I had a feeling the next day at school was going to be hard for Josh. Like me, he was neither popular nor unpopular, he'd always been kind of invisible. I think he'd cultured that place too, so that no-one noticed he couldn't see properly.
I collected him in the morning like I had been doing for a while. I sat outside and waited, not wanting to face his Mother any more often than I had to. I was early, but he was ready. He came out the door in his new glasses and I felt a pang of...something...I couldn't identify.
"What did your Mom say?" I asked cautiously.
"Not much actually" he said laughing "Something like 'about time' and then said I reminded her of my Dad. Just what I wanted to hear."
Josh had never mentioned his Dad, and I didn't push it.
"OK, shall we go then?"
"Yes, let's get it over with, I guess I'm going to be the center of attention this morning" and he sighed.
When we got out the car at school I took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He squeezed back, and gave me the most amazing smile. That feeling came over me again. I really liked him in those glasses.
He hurried me through the hall. Luckily his first class was one I was in. At first, when we walked in no-one took any notice, but then he was suddenly surrounded by a bunch of girls. I was HORRIBLY jealous. They were all talking at once, they were all interested in his glasses, and although at first he looked like he wanted to die, it didn't take him long to enjoy the attention! Fortunately it was Anja, our very plain and chubby exchange student who got into the deepest conversation with him. I didn't see her as a threat, what a bitch I am. Josh too, seemed happier talking to her about his glasses than any of the others, because she wore glasses and seemed to understand something about them. She asked him what prescription they were, and he told her minus 4, which caused gasps all around, and I hated it because I didn't know what that meant. It was only then I found out that several of the girls wore contact lenses - and they all started sharing their prescriptions. What had surprised them was that Josh's was as high or higher than theirs, and he'd only just got glasses. They then teased him gently about being vain, which he grudgingly acknowledged, but for a finale, while I was fantasizing all their demises, they all complimented him enthusiastically, and that....I'm sorry...that HO Karen, actually had the audacity to tell him he looked hot in glasses. I think he was just about to enjoy THAT comment when he caught my expression, which could have killed.
It was then I noticed the guys watching this celebration. They all looked more jealous than me! Josh was getting all the attention, including from some of the most eligable girls. None of them said a word.
We went our separate ways for the next class and now it was my turn to get attention, something I rarely had. I was totally blown away by the number of girls who commented on how good Josh looked in glasses. But.....when they asked me if I liked them, not only did I say yes, enthusiastically, I found myself feeling weird again. I can't describe it. It was like I'd fallen in love all over again.
His 15 minutes of fame didn't last long. Over the next couple of days the obvious interest in him gradually subsided, and we were so busy with schoolwork we hadn't had much time to talk, but when Friday came, and he came over after school, he had plenty to tell me.
Guys are funny, aren't they? The only friends that had even MENTIONED his glasses were those who wore them too, and that was only to ask technical stuff. But the girls had been all over him, ESPECIALLY when I wasn't looking....at least he was good enough to tell me this. They had confused him.
"I've had all these girls telling me I look good in glasses, lots of them, what's all that about?"
"Well, you do."
"Do they mean I don't look good without them?"
"No, no, no, that's not it, didn't you realize what a good looking guy you are?"
He shrugged. I smiled.
"I thought maybe they just were being supportive."
Oh Josh, I thought, what do we do with you. As much as I loved him sometimes he just needed kicking.
"Well" I told him "I can only tell you how I feel, and I'm the one that counts, right?"
He looked guilty and took me in his arms.
"Of course you are, I didn't want all that attention you know!"
"I know, stop worrying, but listen, you know I love you, and maybe I've never told you, but you're gorgeous Josh, and that's not just my opinion, I know everyone thinks so. But I don't want you to get all big-headed, so maybe I shouldn't say that!!"
He smiled. I'm not sure if he agreed or not. He never struck me as conceited, but then he never struck me as lacking in confidence either. I guess he was feeling a bit confused.
"What I'm saying is, I've always thought you were really nice-looking, but for some reason.....I don't know how to say this.....it's going to sound wrong....."
"Go on" he said.
"Hey you know, when you look at me, when you smile at me, I get a rush, you know that"
Josh grinned.
"But you in those glasses, oh man. It just pushes me over the edge. It makes me want you......."
Josh's mouth was wide open.
"REALLY?"
"Yes, really. Right now."
Knowing my family were around, I pushed a chair up under the door handle, just in case. We'd made love before, but not like this. This was something else. The feeling that welled up inside me was like a volcano. I just managed to reach across and turn up the music in time to cover my gasps of pleasure - and his.
"You were.........amazing" said Josh, when he caught his breath. "JUST AWESOME!"
"It's always going to be like this now" I told him, and kissed his glasses.
His face was a picture.
I needed someone to confide in. Something had happened to me, and although I liked it I didn't understand it. It's not something you can ask your Mother. But I had an idea. We had this weird store in town that sold hippy stuff, and I had always liked the girl in there. She once told me she was a Witch. I wasn't sure if that was true or not, but she seemed very worldly, and I hoped she might understand. I went over there alone first thing Saturday morning, just as she was opening and it was quiet, and bought a necklace so I could start a conversation with her. I asked her if she had anything that symbolized strange deep inner passions. She smiled knowingly and said that red was the colour of passion, but beyond that it depended on the "strange".
"Well" I told her "You're going to find this really weird but....."
"Honey" she said "I've been everywhere and seen everything, there's nothing you can tell me that's going to shock me"
"OK" I continued, suddenly feeling very nervous at having to say it out loud "My boyfriend just started wearing glasses and it turns me on so much, I just can't take my eyes of him - them, and last night I found a feeling...a new feeling.... I didn't know I had. I've never been turned on like that before, and...." I whispered even though there was no-one around "I came more than once"
I stood back bracing myself for her reaction, but she just smiled really knowingly.
"Yeah" she said "That's what they call multiple orgasm, and you are pretty young to discover it, but it's understandable. I have a bit of a glasses fetish myself!"
FETISH? I knew the word, but I'd never really studied that sort of thing. It sounded perverse.....I was only 18.
"Nothing to worry about" said my mentor "Most people have one, if they search themselves, usually it's a body part, but it can be......let's say an accessory and glasses, yeah, that's pretty common"
"It is?"
"Oh yeah. More men have a glasses fetish than women, well, probably, but you see it's hard to tell because women don't talk about it. We should. We're getting better at expressing ourselves, but we've got a way to go yet!"
"So, it's....normal....to get turned on by my boyfriend's glasses?"
"Yeah, normal enough. Not so normal as to be boring though, it's good to be a little different, isn't it?"
I hadn't ever thought about that.
Then she smiled again, and asked me
"Did you tell him?"
"Well, sort of, not exactly"
"Tell him" she insisted "He won't mind, and it'll make him feel good. Men have less self-esteem than we do, they're a different critter altogether honey. And I have something for you"
She showed me a small necklace that looked Egyptian, it had an eye on it.
"This is called the Eye of Horus. It's a symbol some people use these days to show their passion for glasses."
"You're joking?!"
She winked. I have never figured out if she was telling me the truth or not, although I have seen them around, but I bought it anyway.
When I got home Josh was there chatting to my parents. Apparently my brother had asked him straight away why he was wearing glasses, which he'd discovered was the commonest (and silliest) thing everyone said, except my Mom, who said nothing, and pretended she hadn't even noticed, which was the second commonest reaction he had had all week. I'd just learned from my friend at the hippy store that this probably meant my Mom thought he looked hot, and was too embarrased to say anything....OH GREAT!
When we were alone I had to ask him...
"Why did you put up with not being able to see properly for so long?"
"I don't know.....I just didn't want to look like a dork, I guess"
"What is this dork thing?" I asked him "Is that what all guys think, that glasses equals dork?"
"Well, it's what we think girls think....I guess"
"BUT IT ISN'T TRUE!" oh this was so ironic "Do you realize that lots of girls actually have a FETISH about glasses?"
He laughed long and hard. No, he didn't realize. Of course he didn't. It's appears to be the best kept secret of our time.
"Look, it's true. You saw how many girls this week thought you looked good in them, well it's not just flattery."
"You've been researching this have you?"
"OK, not properly, but I will. I'm taking a psychology major in college, right? Well, I've decided, I'm going to research this."
He looked at me strangely, then he nodded.
"Yeah, go for it. Shit, I've spent......what.....6 years...no, more, walking into things because I thought women thought glasses were dorky. And you're telling me that's wrong? You better believe some research needs to be done. Just............"
"What?"
"Just don't spend too much time looking at other guys in glasses, make sure your main area of study is me!"
I reassured him with lots of kisses. I held back on anything more until I heard my parents' car pull away, and then I undressed him fast.
