While the winter of that year did its best to keep me locked indoors, I was warmed repeatedly by Kate’s insistent trips to my bedroom. My former student turned casual hookup kept my hands, lips, tongue, and mouth very busy in the weeks after term ended. To her credit, she was incredibly open about the fact that we were not, and would not be, exclusive. Knowing that upfront made things super easy, and we enjoyed each others’ company on and off through the waning weeks of December. As Christmas loomed, she flew home to visit her family, and I was once again left to my own devices.
My roommate and I hadn’t met prior to me starting grad school; I’d found his ad on craigslist by chance and he seemed a decent enough guy, so I signed on the dotted line and took over the room that his last roommate had abandoned without warning. We weren’t best friends or anything, but shared the space well and split pizza on Fridays while we watched the game. He was cool.