My Lovely Sylvia (Complete)

[pseudoclever]

Hey folks. I've been leeching for too long now, and I felt the itch to get back into the writing game. So here's something I've been working on for a bit. Incidentally, the genre was decided by dice rolls. This is part 1 of 4. The rest will be posted over the next few days. Comments/criticism welcome. Enjoy!


My Lovely Sylvia

From the moment I saw her, I knew she was special. I was walking into my first college lecture when our eyes met from across the room. That one glance felt like a moment of stark reality, like waking from a long dream. We both looked away quickly but, as she would tell me later, that instant was all it took. I crossed the room, trying to look casual, and took the empty seat next to her.

I turned toward her, mouth open with some empty pleasantry. The words caught in my throat as I found her staring right back at me. We both looked away, blushing. But at least I'd gotten a better look at her this time. Her hair was bright red, like crackling fire. She had a cute face, with perfect skin and a nose with just the slightest hint of an upturn. Her body was firm and trim, with curves in all the right places. Her breasts appeared just a bit overlarge on a girl so thin. An ex-girlfriend once told me that that was a dead giveaway for implants, but somehow I didn't think that was the case here. She wore a skintight black top that showcased her assets beautifully, and a matching skirt.

After another moment, my hormone-addled brain made another connection, one that should've been obvious. This girl was incredibly tall! My driver's license says I'm 5'10?, but I guessed she was nearly a head taller than that. Normally I prefer shorter girls. In this case however, I was willing to make an exception.

Our professor started class. During the dull half-hour he spent reading the course requirements, I snuck glances at her whenever I could. And sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, I thought she was doing the same. At last Mr. Whoever finished, then suggested we spend a moment getting to know our neighbor, in case we had to miss class. My heart leapt into my throat.

?Wow, that took forever!? I opened. ?I've never understood why teachers feel like they need to read the syllabus to us.?

She laughed. ?I know! I mean seriously, this is college. Do they think we're illiterate??

Her name, she said, was Sylvia. Her voice reminded me of maple syrup ? warm, sweet, and dark. We were both from metro Chicago. We both played World of Warcraft. We were attending on the same scholarship. I'm normally a little shy around new people, but with Sylvia, the words just poured out of me. We were both smiling at each other, saying ?yes? a lot.

Class ended, and we packed up. This moment felt significant. It was as though I was about to decide which reality to live in ? the one where I asked Sylvia out, or the one where I didn't. Easy choice.

I swallowed, and tried not to notice how far up I had to look to meet her eyes now that we were standing. ?Hey, I don't know if you'd be interested,? I began, trying to keep my heart-rate down. ?I don't know anyone on campus yet, and I thought maybe you'd like to get together sometime....?

?Sure!? she interrupted. ?How about tonight? I saw this interesting-looking place on my way to class today, The Wooden Nickel. You know it?? As it turned out, the bar was only a couple hundred feet from my dorm. After exchanging numbers, she turned to leave the room. Just before she walked out the door, she gave me one last look. She smiled again, and adjusted her shoulder strap.

Later that evening, I sat at a secluded table in the corner of the Nickel. I was trying to decide what the manliest drink was for her to find me sipping, when she walked in. Her height made her impossible to miss. But no matter her size, she would've drawn attention. She wore a gorgeous blue dress that perfectly accented her curves and made her hair stand our like a beacon. She surveyed the room and, noticing me, made a bee-line to the table. Her smile was a thousand-watt lightbulb, and it made my insides feel warm. She ordered a Long Island, and I asked for a beer.

We chatted for awhile. Warcraft girls are so easy to talk up...what server do you play on? Alliance or horde? Don't you hate gankers? Our conversation gradually bled away from such well-trodden territory. The drinks arrived, and with them our talk became more comfortable.

?Let me tell you my philosophy of life,? said Sylvia, setting her drink down with a thud like a gavel. We'd been drinking for an hour, and we both a bit south of sober. ?A lot of things have happened in my life. Some good, some bad. But I wouldn't give up any of them ? not for anything. Do you know why?? I shook my head no.

?Because, some day we're all going to be dead.? I let out a snicker, and she playfully punched me in the shoulder. ?I'm serious! There's nothing any of us can do about it, right? If you're lucky, you see it coming. You're in your death bed, and you get to think about what you've seen. At that moment, all you have are your experiences. Your memories. If you've lived a good life, you drift into eternity surrounded by happiness. Otherwise....? She shrugged, and took another long sip from her beverage.

?What about the after-life?? I asked.

?I don't know what that is. People think they know, they pretend they know. Maybe it's there, maybe it isn't. But I think you need to act like it's not.?

I parried with Pascal's Wager. She explained with a straight face that Pascal was a douche. This caused me to laugh so hard that I nearly fell out of my chair.

Sylvia was so warm, so fun to talk with. Most girls can't hold my interest for the length of an anecdote, and I find myself wishing they'd just shut up. But here was a lady who had a mind. I hung on her every word, and when I talked she seemed to really listen instead of just waiting for her turn to speak. Still, I sensed that on some level she was a bit uncomfortable. It was subtle. But once in awhile, she'd look down and frown ever so slightly, or self-consciously adjust her dress. I'm no mind-reader, but with a couple drinks in me I was ready to trust my feelings. And they told me that it had something to do with our height difference.

?So, I wanted to ask you about something. You're really tall....?

?You noticed, huh?? she replied dryly, though not without humor.

?Yeah well, it'd be hard to miss. Anyway, I remember a psychology class I once took, where we were discussing mate height and gender. Men don't really care how tall or short girls are, as I recall. But women do. And specifically, most tall girls don't want to be with guys who are....?

?Shorter,? Sylvia finished. I nodded. She took a pull from her drink, and seemed to consider this. ?I guess you can say that I'm not most girls. It's...complicated. But the simple answer is that I'm a lot more interested in a guy's personality, and whether we have any chemistry.? Here she reached across the table, and confidently rested her hand on top of mine. ?And I can tell you, you don't have anything to worry about.?

Holding her hand made me feel better than I could have imagined, and again I felt warmth spreading through my body. Our talk grew more intimate. I found myself telling her things that even some of my best friends didn't know about me. She listened thoughtfully, and her answers showed a real depth of understanding. Still, I couldn't help but think that she'd dodged my question. And she kept fiddling with her outfit.

We talked late into the night. At midnight, the waitstaff began to put chairs on tables, and the bartender gave us a significant look. We took the hint. ?Mind walking me back to my place?? she asked, with the barest hint of nervousness. ?It's late, and these streets are too dangerous for an unescorted lady.? How could I refuse?

Outside, the night was pleasantly warm. I could smell the faint aroma of burning leaves. A half moon was rising, big and orange on the horizon. Once more she slipped her hand into mine, causing a giant grin to cross my face. We walked on in silence, enjoying each other's company. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something was off. I thought about it, but the closeness of Sylvia's body made it difficult to concentrate.

?This is me,? she said at last. We stood in front of an elegant two-story house. The building looked like a relic from a long-past era, and I took note of a plaque marking it as historic. In any case, it was far nicer than my tiny dorm, and way too big for one college student. ?I'm renting it with a couple other girls,? she explained, sensing my confusion. ?They haven't shown up yet.? I followed her up the sidewalk, not knowing what else to do. I definitely didn't want the night to end. We climbed the porch and stood together, the foot between us feeling like a chasm. This was another nexus point between realities.

?I had a great time tonight,? I offered lamely. I turned, hoping for a good-night kiss, when all at once it stuck me; Sylvia no longer towered over me. We were nearly the same height ? maybe I was even a bit taller! My mind lurched, trying to make sense of this development.

Our eyes met, and I started to sputter out a question. She silenced me with a look. ?Please, don't ask,? she whispered. ?Just....? And with that, she placed her hand behind my head, and drew me in for a kiss.

Time seemed to slow down as I felt her lips pressed against mine. I've been with other girls before, but never have I been aware of so many details in a moment. Her hot breath against my face. The warmth of her skin. The tightness of her body. And her lips ? soft, wet, and delicious. I wrapped my arms around her, and she sighed in contentment.

A happy eternity later, our kiss ended. I beheld the girl who, in the past twelve hours, had managed to capture my heart. Sylvia's hair was slightly our of place. She was panting just a bit, and the way she was looking at me, I could tell that our evening was just beginning. I also noticed that her dress was hanging off her now. Where hours before it had been form-fitting, it now appeared several sizes too big. With a shock I realized that in the time we'd been kissing, she'd lost at least another inch of height.

This development was so intriguing, and so strangely erotic. I burned to ask her what was happening, and why. But instead I held her hand as she fumbled with her keys. She unlocked the door and led me inside.