He walked into the White Building gymnasium, a little larger than a basketball floor, and noticed already a good-sized turnout in attendance, probably 60 people. He had just made the class on time and figured not too many more would be showing up. He didn't even have time to peruse the group for attractive women before the instructor, a middle-aged, graying lady named Beth Hanson instructed everyone to get in two circles, with the women in the middle and the men on the outside. As people slowly moved, and friends rushed to be next to each other, Beth explained that the class would start with the most romantic of dances, the waltz. A cute, short, but fairly heavy set girl lined up opposite Matt and smiled at him. Matt wasn't the best looking guy, but he was physically fit, 5'9", clean cut and projected confidence in this environment. On either side of him were a tall, somewhat overweight football player and a role model for Computer Geek magazine, so he looked pretty good in this company. The class was standard, with basics shown first, then the couples practicing together, then the women rotated counter-clockwise to the next man in line and the process would begin again. While Vada, his first partner, didn't realize until later how good Matt was, the other women in line, frustrated with the clumsiness of the other men, quickly found themselves delighted by his wonderful lead.  Beth noticed his abilities, and talked softly to him.

"You've done this before haven't you?"
"Yes, for quite a while actually."
"Well, I may have to single you out to help demonstrate."
"That would be fine."

Matt was pleasantly surprised by the number of attractive women in the class, though many were probably 5 years younger than him and seemed very immature. There was Linda, a short haired blonde with wonderful blue eyes, Connie, a taller red-head with an Asian mystique to her, and a short, brunette cheerleader named Peggy.

It was during some turns with Peggy that a motion caught his attention from the corner of his eye.  It was that of a very long hair flying by. When the couples stopped again he saw the lady it belonged to, two partners down. She was a remarkably attractive blonde with flowing hair that looked long enough to sit on. She seemed a little frustrated because of the constant tugging her hair was getting from her partners. It was no wonder, as long hair and ballroom dancing really didn't go together unless one wore her hair up. While Matt had always basically liked long hair, he hadn't encountered much of it in his background as it always seemed so limiting. Usually the women he ended up with had short to shoulder length hair which was fine. Then something unexpected happened.  As the couples stopped and Beth explained a new move, this woman reached into her pocket, pulled out some type of clasp, and then in absolute record time, it couldn't have been more than 15 seconds, put her hair up into a perfect french twist type of style and with that one pin locked it in place. All the time she focused on her instructor and did it with such ease like she was just doing a pony-tail. But the finished style was absolutely perfect, with no flyaways or hair hanging down except for her thick wall of curled bangs. The whole action totally fascinated Matt and he momentarily lost thought of what was going on and had to be snapped back into reality by Peggy retaking his hand. Luckily he knew the next move easily and thus his sudden daydream was not noticed. He did know he was anxious to meet and dance with this new partner. In ten minutes he got his chance as the ladies again shifted to another partner. She stepped in front of him and gave him a quick smile, though was still smarting from the heavy lead of the football player. She quickly rubbed her sore left shoulder. Matt reached out his hand, as he had with each partner that day.

"Hello, I'm Matt."
She seemed surprised by the gentlemanly showing of manners, but offered her hand in a quick handshake.
"Hi, I'm Mandy."

As she turned away from him to listen to and watch Beth explain the next pattern, Matt caught a quick glimpse of her hair. It was a very light blonde, almost that of a bleached blonde (Matt thought) but seemed so healthy, thick and shiny it must be natural. Her updo had now been twirled around numerous times by two partners but showed remarkable stability by just that one pin. Only a few hairs were even remotely mussed.  It was a cute trick. It was time to dance with one another, and she reluctantly reached for him and closed dance position, ready to again be mugged by a poor leader. However when Matt took her into his grasp her face instantly was a mix of surprise and curious pleasure.  Just who was this person who could give her such a feeling of confidence by just his grasp? She didn't smile at him, but instead gave him a good hard look, such as a window-shopper does when they finally find an item in the store of interest. When they started to dance she found herself closing her eyes adoring the sensation of the waltz.  So this was what it was supposed to feel like! She found herself momentarily flushed and slow to let go when the pattern was finished. She looked up at him, partially embarrassed.

"Thank you, that was....very good. You're quite...good..quite a good dancer.  Oh God, listen to me, I sound like an idiot."
"Not at all. Thank you for the complement.  That was fun."

Inside Matt was quitely thanking his parents for forcing all those dance classes on him. They were worth it for moments like this.  As the ladies shifted to their next partner, she looked back at him. "Well, bye!"
Matt smiled as he caught her several times over the next several minutes sneaking a quick glance at him. Of course he was sneaking numerous glances at her also. Did that one fifteen second styling session make such an impact on him that he suddenly found himself focusing all his thoughts on this one woman when there were so many new possibilities in the class?

The week went by slowly, with way too much homework, drizzly weather, and no football game to occupy the weekend. However it was soon Monday afternoon and time for dance class again. Matt laughed to himself as the two circles were again made and people jockeyed for position.  Friends again went to one another, but this time women were quickly lining up to dance with him.  Peggy got to him first and grabbed his arm not willing to share her prize until forced to. He quickly looked out and saw Mandy about four partners down the line, looking at Peggy with a bit of envy. She looked wonderful in new jeans, a white sweater that was just a little tight, and a hint of makeup.  Her hair was up again, but very different from the previous week. This time it was in a big coiled bun just behind and above her left ear, but the hair had been directed there by three french braids that went from one side of her head, and over the top to the other. He had never seen a style like it before, and the casualness with which she carried it made it seem like no big deal. It had to have taken a fair amount of time to do, he felt, as he had only seen styles so elaborate on women during proms, recitals, and major events. Two shiny gold earrings, a bit larger than most, reflected light and made her seem more mature than her..... Well, he didn't know how old she was. She could have been anywhere from 17 to 27 he guessed. But then he never could guess the age of women. He had been off by nearly 25 years once. The class that day was a review first of the previous week, and then Jitterbug would be the new dance. The class looked excited to learn the high energy dance. When Mandy finally reached Matt in the rotation, she had just suffered
through her introduction to jitterbug with a fraternity pledge advertising to the world his frat of choice on his shirt, shorts, and shaved into the side of his buzz haircut. That seemed a little much to Matt but he admired his gusto. As Mandy shifted to him, he again thrust out his hand and said

"Hello Mandy, I'm..."
"Matt.  Yes, I remember.  How are you?"
"Terrific.  It's cool you remembered my name."
"You're by far the best waltzer in this class, so it was easy to remember.  How's your jitterbug?"
"I can hold my own," he said modestly.
She gave him a knowing smile.  "I'll bet."
Matt noticed she hadn't let go of his hand yet since their handshake, although she was now turned away from him and listening
to the instructions of Beth.  It was another opportunity for him to study her hair creation of the day. It was mesmerizing and she caught him staring at it as she turned back towards him.
"Hello, you OK?"
He snapped back to attention.
"Yeah, Sorry.  I was just admire....looking at your hair.  It looks very...good."
She laughed a bit at his discomfort.  So he was human after all and not a rock of confidence.
"Now you're demonstrating your 'good' vocabulary."
The reference to their conversation the previous week was not lost on him as he had replayed that conversation numerous times to himself that week. He smiled awkwardly.
"Touche."
"Couldn't resist, but thanks for the compliment."

The music started up again and the two were again dancing.  While the Jitterbug wasn't a romantic waltz, she still enjoyed the confident, secure yet soft lead he offered. Dancing with Matt was effortless and easy, and made her feel much better than the novice she was. She knew he must be used to dancing with far better dancers than she and hoped he wasn't bored. He certainly didn't seem bored. She held his arm with both hands as she thanked him and moved on to her next partner. Matt knew he wanted to ask her out, but didn't know if he should rush things. He decided to wait another week.

The Penn State-Temple football game that weekend was a blowout as expected, but it was a glorious fall day, with a clear blue sky and a hint of a breeze. The tailgaters had been going at it long and hard, and Matt had been enjoying the day with his roommate, Eric Meadows. The 88,000 in attendance were vocal and happy, giving one an understanding of the nickname "Happy Valley." From his seats in the middle of the end zone bleachers of Beaver Stadium, Matt looked down over the cheering student section.  These were the experiences of college to be treasured, and made all the work and boring classes tolerable. As he looked over the sea of heads one caught his attention. It was that of a blonde with her hair put up into an
exotic array of 3 buns that seemed to wrap around each other like three snakes. It was amazing and different than anything he had seen before. As the owner turned to her female friend on her left he recognized the lovely face of Mandy. He found himself smiling.
"It figures," he said to himself out loud thinking about the woman who was now the center of his attentions.
"What did you say,"  said Eric?
"Oh, nothing."

She was way too far down the bleachers to call to, but he watched her to see if she was with a guy. She wasn't! He knew that Monday he'd ask her out. Hopefully it would be a nice day and he'd invite her to ice cream at the campus Creamery.

That Sunday Matt found himself having difficulties studying, instead lost in thought about Mandy.  He didn't understand the effect her hair was having on him. He had never really thought much about women's hair. How a woman wore her hair was up to her. He really didn't care and never had a second thought.  Now he was having third and fourth thoughts. He knew he'd had to buckle down and finish his studies or it would be a long night. He wanted to be fresh for dance class.

Finally dance class came. Matt had to control himself to not be suspiciously early to class. Mother Nature cooperated and it was an unusually warm day. Perfect for ice cream. Vada almost sprinted to his side and asked if she could be his first partner.  Matt politely smiled and said OK, and she clung to him while looking out at the other ladies with a stance that said "look what I've got."  Other women filed in, saw Matt and smiled and then quickly showed their disappointment that he was already taken for the first dance. Mandy came in talking with Connie. She looked terrific. She was wearing light jeans and a short red top with spaghetti straps. But again it was her hair that caught his attention. It was up again, this time starting as a french braid in front, taking her bangs back with it, but then transformed into a french twist in the back. However overlapping the french twist was a single small braid that seemed to act as a safety net holding it in place. Once again this was something totally unique, something that had to take a fair amount of time, yet a look she pulled of with an air of casualness he had never felt before. Mandy quickly looked at Matt and waved from across the room.  He smiled and winked back.  All the time his heart was racing. "Be cool, be cool," he kept saying to himself. After reviewing Waltz and Jitterbug a new Jitterbug series was introduced which included 'Sweetheart' position, where the man wraps his partner in his arms and holds her to his side while revolving as a couple. It was a hit with the class, and Matt found it difficult to contain his dancing to just the patterns taught, since he knew literally hundreds of ways in and out of a Sweetheart. Finally Mandy shifted to Matt and the two once again were hand in hand. He didn't know if she was smiling bigger, had a little more makeup, or maybe it was just her face looked different without bangs, but she looked radiant. The two didn't talk this time as the rotation was a quick one and the music was continuous.  They were just supposed to repeat the pattern they had learned with the last partner. Matt noticed Beth had stepped out and was talking with another professor and figured it was his chance to show off a little.  Mandy's eyes suddenly developed a "deer in the headlights" look but she quickly flashed a smile as Matt effortlessly led her through a complex series of, to her,  brand new moves. However his solid lead made them easy and fun. The couple on his left stopped and watched for a bit. He could hear the guy muttering under his breath. When they stopped he had Mandy in Sweetheart position with her face no more than a foot from his. She smiled at him.

"Show off."
"Sorry, but I couldn't resist."
Mandy laughed. "Is this conversation Deja' Vu' or what?"
Matt had to go for it.  "Would you like to......"
"OK LADIES, ROTATE!" came the loud roar from Beth.

Mandy was rudely bumped out of the way by Matt's next eager partner, a rather obnoxious sophomore name JoAnne. As she was taken from him she looked at him and motioned that she didn't hear him.  Matt felt gypped by his short rotation with Mandy and was basically discouraged for the rest of the class. He decided he'd try to catch Mandy after class but as soon as the bell rang she was out the door on the run. Frustrated, Matt wandered just off campus to the Playland video arcade to take his aggressions out on a joystick. He started playing a fighting game he was constantly battling another unknown adversary for the high score. He knew his code name he entered upon getting the high score, STEPS, was constantly being knocked out by some guy with the code, STUD.  He saw STUD once again had the high score, and it was time to try and beat him.  If he had a good game it would take over an hour to succeed. The game was going great and a new high score was inevitable until he was interrupted by a voice.

"Shouldn't you be studying or something?"
He looked up straight into the eyes of Mandy. He felt embarrassed that she should find him here playing games. He let go of the controls to face her and heard the game music shift as his fighter was killed by this brief period of inactivity, thus ending his game.
"I was just....killing some time, pardon the pun."
"I know, I'm addicted to the things too.  My dad introduced us to video games very young.  That's probably why I got into Computer Programming as a major."
"I never would have guessed that."
"I didn't mean to disturb your game, but I never did hear what you said to me in class today and I had to rush off to an exam last period so I couldn't find out after class, so..." Matt was shaking. This was not an area he was brimming in confidence.
"It was nothing, I was just wondering...., awe it's nothing."

Mandy was laughing inside at his discomfort. This was the total opposite of the two of them on the dance floor where she was all nerves so she was enjoying this.

"What did you want to ask me?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go get an ice cream......with me.....at the creamery."
"Sure, sounds great! Am I too late or will I spoil your dinner?"
Matt smiled, all the while cheering inside, and held the door as he led Mandy out of the arcade and across campus for ice cream.

The next 90 minutes passed far too fast for Matt. The two of them chatted easily and effortlessly. In the process he found out she was a Junior, 20 years old, from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. She had an older sister and a brother. She lived in the dorms because she plain liked having people around her and the opportunity to talk with people. She was the head of her floor which meant she had a private room. Being head of the floor brought additional responsibilities but also saved money.  He never did bring up the subject of her hair and that didn't seem to bother her. He was a bit surprised by that because it seemed to him that women with long hair always sort of expected it to be part of the conversation. He just didn't want to come across as a person attracted to her hair, which he was, but as a person attracted to her, which he was. But the sun was now setting and their ice cream had long since been devoured, and Matt knew the time to part was at hand. He certainly didn't want to wait another week to see this person.  He was totally enjoying himself.  She started getting herself together to part.

"It's getting a little cool now and I suppose I should go now," she said.  (Was their a hint of remorse in her voice?)
"I guess it is kind of late.  I really enjoyed this."
"So did I."  (Was she just being polite?)
He almost balked but summoned up some courage.
"I'd very much like to take you to dinner this weekend."
She paused and looked at him.  "Are you asking me or just making a statement?"
It took him a while to grasp her humor.  She was fast with it.
"I guess a little of both.  Would you....Do you...?"  He couldn't quite figure the correct wording.
She laughed out loud.  "Yes, I'd like that very much.  How about Friday night at 6:30?"
"How does the Winery strike you?"
"Oh wow, we're getting dressed up!  OK, in that case better make the reservations for 7:30 and pick me up at my dorm at 7:00.  Heritage Hall, room 272."
"I will be there. Until Friday." He knelt and took her hand in both of his.
She laughed at his showing of chivalry.  "Until Friday."

Never had a week crawled so slow.  It seemed every day was simulated time-lapse photography. He went to bed early each night just to hurry the next day into coming. Luckily the football team was out of town that weekend or he'd never get dinner reservations on such short notice. He opted not to buy her a flower. That was just too much too soon. He was ready by 5:30, and had to find a way to kill 1 1/2 hours. He played some darts with his neighbor, brushed his teeth 3 times, and watched some television in the lounge. Finally it was time to set across campus to Heritage Hall and a date with Mandy. He took his time and arrived promptly at 7. In the lobby was a phone to call the individual room, and then she would 'buzz' you past the security door so you could go into the dorm. He dialed room 272.  After 5 rings a familiar voice picked it up.

"Who is it?" said Mandy breathlessly.
This confused Matt.  Had she forgotten?  Was this a joke?
"Um, it's Matt.  I was supposed to pick you up at 7, right?"
"Oh my God you're on time!  I've never had a date be on time."
"I can leave and come back in a bit."
"Oh no, if you don't mind watching me get ready you can come up.  I'd like the company."
Before he could reply  the buzzer was sounded loud and long and Matt ventured up the stairs. Her room was at the end of the hall, and he knocked on the door. Mandy quickly opened the door and gave him a quick once-over.
"Well don't you look sharp," she said as she retreated to her room. "Come on in and have a seat, I'll just be a few minutes."

Her room was a bit smaller than his but then only one person was using it. It was in a bit of disarray at the moment but looked to be kept up neatly. Mandy was wearing a very elegant purple dress, cut just to the knees with a bit of a slit up one side  showing legs in dark hose and nice open toed heeled shoes with about a 1 inch heel. Sexy but practical. Her dress hung loose off her shoulders but was long sleeved and not too low in front. It was a great dress. But once again it was Mandy's hairstyle that caught his attention. Not because of the style but rather the current lack of one. Except for her thick wall of neatly curved under bangs, the rest of her hair was currently up in about a dozen huge rollers. Each one was wrapped full of hair which hinted at the great length and thickness it contained. Matt was flattered that she would take the time and effort to curl her tremendous mane for a date with him.  He felt very special. Mandy sat down across the room from him but chatted and looked at him all the time as she started taking the rollers out. She started with the lowest one on the back of her head.

"I got a little behind because I needed to help out one of the girls who forgot her room key. I thought I'd make it not figuring you'd show up on time."

The first magnificent blond curl unwound and fell down like silk about 1/2 way down her back. At first he feared she might have cut it since that first day of class since the curl seemed too short, but after a bit figured her hair held a curl so well it just appeared that way. This woman was an illusionist with her hair. The two dove right into another light but very frank  conversation, Mandy all the time looking directly at Matt as she undid the rollers. She placed each empty roller and pin down in front of her. She did it very quickly but never seemed to tug or rush. Curl after wonderful curl started falling down her back. Her hair was so thick they formed a massive pile behind her. When all the rollers were out she stood and slid each back into it's heating rod, and then grabbed a big brush.  She was talking all the time. Matt knows he was talking to her but at the same time was totally enamored watching her work with her hair. He had never seen such thick, long, shiny, healthy hair in his life. She suddenly jumped to a stand on a chair, then bent over at the waist letting all her hair fall towards the floor and started brushing the curls into magnificent waves. Despite this high perch the ends nearly touched the floor.  Then she reached under the mass and as she quickly hopped down tossed it all back in one wondrous movement.  The thick waves fell almost to her waist. Matt felt himself totally aroused and readjusted the way he was sitting so as not to show. He figured she was done and they would be leaving now, but she wasn't. She walked over to the big mirror on the wall, put down the big brush and picked up a smaller, long skinny brush as she looked at herself hard in the mirror. She separated out a section of hair on the top center of her head and started vigorously teasing the six inches closest to the scalp. All the while she was casually talking to Matt, who by now wasn't listening to a word she was saying. She continued teasing, section by section,  the first 6 inches of the top of her head reaching all the way back and including most of her crown.  Despite it's length and weight the teasing was so intensely packed it started standing up. Matt had girlfriends who'd teased their hair before but not like this. Besides, they all had short hair. He'd never heard of a woman with hair this long who teased her hair much less seen it. He always thought it to be taboo for long hair. He was surprised how erotic he found it. The casual and professional way Mandy went about it made it obvious she had done this numerous times before. Then Mandy tilted her head slightly to the left while lifting all the hair by her right ear straight up. She then vigorously teased the first 6 inches of this too, all the while keeping it laying up against her head. Then she put down the brush and soaked the section with a long blast of hair spray. She then put the bottle down and picked up a blow dryer and promptly dried the wet panel of lacquered hair. When she released it the hair stuck out sideways from her head. She then repeated this process on the left side. Matt was now so aroused it was almost painful.  Mandy started carefully smoothing the top layer so it all started laying right. She was still talking about something and making this entire elaborate process out to be a daily occurrence. Who knows? With Mandy it just might be.When Mandy finally put down her brush her hair no longer was sticking out in disarray but looked like a huge sea of waves with some tasteful height on top and width out from the temples. It fell just to her waist in back, curling under deliciously. The curls disguised the fact her hair actually was a good 12 inches longer. Then she picked up a wide tooth comb and started backcombing lightly different places all along the length of her hair which made the various waves seem bigger and fuller. It made a subtle but noticeable difference. Her overall hair length seemed to shrink another few inches as a result. She picked up a hand mirror and turned around to check how it looked from the back. Satisfied, she again took her hair spray bottle in hand and gave the entire creation an extremely generous layer of spray to lock it in place for the evening. While he never liked the smell or feel of hairspray before, he found even this making his pulse quicken. Amazing!  He had never known a woman so skilled with her hair, nor a woman with such long hair willing to do such styles, nor...

"Hello?!  You didn't hear a thing I just said did you?"  It was Mandy snapping him back to the present.
"I'm sorry, it's just.....  Well, quite frankly, I've never met anyone with such a fabulous head of hair, plus all the different things you do with it are just great."
"I'm glad you approve," she said as she gave herself a final look and then sat down near Matt.  It was obvious by his look he wished her to continue.
"I guess you'd say it's my hobby.  My older sister, Gail, who is now a hairdresser always used to play with it when I was growing up. She wanted to prove that long hair is quite the opposite of being limited because at the time everyone was cutting their hair short. One year we set a goal of having a different style every day at school, which we actually accomplished although by the end of the year we were doing some pretty wild things to meet our goal, which was quite the talk of the school since I was in 6th grade at the time."

Matt chuckled at the thought.  He also found himself more and more captivated by this woman.
"Anyway, when she was a senior she taught me how to do most of the styles myself knowing she would soon be off to college. That was seven years ago so I've become pretty proficient, and invented many new styles since. It kind of keeps my artistic side exposed so I don't end up a computer nerd like many of my classmates."
"Doesn't all that styling end up abusing your hair?  I'm surprised it's still so long and healthy."
"Actually it used to be down past my knees but I kept getting it caught in car doors and stuff so I cut it about two years ago to it's present length. It's real thick and strong and grows real fast so I haven't had any problems keeping it long. Oh, and by the way, in case you wanted to know, it is naturally this color."
Matt blushed a little that the question had crossed his mind.
"But enough about my hair, I'm famished.  Let's go eat shall we?!  Do I look all right?"
'All right' was an understatement.  "It will be an honor to be with you tonight."
Mandy giggled and quickly pecked him on the cheek.  "You know how to say all the right things."
She reached for her jacket but Matt beat her to it.  He held it out as she turned her back to him and put her arms in the sleeves. She then threw her hair up and over it. Matt made sure he stood close enough so he could feel it fall down against his face.  Mandy pretended not to notice. "Let's go." And with that she grabbed him by the hand and out the door. As they walked towards the stairway several of the girls on the floor stared in amazement at their floor leader. "Wow, you look awesome!" said one wide-eyed freshman with a mouth full of braces. Mandy just smiled. Mark looked at the freshman.
"She does look great doesn't she?!"  Matt wouldn't change places with any man on earth right now.  He was on a date with an angel. The freshman's hand involuntarily went up to her own short cropped hair with remorse as she watched the couple disappear down the stairs.

They strolled keeping to themselves until the walk started a rather steep decline. At that point Matt reached for her and she eagerly wrapped his arm in his. He could feel  her hair touching the side of his jacket. He couldn't believe he luck being here with this gorgeous lady. Mandy broke the silence.
"I've got an idea.  Let's agree on two subject areas each we can't talk about over dinner.  That will kind of make a challenge."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Well, we can't talk about your dancing or my hair, and we can't talk about anything that has to do with our classes or majors."
"Wow, that will be a challenge."
"You don't think you're up to it?"
"I didn't say that. You're on."
And with that the two strolled to the Winery, one of the most elegant restaurants in the small college town.

Matt knew everyone's eyes, men and women alike, were on his date as soon as they walked into the room. Conversations suddenly stopped or grew silent. Phrases like 'Wow' or 'Did you see her' were just audible. Mandy pretended not to notice but Matt was sure she did, because he sure did. She pulled her hair to the front of her right shoulder so he could remove her jacket. He realized what great curves she had, although he knew she had a great body from the first day he saw her. As he sat down across her and looked up at her he almost lost his breath. With the low light in the restaurant, the candle light from the table made the outline of her hair light up like a halo. She truly was an angel tonight. He knew this would be a picture he would carry all his life in his mind. She sensed his shortness of breath. She leaned over a bit and her full, wet lips gently whispered,

"Are you all right?"
"Oh yes.  It's just you are probably..., no make that definitely, the most beautiful woman I've ever known much less been out with and I am just so.....well, I'm just having a great time."
"That's a tremendous compliment, and I'm having a great time too."

The rest of the evening was a delight for both.  They kept to their promise and avoided the agreed upon subjects, though Matt still looked at her hair a great deal. Even though it was magnificent, it was only part of the whole. She had wonderful eyes, nose, lips, cheekbones, ears, hands, body, voice, personality, sense of humor, intelligence...  He knew he was falling in love, or at least serious lust. It forced one question to the surface that he didn't want to ask but had to before he got in any deeper.

"How come you don't have 1,000 boyfriends right now?"
"Who says I don't?"

She was right. He could be just another number, but deep down didn't believe that. She paused long enough to drive him on the verge of insanity, then smiled and reached for his hand.

"My last boyfriend was my freshman year. He was a senior and I was just so excited about being a freshman and him being this older guy attracted to me. But he really didn't care about me but treated me more as an accessory. When he wanted to get... physical... I said no, so he dropped me for someone else. It was just as well. Since then I just haven't met the right kind of person."
"And what is the right kind of person."
She squeezed his hand. "I guess I'll know that when I find him."

The dinner was excellent and the evening was very romantic. The two strolled back to the dorms hand in hand, and Matt reluctantly let go when he approached the lobby of her dorm.

She looked at him reassuringly. "You are welcome to come up for a while."
His heart pounded even harder. "I'd like that."

As she stepped in front of him to undo the security door he gently placed his hand on her back, on her hair. It was as wonderful to the touch as it was to look at. It was thick and full and still slightly stiff from the hairspray. He wanted to play with it but just left his hand gently on it and soaked in the sensation. Again Mandy pretended not to notice. He followed her up the stairs and into her room. She locked the door behind her.

"Make yourself comfortable.  There's a couple of cokes in the fridge, or I can make us some tea." She went over to the stereo and put some music on low.
"I really don't need anything, thanks."
She sat down next to him on the small couch. She touched his arm.
"I really had a nice time at dinner.  Thank you."
Matt wasn't sure what to do with his arms, he started to put it around her but didn't want to mess her hair. He quickly lowered it back down hoping she hadn't seen the weak effort.
"It's OK, you can touch it."
"Touch what?"
She blushed a bit. "My hair silly. That is what you want to do isn't it?"
"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about your hair over dinner."
"Dinner is over, so the subject is now open."
"I would imagine you get tired of talking about it."
"Sometimes, but this isn't one of those times."
Matt gently touched her hair, noting how the curling, teasing and hairspray mixed to give it a unique texture.
"It's OK that I used a little hairspray isn't it? Some guys hate the stuff so I went pretty easy on it."
"You mean you usually use more?"
She looked down and reluctantly smiled. "Sometimes I've gone pretty crazy with the stuff to tell you the truth.  It's a brand that doesn't do any damage and easily washes out so it's no big deal. Just another thing to have fun with."

Matt felt the glory that was her mane a little more vigorously now, slowly lifting it up and pulling it forward over her shoulder to get a better look at it. She stood perfectly still, eyes focused on his every move, almost like she was studying him. She enjoyed being fawned over. It was an amazing amount of hair and Matt was enjoying this far more than he imagined possible. He was totally aroused and sure she could feel his heart beat. As he studied it his face slowly got closer to hers. He looked into her huge green eyes no more than 6 inches from his and spoke softly.
"I don't mind the hairspray at all. This may sound weird, but in many ways I kind of like it."
She whispered back to him, only four inches from his lips.
"So next time if I want to use more that's OK?"
Matt's eyes opened wide for a second as the meaning of her question sunk in, then smiled. There would be a next time. His arm touched the back of her head and gently pulled her to him the last remaining inches. "Most definitely," he said as he ever so softly kissed her on the lips. They parted briefly, then gently kissed again. Just a little touch, neither yet separating their lips.  They continued this way for a while, almost daring the other to make the first move with their tongue. Mandy made the first move, sort of. She gently, slowly slid across onto his lap. She was now slightly higher than him, and the angle made her hair fall forward against him like a curtain. He slowly and gently forced his tongue between her lips and soon both were kissing each other long and hard, exploring tenderly. Both of his arms were now around her relishing the feel of her hair against him. The knock on the door was quick and loud.
"Mandy, I hope I'm not interrupting anything but Barbara and Kathy are destroying their room."
Mandy sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'll be right there." She smiled at Matt.
"I have to send you home now. Call me tomorrow." She wrote her number on a scrap of paper. Then she gently kissed him one last time, stood up and walked him to the stairwell. He slowly let the last strands of hair slide between his fingers and watched this visage quickly stride towards the commotion. Then he walked down the stairs with a grin so big it hurt.

He slept in the next morning and then wondered how early too early would be to call Mandy. After a leisurely breakfast he nearly ran back to his room to call her. She was home, studying, and welcomed the break. The two started chatting about anything and everything for about 15 minutes. Mandy broke it off.

"I've really got to get this studying done today.  I'll be out of town tomorrow so I don't have all weekend. Let's hang up, and then I'll give you a call later this afternoon when I need a break and we'll go get ice cream again."

Wow, another date already! Matt agreed, gave her his number, and then started wondering how she'd wear her hair today. He really needed to get his studying done so he could take his mind off this beautiful woman.

About 4 PM Mandy called and told him to pick her up at 4:45. Matt reminded her that he was very prompt, so she changed the date to 5. "This on time thing is going to take a little getting used to." Phrases like that really caught his attention because they hinted about the future. It was obvious she really did like him. Feelings were very mutual.

When Matt called Mandy at the dorm she told him she'd be right down. Matt couldn't wait to see her again. She quickly came bounding down the stairs in jeans, a PSU sweatshirt, and a big smile. Her hair was stick straight and hanging down free, like he had seen her briefly that first day of dance class, the ends dancing below her bottom. Her bangs were as the night before, a thick wall perfectly curled under ending just above her eyes. He guessed they probably came to her nose when hanging straight.
While her look the evening before was stunning, he knew right away that this free and natural look would always be his favorite. They gave each other a warm hug, and he marveled at how incredibly thick and silky her hair felt under his hands and arms. It felt entirely different than the previous night, with no teasing, curling, or hairspray to change it's texture.
"You look and feel absolutely terrific!"
"Thank you kind sir," she said with a poor but cute fake English accent.
"And I might say that you look quite yummy today too."
With that she gave him a quick but hard kiss on the lips. "Let's go get ice cream."
She started pulling him by the arm. He tailed behind her just a bit marveling at the wonderful movement of her hair. It was full of life and energy, just like Mandy. It suited her so well.
"I've only seen your hair down and straight once and just for a short time, that first day of dance class. It's even longer and prettier than I remember."
"I usually wear it down or in a pony tail or some type of braid. But for dance class days I put it up since there are so many guys who pull and yank on it. So do you like it better this way or the way it was last night?"
"The way it is now, but I love that you do different things with it.
Sitting across the table from you last night with the halo of light playing around your hair is.... something I'll always remember. To tell you the truth, watching you do your hair last night was one of my favorite parts of the evening."

She stopped and just stared at him for a bit. Her eyes were a bit moist.

"Thank you, that's the first time anyone has ever said something like that to me.
All my other boyfriends felt my obsession with my hair came between us. I'm glad you don't feel that way."
She kissed him again quickly and gave him another long hug. Matt again treasured the feel of her around him, and the delight of running his hands along her thick mane. Her obsession was quickly becoming his obsession. Plus she just called him her boyfriend! The past 24 hours had been the highlight of his life.

As they enjoyed their ice cream Matt asked where she was going the next day.
"Out of town to get a haircut."
Matt's eyes opened in shock and he froze in his tracks. She noticed his concern and put him at ease.
"Just a regular trim of the ends and bangs. Not to worry. The only hairdresser I trust lives two hours out of town."
"Wow! How did you find her."
"Easy, she's my sister."
They both shared a good laugh.

When they reached the lobby of her dorm Mandy again gave him a hug.
"I really want to invite you up but I'm afraid if I do I won't get much studying done, so I've got to let you go here. I will see you Monday at dance class won't I?"
"Absolutely. Thank you for the great time last night and today, and enjoy your day with your sister. Oh, and make sure she doesn't cut off too much!"
She laughed. He loved how easily she could laugh.
"I promise." She ran to him, kissed him one more time long and hard, then ran to the lobby door. "Now go!"
He watched her run up the stairs. What an amazing woman!

Matt didn't care what other's thought, he arrived at dance class 15 minutes early hoping Mandy would also be there. He had hoped she would call him the previous day when she got back in town but figured she probably got back late. He called her twice but there was no answer. He watched an attractive short-haired blonde walk towards him.

"Aren't you even going to say hi?"

He stood up stunned. It was Mandy! Her thick bangs now only fell to about 1 1/2 inches ABOVE her eyebrows. But that wasn't the biggest deal. The rest of her hair was drawn back somehow so her ears showed, but he could see the ends curved under slightly barely touching the top of her shoulders. She must have cut at least 3 feet of hair! His heart sank. He stood in shock as she came up and hugged him.

"I thought you might be early."

He robotically hugged her in return, his arms around her sweater missing the feel of her hair under them. His left hand started traveling up her back towards the end of her hair. He felt it at the base of her neck, then traveled his hand up a bit further and felt a huge series of coils hidden out of his sight. She hadn't cut her hair after all!

"You BRAT! You scared the shit out of me!" he said as he turned her around to see the back of her head.

Her hair had been drawn back into an elaborate series of coils, with the last 4 inches or so allowed to hang down and curled under so from the front it appeared to be a bob type haircut. She started laughing so hard she almost fell over.
"I'm sorry! It was a cruel joke but you've got to admit I had you going! Pretty good trick, huh?"

With that she patted the curved under ends of her hair. Matt was still trying to regain his composure. He couldn't help but ask the question. "Don't you think your bangs are a little too short?"
She laughed again. "Part of the illusion my dear. I just teased them a bunch so they look shorter. They're actually only a fraction shorter than last you saw them."
She hugged him again and kissed him lightly.
"I told my sister all about you and we both concocted this little scheme. It took us a couple of hours before we came up with this style. I was going to call you last night and tell you I had cut my hair short but it was late when I got in, and quite honestly I don't think I could have said it without giggling and giving it away."

Matt had by now overcome his shock and was becoming intensely aroused. This woman was a magician, totally unpredictable.  He didn't think he could be any more enamored with her, but now he was. His stunned look was repeated over and over by the others in the class, male and female alike. Matt started laughing along with her as he watched them recover. Some of the girls wanted her to teach them the style on their own longer hair. Even the teacher noticed and inquired. Mandy sure knew how to steal the show!

Matt and Mandy were an official item from that weekend on. Friends started to refer to them as M&M. Every day they would chat on the phone for an hour, go on a study break, go to a movie, grab a snack, play video games, or just plain hang out. Matt taught Mandy some more advanced dance moves she hadn't learned in class, including dips and body waves which met very much with her approval. Mandy usually wore her hair down and straight for their dates which Matt adored, but wore it up or braided, etc... if their dates involved being in close quarters or around other people so it wouldn't get tugged. Each week in dance class she wore it up, never repeating the same style twice. Matt found himself eagerly anticipating each new look. Never was he disappointed, and never was the style like anything he had ever seen before. He couldn't believe he had forever felt neutral about long hair, and stated it was too limiting. Mandy was showing him it was limitless, and now he couldn't imagine being attracted to anyone with short hair. He walked towards her dorm to pick her up for their 2 month anniversary, which would be a repeat dinner at the Winery. This time he had a long stemmed red rose in hand. He was still thinking about the fabulous style she had done the week before when they went to watch a play on campus.

He had wondered why she had asked where their seats for the musical were located on the phone. When he told her the back row was all he could get he was surprised to find her reply with a chipper "Oh, goodie!"
He was also surprised when she asked him to come over that evening and help her with her hair. She had never asked such a thing before but apparently this style demanded more than 2 hands. Although he didn't know how much help he would be he obliged. When he got to her room she hadn't even started doing her hair yet, and it hung long and silky straight. He was  wondering for a second if it was just a play for her to spend some time with him alone before the play. She was dressed once again in that great purple dress from that evening of their first dinner together. Her heels this time were slightly longer. Less comfortable but definitely sexier. Once he entered the room she started in on her hair, jumping up on her chair and bending over again so she could brush it all tight into a ponytail high on top of her head. Matt just sat and watched with definite interest.

"So why did you want to know where our seats were?"
Mandy started plastering the hair against her scalp with hairspray, then ran a brush over it to make sure it was drawn smooth with no stray hairs.  The amount of spray made her hair look slightly darker.
"Well, I've wanted to do this style for a while but it kind of demands a special event. The thing is it stands up pretty high and I didn't want to block the view of anyone behind us. So the fact we are on the back row is perfect."
"What is it I'm supposed to do to help?"
"You have an easy job actually. You're just going to need to hold some sections out of the way while I work on the rest."

She started applying a huge wad of gel to her bangs and brushed all except one little section straight back blending it in with the hair tight to her scalp. You'd never know she had bangs by looking at her. The one remaining section she twisted and manipulated into a half-moon shaped curve which layed flat and tight against her forehead. It also looked much darker than normal from all the gel on it. It was amazing how thick her hair was. While most women, when gathering their hair in a ponytail need to tighten the elastic band over and over, her hair was almost too thick to slip through the band more than once. Mandy sat down on her chair facing the mirror and motioned to Matt.

"OK, come here." He did so. "I'm going to separate this pony tail into two and you just need to hold one of them out of the way for a while?"
"I can do that."

She smiled at him. Then she separated the hair into two sections, giving him the slightly larger rear section to hold on to. She proceeded to take six more elastic hair bands and place each one in the remaining pony tail one inch above the other. Then she put several big hair pins in at the base along her scalp so that the hi-rise wouldn't fall. It provided structural support and when she let go her hair was standing straight up some six inches, with the remaining several feet of hair cascading down like a waterfall.

"OK, now let's switch. You hold on to the top section and I'll work with the one you have."
Matt had to hold his arms high in the air to keep it out of the way, and wondered how long this would take as his arms would tire quickly in this position. Mandy separate out a small section of the lower pony tail, and then very non-chalantly ran a teasing comb aggressively along it's entire length. The result was it's length shortened but it's volume increased dramatically. She then gently brushed it smooth. It  now looked like twice the amount of hair she had originally started with.She took this section and wrapped it around the hair bands of the ponytail Matt was holding, completely hiding them from view. A well placed hair pin held it in place. She then smothered that six inch support post with an extremely thick layer of hair spray. Matt started coughing a bit.

"Oops, sorry. I warned you that I go crazy with this stuff occasionally."
"That's...cough...all right. I'm having fun."

While he didn't know if he sounded convincing he actually was having a great deal of fun and was enjoying seeing the construction of this elaborate 'do. Mandy next opened a bottle of hair gel and put a generous amount into the palm of one hand. She separated out a small section of the lower pony tail and brought it forward, then proceeded to coat the entire length of the strand with gel. The light blond hair turned light brown as a result. She then started twisting it over and over until it started coiling in on itself.  She wound this coil artfully around the base of the 6-inch tower, and pinned it in place. She repeated this motion time and time again with the remaining lower pony tail until it was all coiled intricately around the base and about half way up the tower. Each  new coil cleverly hid the pin from the previous. Then Mandy started working on the top ponytail Matt was holding, drawing out little sections, smothering them in gel, and coiling them around the top of the tower and down towards the bottom coils. In no time Mandy used all the ponytail and had transformed the ponytail into a 6-inch high, 4-inch diameter fascinating tower of coils. She smothered the whole thing in one final layer of spray.  So thick was all the product that she looked like she now had deep golden blond hair rather than her actual very light blond. Matt looked at her grinning and  speechless. She looked like a movie-star ready for Oscar night.

"You look unbelievable. Thank you for trusting me to help."
"Thank you and you were a great help. I may have to call on you again."
"I'd be glad to help."

He meant it with all his heart. He had actually hoped that one day she'd ask him to at least brush her hair.  He hadn't had the nerve to ask himself yet since it seemed a very private ritual to her.

That night at the play he had a difficult time keeping his eyes on the actors instead of his girlfriend. She smiled coyly at all the attention. Her hair had drawn numerous stares of admiration as they walked in, which she took in stride. She was apparently very used to it, and Matt just beamed at all the attention she drew. He adored being with this woman. Later that evening in her room, as they kissed on her couch and his hands touched the very stiff creation he was surprised that it made him stiff also. He was completely under her spell now. Up, down, silky, stiff, it all excited him like nothing he had ever known.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

So now was their anniversary. He wondered what she would look like tonight. How would she wear her hair? He was a bit dissapointed she didn't ask him over early to help but was looking forward to the surprise.He rang her room and was promptly buzzed in. He stood at her door holding the rose in front of him as she beckoned him in. He opened the door. The room was lit only by candlelight, perhaps 8 or so along the edges of the walls. Mandy was standing in the middle of the room looking at him with a shy smile on her face. Her hands were clasped together in front of her. They were also holding a red rose. She was a site to behold, best described from the bottom up. She was wearing open-toed spiked heels, as impractical as they were tremendously sexy. Sheer hose against her legs covered by a beautiful nearly floor length blue dress, that was tight at the waist and cut daringly low in front revealing her ample bosom. Her head was tilted down slightly and she looked at him with huge eyes and very red, very wet full lips. Her hair was a spectacle of tight curls from the scalp to the very ends. She looked like she just had a very tight perm, but Matt couldn't believe that Mandy would ever do that. She had obviously teased it out all over as it had great mass and volume. The curls and teasing consumed so much of her length that it only fell to about mid-back. Her bangs had been similarly curled and blended back off her forehead into the rest of her hair. As the door opened Matt started saying his line.

"This rose is for.....(then he saw her)......Oh my god you're gorgeous!"
He slowly walked towards her taking in the entire effect.  The look was sexy, daring, sweet, a touch of innocence,...  It was sheer Mandy. There was no other way to describe it. He reached his arms around behind her, under her hair so as not to muss it, and hugged her. He discovered the back of this dress was almost as daring as the front as his hands touched her bare back.  The tons of hair fell over his arms. It  was sticky and stiff and marvelous. It certainly required a great deal of gel and spray to look this way. Knowing how much effort she'd put in only excited him more. He delicately kissed her.

"If I were an old man you'd stop my heart looking like you do."
"I was hoping to stop the heart of one young man, if just for a bit."
"Mission accomplished."
They both simultaneously held out their roses and said, in chorus, "This is for you."
They then looked at the similar roses, traded, and fell into each other's arms laughing.
Matt touched the tremendous mass of hair.
"This is amazing!  Did you....?"
"No, I didn't get a perm. Just lots of time and effort. I hope you like it."
"Oh yes, very much. And this dress is, well, an absolute killer dress."

The second dinner at the Winery was even better than the first. As they walked in all eyes fell upon Mandy, but Matt was by now used to this. Sitting across from her was like staring at a goddess. He couldn't imagine ever being attracted to another woman. When they returned to her room Matt cleared a small area of the floor. Matt gave her a quick lesson in Nightclub Two-step, a very romantic dance for slow songs. The two swayed together for several songs, then started kissing again.

"Mandy, the past months with you have been the best times of my life. I love you. You are just so wonderful, and so very important to me."
Her eyes moistened again and she placed her head on his shoulder and started crying. Matt wasn't sure if she was happy or if he just really screwed up.
"Are you all right?"
She looked up at him smiling, eyes full of tears. "I knew I could fall for you that first time you took me in your arms and we waltzed. And now I know. I love you too."

They hugged long and hard. Matt knew if he wanted to take this relationship further physically that the time was right. But he didn't want to do that right now. He felt that Mandy might be that special woman he had searched for all his life, and he didn't want to rush anything. So for now he would be happy holding her in his arms, running his hands along her back, her arms, her face, her hair, and just enjoy being together. It was a very romantic, very tender evening. Finally, it was very late and both were falling asleep in the arms of the other. Matt woke up and saw her asleep in his arms. He just looked at her beautiful face and stroked her hair. She woke with a bit of a start and then just stared at him.
"I should go."
"Just a few more minutes." She cuddled her face into his chest and closed her eyes.
She was soon asleep again. Finally she woke again. Matt realized if he didn't go soon he would be there all night. That wasn't a bad thing but felt it proper to leave. He kissed her lovingly on the cheek as she was so exhausted she couldn't even get up to show him to the door. The cool air outside woke him up a bit, and he walked back to his room the happiest he had ever been.

tomlg@earthlink.net