The final quarter had begun, including the mandatory public speaking course and the even more mandatory final project.
Nick is the only one in the lab, hovered over a mag lamp which hovers over a breadboard covered in the expected mix of passive and active components, your chips, your trannies, resistors, caps, diodes an jumper wires that he habitually strips with his front teeth no matter how many times his poor mother advises against it.
The project he chose was inspired by his dad's dad who loved to work the old teletype, RTTY, or "rittie" as it goes. He had found one circuit in a spec sheet and is attempting to marry it with another from a reference "cookbook" to match the TTL to RS232 voltages, so that the tones get translated into voltages that tell the computer what to think.
He's so engrossed in thought, with some KISS playing on the old boombox he keeps in the locker for times like this, that he jumps a mile when the female voice,
"Nick - oh I'm sorry, " before going into the expected giggle.
He sighs. "you can laugh but don't try to lie, you are NOT sorry lady."
She makes a 'moi' gesture. "You've been busy I see."
"I bet you have as well."
There's a brief pause as both look away, then she turns to his boombox. "...Plaster Caster? Grab a hold of me FASTER? What kind of filth young man!"
"Hey it helps me think."
"I'll just BET it does....you know I'm just busting you, I grew up on that shit, my brothers."
"Yeah I got one of those, Army actually took him."
"Heh, there ya have it. Can you use a break?"
"Always, care for a stroll around the lovely tech building?"
He stops the tape, she offers her arm and they embark. It's dinner hour for most so not many are around except for the computer lab.
She starts, "So...I have been thinking -"
"You're not the only one."
She smiles at him. "I just wanted you to know, when we first, um -"
"Met."
"Heh, yeah...afterword, the first days and weeks, I was pretty scared, since I didn't know, you know, how much trouble..."
"I understand, I was a tad concerned, but it felt like everything would be OK, I just hope it was for you."
"Eventually, once, you know (whispers) the cops didn't show up...."
"I never told anyone, in fact, I thought of it as a fantasy come true, the only soul I've told is the shoe box where I put the card."
She covers her mouth and almost tears up. He slips an arm around her elbows, then hears someone coming and retreats.
After the coast is clear, "Nick I don't think we have to worry about public appearances, there's no conflict of interest here, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable -"
"This is all just new, I haven't seen anyone in over a year."
"I hope we can talk more, you know, keep...talking."
"Noreen I want nothing more, it's getting me to the finish line."
She smiles the biggest he's ever seen.
"If you can say, how did you get the card to me?"
"Well...like I said, when it felt safe, I made the plan and contacted my friend. I hate to lie so I basically told her that a young man had paid me a very special and needed complement when we briefly met in the den..."
"And so she knew just enough to close the loop."
She smiles at him again. "It's all....like a fairy tale."
"Dear Penthouse," Nick blurts out despite himself and then covers his face with both hands. He peeks out with one eye to find her with arms on both hips, shaking her head and laughing silently.
"What are we gonna do with you Swanson?"
"I'm glad someone can appreciate my comments."
"Well eventually that will get you slapped."
"Believe me that's nothing new." He pauses, "I'm tempted to ask you something, but -"
"Anything."
"Um...(looks around)...did you ever get to...that night, you had to use the bathroom..."
"Oh God, (laughing) yeah thankfully I could make my way out of the house and find the gas station, then...oh you should have seen the place, I had to dance around lining the seat, it was disgusting, put a second layer on then couldn't hold it any longer, sat down and, WHOOSH."
"Yeah I bet."
"One tank was full and you filled up the other."
His ears glow red as a manifold and she squeezes his shoulder, he can only shake his head as she almost falls over laughing. It was a secluded space so she leaned on him.
"The other day, at the table you looked so...professional, so...professorial, it was though you were a different person."
"But I'm not, don't ever forget that, but still, thanks. I hadn't thought that teaching was going to work out, but now, who knows, I may even get my masters, they offer it here now."
"I think you should."
She grabs both his elbows, face on. "Nick, just don't be a stranger, more than you have to, OK?"
"I won't."
She leans in as before and their lips meet, a bit longer this time. "Go back to your filth."
"Go back to your tales."
Noreen turns and wiggles her butt at him then half runs down the hall. After staring into space during about two more KISS tracks he's able to get back to his rat's nest of a breadboard.