chicks?” Mandi asked. “Because I think it’s working on Kat.” 

Arthur missed Kat’s mortified expression at Mandi’s comment as he turned toward Mandi and chuckled. 

“No, like I said, it’s for book club, and I’m not trying to attract anyone,” Arthur said. 

“Oh. Are you gay?” Mandi asked. 

“Do gay people not still try to attract other gay people?” Arthur asked as if the question confused him. 

Mandi laughed as if he’d made a joke, and Arthur’s confusion faded as someone else approached the table. 

“There you are,” The black haired beauty said. Kat and Mandi didn’t recognize her, but Arthur did. 

“Hey, this is my girlfriend, Lori.” Arthur made the introductions as he stood and pulled over a chair for her. He placed the new chair between him and Mandi. Mandi wasn’t happy about it, but she scooted sideways. 

“Who are your new friends?” The young woman asked, eying Kat and Mandi, but especially Mandi with suspicion. 

“This is Mandi, and…” Arthur blanked because Kat hadn’t given him her name. “I’m so sorry, I forgot your name.” 

Kat sighed. “It’s not important.” She shook her head. “We should let you two eat.” 

“Some guys were bothering us, and Arthur kindly stepped in and sent them packing,” Mandi explained. 

“That’s my Arthur,” Lori said, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear and kissing his cheek. “Did you throw a punch this time or just flex them into oblivion?” 

Arthur laughed. “They saw reason.” 

“They always do.” Lori patted his thigh and left her hand there as she ate with her other hand. “So, you two play volleyball?” She asked, noticing the shorts as Mandi crossed her legs beneath the table. 

Mandi filled her in on how tryouts went, and Kat fell silent as she ate. She glanced up at Arthur now and again, but she might as well have been invisible. It was like it didn’t even occur to him that other women might be sexual prospects because Lori existed. Not even that she was there, but even before she arrived, he hadn’t considered either of them a prospect for flirting. The total opposite of the guys who bothered them. Why did his disinterest make her want his attention more? 

She grew warm between her legs as she crossed them and tried to shed images of what Arthur looked like beneath his suit. 

“Well, it was nice to meet you,” Arthur said, standing up when Lori was only halfway through her meal. “I’ve got to get back to the office. We have a new supervisor and I’m still showing her the ropes.” 

Lori laughed as if he’d said something hilarious, possibly an inside joke between the two of them. “I’ll see you tonight?” Lori asked, her voice surprisingly sultry and suggestive for so innocent a question. 

Arthur blushed at her laughter at his remark and kept it as she asked her question. The faint glow of red across the bridge of his nose and the top of his cheeks made Kat’s heart flutter as her core turned volcanic. 

“Of course,” Arthur answered, and kissed Lori goodbye. Their kiss wasn’t overly passionate, but Lori dragged her teeth over Arthur’s lower lip as he pulled away, deepening his blush as he nervously glanced at their audience. “See you around,” he waved to Mandi and Kat as he left, taking his tray and shouting his “thank you” into the conveyor opening to the kitchen. 

“Does he have any brothers?” Mandi asked Lori after he’d left as if she’d been waiting for him to go to ask it. 

Lori laughed. “No, he’s an only child.” 

Mandi frowned and sat back in her chair with a huff as she crossed her arms. “Damn.” 

“Right?” Lori chuckled. “He’s dominant in the bedroom, too.” 

“Oh, you cruel bitch,” Mandi said, glaring at her. “I like you.” 

Lori laughed and shook her head. 

Kat ate the last fry on her plate and excused herself from the table. She felt sick with wistful ideas of romance that lingered from their encounter like the smoky trail of an extinguished candle flame. Of course, the one guy she’d met that she clicked with and felt a connection with had a girlfriend. 

She didn’t hate Lori for it, but she wouldn’t weep if they broke up. Lori seemed the possessive type, and she didn’t seem to mind teasing Mandi’s crush on Arthur either. She enjoyed having someone that other people wanted, but who, judging by her brief encounter with him, would never waver in his faithfulness. Some girls had all the luck. 

Kat walked quickly back to the conveyor belt, mirroring Arthur’s “thank you” to the kitchen staff as she left the doors. Fuck the locker room, she’d get her clothes later. She jogged to her dorm, grabbed her shower basket, towel, and a change of clothes, then headed to the hallway bathroom, where the showers waited. 

She pulled the curtain aside and took the cleanest shower stall possible. Checking her phone, she paused before she turned on the water, reading a text from her sister. 

Selene: How did tryouts go??? Did you kill it? 

Katerine: They went well, I think. I know I did well on the skills section, but my team lost the group skirmishes. I did well, though. I don’t know. I’ll find out soon. 

Selene: They’d be idiots not to put you on the team. You got this. 

Katerine: <3

Selene: <3

Kat put her phone in her basket and closed the curtain. 

She undressed quickly, leaving the ridiculous shorts on the shelf with the t-shirt, and standing under the spray. She set her basket on the tile floor, not ready to wash. Rinsing the sweat from her flesh was the priority. 

Mortification over her state when meeting Arthur sank in. Dried sweat along her pores must have made her smell, though it hadn’t deterred the lecherous creeps who’d stalked them from the gymnasium. Maybe she didn’t want to join the team after all if those uniforms drew that much attention. 

She rolled her shoulders back, relaxing as heat soaked into her body and steam rose from where water struck her skin. 

Kat stood naked beneath the spray and imagined the warmth came from Arthur’s thick arms wrapping over her in a protective shell from behind. Her body ached for his, and the forbidden nature of such a relationship only made her desire keener. The sharp sting of lust drove into her, and her hand slid along the smooth skin of her stomach to the bushy hair of her pelvis. She pressed the tips of her fingers flat against the top of her pussy, closing her eyes to imagine Arthur stripping off his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves. 

His bright eyes met Kat’s and held her gaze as she groped her breast. Then his fingers replaced her own below her belt, rubbing, fingering, and driving into her with such passion that it stoked her own. 

Lori could tease Mandi all she liked, but Kat knew Arthur would be a gentle, if firm lover. Maybe he was dominant in the bedroom, but he’d care about his partner’s safety. Naturally, her imagination supplied his body with all the physical beauty she required. His dick was the perfect size for her, based on her experience with her ex-boyfriend, but it was his arms and hands that drove her pleasure to new heights as she stood with her legs spread in the shower. 

Kat turned around so that the spray hit her front, dripping over her chest and caressing her erect nipples before it fell to the floor. She kept her legs spread, knees bent, and feet planted as she leaned forward, putting one hand on the wall and keeping the other moving between her legs, rubbing and fingering her dripping pussy as the water spread around it and washed the arousal from her thighs. 

She pictured his smile—those bright, perfect teeth between curved lips. The creases beside each eye proved his sincerity, and the handsome sharpness of his jawline made her weak. The shoulders that bore out his frame suggested a primal strength she didn’t have to fear. He wasn’t scary. He was her protector, her knight in shining armor. 

Her fingers were barely strong enough to mimic what she imagined was his strength, but they gave her the pleasure she needed. She groaned, relieved that early afternoon on a Saturday left the showers empty except for her. Panting, her breath quickened as she approached her impending release, and her body clenched around her fingers as she came, adding her fluids to the water sliding along her skin. 

She shook, moaning as she slid to her knees, catching her breath as the water fell onto her shoulders and back from above. 

“He has a girlfriend,” Kat said, as if convincing herself that she shouldn’t track him down and beg him to ride off with her. The words soured her mood even as her body relaxed and the flood of pleasure faded from every nerve. She wanted a nap, but she had to finish her shower first, and moved through the motions with all the perfunctory dedication of a minimum-wage slave after their manager with health benefits showed them their new car. 

After her shower, she dressed in her pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt, combing her long blonde hair as she sat on the edge of her bed. She met each tangle with a ferocity only sexual frustration could bring. She checked her phone as she lay back on her bed and smiled. 

Selene: So what else is new in college life? I can’t wait to move out. Any newsworthy life events? 

Katerine: I met a guy I liked. A real gentleman. Like someone out of a romance novel. 

Selene: That’s great! Tell me about him. 

Katerine: He’s tall, with shoulders that make me weak. He’s got great eyes, totally respectful in his gaze, too. Keeps eye contact, doesn’t dip when you move or jostle. And his jawline? He’s like Hollywood handsome. He actively reads novels for fun, and purposefully goes out of his way to read things out of his comfort zone and the typical ‘dude novels.’ He expressed an intelligent opinion on Austen, but he’s currently reading Little Women. 

Selene: omg. He sounds like your perfect man! What are his thoughts on Little Women? 

Katerine: I don’t know, I didn’t get the chance to ask. 

Selene: Sounds like the perfect conversation to have over some coffee. ;p 

Katerine: lol. Unfortunately, he has a girlfriend and is totally oblivious to all other women. 

Selene: Aw! Maybe they’ll break up. 

Katerine: Maybe, but I doubt it. He seemed pretty smitten with her. She’s kind of a bitch, though. 

Selene: Boo! We hate her. 

Kat smiled, chuckling to herself. She and Selene had grown closer with some time apart. Having to share a bedroom for their entire childhood was a lesson in domestic warfare, but age, wisdom, and distance provided a healthy amount of space. They wouldn’t have to room together when Selene came to campus, so that was nice, but Kat wouldn’t mind having her in the same suite if they could arrange it. 

She didn’t need her little sister following her to college, but there were worse people who might’ve followed her here. At least Selene supported her, and she did her best to return the favor. 

Kat closed her eyes and fell asleep with her phone on her chest, napping as dreams of the handsome young man she’d met played in her mind’s eye. Who knows, maybe she’d see him again one day, and he’d break up with his girlfriend, and they could live happily ever after. She had no idea what the future held.