THE CAMERA EYE


III.


The clouds parted, allowing a narrow swath of golden rays to
spill down onto the capitol dome. Two young women sat talking on
the steps, the colors of their hair and clothes suddenly blazing
to life in the sunlight. I focused my lens quickly. The break
lasted for a dozen clicks of the shutter before the sky closed up
again and everything faded into to gray. I shouldered my camera
and walked on. Sometimes it seemed that the world was just a
collection of images; beautiful moments that ended all too
quickly and would never happen the same way twice. I'd been drawn
to photography because I liked the idea of being able to capture
and hold on to these moments, even ones as simple as a glimpse of
sunlight on a rainy afternoon.

I spent most of the weekend taking pictures downtown, trying to
put what happened with Nicole out of my mind. I didn't regret it,
but screwing around with another guy's fiancé wasn't something I
was proud of, no matter how much fun it had been. I also had
other things to worry about. The quarter was nearly over and
finals would begin next week. All of the serious students were
already living on caffeine and starting to twitch nervously. I
didn't quite fall into that category, but I still had a lot of
work to do.

Sunday evening I was putting the last touches on my Photography
project when the phone rang. It was Nicole.

"Hi Rick. Are you busy?" Her voice was low and seemed to have a
tired edge to it.

"Not very," I answered. "Just finishing something up. You okay?"

"Yeah. I've just been prepping all week and I'm getting burnt
out." She paused for a moment. "Can I come by?"

"Sure." I didn't see any harm in it, though I wondered what she
had in mind.

Ten minutes later she was at my door. Her lips were chapped and
several strands of her chestnut hair had escaped from her
ponytail to dangle beside her face. She definitely looked
stressed. I sat with her on the couch as she vented about her
classload and exams and her fiancé who wasn't calling as much as
he used to.

Nicole was still talking as I moved over and started rubbing her
back. The muscles felt like coiled springs. I pushed her forward
a little, and her voice trailed off as I moved my hands to the
junction of her neck and shoulders. She lowered her head and
sighed. After a few minutes I pulled my hands away and stood up.

"If you stop now I'll strangle you," she said, looking like she
meant it. Luckily for me I hadn't intended to quit just yet.
Guiding her down onto her stomach, I started working on her neck
and shoulders again as she lay stretched out on the couch. She
moaned softly into the cushion as kneaded her muscles with a
little more force. I wasn't a skilled masseuse by any means, but
when you have relatives with chronic back problems you tend to
learn a few things.

"Hold on." She rose up and pulled her shirt off before lying down
again. Her tanned skin was dotted with a handful of freckles, and
I used them as landmarks as I slowly rubbed my way down along her
spine. Just as I got to her lower back she raised up a little and
reached down to undo her pants. I tugged them over her athletic
legs and off completely, leaving her lying there in only a pair
of white cotton panties. I slid my hands underneath them, half-
massaging and half-fondling her butt as she gave another soft
little moan.

I rolled her over to work on her front. It was nice to be able to
take my time and explore her body without feeling rushed. She
pulled her bra off and dropped it to the floor, her heavy tits
bouncing with her movements. I caught them with my hands and
kneaded gently, rolling them around in slow circles on her chest.

After a little while I leaned back and let my fingers glide down
over her stomach. Enjoying the smoothness of her skin, I moved my
hands along her hips and thighs, sliding my fingers teasingly
close to the crotch of her panties. Her breathing quickened every
time I touched her inner thigh.

Unable to resist any longer, I caressed the soft cloth-covered
bulge of her vulva for a moment before sliding my hand down into
her panties. She moaned as I cupped her pussy and started to
stroke it with slow circular motions, the warm, moist lips almost
sticking to my hand. I pulled my fingers away to get them slick
with saliva, and as they drew close to my face I could smell her
on them. It was an intoxicating scent that reminded me very much
of maple syrup.

Altering my plans, I leaned down and kissed her twat through her
panties before pulling them down around her knees. The lips of
her shaven pussy were a dark pink color and curled outward like
the petals of a flower. I moved in and gently tasted her. It
wasn't quite the same as maple syrup but it was still good. I
began flicking and swirling my tongue over her labia, my hand
running softly over her flat stomach.

There was something especially intimate about going down on a
woman, much more so than with fucking. I was drinking her in;
inhaling her; enjoying the taste and scent of her sex while her
soft moans urged me on.

Nicole shuddered as I locked my mouth on the top half of her
pussy and sucked, sliding my tongue over her clit and upper lips
with slow, fluttering licks. After only few moments she suddenly
gasped sharply and twisted aside, trapping my head with her
thighs to keep me at a distance. It took me a second to realize
that she'd already come. Apparently she'd really needed it.

She released me and relaxed again. I let my hands wander gently
over her body while she rested with her eyes closed and her arms
folded across her chest. After a little while I noticed that her
breathing had become very soft and rhythmic.

"Nicole?" I called quietly. Nothing. She'd fallen asleep. I shook
my head and smiled as I went to get a blanket.

I returned to my project, occasionally stopping to look over at
her as she slept peacefully on the couch. It felt strangely good
to have her there. Her presence made the place a lot less lonely.
She was out for almost two hours. When she got up she pulled her
clothes on and quickly checked the time.

"Shit," she groaned. "I still have a *lot* of studying to do."
She finished putting her shoes on and gave me a hug, seeming
tired but a lot more relaxed.

"Thank you," she said, resting her cheek against my chest.

"Anytime." I supposed that I meant it. That's what friends were
for, right?

She smiled and left. I went back into my room and tried to
concentrate. I had exams of my own to deal with.

***

Finals came and went in a hectic blur. Then it was spring break,
and I ended up being stuck at home while most of the students
went off to have fun. Money was getting tight and it looked like
I was going to have to find a roommate to help with the rent.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I was getting a little tired of
living alone anyway.

The new quarter started and to my surprise I discovered a
familiar face in my Spanish class. It was Angela. Almost two
months had passed since I'd seen her last, but just a sidelong
glimpse of her face was enough to make my pulse start racing. I'd
been telling myself that I'd gotten over her. It was suddenly
obvious that I wasn't a very good liar.

I sat behind and to the side of her. Her hair looked a bit longer
that it had been, but she still kept it wild like she'd just
woken up or had sex. She was wearing her black-rimmed glasses and
the piercings in her ears and nose glinted prettily. For a moment
I hoped that she wouldn't see me, then kicked myself for being
such a coward. So what if her boyfriend was a hundred times
better looking than me? That didn't make it illegal to be
friendly. A few minutes into the class she glanced back and saw
me. Her face brightened into a smile and she gave me a little
wave. I smiled back and returned it, feeling my mouth suddenly
get dry.

After the class ended I went over to talk to her.

"Hey there," I said.

"Hey," she replied, grinning. "Long time no see, Mr. Cameraman."

"Yeah." I suddenly felt like a blushing schoolboy. "I never got a
chance to ask how you liked those pictures."

"They were really great, thanks." She started walking slowly and
I moved into step with her. We headed outside.

"I meant to call you," she added, "but I kinda thought you'd
never want to talk to me again after I stood you up like that. I
didn't mean to...I just had a lot of stuff happening at once."

"Sometimes things come up. It's all right." I tried not to stare
at her as we walked. She was just as pretty as I remembered, and
being close to her again was reminding me of how much fun we'd
had together. "I was kinda looking forward to seeing you use
chopsticks, though."

Angela gave a quick little smile. "No, it isn't alright. I'm just
glad you don't hate me." She paused for a second and looked over
at me, the silver stud in her nose gleaming. "Do you?"

"Nope," I answered, looking her in the eyes for a moment. "In
fact, I think you're thoroughly awesome." I winced inwardly as
soon as I said it, hoping that it didn't sound as lame as I
thought.

Her grin reappeared and she held my gaze. "Well, you're pretty
cool too." A moment later she looked away, seeming suddenly
awkward. We stopped outside of the computer center.

"Rick," she began, suddenly looking serious. "I got back with my
old boyfriend. That's part of the reason why I couldn't go out
with you."

"I know," I said, managing to smile a little. "I've seen you two
around. You look good together."

"Thanks." She immediately seemed more cheerful. "So, can we be
friends?"

"Yeah," I answered, feeling a sinking sensation in my gut. "I'd
like that." Even though I'd known this was how things would be, I
hadn't needed it thrown in my face.

"I'd like that too."

"Okay. See you Wednesday?" I asked, suddenly eager to be a
million miles away.

"Yeah. Catch ya later."

Angela turned and left. I walked off feeling like a fool. Somehow
it made perfect sense that I'd fallen in love with someone I
couldn't have.

On Wednesday Angela and I exchanged a quick hello in class, but
that was all. When the class ended I saw her boyfriend waiting
for her at the door. Outside I watched him grab her and kiss her
deeply while she ran her fingers over the back of his neck. It
made my stomach twist into knots. I walked away, wishing there
was some kind of mental switch I could throw to shut my feelings
off. Maybe it would rain again.

Two weeks passed. Angela and I talked fairly often. We always
paired up during speaking exercises, though we couldn't seem to
go very long without cracking jokes or doing something silly that
left both of us giggling like a pair of kindergarteners. We got
along really well. It was great during the three hours a week I
had with her, but the rest of the time it just made things
harder.

I daydreamed about her like I was some lovestruck teenager. I
wanted to spend a day getting to know each part of her body. Or a
month. Or a year. I wanted to be able to know exactly what she
was thinking just by the way looked at me, or the way she moved.
I wanted to be the one she came home to, the one she laid down
next to at night, the one she woke up with in the morning. I
wanted too much.

My search for a roommate hadn't gone well. I'd had a couple
calls, but both had seemed a little too flaky. One day after
class I mentioned it to Angela. She told me that Nicole had a
friend who might be looking for a new place.

"Cool," I responded, not really thinking about what I was saying.
"I'll have to ask about it the next time I call her."

Angela looked at me curiously. "Next time?"

I'm sure there were about a hundred smooth ways I could've
answered and covered my ass, but I couldn't think of one to save
my life. Instead I clammed up and looked away, feeling my face
getting warm.

"Oh my God...so it's you?" She asked, seeming incredulous.

"Huh?"

"I figured she was seeing somebody. She hasn't been her normal
pissy self." She frowned and looked away, a hurt expression
appearing on her face. "I guess I should have known." She
abruptly turned and walked off.

I watched her go, feeling shitty. I wanted to say something but I
didn't even know why she was acting like this. Maybe she thought
I was some art student player who fucked everyone who posed for
him. She had to realize that I was too clueless and transparent
for something like that. I wondered why it even mattered to her.
It occurred to me that maybe it was for the same reason I didn't
like seeing her getting frisky with her boyfriend, though I
wasn't really sure if I could believe it. Why would she even feel
that way? I wasn't anything special.

I did talk to Nicole, though I felt almost guilty about it. Her
friend was a girl named Renee who wanted to get out of the dorms
and into a real place. The idea of having a female roommate
seemed a little weird, but I didn't see any major drawbacks to
it. Apparently neither did Renee. I cleared my stuff out of the
spare room that had served as my studio, a part of me almost glad
to see it go.

Renee moved in a few days later. She seemed pleasant enough, a
lively redheaded sophomore with a large build and striking green
eyes. She was tall and a little on the thick side, but she was
definitely more curved than flabby. Nicole helped bring her stuff
over. Renee didn't have much in the way of furniture yet, not
even a bed. She seemed fine with the idea of sleeping on the
couch in the living room until she could get one.

After she was settled in, she and Nicole opened a bottle of wine
and talked in the living room for a while. I had to retreat into
my room to work on a paper. Nicole left and Renee went to finish
unpacking, humming along with the radio as she did. I found it
quite soothing.

Later I came out to find her curled up on the couch, her bare
shoulder sticking out from under the blanket. Her eyes were
closed and her expression was very serene. I'd once read that the
only time a person's natural face appeared was when they were
asleep and relaxed, when they were no longer concerned that
anyone might be watching them. As with most women I'd seen, Renee
was at her most beautiful when she wasn't trying to be.

Nicole dropped by again a few days later to hang out and watch a
movie. Afterward I went to my room to catch up on some reading
while she and Renee chatted. I left my door open so I could hear
their voices. I didn't want to listen in, I just liked having them in the
background. The sounds made the place seem more alive. After a
while I heard Renee start to yawn.

"Sorry." I heard her say. "I really gotta get some sleep."

"It's okay, I need to get going too." Nicole responded. "Go
ahead. I'm just going to say goodbye to Rick."

"'Kay. Night." I heard the door to Renee's room close. She'd
gotten an inflatable mattress to tide her over, though sometimes
she still slept on the couch.

Nicole came in and shut the door behind her. She didn't say
goodbye, or anything else for that matter. She only smiled wryly
and pulled me to the bed, kissing me and pulling my clothes off
with an eagerness that was hard to resist. Not that I was really
trying to, but I still felt a sense of guilt. My hesitation
quickly gave way to desire as I felt her hands begin stroking up
and down over my swelling cock. Maybe it was my built-up
frustration about Angela, or maybe it was something else.
Regardless, I was suddenly more aroused than I'd ever been in my
life.

I lifted Nicole up by the waist and tossed her onto on the bed,
hearing a quick moan escape her lips. It took a fair bit of
willpower to stop long enough to tug a condom on, but it gave her
the opportunity to strip out of her clothes and fling them to the
floor. I moved in and pinned her to the sheets, hooking my elbows
beneath her knees to lift her legs up and open. Without pausing,
I quickly positioned my cock against the lips of her pussy and
pushed in. I was rougher than I'd intended to be, but Nicole only
groaned and dug her fingernails into my back as I penetrated her.

She clutched me tightly as I began pumping hard, her eyes wide
open and locked on mine. She felt even tighter than I remembered.
Despite this she still came first, surprising me by twisting her
hips around violently and crying out my name. The wild ride was
enough to bring me over the edge, but just as I was about to come
she squirmed away from my cock, causing it to slip out of her. I
froze and tried to hold back, but it was too late. My dick
throbbed in the open air as I had a frustrating half-orgasm while
still holding her tightly by the legs.

Nicole lay there panting, her arms crossed over her head with her
hair spread out wildly on the sheets. It looked like she was
really out of it. I eased off and fell back on the bed, still a
bit surprised at my own ferocity. After a minute she sighed and
crawled over, snuggling her compact body up against me with her
head resting on my shoulder. I ran my fingers gently through her
hair, feeling somewhat unsatisfied but glad that she'd seemed to
enjoy it.

After a little while she rose up and gave me a quick kiss. She
paused, her eyes seeming to wander over my face before leaning in
for a much longer and deeper one. I put my arms around her and
pulled her tighter against me, her tits pressing firmly against
my chest. I was quickly getting hard again. Without breaking the
kiss, she reached down and peeled the condom off before sliding
fully on top of me with my cock squeezed between her muscular
thighs.

She slid down lower, kissing my chest as she let my cock nestle
up lengthwise against her pussy. I could feel the teasing warmth
of her soft labia against my shaft as she slowly began rotating
her hips. I'd been using condoms for so long that I'd forgotten
just how great naked flesh could feel, even just rubbing like
this. I supposed that Nicole might have been thinking the same
thing. She changed her motions from circular to almost straight
up and down, sliding her pussy along the length of my cock with
short little fucking motions. I palmed her ass and moved against
her, feeling her quick breathing warm my chest as she lay with
her head turned to one side.

Seeming to have teased herself enough, Nicole suddenly rose and
climbed up to straddle my face. I grabbed her around the thighs
and pulled her to my mouth, hearing her gasp as I licked my way
up and down over her protruding lips. I found the firm point of
her clit with my tongue and began flicking and sucking at it
lightly. She whimpered and started grinding herself gently
against my face, coming a few minutes later with a sudden lurch
of her pelvis. I backed off as her shivers stopped, remembering
how sensitive she seemed to get. I held her by the hips as she
rested for a moment. She was looking down at me, her tits rising
and falling quickly as she caught her breath. I smiled and kissed
the inside of her thigh, just glad that she was able to orgasm so
easily.

She slid back down over my body, planting a series of warm kisses
along my chest until she reached my lower stomach. Taking me by
the hands, she guided me into a sitting position on the edge of
the bed and knelt down in front of me.

"I want you to cum on my chest," she said quietly, looking me
steadily in the eyes. Her face was slightly flushed and very
serious. I felt a rush of heat spread through my body as she
leaned in and put her mouth on the end of my cock. She sucked it
slowly, her lips gliding up and down over the head while she
tugged the shaft with both hands. I reached down and fondled her
heavy boobs, squeezing and hefting them as she moaned softly
around my cock. I knew it wouldn't be much longer. Nicole was
sucking me harder, taking me deeper into her mouth.

"I'm close," I told her, feeling myself hovering on the edge. She
gave a few more quick sucks and then slid forward between my
thighs to trap my straining cock between her tits. They were
incredibly firm and soft, and I groaned as she squeezed them
together with her hands. My dick was almost completely engulfed
between them. Then she started moving her boobs up and down along
the shaft, and I came almost immediately. The first spurt hit her
underneath the chin, and the second arced higher and caught her
square on the mouth. She moved up a bit, allowing the rest to
shoot out over her chest and between her boobs. I pumped my hips,
shuddering as the pressure faded and an intense feeling of
release washed over me.

When I was finished, Nicole let go of my cock and sat back,
looking a little shocked by the force of my ejaculation. I
reached over and ran my thumb gently over her lips, wiping the
cum away before leaning down to kiss her. She moaned against my
mouth and firmly returned it. After a few moments I pulled back
and helped her to her feet.

"Time for a shower?" I asked, grinning.

"Yeah," she said, smiling and looking slightly embarrassed.

Still half-naked, we snuck out to the bathroom as quietly as we
could. We showered for a while together. Neither of us seemed to
be in any hurry.

"Did you enjoy that?" She suddenly asked as she was soaping
my back.

"Yes," I answered, not sure if she meant cumming on her tits or the
whole thing in general. "A lot."

"So did I." She didn't say anything else.

After we'd finished cleaning up, Nicole dressed and left. I saw her
out and was heading back to my room when Renee's door
opened. She walked past me and to the bathroom, pausing at
the doorway to shoot me a sidelong glance.

"That sure was a long goodbye." Renee said, shutting the door
with a smirk.

***

A week passed. Angela was more distant in class. It wasn't
exactly a surprise, though I sensed there was more to it than her
problem with me. She seemed tired and edgy. I'd asked if anything
was bothering her, but she hadn't wanted to talk about it. I let
it go and did my best to cheer her up instead, managing to get a
little smile when I mangled a joke in Spanish. I hated seeing her
upset. I wanted her to be happy.

Renee seemed to be a decent roommate. She liked to go out
partying though, and didn't always come home in the best
condition. Late Friday night I woke up to the sounds of her
bumping drunkenly into the walls on the way to her room. Saturday
was much the same, with most of the noise concentrated in the
bathroom. After a while I got up to use it myself, finding Renee
lying passed out on the couch with her pants still half undone
and riding down on her hips. It looked like she was wearing a
black thong. She was already laying on her side, so I left her
alone and continued to the bathroom, ignoring the brief
temptation to get a little more acquainted with her curves.

Nicole called me on Sunday afternoon with a bit of a bombshell.
She'd just found out her fiancé was being transferred home. She
didn't sound as excited as I would have thought.

"That's good news," I said, not sure how else to respond.
"Right?"

"I don't know. We've been apart for so long I'm not sure if we'll
feel the same way we used to." She paused. "Especially me."

"Well," I said, feeling suddenly awkward, "you won't know until
you see each other again."

"I guess you're right." She seemed to hesitate. "Whatever
happens, I want us to still be friends."

"I do too." I had a sudden flashback to my conversation with
Angela, though I had the feeling that Nicole meant something
rather different. "See you later?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

We said goodbye. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I liked being
with her, but I didn't know if I could keep doing what we were
doing when her fiancé was around, if that's what she'd even
meant. I hoped that she wouldn't dump him without giving it a
chance. Some things were just too valuable to give up on.