August 29, 2000

"Hey, Zach, Pete and Kyle asked if we want to catch a movie later. I'm going to grab dinner and head over to their room," my roommate Scott said.

"Sure, sounds good!  I'll drive." I put my shoes on, grabbed my wallet and keys, and we headed out to the dining hall.

After spending the last two weeks of summer vacation with my parents,  Scott and I were rooming together again.  

If I thought becoming a were-cougar was a shock, interacting 24/7 with the human world afterwards was even worse.  I could say my increased strength was from the physical labor I did for Ashley over the summer - not just working on her ranch, but maintenance work at her various rental properties. 

It was harder to conceal my sharper cougar senses.  I almost messed up several times by commenting on conversations my parents had at the other end of the house, or noticing something in the fridge was spoiling from the other end of the kitchen.

Harder still was not being able to change.  By the end of the day, I really wanted - needed, really - to take off my clothes, put on my fur, and just exist in the here-and-now of the feline brain for a bit.  I had to wait until my parents were asleep, lock my door, then change.

After about three days, I gave in to temptation.  Hearing my parents make love through the wall was too much.  That didn't go well.  It was a long two weeks.

It wasn't going to be any easier, sharing a dorm room on an urban campus.

As we walked into the dining hall, an intriguing thread among the myriad scents of  students and staff caught my attention.  It was female, and while not a cougar, definitely feline.  

I grabbed the first thing that looked appealing and followed the scent to the cashier, where I lost it.  The airflow at the cashier was from behind me, blowing the scent away from me into the dining room.  Darn.  But maybe...

I stepped aside, ostensibly waiting for Scott, but really watching, hoping to spot a reaction as the air carried my scent into the room.

After a minute or two, one of a group of girls not too far away sat up straight and looked around.  She was slender, with dark skin, full, kissable lips and curly black hair.  She spotted me looking, and, as our eyes met, she gave me a little smile.

Just then Scott said, "Zach! Come on! We'll be late."  I looked at Scott, then looked back.  She winked at me, and, as she did, her other eye changed from deep brown to bright gold.  Then it changed back, and she turned back and rejoined the conversation.

"Come on, let's go!". After one last look, I hurried after him.

Scott had texted the others, and they were waiting at my car when we got there.  We piled in, and headed out to the theater.   

At the first stop sign, I took a bite of my burger while waiting for a gap in traffic.

"So, Zach," exclaimed Scott.  "Are you going to ask her out?"

I promptly regretted not getting finger food, like chicken nuggets.

"Ask who out?" asked Kyle, as he handed me the roll of paper towels I kept in the back seat.

"Zach had a moment with a girl in the dining hall!"

"Oh, reeeally?" Pete commented.  "Was she cute?"

"Very.  She's a fysh, I think." Scott replied.  The University had changed from "freshmen" to the neutral "first year student," which was promptly abbreviated to FYS and pronounced "fysh" by the student body. "Nice smile. I'd have said out of his league, if he hadn't Hulked out over the summer."

"I didn't 'Hulk out!'  More like Spiderman.  Captain America at most!  And it wasn't a moment.  Maybe 30 seconds of eye contact."

"Eye contact with a smile and a wink.  Quality beats quantity."

They ribbed me about it until the movie started.  I'm glad my friends didn't object when Scott said she was Black.  She was quite possibly the only datable girl on campus for me.

Well, I thought, I know her scent, and she knows mine.  On a small campus like Murch, we should be able to find each other.

The movie was entertaining, I think.  I spent most of it thinking about a girl.