Shanghai Days

Part 1

This was not the boy that got straight A's. This was not the captain of the soccer team, nor the most popular, nor the most affluent. He was taller than average, though quite lean. He was handsome in his own way, but it took effort to be so blasé.

The boy's name was Shen Jie. He was a senior at Dawn International High School in Shanghai. That day he sat in the cafeteria with his two friends and watched one of the girls two tables down. Her back was to him, head and shoulders obscured by hair and blouse. His eyes lingered on the softly luxuriant hair. Black roots showing through the brown dye. He watched her small hands, delicate porcelain wrists, white forearms. Qi Lian was short, even for a Han girl. She had that unique combination of sexy and cute that guys found so endearing. And she was very popular. But it was her confidence that made her truly intoxicating, especially to an eighteen year old boy like Shen Jie.

Earlier in the day, he had slipped her a note after class. It was blunt. The kind of note a too-cool by miles boy would write to a girl he was interested in. "I like you, and I really want to be with you." It read in sloppy Chinese penmanship.

She had taken the note with only a brief smile. He hadn't seen her since.

A voice beside him brought his attention back to his immediate surroundings. "I bet he didn't even write it." The speaker was Wu Yating, his frequent friend, and intermittent rival. The two had become friends almost immediately after Yating came to Dawn earlier in the year. Yet, close proximity always amounted to the occasional locking of horns. So it went with these two. This time however, was safe. Yating wasn't interested in Qi Lian.

Another voice cut in. "I bet he wrote it. At least that much. He'd have to, just to shut you up, but he didn't give it to her. No way. Not possible." That was Gao Meng, the third of their little gang. His was the swing vote. Never the alpha male, but an alpha-maker.

"What did she say when you gave it to her?" Yating pressed.

Shen Jie shrugged. "Doesn't matter. She didn't read the note right then."

"I'm proud of you for going for it." Gao Meng.

A silence followed. The three boys ate. They discussed Mr. Bryce's western literature class. He had talked about meta fiction. Whatever that was. It had something to do with calling attention to the fact that a story was, in fact, a work of fiction.

Shen Jie wished that's how the world worked. If the world were a novel, then he could go back and undo what he had done earlier that day. He wouldn't have risen to his friends bait so easily, he wouldn't have given her the note without thinking things through first. He must have seemed a fool standing next to her, sweating, saying nothing, just holding out the piece of paper.

Or he might have rewritten the note. He could change it to say something more romantic. "I have had feelings for you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. I don't expect you to feel the same way. Just believe that you a treasure in my heart."

Then again, if this were a story, and he was the writer, he could rewrite the whole scene anyway he wanted. He would write it so that she smiles and touches his hand. A light gesture, as playful as it is flirtatious. Then she would ask him to stay and talk. The rest of the class would file out of the room, leaving the two of them alone.

But that's not how it went down.

He was sitting at the table, lost in his introspective thoughts, when a hand touched his arm. It startled him. He turned and saw Qi Lian looking at him. Her dark eyes were wide, almost surprised, as if he were the one approaching her and not the other way around.

Standing next to the table, she picked at the sleeves of her blouse. "Hey," she said as casual as she could. Shen Jie's nerves hummed. He fixed his eyes on a spot just past her head. She continued, "Here." She held out a small slip of paper.

The pause seemed eternal. She looked at him, then at the note. He knew she could see him tremble slightly, but there was nothing to do about it. He reached up and took the note with a wane smile. He had taken the plunge, and all he could do now was ride the wave. That and pray.

At last her face relaxed into a soft smile (a good sign?) that lit her whole face, touching her eyes, making them seem curious and oddly savage at the same time. She patted his arm and left.

He held the slip of paper a long time. It had been artfully folded, his name written on the outside.

"Oh. My. God," Yating said. Each word enunciated. "You've got to show us." Shen Jie didn't dare open the note up in front of them. Not in the canteen. Delicate matters called for privacy. He got up. Yating stood and started to follow, but he brushed his friend off with a brief gesture. He would rather do this alone. If this was a rejection, he didn't want anyone around.

Moments later, when he was behind closed doors in an empty classroom, he dropped heavily behind a desk. He rubbed his eyes, and drew a deep breath, steadying frayed nerves. He looked down at the note laying on the table in front of him. Then he picked it up and read what she had to say.

"Meet me after school." That was all. Neat and precisely written Chinese characters. Controlled. He turned the paper over. Nothing else.

He felt his nerves unwind, his stomach un-clench, a smile relaxed his tense features. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but he took it as a good sign.

*

That afternoon, after school let out, he stood in an empty hall. The door in front of him was shut. Shen Jie drew a ragged breath. He raked his hand through shaggy hair. He picked at the cuffs of his button down shirt, ran his hand over his adolescent chin. Then he reached into his blazer's inside pocket and touched the corner of her note. Drawing another breath to steady his resolve, he pushed the door open leaving a sweaty palm print.

Qi Lian sat behind the desk in her classroom. She was grading papers. Otherwise the room was empty.

"Ms. Qi." Shen Jie stepped into the room. Polite. Deferential. The way a student should act towards a teacher. He didn't know what else would be appropriate at this juncture. When Qi Lian looked at him it was with eyes that blazed excitement. Shen Jie wondered for the first time, if she was as nervous about this encounter as he.

"Hi. Come in," she said.

Shutting the door, he took a seat in the first row.

"I'm glad you came," Qi Lian said, her tone was pensive. It seemed she wasn't sure what would be appropriate either. "I was touched by your note."

"Then you know how I feel," he said. It seemed she wanted him to take the lead on this, but he was still not willing to take the plunge. Not sure how. Qi Lian was sitting behind her desk. She looked every inch the teacher, in command of the situation, unapproachable.

At last she spoke. It was the question he knew was coming and dreaded at the same time. "I was under the impression you and Xiaomei were a couple." A pause. "Is that true?"

Shen Jie's first instinct was to lie. He went so far as to shake his head slightly in denial. Then he turned away from her penetrating eyes. "We were a couple," he admitted. "But it's over. Besides, you're so much better for me." He quickly added. "When I'm in your class I feel there's a connection between us. There's something there. I know it."

She must have sensed his discomfort, because she got up and came around the desk.

As she came, there was a playful sway to her walk. Then she took an adjacent seat. Suddenly her proximity was disarming. All that stood between them now was a desk corner. Shen Jie's hands were folded on the table. Proper. Qi Lian reached out and placed her hand on his.

"I felt something between us as well." It was a moment pregnant with possibility. A heady rush came over him. He was unsure what to do, how to proceed. He knew he wanted this, and at the same time, had no idea what she wanted to hear. As if sensing his discomfort, she gave him an opening. "What do I have that Xiaomei doesn't?"

He released a held breath. He was on sure ground now. This was something he had thought about even before writing the note. He knew how to respond. "Because you're a real woman," he said, looking her square in the eyes. "Not a child, like all the other girls here. And I want to be with a woman. I'm ready for a real relationship. I'm ready for more than a silly high school crush."

Qi Lian gave a satisfied smile. It seemed he passed the first test. But then she turned coy. She took her hand off his, and looked away as if slightly bored, as if she had heard all that before. "And what makes you think you can give me what I want?"

Shen Jie smiled. It was wolfish. He closed in. "I can never satisfy you. You are too amazing. All I ask for is a chance to prove myself. To try and be worthy." He leaned forward, inching closer to her. From this proximity, she smelled faintly of lavender. "One chance. That's all I ask."

She turned to face him once again. A smile tugged at the corners of her plump lips. "And what chance would that be?"

"A kiss." No hesitation. "That's all. A single kiss to prove there's chemistry."

Her smile widened. "Granted."

Hands clasped, they came together. Their lips met. It was a light brush at first. A flush of arousal. Then he took her head in his hands and kissed her with a clumsy zeal, at once inexperienced and passionate, the kind of kiss that only an adolescent would find enticing.

Yet it seemed Qi Lian was impressed as well. "There's chemistry," she whispered. And together they started down a dangerous path.

*

She led him to one of the conference rooms. There were two on the floor, used mostly for private lessons and self study for the seniors.

Only when they were inside did they begin to touch one another. It was kissing and caresses. Their lips locked together, their hands busily explored one another's body. He was intoxicated with her scent, with the feel of her soft skin.

She made small gasps when his hands worked their way up her blouse and touched her back, and again when they reached down her pants to grab her ass.

Qi Lian was trim. Her breasts small, her neck slender. But she was an animal. She was as hungry for this as he was.

He seized the initiative. He undid her belt and pulled her pants down over the hump of her ass. He and turned her around, kicked her legs apart, and pushed her down on the conference table.

She went willingly. Her head lay against crossed arms. Her butt sticking up. Pert and round and just as petite as the rest of her.

Shen Jie hastily undid his own pants and pulled them down past his cock. He was hard, throbbing with tension. The tip wet. He wasn't a virgin, but it's not like him and Xiaomei had had many opportunities.

He suddenly realized he had no idea if she was in a relationship or not. She had never mentioned a husband in class, but that didn't prove anything.

He grabbed her waist. Soft and smooth. White skin. He slipped into her. She gasped. Tensed. He pulled out and went in again, working his way inside with each thrust inch by inch.

She moaned long and loud.

He pushed inside her faster and harder, coming all the way out between thrusts.

She cried out.

One hand held her waist, the other reached up under her shirt. Reached under her bra. He pressed her nipple with his right hand. Her hand clamped down atop his.

He exploded inside her. Gasped. Grunted.

Her hand reached around and slapped his butt. Don't stop. He didn't.

Her free hand reached between her legs. She massaged herself. Rubbed herself in time with his thrusts.

After a short time, her whole body tensed. A shudder passed over her, then she relaxed, melting in his arms.

The two lovers were breathing hard as they zipped up and returned to the classroom.

Part 2

After school.

Qi Lian was sitting at her desk reading, as she often did when waiting for Shen Jie. He was in the self study room on the first floor of Dawn International. The Principal was supervising the bi weekly detention period, of which Shen Jie was a frequent offender. So, she waited in her classroom every Tuesday and Thursday to see him after he was released.

Lian looked at the clock. 15:51. Almost time.

"Hey Honey." Shen Jie entered the room, startling her. "Mr. Calaver let us go early."

"Lucky for you," she said.

He took a seat on the corner of her desk, in his customary playful mood. "Being with you makes me a lucky guy." His voice was steady, but she knew he trembled with the same anticipation she felt. She felt euphoric. "Let's sit and talk awhile." He took her hand and led her to the ledge beneath the bay windows. The waist high shelf was littered with scrapes of red construction paper, folds of tissue paper, and a few fully constructed paper lanterns.

When they sat, his body pressed dangerously close to hers, they didn't continue their conversation. Instead they kissed. She had never kissed a student prior to Shen Jie. It was a strange sensation, and quite exhilarating. It was the thrill of the forbidden, but it was also more than that. She was genuinely attracted to this boy.

At last, she broke contact.

Afternoon light poured in illuminating the room without the overhead fluorescents. Lian turned and closed the blinds. Light spilled in between the slats.

"How do you want it?" she asked, sliding to the edge of the counter.

"I don't know." His voice was breathless.

"I want you to take me right here," Lian said.

Shen Jie nodded.

They undid their pants, neither making eye contact. The light flooding the room did nothing to soften the mood. Qi Lian could easily see who she was with, there was no mystery here. Somehow that made it more real.

When he stood, his member was hard, she was wet and anxious. She scooted to the edge. Her pants around her ankles, her butt hanging half off. He moved between her legs. Then he slipped into her. Fast and hot, the sex was nervous, punctuated at first with sophomoric giggles, later with sighs. She reached an orgasm first, then he did. She loved every second of it.

Afterward, they buttoned up and went back to her desk. He sat, she climbed into his lap, arm wrapped around his neck, head on his shoulder.

They sat in silence for a while before she asked, "What were you in detention for?"

"Punching another student."

Lian barked a laugh. "Shen Jie!"

"It was a play fight," he said. "But Ms. Celia didn't see it that way."

"No, I guess she wouldn't." Lian pat his chest. "I give out detentions to the boys for playing games in class, you know those stupid games on their cell phones. I think guys are addicted to their computer games."

Shen Jie shrugged. "Not me, never saw the appeal."

Lian couldn't hold back. She leaned in and kissed him again. It was warm and slow and sensual, the kind of kiss shared between newly minted lovers in a month old relationship.

"Being here makes me feel like I'm back in high school again," she said referring to her teaching job in general as well as the relationship. "Being with you makes me feel ten years younger."

"Is that a good thing?" Shen Jie asked.

"Yes," was her immediate reply. "High school was the happiest time of my life."

The afternoon light faded. The room dimmed.

*

Qi Lian mounted the concrete stairs in her apartment building. She searched her bag for keys. After a moment she found them and entered her apartment.

An explosion of sound came from the office. A rapid fire staccato of gunshots and screams.

She looked in and saw Jamie Bryce on the computer playing some first person shooter.

"Hey Elaine, glad your home." Jamie didn't look up from the screen, but at least he spent the mental energy greeting her. That was something at least.

Lian sighed and dropped her bag. She went to the bathroom and took a shower. The hot water felt good on a chilly day. Not to mention it washed away the sweat from her afternoon encounter.

"How was your day?" Jamie asked when she stepped out.

"I'll tell you later." She had no interest whatsoever in talking to him while he was gaming. His attention was erratic at the best of times, when he was playing games, it was downright horrifying. She ate; watched some TV; then laid down and read a little. A couple hours later Jamie climbed into his side of the bed.

"Sorry I wasn't more talkative," he said. "I wanted to clear the level." A pause. "Which I did. It was epic. You should have seen it."

Lian smiled. "I'm sure it was."

"But you're not interested in that. Tell me, how was your day?"

"Fine," she said with a half shrug. "Yours?"

"I had to give Vivian a detention again. No homework."

"She's gotta learn: no excuses."

"I know," Jamie said. He squirmed. "I just hate being the bad guy."

"You're not the bad guy. You're teaching her to be responsible."

Jamie lay on his back. His arm was slung over his face. Elbow across his eyes. He lay like that sometimes when the light was still on. Then he said, "I heard Brendon was in detention again."

Lian kept her composure. A mask of neutrality. "He punched another student." Brendon was Shen Jie's English name. All of the students at Dawn had one. Even the Chinese teachers did. Hers was Elaine.

Jamie rolled onto his side, looking at her with an even stare. He had a talent for reading between the lines. A mischievous smirk softened his features. "How was it?"

"You know I don't like talking about our open relationship," she snapped.

"You know that I do," he countered without missing a beat. "It keeps it honest. I'm not hiding anything from you."

"And I'm not hiding anything from you!"

"Then you can tell me. Please." Infuriatingly calm.

She closed her book, held it on her lap and took a deep breath. At last she nodded, more to herself than to her boyfriend. "Okay. I'll tell you," she said. "Brendon came to my classroom after detention." She smiled, also more to herself than to Jamie. "We did it on the counter by the window."

Jamie nodded, although she wasn't looking at him.

"He's actually really good," she continued. "The way he touches me, it's nice." She turned her head and looked at him. She studied his face in the soft lamp light. Her boyfriend's expression was gentle, openly curious, and most importantly, non judgmental. "And there's something about being with a high school student. I can't explain it. But it's a thrill."

"A forbidden romance," Jamie offered.

"Maybe." She shrugged. "Or maybe it's just being in a new relationship." Then she set the book on the nightstand and flipped the lights. In the sudden darkness, the two lay under the covers and held one another.

She felt him kiss her neck. There was a burst of tiny kisses on her shoulder. Then he found her lips. It was soft and gentle, a warm kiss from someone who truly loved her.

He reached under her shirt and rubbed her body. She arched her back, head rolled back against the pillow.

Clothes were hastily discarded. He climbed between her legs and went inside. She wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her heels behind him, drawing him deeper. His attention was on her breasts. They were not large, but he seemed to enjoy them just the same. She moaned. A soft sound.

It was a rhythmic fuck.

Then he got ambitious. He shifted so that he lay on his side, perpendicular to her body. Her legs were draped over him. He held on to her left leg. His hands rubbed up and down her smooth thigh. He pushed into her again. Due to the angle this time much deeper. She cried out.

Her head rolled back. Eyes squeezed shut. She could feel him forcing his way deeper and deeper inside her with each thrust. It was pleasantly painful.

This time the action was faster. He was forceful. In a short time, he climaxed exploding inside her.

However she wasn't done. She pushed him back and climbed on top, lowering herself down onto him. He grabbed her waist, but it was unnecessary. She controlled the action now. Raising and lowering herself, rocking back and forth, she maximized her pleasure. She took what she wanted.