Numeric ID: 3
Date Received: 09 APR 2000
Idea From: Barbara Diane
Written By: Barbara and Ellen
Email To: /dev/null

     "What happened, did you miss your flight?" came wobbling out of my
mouth as I opened the door, expecting to see Jim or his father.

     "No, but how did you know I was coming?"  Standing there was a
beautiful redheaded coed wearing an A&M sweater and tears she was
brushing from her cheeks. "Oh, I thought you were my brother. Is Jim
here?"

	After staring with my mouth open for a few seconds, I unlocked 
enough to shake my head no, which got me another stab of pain through my 
head.  "Ahhg, ah, not right now. He took his, uh, your?  Father to the
airport.  I hope."

     "Dad was here! He's gone now, isn't he?"

     "I sure hope so," I said before I could stop myself.  The fluting
was so much better than stabbing pain.  While I leaned on the door, some
newly working part of my brain kicked in. "Would you like to wait
inside?" She didn't say anything right away, which was OK because she
had the prettiest hazel eyes. Luckily her eyes started blinking just as
I was getting completely lost in them.

     "Oh, ah sorry, I'm Andrea, Jim's sister?! You must be Stephanie.
I'll bet you caught Jim's mono when you were taking care of him."

	I tried nodding slowly. That helped.

     "It's all right, I got it from my bed-hopping roommate Last Year.
Here, let's get you back to bed.  Is there anything I can get you?"
 
	She came over with a strange look in her eyes and had my arm across
her shoulder and a firm grip of my waist in about 2 seconds. Good thing 
because the room started to sway, unless that was our hips? I do
remember thinking she was as soft as the pillow under my head before I
was out again.

     Voices and the smell of food woke me from a strange dream about
hazel eyes and dark red hair. This time I was determined to get some
solid food. As soon as I made a quick trip to the bathroom for the
usual. 

     Jim was waiting for me when I got out.  "Ah!" I commented.  I hated
being watched.

     "B- ah, Stephanie, ah, we have a little problem." I was really
beginning to dislike that name.  I tried glaring at him, but he had that
little hurt puppy dog thing going so I gave it up, shuffled over to the
spot on the bed Jim was patting and sat down.  He slipped his arm around
my waist which surprised me.

     Then I remembered Andrea.  "Ah, does this have something to do with
your sister?" He nodded his head and I knew I was doomed. I could barely
say no to Jim.  After a few minutes with Andrea I knew I'd be her slave
for life.

	 "Andrea came here because things at school were kind of out of 
control, n' we've always been there for each other so, she wanted 
my advice, sort of.. "

     This bantering about was wearing me out.  "Jim, What's going on?"

     "Well, she's having some dating problems."

     "Life's hard," I snapped before I could stop myself.

	"Actually she's getting asked out by *too many* people." Which sounded 
about normal for someone as beautiful as Andrea.

     "Oh how fucking horrible!" I said nastily.  That wasn't one of MY
dating problems.

     Jim grabbed me around the waist and shook me to readjust my
attitude.  "If I wanted a bitchy queen, I'd have gotten Steve, alright?"
he complained as he shook me until the walls blurred.

     He wasn't telling me something, I figured out, when the room
stopped jiggling.  So, I tried glaring at him again. He immediately
started blushing! "She says the guys aren't a problem. It's been the
girls, and ah...  *You*!" 

     When the lights faded back in, I was in bed and Jim had a cool
cloth to my head. Andrea was standing behind him holding another wet
hanky and a pinched expression.

	I thought I better say something.

     "Jim, maybe if I ate something I'd stop having these fainting
spells." Jim winked at me then looked at Andrea.

     She broke into a big smile. "Coming right up Steff." Luckily she
also answered Jim's phone from the kitchen, which gave us a few extra
minutes.

     As soon as Andrea was out of hearing range, Jim tried to fill me
in. Apparently her roommate's female-to-female antics had opened some
new horizons that Andrea didn't know how to deal with yet. At least
that's what I was getting from the bits and pieces Jim was relaying to
me. 

	He was actually kind of cute when he blushed.

	There just wasn't enough time to find out what he wanted me to do 
before Andrea was back with the home-cooked meal I had smelled earlier.
"Jim, why don't you go call your friend Steve back while I feed
Stephanie." I knew she was a year younger than Jim but she sure didn't
act like it.

	Jim winked at me again as he left the room. Then Andrea started in. 
"Scoot over, dear, and we'll talk while I feed you." We ended up with
her thigh firmly pressed against mine which was making me very warm.  Or
maybe I was fevered again.

     "How ever in the world did you two meet?" Since I was around when
Jim met Steve, I hoped I could keep it close to what Jim had told the
family. Chewing slowly also gave me time to mesh everything believably.
I hoped.

     Literally backing into each other at a Deli was uncommon enough
that I got a laugh out of Andrea when I told it. "But how did you get
him to call you? I think your the first girl he's dated more than once.
We were all beginning to wonder."

	This was dangerous territory. 

	"Well, it turned out we had two classes with the same professor but 
at different periods. I guess it was that and finding we had similar
taste in music, reading and sports. He was quiet about the sex thing so,
I gave him my number and suggested we might study together. Apparently I
was quiet enough about things too and he called."  Lie lie lie lie lie.
"We actually studied together several times before it got too hard to
concentrate. The last time we studied for about ten minutes then just
talked about things for the next two hours. That's when we agreed to
just date and share our notes instead."

     At this point, I decided to stop ad-libbing. My story was as
believable as backing into each other at a Diversity Conference and then
going to the DELI after.  The other dates were more like everyone's;
movies, plays, sports, hiking, and horseback riding.

     We had covered the first 3 dates without mishap and the two dozen
roses Jim got from 'Stephanie' on Valentines Day that had started this
charade.  Then she slipped one past me. "So Steffie dear, how long have
you and my brother been roommates?"

     "Since our freshman year." The fork hesitated on its way to my
mouth.  I'd said something horribly wrong...

     "Really.... everyone told me you met after the holidays."

	I could almost see the pieces falling into place behind her eyes.

     "Mmmm, Stephanie dear..... you wouldn't know where Jim's *other*
roommate is would you?"

     "Ahhh..." was all that came out while my face got warmer and
warmer.  I knew waking up was a bad idea!

     Then Jim opened the bedroom door, a few minutes too late, and
announced. "Steve said he's coming over to sit with Stephanie, so I can
show you the campus like I promised."

	Without taking her eyes off of me she said, "I think you should 
take Steven out tonight instead, while Steffie and I discuss what
happened to that marvelous roommate you once had....  I think his name
was .... Brad?!"

     This time I didn't faint..... Jim did.

     Andrea moved the tray out of our way and then we BOTH jumped up to
take care of Jim.  And ran into each other.

     It all turned out well in the end. When Jim woke up, he came out
about Steven. After meeting Steve, Andrea promised to keep their secret
if they kept hers. The only thing that changed was that Andrea decided
that the 'Boys' should have 'their' bedroom back, cause us 'Girls' were
taking over Brad's old bedroom.

     Me, I kept my mouth shut, which always seemed to work out well.

     Since then, our relationship hasn't changed too much either. She's
already scheduled our wedding ceremonies for the month after she
graduates. At least Andrea has *finally* agreed to let me help pick out
my own wedding dress.....

	Ya got to start somewhere!!