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To be fair, Bella had always been kind to ht-eyed s her clihest floor, she took a seat besideyourself a private party?"

"Yeah But if I can get this open, I’ll share" I angled the bottle away fro happened

"Can I give you a hand?"

Yet another euy who kne to uncork chairlfriend would cheat on him

Bella smiled atfor Bella, not that I’d admit it out loud I’d noticed her last year, when I was just a lowly fresh so lively about her Bella had a perpetual sparkle in her eye, and color on her cheeks -- the kind you get froet acquainted until move-in day this year, when I’d helped her carry a couple of boxes up the entryway stairs She was a senior and had a fourth-floor single under the eaves of the building -- a roos and athat looked like Hansel and Gretelthe boxes down I loved the heck out of the Harkness architecture, where no two rooh of ’eh," Bella had panted while I’d tried not to notice her chest as it rose and fell beneath her Harkness Hockey T-shirt Standing there in her room on Labor Day, I’d felt suddenly conscious of our proxiirls dressed to look sexy, with short skirts and tight-fitting tops Bellasporty clothes and no h I found her a little inti Not only e entryway buddies, she and I were taking the same Urban Studies course this semester I noticed herto drink together I’d been planning to make my pity party a private one But I could use a friend to distract et the bottle open

Bella waited with a patient if slightly amused expression on her face "Have you done this before?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Can I give you a tip? Try twisting gently"

"Twisting?" The instructions I’d dug up on the internet this afternoon hadn’t said anything about twisting

"Trust e with her elbow

My neck heated, as it always did when Bella used innuendo And she used plenty of theet over myself already But Bella was sexy in a way that always made me break out in a sweat The way she looked at me ht be put to use

Theoretically

Moving on

Hunkering down to the task at hand, I gave the cork a gentle twist the way she’d told ive Half a second later, a satisfying pop echoed through the entryway, and the cork flew into the air, ricocheting off an oakback down onto the stairs

Bella put both hands on her knees and laughed "Not bad for a virgin"

Holy…! My heart skipped two or three beats Was it that obvious? Was I ot up to retrieve the cork, and then handed it to o A memento to celebrate your first ti about the charee "Here," I said, handing her the bottle "You can have the first sip"

"What a gentleman" Bella took the bottle and tipped it carefully to her mouth She took a sip, but then had to wipe her mouth quickly when the foahed "I’ on here But next ti bourbon" She passeda sip Even though nificent

"Why are we out here, if you don’t ?"

My chuckle was dry "My rooht now Not the coled "Really? Both your roo busy?"