Midnight Movie Club Ch. 04

Previously on “Midnight Movie Club” – Four college students cross paths at the beginning of their freshman year at Farragut College; military brat and film lover Julie Wyndham, laid back musician Cole Scales, modern-day flower child Eleanor Freeman, and kind and outgoing Alexander de’Armound.

Having found Cole and Julie napping after a round of sex, Eleanor braves a raging thunderstorm to visit Alexander in his dorm and proceeds to have the hell banged out of her.

Realizing that the casual encounters between them have the chance to become more frequent across multiple partners, the four lay down a series of ground rules the following weekend regarding their friendship and the benefits that come with.

After watching another movie and engaging in another series of passionate lovemaking however, the afterglow is quickly soured by a furious, angry pounding on the door…

X X X X X

A tall, regal looking young woman with raven-black hair jammed a finger into Alexander’s chest. “Must you turn this dormitory into a decadent whorehouse!”

Caught off guard by the woman’s forceful admonishment, all Alexander could do was blink in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“You should be!” The woman’s finger pressed directly into Alexander’s breastbone. He winced under the firm, constant pressure. She looked kind of familiar to him as she glared at him with eyes burning in righteous anger. She loudly told him, “whoever’s bed is next to my wall is a pervert of the highest nature! I could hear them taking the Lord’s name in vain over and over again!”

From the darkened room behind Alexander, Eleanor called out, “woohoo! You go, Alexander, with that tongue of yours making me blaspheme.”

Alexander’s proud smile quickly faded under the withering glare of the young woman. “You!” She leaned to one side and thrust her finger over Alexander’s shoulder in the direction of Eleanor. “If you insist on committing harlotry, would you at least have the common decency to make sure your bed doesn’t knock against the wall!”

“Oh God, I forgot…”

“Don’t you dare invoke His name in that manner!”

The fury in the young woman’s voice caused Alexander to flinch as if he had been physically slapped. Now he recognized her. Standing in front of him was the woman that Karen’s roommate Gwen had been talking to at the student expo earlier in the day, in front of the table for the University Group for God. “Nice on the surface,” he recalled Gwen telling him, “but I could tell right away they were as fundy as fuck.”

When Eleanor responded to the young woman, there was meekness in her voice. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’ll take care of that right now.”

“Thank you,” the young woman responded. “I apologize for yelling, however you both were being vocal with your…exultations. It’s incredibly distracting.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Eleanor said. “Your roommate mentioned the noise last weekend and I completely blanked on it. I’ll put a pillow or something between…Alexander, do you know where my blouse is?”

“Um…” Alexander looked over his shoulder. Eleanor was leaning over the side of her bed, skirt clutched in one hand. She was feeling around the carpet with her other hand. The only illumination in the room was the misshapen rectangle of light shining through the open doorway. “…I think I saw it near my shirt…”

From the side of the rectangle came what Alexander assumed was Cole’s leg. Eleanor’s white blouse hung from one toe. A forceful snap of his foot sent the garment flying through the air. “Thanks Cole,” Eleanor said as she caught her shirt. “I would never have…”

“Who is that?” The young woman once again peered around Alexander, despite his best efforts to surreptitiously lean over to block her. “Is that…you have TWO men in your dorm room?!? You…you…HUSSY!”

“Yeah yeah.” The meekness in Eleanor’s voice had given way to annoyance. “Don’t eat your heart out about it,” she said as she pulled her blouse over her head, “Cole watched Alexander and me bang. He didn’t join in.”

A gasp of astonishment came from the young woman. Alexander was reminded of a fish gulping for air as she struggled to find the proper response to Eleanor’s revelation. “I…you…” A red tint crossed the young woman’s face before she finally let loose with a strangled cry of frustration. “If I hear one more HINT of wanton sluttery from this room, I will march directly to the RA and have you written up on a noise complaint!” With that the young woman spun on her heels and marched away. A few seconds later, several toiletries on the nearby shelf rattled from the impact of the young woman flinging her door shut.

“I would conclude that we just met Beatrix’s roommate,” Julie offered. “Alexander, would you mind closing the door and hitting only the left light switch?”

Alexander did as Julie asked. The room descended into darkness for a brief moment before the ceiling light in the entryway turned on. “I saw that girl earlier today,” he said. “She’s with the campus Christian bostancı escort group. My friend’s roommate said that she is…deeply devoted to her faith.”

“And a raging bitch about it too.” Eleanor stood next to her bed while she finished putting her skirt on. “Beatrix…the other girl next door,” she explained to Cole and Alexander, “she told Julie and I twice this week that my bed knocks against the wall. I’ll take the hit on that one because I should have remembered, but…she didn’t have to be so damn high and mighty about it!”

Cole had yet to get dressed. Alexander couldn’t help his eyes being drawn to his roommate’s flaccid cock as he stood next to Julie’s bed. “All can do now is make sure don’t bug her again.” He patted his chest, smirking all the while. “Don’t know about you, ain’t gonna let a little bed knocking stop the Midnight Movie Club’s wonton sluttery.”

As Alexander and Eleanor looked at each other in confusion, Julie placed a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I believe, Cole, the adjective you were looking for was ‘wanton,’ as in ‘lustful,’ and not ‘wonton,’ as in ‘dumpling.'”

“Either choice of vocabulary, gonna get steamy.”

“Ow.” Eleanor dramatically clutched at her chest, acting as if she was going to rend her blouse from her body. “That pun hurt me on a metaphysical level…”

An easy smile touched Cole’s lips as he responded, “couldn’t resist. Admit to the initial mistake and to the purposeful follow-up both.” He glanced around at the trio of freshmen. “Well, don’t much think another movie’s in the cards. Girl next door dropped a ton of negative waves on this place just now. Ideas for what to do next?”

“Considering it’s Saturday night, I suggest we walk around campus and see if there are any social gatherings open to us.” Julie stretched as she slid off of the bed, standing next to Cole, both of them naked without a care in the world in front of their clothed roommates. Alexander managed not to leer as Julie said, “allow Eleanor and I, say, 30 minutes to freshen up, and we will meet you outside your residence hall?”

The other three students nodded in agreement. As Julie and Cole began to gather their scattered clothing, Eleanor motioned for Alexander to come closer. “I’m thinking of folding some towels and jamming them in there,” she told him, pointing towards the narrow gap between her bed frame and the wall. “Would you mind tilting the bed so I can get them in?”

“No problem,” he answered immediately. Eleanor headed towards her closet to grab the towels while Alexander tested out his grip on the foot of the bed. By the time Cole and Julie had finished dressing, Alexander was lowering the bed back towards the floor. His arms and legs ached from the exertion, adding to the fatigue from his intense sexual go-around with Eleanor. “Think that’ll work?”

“Don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t.” Eleanor pressed against the bed. “It doesn’t seem to be rocking. I’ll check with Beatrix tomorrow and do a test run to see if it’s still audible next door.”

“Test run.” Alexander ran his fingers along his scalp, feeling the remnants of sweat among the roots of his brown hair. “Do you mean…like a test run test run?”

After a moment, Eleanor laughed heartily. “No, Alexander,” she said with a teasing smile. “This body needs a break after the past two nights. I’m just going to rock the bed back and forth.”

“Got it.” He glanced down towards the floor for a moment, before looking back up and putting on his well-practiced smile. “Well, if you need a proper test run, you know where to find me.” A sly grin and a prim kiss on his cheek served as Eleanor’s response.

“Right, clothes on, outwardly decent. See you in thirty roughly.” Cole gave Julie a one-armed hug, almost platonic in how it looked, before grabbing the bundle of posters he had purchased during the expo and heading for the door, throwing a casual wave towards Eleanor in the process. Alexander followed, his own purchase, a tie-dyed tapestry, tucked under one arm.

Once the door to Eleanor and Julie’s room closed behind them, Alexander looked at his roommate, unable to fight the huge grin that was instantly plastered on his face. “Dude,” he said with awe and reverence.

“Yep,” drawled Cole. “Dude indeed.”

X X X X X

At the sound of the door opening, Julie, having just tied off her bathrobe, looked up in time to see Eleanor let her backpack slide down her arm. It landed on the carpet with a dull thwack, soon followed by a soft thump as Eleanor fell face first onto her bed. Her body bounced slightly as she made an unintelligible noise.

“I’m guessing today wasn’t amnicable to you,” Julie inquired. A muttered grumble was her roommate’s reply. “And I am also guessing today stole your capacity for vocalization.”

Eleanor raised her head just enough so she could put a pillow underneath. “Ugh,” she groaned. “Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to suck.”

“How so?” Julie glanced over at Eleanor’s desk, where a copy of Eleanor’s ümraniye escort bayan class schedule had been taped to the cabinet. “Are four classes your daily educational limit?”

“It’s not that. Four classes is about what I can handle. It’s how I scheduled them that’s fucking me up.” She held up four fingers, ticking them down one at a time. “9 to 10:30, 11:30 to 1:00, 2:00 to 3:30, 4:30 to 6. I thought having an hour between classes would give me enough time to decompress and get some errands done. Maybe grab a quick catnap. I was wrong, Julie.” She buried her head in the pillow and said in a muffled voice, “mistakes were definitely made.”

Julie walked over to Eleanor’s bed. “Or,” she said, sitting down and gently rubbing her friend’s shoulder, “you could use this as a lesson in time management.” Eleanor closed her eyes and mumbled something under her breath. “At the very least, tell me that you’ve learned not to repeat this error come next semester.”

A resigned sigh of acceptance was Eleanor’s answer. She reached over and gently took hold of Julie’s forearm. “I have learned not to repeat this error next semester.”

“Then some good has come out of your mistake.”

Eleanor threw her shoulder up, using the momentum to flop onto her back. “Yes Mom,” she groused. With her eyes closed, Eleanor missed the frown that momentarily creased Julie’s mouth as Eleanor’s words caused a distant memory to briefly surface – a sunlit hospital room, an emaciated figure, once lustrous black hair thin and brittle, a tired smile, and a weary voice asking her to be good for her father…

“So.” A gentle inquiry from Eleanor drew Julie back from her reverie. “What are your plans for this evening?”

“Allowing you an opportunity to decompress.” Eleanor’s head fell to one side as she looked at her roommate. “Tonight is the first meeting of the Farragut Film Society,” Julie explained. “I was about to shower, dress, and obtain a light dinner before attending. The meeting begins at 1930 and I do not plan to return until around 2200, barring unforeseen events. You are more than welcome to come with me should you wish, however I will not be put out should you choose otherwise.”

Eleanor made a vague gesture in Julie’s general direction. “Offer appreciated, but not accepted. I am going to take advantage of being by myself for a couple of hours. No offense, but I’m not used to sharing a room with someone twenty-four hours a day. A girl needs some alone time.”

“I understand.” Julie stood up from the bed. “One of the reasons I enjoy running so much is the feeling of solitude.”

“My great-grandfather and great-grandmother have been married for over 70 years. I asked him what their secret was, and he said, quote, ‘the key to a successful relationship is to stay as far the fuck away from each other as possible.'”

“That is one way to ensure marital bliss,” Julie laughed. “I am going to take my shower and will endeavor to be out of your hair as soon as possible.”

“Shower…that’s a good idea.” With a groan, Eleanor pulled herself up to a sitting position. “As soon as I have the will to get undressed, I’m right behind you.”

“Would you like me to text Cole or Alexander and see if they would be willing to assist you in finding the will?”

Eleanor looked up at Julie. “Are you being serious or are you joking with me?”

“That depends upon your answer.”

At the neutral, deadpan expression on Julie’s face, Eleanor broke out into a low chuckle. In turn, Julie gave her roommate a warm smile. “Go get in the shower,” Eleanor told Julie. “I’ll be right behind you.”

X X X X X

“Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear earrings.”

Julie glanced up from her makeup mirror. “I usually don’t,” she admitted to Eleanor as she closed the front door. “Just had the urge to wear them tonight.” She turned back to the mirror, studying the rhinestone studs with a newly critical eye. “They look acceptable for clip-ons?”

“Look fine to me.” Eleanor adjusted her bathrobe before picking up her hairbrush and sitting cross-legged on her bed. “Actually, YOU look fine to me,” she told her roommate as she began to gently run the hairbrush through her damp hair.

“The compliment is appreciated.” Julie stood up from her desk, smoothing out the gray sweater she was wearing. A tortoise shell headband complimented the earrings, with dark blue jeans and dull silver flats completing the outfit. “Do you think perfume might be too much?”

“Depends on what you’re going for.”

“I desire to make a good first impression.” Julie turned to the mirror that hung on the back of the dorm room door. She blew out a nervous breath as she primped her hair with her fingers. “The Farragut Film Society is an opportunity to make new friends. I do not wish to blow it.”

“Two things. One, spray some perfume in the air and walk through the mist. That way there’s just a hint of fragrance. Like an underscent. Two…hey, turn around and look at me.” Julie did as Eleanor kartal escort asked. Eleanor made sure to meet her friend’s eyes. With a serious tone, she instructed Julie, “be yourself. Don’t be somebody you’re not. Pretending to be someone else means you’re lying to yourself and lying to the people you’re getting to know. Just be yourself. The Julie Wyndham I know is pretty rock star.”

Julie’s shoulders slumped as she sighed. “Being myself is why I had very few friends in high school.”

“Well, this isn’t Evergreen Pines…”

“Emerald Pines.”

“…sorry,” Eleanor said with a wave of her hand. “This isn’t Emerald Pines. No one’s hauling around twelve years of social baggage. College is a fresh start. It’s one big horkin’ reset button, OK? No one knows anyone. Hell, Cole and I went to school together and we’re just now becoming friends and boinking on a semi-regular basis. You do you, Julie. People don’t like that? It’s on them.”

After a moment, Julie moved towards where Eleanor sat on the edge of her bed. There was a quiver in Julie’s step as she wrapped her arms around Eleanor. “Thank you,” she told her. “If I had a friend like you in high school maybe I wouldn’t be as nervous as I am now.”

A brief hesitation preceded Eleanor pecking Julie on the cheek. “What can I say? I’m amazing.” She lightly shoved Julie to break the embrace. “Go, have fun! Talk about movies, meet a cute guy, or bring me home a cute girl. Just text me if you’re gonna be back late.”

Julie’s posture was straighter and there was assurance in her smile as she grabbed a small bottle from her dresser. A fresh scent tickled Eleanor’s nose as Julie sprayed a cloud of perfume into the air and walked through it. “2200 hours,” she told Eleanor as she grabbed her student ID and room key. “Enjoy your alone time!”

X X X X X

As the door closed, Eleanor sighed with relief. “Oh, I definitely will.”

She liked Julie. Her roommate was clean, neat, honest, direct, and damn cute. The bluntness and social awkwardness were things Eleanor was getting used to. Not to mention Julie’s apparent willingness to expand her sexual boundaries…

“Stop,” Eleanor chided herself despite the smile on her face. There was no denying Eleanor’s attraction to Julie, with her runner’s build and fantastic body. But Julie has shown no interest in Eleanor beyond friendship, nor had she displayed the slightest inkling of attention towards girls, instead banging the hell out of Alexander and Cole. For the moment, Julie was nothing more than Eleanor’s roommate and unless she turned out to be a closet psychopath, one half of a burgeoning friendship.

Growing up with older siblings meant that alone time was a premium for Eleanor. It was a chance to recover, rebalance, rejoice, and most of all relax. Right now, she had about two-and-a-half-hours for those Four R’s and she planned to take full advantage.

Before starting however she got up from the bed and headed over to the window, looking down at the commons below. As evening descended on Farragut College, students filled the sidewalks, coming back from class, heading to the cafeteria for dinner, and a brave few on the way to their 3-hour Tuesday night classes. Among them, heading away from Samuelson Hall, was a young woman with black hair wearing a gray sweater and blue jeans. “Ladies and gentlemen,” Eleanor said to herself, “Julie Wyndham has left the building.”

With that, the curtains were closed and the towel came off.

Eleanor whipped the towel around one arm before spinning in place and lobbing it into her laundry basket. The watery remnants of her shower slowly evaporated from Eleanor’s skin with refreshing coolness as she crossed the dorm room and opened the door just enough to slip a yellow hairband around the doorknob. After Eleanor’s accidental exposure to Julie’s nudity during their first morning together, a hairband on the door became their agreed upon signal that caution should be taken upon entering the room as someone inside was probably naked. As she locked the door an idle thought passed through Eleanor’s mind. “We’re gonna need something to specifically indicate hanky panky,” she mused before taking a blue marker from the wire basket attached to the door and scrawling on the small whiteboard “sign for hanky panky.”

Warning sign posted, door locked, idea noted. Now Eleanor could begin to recover. And for that, music was required. Eleanor walked to her desk and opened up Spotify on her laptop. Her eyes studied the screen as she considered her musical options for the evening before going with the tried and true. After syncing up her Bluetooth speaker Eleanor touched the playlist icon on her laptop’s screen, smiling as a familiar melody began to play.

~ As I was walkin’ down Grosvenor Square ~

~ Not a chill to the winter but a nip to the air ~

~ From the other direction she was calling my eye ~

~ Could be an illusion but I might as well try, might as well try ~

Cliched as it might have been, Eleanor immediately found herself snapping her fingers and grooving along to the raspy lyrics of Jerry Garcia, live with the Grateful Dead from Winterland. She danced naked around the empty room, at one point grabbing her cherry red Deadhead bear and spinning it around like a swing partner.