The evening after, studying was just to forget. I had managed to spend almost the whole day studying to catch up with all the time lost the previous evenings. Well, it didn't feel like "lost" was the proper word because I had gained other things, of course.
When I came home after having had dinner at a restaurant, I didn't feel the same urge to watch those smoking women in that room as before, I felt a strong interest for Samantha and Betty, but I didn't dream about watching them in the evening the way I had been doing before yesterday. Also, they made my life a bit complicated, because I couldn't choose between them. Betty was 24, that's nine years younger than I am, Samantha was four years older. Samantha was beautiful, sexy and cute at the same time but with an emphasis on the first two. Betty was also beautiful, sexy and cute with the focus on sexy and cute.
Who was the "best" smoker then? Probably Sam. On the other hand, Betty had been so sweet when she suddenly became so shy when I had revealed I had seen her ballooon exercise. I sat down to write a lab report on my PC, when I saw Betty in that smoker's room, waving. I looked up, smiled and waved back. I was going back to my lab, when she started to blow smoke over the window. I looked up at her and I saw how she enjoyed it. I smiled at her, pointing at my computer screen, so she would understand I had other business to do. What did she do then? Of course, she nose exhaled over the window. I sighed and made a gesture like a I was pulling down a blind curtain for the window. She laughed, finished her cigarette and left. She had just left, when Samantha was there instead. She waved eagerly, and I waved back. She didn't start any deliberate show, she sat down reading some newsletter, it looked like, and started to smoke. What a long drag. Why never any nose exhales, by the way, I thought? She had a very... a very personal nose, longer than average, curved, and... and attractive. No, no, back to that lab on the PC. I re-wrote a text part that I wasn't satisfied with and saved the document on the disk. Now, she was coughing over there. I couldn't take my eyes from her. Her tall body was shakening, but she kept reading that newsletter. Her cough subsided, but after only about ten seconds, a new sequence of hacks began and she bent her body forwards over the table, still reading. When inhaling, she sat up again and coughed wildly with that piece of paper for her mouth. Inhaled, coughed again, followed by more deep hacks, inhaled, coughed deeper, new hacks, inhaled really deeply and coughed ... I wasn't positive, but I was quite sure she had coughed up some mucus right into that paper. She stood up, put the paper in a wastebasket and was about to leave when our eyes met. She pointed at the wastebasket and made a gesture in front of her mouth to make me understand what had happened. I responded by throwing a kiss. I was then about to get back to working when she opened the window and, obviously, wanted me to do the same thing.
- Do you have time for a glass of wine or something, she asked.
- Of course, I said and we decided to meet at her entrance.
- Is Betty still working, I asked when we had met.
- No, she said, she just left. She said she had fever and felt ill, probably she's caught the flu or something. Strange, I thought, she must have left almost after smoking that cigarette. Why not smoke it on her way home, after leaving, I thought. I asked Samantha.
- Why she didn't smoke it later? You mean, why did she absolutely have to go to the room that happens to be opposite to yours? Why do you ask? She laughed and coughed a little.

We went to a pub close from where I live, she had a glass of red wine and I had a beer. - I'm not driving today, she explained, my car is on repair. She was about to light a cigarette but started to cough, so she put the lighter and the cigarette on the table, cupped both her long hands over her mouth and nose and coughed for about ten seconds. She then let some finger tips massage her chest while putting the cigarette between her lips and lighting it with the other hand. I couldn't resist asking her.
- Does it hurt, that cough, I asked.
- Oh no, she said, - it's a habit I have, massaging my poor, smoky chest a little. She locked her eyes into mine and moved closer, leaning over the table a bit so her breasts became more visible than usual.
- I guess you saw Betty helping me, I guess that's why you wanted to check if she and I were... you know...
- Yeah, I saw you, I confirmed, - and I got really, really jealous when I saw Betty's little hand there.
- Well, you don't have to be anymore she said smiling, but her smile turned into a coughing fit. She coughed for a short while with those long fingers over her mouth.
- You're studying the rings on my fingers, she said and smiled again. - Don't worry about them, she added shortly and leaned forward to kiss. She then turned her head and cleared her throat twice.

We met another evening that week and we had decided about having a real dinner together next week. - By the way, I added, I hope Betty won't mind too much?
- Come on, she replied, Betty's a very good friend of mine, and one of my best colleagues at work. And I've nothing against you and her becoming good friends, but I'm sure she can stand not going further. By the way, I hope she didn't hand that flu over to me, I've really too much to do at work now, she added.
- Yes, you said she felt ill, maybe just something temporary, I said.
- I don't think so, she was a bit red in her face and felt some pain in her throat. She's got too much to do, her too, now, so I think she'll be at work tomorrow regardless of how she feels, poor her, Samantha smiled.

The day after, Betty was at work, and my Samantha suddenly had a competitor with regards to coughing...