Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

CHAPTER 10

The Nook wasn’t too busy when she walked in, but even so, Carmilla knew she had a long day ahead of her, and despite how drained she was, she wasn’t the least bit mad about working a split or the midterm she had in between shifts. Spending the night with her Cupcake was definitely more than worth it, and she would willingly give up sleep any day of the week, just to have a repeat. The start of a smile touched her features when she imagined how good it would be, without the burden of school to get in the way, and she had to tamp it down as she passed Leslie at the register on her way to clock in.

“Hoe,” Leslie muttered under her breath with an eye roll.

Other than sneering, Carmilla gave her no regard as she went about her way. There was a new shipment of books to deal with, and she didn’t have time for her crap. Besides, she didn’t want to let the dimwit bring down her mood or stain the memory of last night with her saltiness.

Once she reached the office that doubled as a breakroom, at least for her, she took a moment to jot off a message to her Cupcake, because she simply couldn’t help herself.

Carmilla 8:59am
Hey Cutie,
Have a great day.
And I’ll see you when I get home.
<3 C

Biting her lip, she slipped her phone back in her pocket, not even caring that she wouldn’t get a response. She just wanted Laura to know that she was thinking about her, and nothing else.

Letting out a breathy sigh, she punched in at exactly nine on the dot, and stowed her bag on the floor behind the desk, before glancing over the invoice that the Perry’s left for her with a short note attached instructing her to do her best to get the stock put away before she went to class. The tiniest of smiles flickered across her face as she glanced at the boxes stacked outside the door, and she rolled her eyes at the sense of pride she always felt because of the trust they placed in her, to give her this kind of responsibility.

Sure it might seem like a simple thing to do, but it took more thought and mental acuity than simply shoving books on a shelf. She had to make sure that everything was accounted for and in the condition they were claimed to be, to ensure that they weren’t being overcharged, and in addition to that she needed to make sure customer orders weren’t put out with the regular inventory. That alone would take up most of her morning and it had to be done before she could start stocking them.

Not that she was worried about getting through all of it. As long as the store didn’t get busy, she could focus on this and let Leslie run the front to keeping some distance between them. Although it was tedious and time consuming, she enjoyed the monotony, plus this was how she usually came up on books to read, since she had to skim through each one of them. It was like reading the little blurb on the back, only better because it allowed her to get a feel for titles from authors she wasn’t familiar with.

She was about halfway through the first box, when Leslie stormed up to her, “Carmilla, you may be ‘in charge’,” she screeched using those annoying air quotes, “but that doesn’t mean you can sit on your lazy ass and ignore customers while I do all the work.”

“I’m doing my job, now go do yours,” Carmilla waived her off without bothering to look up from the book in her hands.

She felt her gaze burrowing into her, but refused to let it break her concentration. Flipping the page with a flourish, a triumphant smirk curled at the corner of her mouth when Leslie huffed like a bull, before stalking away grumbling, “useless tramp”.

In the hour it took to get through another box, the girl had come bounding up to her four more times using the same lame ass excuse to yell, berate her, and call her lazy. And even though she refused to take the bait, and simply said, “Go help the customers,” each time, with barely more than a glance in her direction. She wasn’t going to lie. Leslie’s petty insults were getting on her last damn nerve. So, when she saw her shadow looming over her again within a matter of minutes after their last interaction, Carmilla clenched her teeth and met her with a steady gaze. “Can I help you,” she said evenly.

“That would require you to actually do what you’re paid for,” Leslie sneered, “but since it doesn’t involve meaningless sex, you’re about as useful as the lint in my pocket.”

“This act of yours is getting old,” Carmilla said tersely, “and if that’s the best you’ve got, you might as well save it.”

She returned her attention to the box in front of her without another word, ignoring her heated stare, while she stood there a moment longer, before storming off uttering, “worthless bitch,” under her breath, so that it was only loud enough for her to hear.

Relaxing her jaw, Carmilla let out a breath accented with a long sigh of frustration that was met with a snicker from Leslie’s retreating form. She probably thought that she was really affecting her, because normally she would have some snappy retort to toss back at her, but not today. In spite of how annoying she was, Carmilla just didn’t have it in her to be angry.

The reason for that was simple. She had no desire to waste energy on her when she could devote her thoughts to her favorite pastime of thinking about her Cupcake. She couldn’t help wondering how her day was going and if her midterm went well. Although the nap she forced her to take last night reenergized her, and she finished her paper in record time, Laura was yawning off and on by the time they got back home. She had tried to convince her to stretch out on the couch, but she stubbornly refused and insisted on making breakfast for her instead, while she got ready. Then she walked her down to her car, lacing their fingers together along the way.

Before she could get a word out, Laura reached up and brushed her hair out of her face with a hand that was so soft and warm, it left her skin tingling in its wake. Kissing her softly, she’d murmured a promise that she would come home after work and go right to bed against her lips, before she pulled away and let her slip behind the wheel. Laura was shining brighter than the sun, while she stood there in the middle of the parking lot, waiving at her as she drove away.

The funny thing about it was that she’s kissed a lot of girls and forgot about it as soon as it was over. But, that kiss was still fresh on her mind, like it happened just moments ago. Maybe it was because the taste of her still lingered on her lips. Or maybe she was just imagining it, but either way, it served as a reminder of not just that kiss, but of all the ones that came before it as well.

“Carmilla,” Leslie bellowed cutting into her thoughts, her shrill voice grating on her eardrums more than the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard.

“What is it now,” she bit out, glaring up at her as she rounded the doorway.

“Do you think you can manage to get your head out of your ass and actually help me out,” she snapped.

“Unless you want to be the one held responsible for putting away nine dozen books, while I run the register,” Carmilla motioned at the three bursting carts that she had just finished sorting them onto for emphasis, “you’re more than capable of handling a few customers on your own...or am I mistaken at your basic level of competence.”

“Like it’s that hard to stick some books on a shelf,” Leslie rolled her eyes, “apparently even an idiot can do that,” she spat out pointedly, staring down her nose at her.

“Well, in that case, have at it then. It should be right up your alley.” Matching her scowl with a heated glare of her own, Carmilla pushed one of the carts in her direction with a little more force than was necessary, “Best be quick about it, I leave in less than an hour and the Perry’s want it done before they come in to relieve me.”

“Whatever,” Leslie grumbled, turning on her heel and stomping off, but not before purposely knocking half the books off the top of the cart that she had pushed her way.

“Got dammit,” Carmilla growled in a dangerously low voice.

She was half tempted to follow after her and wring her neck, or better yet put her steel toe boot up her ass. But her temper simmered down, as both those images played in her mind. Only it wasn’t her that she saw putting Leslie in her place, it was Laura making her feel a world of pain. And it actually made her laugh, because she knew how easily she could do just that. The mere thought of her Cupcake flexing her muscle around, was enough to wash away most of her annoyance. She might look like she would break easily, but after years of Krav Maga and yoga she has the sculptured physique of a goddess. It doesn’t even matter that she doesn’t believe in mythology, because that was the only way to describe Laura’s lithe sinewy body. Even still, it didn’t do her justice.

Expelling a breath, she traced her tongue along her bottom lip, and tasted their last kiss on it. She didn’t even try to fight the little moan that escaped her, as she bent down and quickly sorted the books back onto the cart with her mind feeling kind of hazy. She pushed them out onto the floor near the shelving units where they went, but almost wasn’t aware of what she was doing, as everything seemed to be happening like a daydream.

Falling into a nice rhythm, she stocked the books while images of her Cupcake, smiling and laughing, played in her mind similar to watching scenes from a home movie. Leslie passed by muttering insults, but it barely registered through the haze, and she might not have noticed at all when she made another sweep, if it weren’t for the wisps of a breeze she left behind. But that wasn’t the cause of the tremor that ran down her spine. No, that was brought about by Laura’s melodic laughter echoing in her head, along with the breathlessly whispered words, ‘I love you, Carm, you know that,’ that she tickled out of her the other night.

The time just seemed to fly by and before Carmilla knew it, she was down to the last cart with only a row to go. It only took a matter of minutes to knock out the rest of it. She was placing the last book on the shelf when Thomas Perry came through the door and drew her out of her stupor.

“Oh, good, Carmilla, you’re still here,” he called out jovially, barely taking a moment to nod in Leslie’s direction on his way over to her. “I was afraid I might have missed you.”

“No such luck, at least for me,” she said, shaking off the last of the fuzziness.

Stiffening when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her one of his customary half-hugs, she clenched her fists at her sides and resisted the urge to shake him off immediately. She hated the extra attention he shows her sometimes, and of course he knew it too. But he was determined to break through all the broodiness and apathy, and get her to return his fatherly affection.

“When will you stop doing that,” she muttered, scowling up at him when he let her go.

He clucked his tongue while stroking his graying beard, and gazed at her thoughtfully, “how about when you stop pretending like you hate that I care about you like my own daughter,” he said, breaking out into a huge grin.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before that happens,” Carmilla huffed with an eye roll.

“You can say that all you want, doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying to show you that it’s okay to let people, other than Laura, love you and be a part of your life.” He regarded her for a moment longer, with a knowing gaze in his piercing blue eyes, before clearing his throat and shifting his attention to the empty cart next to her, and asking, “How’d it go?”

“All accounted for and in purchased condition,” Carmilla replied, inadvertently letting a hint of pride slip into her voice. “I just finished stocking the last one when you came in and the invoice is on your desk, but I didn’t have enough time to call customers and let them know their books came in.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just glad you got through all this so quickly,” he said, giving her a pat on the back, “I honestly don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“That is what you pay me for,” she deadpanned, but couldn’t resist shooting a smirk at Leslie when she let out a little scoff of disbelief at his praise.

Carmilla barely managed to dodge another hug on the way out of the store, by practically sprinting for the door, with the sound of his amused laughter floating after her. Slowing to her normal unrushed gait once she got outside, she took her time crossing the parking lot, rolling her eyes at herself for how much energy she exerted just to get away from him. But she couldn’t stand all that affection. It absolutely drove her crazy, and made her want to gag at the sentimentality.

Climbing in her car and turning over the engine, she gave it a little gas to hear it rumble, taking pleasure in the way it vibrated beneath her before she put it in gear. Letting the tires squeal on the pavement when she took a small opening and burst out into the street, pressing down on the accelerator to build up speed. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have to be on campus for nearly an hour, or that it would only take her about twenty-five minutes to get there, if she went the legal speed. There was a thrill in pushing ‘the beast’ to her limit that gave her a sense of freedom nothing else did.

She cracked the window to enjoy the aromatic freshness of the season and feel the chilly autumn air blowing through her hair. But when she breathed deeply, she caught the faintest hint of Laura’s perfume still lingering in the car instead, and smiled to herself. Taking another deep breath, Carmilla filled her nostrils and her senses with the sweet lavender fragrance and let it infuse her mind, while her thoughts drifted to the night before once more, and the memory of driving through deserted city streets with her Cupcake at her side as dawn broke, enveloped her in its folds.

After Laura settled back in her seat, she was so still and quiet. If it weren’t for the rhythmic caress of her fingers on her thigh, she would have thought she had fallen asleep. Wondering what she was thinking about was driving her absolutely crazy, until curiosity finally got the better of her and she glanced over, only to see her staring out the window with an almost whimsical expression on her face. But, then she turned and looked at her with a sparkle in those honeyed eyes and a smile so radiant it lit up the entire car.

And all she could think was, ‘damn is she beautiful’.

“Hey,” Laura said softly, giving her thigh a squeeze.

She couldn’t stop her gaze from flickering down to Laura’s mouth. Watching as her tongue darted out to moisten her full lips, she almost moaned at the desire building up inside her. She wanted nothing more than to brush their lips together again and again until they were both breathless. Had she not been driving she would have given in to the need to taste her on her own tongue. After another moment of staring at her mouth longingly, her gaze trailed back up to meet hers and she didn’t miss the faintest sign of a blush tinging her cheeks that made it obvious she wasn’t the only one thinking about kissing.

“Hey,” she murmured, grinning timidly as she drew her bottom lip between her teeth.

As she turned her attention back to the road a new sensation was stirring, branching out from where Laura rhythmically stroked her thigh to spread throughout her entire body making her feel all warm and tingly inside. Somehow it relaxed her more than she’d ever been, and left her kind of breathless at the same time. She didn’t know what it was about her touch that was affecting her so much, but the one thing that was certain is, she’s never experienced anything close to this before with anybody else. And the realization didn’t bother her. Since, she could tell by the sound of Laura’s slightly erratic breathing, she was feeling it too.

The energy between them penetrated deep to a part of her, she’d forgotten even existed, but now, here it was waking up with every stroke of her fingers. The funny thing about it was, they’ve had far more intimate and physical exchanges on numerous occasions, but none of them ever made feel quite this way. Laura’s caress was almost too much and not nearly enough, as her heartbeat sped up to match the tendrils of sensation coursing through her body. After all the things she’s done, and girl’s she’s been with, in this moment, she was experiencing a different kind of fulfillment that she never knew she was craving until now. And it felt so damn good. She never wanted it to stop.

There were so many things changing between her and Laura, and just a mere week ago that would have scared the hell out of her. Maybe it still does. But for reasons she didn’t quite understand, the last thing she wanted was to run away and hide. For once in her life, she wasn’t going to be negative and expect the worst, not when she couldn’t shake the feeling that all of it would only make their bond stronger in the long run.

They’d been on the road for some time, when she felt Laura’s hand slip between her legs, fingers dancing along her thigh, slowly inching higher. She was already a little turned on by her caresses and this ramped her up even more, the closer they got to her heated core. Biting back a gasp, she glanced over at her again, expecting to see that teasingly devious smile full of promise spread across her face that she knew so well. But that wasn’t what she saw at all.

Instead, there was a look in her eyes that was a little bit of shyness, and something else, that she’d never seen before. Holding her gaze, Laura bit down gently on her lip, as she let her fingers glide a little higher, until they were so close to the apex of her thighs and the fire raging in her. That she had to feel the heat radiating through the skin tight leather. But it didn’t stop her from tracing the juncture of her hip with her fingertips. Ever so slowly, Laura brushed them back and forth in a caress that wasn’t at all unwelcome, because she could have stopped her if she wanted to.

Swallowing a moan, she fought to maintain her composure but, when Laura’s knuckles grazed the seam of her pants, applying pressure to her overly sensitive clit, a trimmer ran through her with so much force, her foot instinctively pressed on the accelerator, until it was damn near on the floor. Her eyes shot back to the road, as Laura withdrew her hand with a quickness, resting it at a safe distance mid-way her thigh. Feeling her face flushing along with the rest of her body, she stared at the deserted street, gripping the steering wheel tightly in her sweaty palms to maintain control of the car while she calmed herself down. Taking several deep breaths and exerting every ounce of self-control that she had, she finally eased up off the gas.

“Holy fuck, Cupcake,” she murmured breathlessly, “what the hell was that?”

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror when she quickly glanced over at her. Sure enough, there was still the hint of a blush staining her cheeks, but it didn’t hold a candle to Laura’s crimson infused skin. She was practically glowing red all the way from the little bit of her chest exposed by the v of her button up to where her hair met her forehead.

“I--I didn’t expect you to react that way,” Laura said barely above a whisper, “you always have so much control when I’m touching you, and it normally takes more than a little teasing to get you all worked up.”

“Not when fingers are brushing against my clit,” she said, finally feeling confident enough to loosen her grip on the steering wheel.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she acknowledged how true Laura’s words were, but otherwise didn’t read much into it. She simply accepted it for what it was. A normal part of being so connected to someone for the first time, and she was sure there were other intricacies to their friendship that would develop with the changes in their relationship.

“That was an accident,” Laura mumbled defensively.

“Okay, new rule...your hands aren’t to go anywhere near my pussy when I’m driving.” She kept her eyes focused on the road, but still caught a glimpse of the renewed flush rising on her cheeks out of the corner of her eye.

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’m not trying to cause an accident.” Laura started to pull her hand away, but she stopped her by pressing it back against her leg and lacing their fingers together.

“That doesn’t mean I want you to stop touching me altogether, Cutie.”

“Are you sure,” Laura said uncertainly.

“Absolutely,” she replied without hesitation, “we just have to save the fun stuff for when we’re back at home.”

Sure, she might have gotten more than she bargained for, but she had no complaints. Enjoying the feeling of her fingers interwoven with Laura’s, she trailed her thumb along her pinky reassuringly, before returning her hand to rest on the shifter. The corners of her mouth turned up with satisfaction, when she left her hand right where it was.

“I have to ask, though--should I take this to mean my ‘punishment’ has already started,” she said after a few beats had passed.

“No,” Laura shook her head profusely, “I just...I don’t know what I was trying to do, but it wasn’t about that.”

“Well, then I have to hand it to you, Cupcake, ‘cause you sure as hell got me more than a little heated with whatever game you were playing,” she shot a smirk her way, “and I’m really rather impressed.”

Laura started to reply, but then she simply closed her mouth without a word, and flashed a grin full of promise, instead. Her honey brown eyes flickered with a look that was far from innocent, while she held her gaze a moment longer, before turning to look out her window as her hand started to move against her thigh again. And she shuddered in response, sucking in a sharp breath, when she slowly slid it down to her knee and back up again in one continuous motion.

The fire in Laura’s eyes when she looked away spoke louder than words, and she knew her teasing had just made whatever she was planning a whole lot worse, or rather a hell of lot more interesting so to speak. Without a doubt, her Cupcake was going to make her pay for the sarcastic insinuation more than the hickey itself, because she was clearly taking it as a personal challenge to make her squirm, as it was intended. And she was going to enjoy every minute of the pleasurable torture she was going to inflict on her. Merely imagining all the things she might do based on their past experiences left her throat feeling parched and her heart thudding in her chest. She didn’t miss the sly grin Laura gave her when she shuddered beneath the continuous ministrations of her hand as every idea played out in her mind.

‘I don’t want to wait another two days,’ she mused, worrying her lip, as she watched her out of the corner of her eye, ‘Dammit! I want my punishment today, because the anticipation is surely going to kill me.’

“It’s not going to happen, Carm,” Laura said, and for a moment, she thought that she’d voiced her thoughts out loud, but then she followed up with, “so you can stop looking at me like that and wipe it from your mind, because I’m not going to cave like I did earlier when you wanted a kiss.”

“How do you do that,” she mumbled with a bemused frown.

“That’s simple,” Laura said, smiling over at her, “just like you can tell when there’s something going on with me, most of the time, I can do the same with you.” Licking her lips, she glanced down at where her hand rested on her leg, watching as her fingers swirled on her knee, before meeting her eye again, “we’re connected, Carm, and I know you better than I know myself.”

“Damn, Cupcake! When you put it like that I feel foolish for even asking.”

“Why?” Laura said in confusion.

“Because, I should have been able to figure that out for myself,” she murmured sheepishly, wishing she could kick herself, because, yeah she should have known.

“Don’t beat yourself up about that, I know you feel it too, even if you don’t always understand it,” Laura said reassuringly, “plus there’s more to it than that for me, and this is something you probably don’t want to hear, but it helps that you’re easy to read, and absolutely horrible at hiding how you feel.”

“That’s not true,” she huffed, furrowing her brow in offense, “I’m not easy to read, I have shutting people out down to a science, and nobody sees anything unless I want them to.”

Laura shook her head, chuckling softly at her broodiness, while she patted her thigh soothingly. “Maybe so, but I’m not just anybody to you, am I?”

“No, you’re...special,” she bit her lip, taking her eyes off the road to look at her, “you mean everything to me, Laura.”

“And that makes all the difference, don’t you think,” Laura said softly, as the hint of a blush touched her cheeks.

Okay, maybe she should have figured all this out on her own, but when it came to Laura sometimes nothing and everything made sense. And she wouldn’t change a thing. As long as the depth of their affection, was out there between both of them, that’s all that really mattered in the end.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Cutie,” she replied breaking out in a grin.

She turned on the radio, making sure to turn the volume down real low first, and it was a good thing that she did because the song playing from ‘Rise Against’, would have probably blown out Laura’s eardrums. Deftly scanning through the stations until she found one that her Cupcake might like, that wouldn’t annoy the hell out of her. She settled on something that sounded classical, but with a more upbeat tempo, and a brief glance over at Laura told her, she’d made the right choice.

Sending out a silent thanks to Maman for introducing her to the genre as a teenager, she covered Laura’s hand with her own and gave it a gentle squeeze before returning it to the shifter. Bobbing her head to the rhythm, she couldn’t help watching her Cupcake out of the corner of her eye. Smiling when she downed most of her cocoa in one gulp, before licking the froth from her upper lip, and maybe it made her want to kiss her more than she had before, but she was content to just be with her.

For a while they drove in comfortable silence, with the addition of the occasional glance at each other and the exchange of smiles with just a little underlying hint of shyness that neither of them were used to, but neither of them minded either. More than once, she took her hand off the shifter to interweave their fingers for a few moments, because she couldn’t help it. There was this need inside to touch her that she couldn’t fight, and Laura didn’t seem to mind, she’d just let out a giggle and squeezed her hand right back, almost as if she needed the contact just as much.

They were just a few miles from their destination when she stopped for another light and Laura took her by surprise, leaning in and tangling her right hand in her hair, as she planted a kiss on her lips that rivaled all the others that came before it.

“What was that for,” she murmured in an airy voice, when she broke the contact.

“I’ve been thinking about it for the last fifteen minutes,” Laura replied with a satisfied sigh, brushing their lips together one more time, before repositioning herself in her seat, so that she could rest her head against her shoulder.

“You’re killing me, Cutie,” she murmured, because it was all she could think to say.

And maybe it was just the right thing, or maybe the words didn’t matter so much as the intent behind them, because Laura simply snuggled closer in spite of the center console between them, and she didn’t seem to care how awkwardly she was sitting just to be near her. So, she simply dropped a light kiss on top of her head and enjoyed the feel of her warm breath on her neck, while she waited for the light to change.

Carmilla let the memories slowly fade away with a reluctant sigh, as she glanced at the clock on her dash, swiping her finger across her phone screen to stop the alarm when it went off a moment later. She wasn’t particularly looking forward to her ‘Art and Existentialism of Escapism’ midterm. Not that she wasn’t prepared, she just thought it was ridiculous that the professor didn’t make it a take home exam. It wasn’t like it involved any real thought or studying to analyze how artist use muses and other forms of distraction as a means to spark their creativity and implement it in the works they produce. All she has to do is come up with examples and explain them in context with the different methods of inspiration.

The only good thing about it was that this marked the midway point of her day, and the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could head back to work, finish up her split and get home to her Cupcake. All she could really think about was that she was missing her like something crazy, and if their obligations weren’t getting in the way, she’d be with her at this very moment. Instead of her spending the last half-hour in the campus garage alone with her seat reclined because she didn’t want anything to interrupt her thoughts about last night.

As much as she wanted to stay right where she was and reminisce, she knew she couldn’t. She was going to at least try to be responsible, because she knew it would make her Cupcake proud, and that mattered to her more than she was willing to admit out loud. Sitting up to adjust the seat, she let out a low breathy moan at the unexpected twinge between her legs as a wash of pleasure ran through her. Expelling a breath, she forced herself to push through, because there was nothing she could do about it now, which was probably for the best.

She might be willing to do a lot of things when it came to sex, but masturbating where anyone could see wasn’t one of them. However, if she didn’t have some place to be, she might very well have done just that, considering how horny she currently was. And in the back of her mind she couldn’t help wondering why thinking about last night affected her just as much as it had in real time, but she didn’t have an answer for that. At least, not one that was obvious. Since her usual go to for this kind of thing didn’t really appeal to her at the moment, because she would much rather go home to Laura after work, than be out in the club looking to hookup.

“Fuck,” she groaned when another spiral of pleasure shot through her as she swung her legs around and got out of the car.

It was so damn strong that, it almost brought her to knees with the need for relief. Leaning against the door, just to stay on her feet, she took several shallow breaths and squeezed her thighs together until the wave of arousal passed. When she finally pushed herself away from the door, she was relieved that her legs only wobbled slightly, but otherwise supported her. With another breathlessly uttered curse, she grabbed her bag out of the seat and slung it over her shoulder, taking note of how her hands trembled, because yeah, there was no denying it. She was still horny as hell.

After fumbling with the strap on her bag for a moment in attempt to center herself, she started on the trek across campus. Trying to ignore the slight dampness of her panties and how they clung to her in the most sensual way. Not that it worked, when they brushed against her sensitive flesh with every step, and the skin tight jeans she had on didn’t help matters either. So, of course, by the time she got to class and took her seat, she was even more sexually frustrated than before.

Crossing her legs to relieve the pressure, she almost moaned when all that did was make it worse, and instantly uncrossed them. Her body was begging for release, and she didn’t know whether she could deny it much longer. Nothing like this has ever happened to her. Sure she often got aroused by thoughts and fantasies, that was only natural! But, none of them got her this wound up before. Shifting restlessly in her chair, she scanned the room in search of something to focus on besides the throbbing between her legs. Nothing caught her eye though, and she couldn’t disregard the next wave of arousal that rolled through her.

“Holy shit,” Carmilla moaned louder than she intended.

Ignoring the stares she got from the people sitting near her, she rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands, focusing all her attention on just breathing. It helped more than anything else she had tried, but it didn’t completely alleviate the tension. She was considering making a trip to the bathroom to take care of the situation, but the professor chose that moment to pass out the exam. Causing an internal debate to brew inside of her as to what she ought to do.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t leave the room during the exam. This is college and she could do anything that she fuckin’ wanted to, (even if it was getting herself off in a public bathroom, because reminiscing about hangout with her best friend got her all turned on like a sex fiend). But, there were just somethings that were more important than what she was going through. And it had nothing to do with whether she passed or failed. ‘I can do this!’ Mind made up, she took a deep breath and squeezed her legs together, determined to suffer through and get it over with.

...

Plopping down at a table in the breakroom behind the kitchen of the bakery, Laura took a sip from the mocha Frap she bought before taking her fifteen, and followed it up with a bite of a chocolate chip cookie, unable to stop a quiet moan from escaping. Funny enough she wasn’t even really that tired despite only getting those few hours of sleep. But, maybe that was because she’s been bubbling with excitement ever since the ‘goodbye’ kiss she planted on Carm before she drove away this morning. She was so full of energy that she spent the better part of the next two hours dancing around the living room without any music at all, and barely made it to her midterm on time, because she couldn’t get the euphoria of the night off her mind.

“Yeah, that’s probably why I’m not really feeling it yet,” she said to herself in the otherwise empty room, “and I know Carm’s going to be all cocky about it when I tell her later.” She thought about it for a moment, “or I could just text her now.”

She licked a bit of melted chocolate off her fingers with a satisfied hum, and hopped up to get her purse out of her locker. Taking another sip from her cup as she settled back in her chair and got out her phone, she simply gazed at the picture of them on the screen for a moment, before she unlocked it. Nearly spitting out the coffee in her mouth with a delighted squeal when she opened her messages and saw the text from Carm. It was the simplest thing, and yet she found it so incredibly sweet. Drawing her lip between her teeth with a grin, she read it for a second time, before typing a reply.

Her grin spread from ear to ear when she added a couple emojis before she sent it, simply because she couldn’t resist implying what she wanted to do later. Based on Carm’s little snub last night, she knew she would appreciate the way she was teasing her. But more than that, they were both going to enjoy it when she made good on it too. Feeling rather pleased with herself, she set her phone on the table so she wouldn’t miss it if Carm texted her back, which was far from likely since she should be in class and she only had another ten minutes of her break left. But on the off chance she did, she wasn’t going to miss out on talking to her, even if it was only for a moment.

As she picked up her cookie again and bit into it, a warmth settled in her stomach at the memory it represented. She’d never thought of them as more than a guilty pleasure, but now there was a certain sensuality to eating them that she never felt before. Staring into space whimsically, she took her time savoring each bite as it melted on her tongue, occasionally eliciting a throaty moan of appreciation. All too soon she was popping the last morsel in her mouth and sucking the chocolatey residue from her fingers. Reliving the memory of Carm doing the exact same thing to her the other night, a tremor ran down her spine and a blush crept up her neck, setting her entire face on fire with the heat of it.

“Holy crap,” she murmured slightly breathlessly, “I’ll never be able to eat another cookie without thinking about what she did to me.”

But, to be honest, she wasn’t even mad that Carm had managed to turn her favorite food into some kind of aphrodisiac. Okay, well not exactly that, but it was definitely having an effect on her none the less. She couldn’t seem to stop smiling, even with the flush lighting up her features like a Christmas tree. Not that it came as much of a surprise. Carm’s little games have always left a lasting impact that never seemed to go away. It used to frustrate the hell out of her in the beginning, until she realized that she had much the same influence on her too. And come Saturday, she was going to make her feel the same way every time she buries her head in a book.

Shaking her head with a chuckle, she polished off the rest of her mocha Frap then got up to throw her trash away and returned to the table. “I’ll see you soon,” she said, trailing her fingers across her phone screen to see the picture of them one more time, before she put it away and went back out to the floor.

Double checking the task list pinned up to the cork board just inside the entrance to the kitchen, while she tied her apron around her waist, she couldn’t stop the involuntary giggle that slipped out. She didn’t know why, but she was feeling incredibly giddy again. Maybe it was a residual effect of her memories that still had a hold of her, or maybe it was something else altogether.

“What’s so funny,” Natalie asked, from her work station a few feet away.

“I’m just happy,” she replied biting back another laugh and simply shrugging, when she regarded her with a questioning look as she went to wash her hands.

At least she wasn’t as bad as she’d been earlier in class, because dancing around the apartment had done nothing to quell her exuberance and she couldn’t control herself, often bursting out in fits of laughter for no reason at all. Fortunately for her, this morning’s midterm wasn’t a written exam, so much as testing their ability to turn the content of their research papers into the format for a headline news broadcast. So everyone was talking and moving around the room anyway.

But, her professor actually did come over to check on her mid-way through the assignment because of her incessant bouts of giggling. Embarrassing her beyond belief at the extra attention he drew her way, because everyone was already giving her strange looks as it was, but even then she couldn’t contain it no matter how hard she tried. A stream of giggles just bubbled right out of her, but she played it off by saying she was up late working on the Sentinel and this was just her way of coping with being exhausted, so he pretty much left her alone after that.

And while it wasn’t necessarily a lie, it wasn’t the truth either. Her overly happy mood had nothing to do with lack of sleep, and everything to do with spending time with Carm last night, or this morning. She hadn’t decided which one made more sense to her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it either way. It was the most fun she’s had out in a while now, and that was saying something, considering she spent it typing up a term paper. Not to mention the little rendez-vous she had in the club over the weekend. That should have been something to talk about. But it wasn’t. It was barely even a blip on the radar, and being with Carm topped it by leaps and bounds.

“I can’t wait until tomorrow night, I’ma let loose and party all weekend, because my midterms totally kicked my ass and I deserve to relax,” Natalie said with her back to her. “You’re gonna let your hair down and come out with us, right?” She turned to look at her over her shoulder after several moments of silence, “Laur, did you hear me?” She spoke a little louder, but still didn’t get a response.

Whipping butter and powdered sugar together for a vanilla butter cream frosting, the only thing on Laura’s mind was how much she enjoyed the new dynamic that she had with Carm. Because, kissing her was nice, well honestly, it was better than that, and actually kind of amazing. She had the softest lips she’s ever kissed, and every kiss was so tender and sweet, she couldn’t get enough of them. And if she ever had to choose between giving up hot chocolate and all of her favorite food for a month, or kissing her, there wouldn’t even be a choice. Carm would win hands down.

There was an irony to it that she couldn’t comprehend, because it was better with her than anyone else she’s ever locked lips with. And they were just pecks, more or less, there was no tongue involved. Heck, they didn’t even open their mouths, but there was just something about kissing her that was positively addictive. It was honestly kind of crazy, now that she thought about it. But, who was she to question this, when it would only make their bond that much stronger. After all, what was the worst that could happen? There were no romantic feelings between her and Carm, so it wasn’t like this would blur the lines of their friendship, or anything. They were just connected on a deeper level than most because of their intense emotional and physical relationship. And now kissing was just another part of it.

With a shake of the head, she wondered why there was even a need to tell herself that, when the idea of her and Carm being something more, was completely laughable. She needs all the strings and attachment that comes with the stability of a commitment, and Carm doesn’t do relationships. Truthfully, she wasn’t even sure if she’d ever been in one before, not that she’d ever thought about it, or anything. Or that it even mattered. But, maybe if things were different they could have made a go of it--Laura chuckled, and shook her head at herself again. It was ridiculous to even be entertaining the idea, because it wasn’t like she has a thing for Carm.

‘No, it wasn’t like that all, not one single bit,’ she repeated the thought in her head.

“Earth to Laura,” Natalie called out, but still to no avail. She was lost in her own little world, which wasn’t really a problem, because she was steady working. But she’s been acting odd as hell ever since she started, and the difference in her demeanor made it so obvious that something was up with her. If she had to guess, she’d be willing to bet it was about a girl, but as far as she knew Laura hasn’t met anybody new. Well, except for the girl she made out with at the club, and she swore she threw her number away when they worked together on Tuesday. So, maybe it was something else altogether that had her practically floating around on cloud nine. Either way, she was curious as hell as to who or what had her all caught up in her head, and she was gonna get to the bottom of it.

“I’ve fantasized about having a wild orgy since freshman year. Maybe I’ll do it this weekend. And I know it’s been a while since you’ve had sex, so you should totally join me and get back into the swing of things.” Natalie said the most outlandish thing she could think of to get Laura’s attention.

“What,” Laura screeched. Snapped out of her daze by the nature of her statement, she whirled around to face her. “I—um...no offense,” she stammered in complete shock, “but that’s not my kind of thing.”

“It’s not mine either,” Natalie said with an amused look, “and I don’t know if I should be more worried that that’s what it took to get you out of your headspace, or by the fact that you actually thought I was being serious.”

“Well, you can’t just say something like that out of the blue, and expect me not to believe you,” Laura scoffed.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while, actually,” Natalie said, as she walked by to put the cheesecake she’d made in the fridge to set, “and I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures, if you weren’t completely ignoring me.”

“Sorry,” Laura grinned sheepishly, “I guess I just got a little distracted by my thoughts.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Natalie said, leaning against the counter next to her, “would you care to share?”

“Oh, um...it-it was just some internal rambling, you probably wouldn’t find it all that interesting,” she said, with a shrug.

As much as she hated lying to her, she really didn’t feel like she had much choice in the matter. There was no way she could tell her about what happened last night, or how often Carm’s been on her mind lately, when she already knew Natalie would just blow it all out of proportion and turn it into something that it wasn’t.

“Come on, Laur,” Natalie nudged her playfully with her shoulder, “there has to be something worth mentioning, otherwise you wouldn’t have been so caught up, that you couldn’t even hear me talking to you.”

“Not really,” Laura said nonchalantly, trying to pretend that she wasn’t as affected by her thoughts as she was. “It honestly isn’t worth mentioning.” But try as she might to play it cool, she couldn’t quite meet her eye.

“I’m not even going to pretend that I buy that, because you’ve been acting strange as hell ever since you got here,” Natalie eyed her curiously. But there was something about the way she averted her gaze that made her seem so closed off, and trying to pry information out of her when she didn’t want to share never went well. So, she decide to try a different approach, hoping that she’d open up on her own, or at the very least let a little tidbit slip that would feed her curiosity. “But, I’ll let you off the hook, for now.”

“Is this some kind of trick or something,” Laura said eyeing her wearily, because she never gave up this easy, and she wasn’t sure she should believe it.

“Not at all,” Natalie replied earnestly. “Let’s just call it an exercise in self-improvement,” with that she flashed a grin and patted her arm reassuringly.

“Okay!” Laura expelled a relieved breath as she watched her head back to her workstation without digging any further.

She’s never been embarrassed of her relationship with Carm, or any of the things that they do together. But, she’ll never admit to anyone exactly what that was either, because it went so much deeper than anything her friends could fathom, and she already got enough flack for the intimacies that they knew about as it was. She could only imagine how much worse it would be, if they ever found out about the games she and Carm liked to play.

But, she honestly didn’t understand what the big deal was, or why they had a tendency to try and couple them up, when it was all just for fun. Because, really what was so different about it? She simply enjoyed having a deep personal connection to someone outside her family for a change. Maybe they were just jealous of their closeness or something. At least that was the only thing that made sense to her, because everything she shares with Carm was perfectly normal.

“Just so you know, I get it,” Natalie glanced back at her as she began rolling out pastry dough for apple turnovers, “...you don’t want to tell me what’s going on with you, and that’s fine. But, I’m here if you change your mind and decide you want to talk about it.”

“Thanks,” Laura nodded appreciatively, “but I think I’ll pass, so how about we change the subject instead?”

The worst part of the whole darn thing was that sometimes she really could use someone to talk to, who would simply listen to what was on her mind, without passing judgement. Her friends should be the ones she could rely on, but unfortunately they already have their minds made up about her and Carm. Hell, even Perry thought there was something going on, and she was usually the most rational one out of all of them. And it really sucks that she had to hide who she truly was and keep everything bottled up all the time. But, that’s just the way things were and there was nothing she could do about it. Letting out a sigh, she whipped more milk into the mixing bowl until the frosting was smooth and creamy.

At the sound, Natalie shot an appraising look her way, “I knew it was about a girl,” she said excitedly, clasping her hands together and sending a wispy cloud of flour into the air.

“Anyways,” Laura rolled her eyes, but otherwise she didn’t dignify it with a response, “what were you talking about before,” she said determined to move on.

“Oh yeah, right--it might have slipped my mind, in the face of all your evasiveness over who this girl is your crushing on,” Natalie replied with a teasing lilt, because as supportive as she was trying to be she still couldn’t resist the urge to mess with her just a little bit.

“Natalie,” she exclaimed in dismay, as she lined the counter with a layer of butcher paper, “why is it that whenever I don’t want to talk about what’s on my mind, you automatically assume a girl’s involved, especially when I haven’t dated or shown an interest in anyone for the better part of a year. I mean, is it really that much of a conundrum that I don’t need a relationship to define me?”

“I think the better question is, why are you getting so defensive, if it’s not a thing,” she quipped wiggling her eyebrows at her suggestively.

“Oh, for the love of Hogwarts I give up,” Laura uttered with a flustered huff.

Strangely enough, she wasn’t even really mad at her, and she didn’t know why she was getting so frustrated in the first place, when there was no truth to her assertion. She was just thinking about her and Carm and how nice yesterday had been, and yeah, okay...maybe her thoughts had taken a turn in a direction she hadn’t expected, but that was just because of the nature of their relationship. And there was nothing to be defensive about!

Maybe it was just because, she’d hoped to avoid all of this, that’s why she spent an extra ten minutes in the car applying foundation to her neck to disguise her hickey before she entered the building. And though it didn’t hide it completely, the bruise was so faint it was barely noticeable. She’s been working with Natalie for the better part of the last couple hours, and she had yet to mention it, so of course, as these things tend to go, it was her uncontrollable daydreaming that did her in.

“I’m just messing around, Laur--relax,” Natalie said, while trying to keep a straight face.

“With friends like you and Laf, who needs enemies,” Laura mumbled, going to get the cake off the cooling rack while the sound of Natalie’s laughter floated in the air.

‘Interesting! Very-very interest,’ Natalie thought to herself in the midst of her laughter. Obviously she was on the right track. Her unusual behavior was definitely about a girl. But, who it was, was the real question. Of course, she had a theory on that, but...naw. Laura was too oblivious of her feelings for Carmilla for it to affect her this much.

“Whenever you’re done cackling let me know, because I refuse to hold a one-sided conversation with myself,” Laura said with another eye roll.

“Okay, okay,” Natalie held up her hands in surrender, as the giggling subsided, “I think I’ve got it all out of my system.”

“I hope your right, because I won’t be able to concentrate, if you’re still needling me about figments of your imagination when I start airbrushing,” Laura said pointedly, as she returned to her counter. “It’s bad enough that I have to do a custom cake design, on next to no sleep as it is.”

She set out various bottles of food coloring gel and a couple icing bags along with an assortment of embellishment tips for piping the border and scrollwork, and any other details she decided to add. Then she checked the compressor and paint gun to make sure they were working properly by squeezing the trigger and blowing out several puffs of air. Once she was satisfied, she donned another pair of gloves, replacing the old ones, and started spreading on the filling with practiced ease.

“You pulled another all-nighter,” Natalie exclaimed, gaping at her incredulously.

“Well...not exactly,” Laura replied, glad for the change in topic, even as she debated on how to explain without giving any real details away.

Not that she was necessarily trying to keep the kissing thing a secret, because she honestly didn’t care who knew about her and Carm sharing a quick peck on the lips, and their little late night adventure made one thing clear. Neither of them wanted to try and hide it. But her friends would find out about that soon enough. It was the other stuff she didn’t want to get into.

“There was a problem with the Sentinel’s design program, and it crashed every time I tried to upload to the printer’s website, but I was too stubborn to ask for help right away.” She finally said, taking a deep breath and continuing on without pause, “It wasn’t ‘til a little passed midnight that I finally broke down and called my advisor and fortunately he was able to talk me through the fix to the registry. Needless to say, I didn’t get home ‘til after one in the morning, and I was so tired from staying up to study the night before that I could barely stay on my feet, and I still had a term paper to write for class today.”

“How are you not bumbling around in full on zombie mode like you were the other day, or cranky as hell, and tossing back copious amounts of coffee?”

Laura glanced up at her in mid stroke with the spatula, “Carm made me take a nap for a few hours, despite my protest, and then she stayed up with me while I finished my paper, but yeah, I’ve still been awake since four-thirty in the morning, so...”

“Damn girl,” Natalie shook her head sympathetically, “and I thought my business management midterms were really putting me through the ringer.”

“It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, because Carm was there taking care of me,” Laura felt a grin tugging at her mouth as she went back to applying the frosting, and she didn’t even try to stop it from forming. Because, she didn’t have a single regret about anything that happened with Carm, and those sleepless nights were the catalyst for all of it. “I mean, she’s cooked more in the last couple days than she has all semester, and made my cocoa perfectly every time, with an added boost of coffee in it to keep me going. Carm’s been nothing but attentive and it helped ease the weariness, plus it was nice being spoiled for a change...”

She cut herself off by clearing her throat, afraid that if she kept going, she might let something slip that she wouldn’t be able to downplay. “Besides, I’m gonna crash as soon as I get home. And I don’t plan on getting out of bed for anything except work in the morning and my last midterm, so I should be bundled up beneath the covers again by lunchtime.”

“So I take it getting you to go out on the town with us tomorrow night is out of the question,” Natalie said on her way to the oven with the tray of turnovers.

“That’s pretty much a guarantee,” Laura said, giving the diagram the customer left another look to make sure she had the layout down, while she waited for the frosting to crust and loose its tackiness.

“Sometimes this whole being an adult thing really sucks,” Natalie muttered.

“I’m sure you guys will manage to have just as a good a time without me there,” Laura said, flashing a knowing grin.

“That’s so not the point,” Natalie sighed, “we want to hang out this weekend, since we haven’t really done it much lately, because you’ve been in a weird hermit mode for months. And practically the only time we see you is when we get together between classes, or on the days you work with me and Laf.”

“Taking a break from partying hardly makes me a hermit,” Laura replied with a laugh, “and as I recall, I’ve invited you guys over to the apartment plenty of times. Plus I went out with you last weekend, in case you forgot.”

“Once again, seriously not the point,” Natalie exclaimed dramatically, “Are you at least coming with us to the party on Saturday, or were you planning to sit at home alone, while everyone else goes out and enjoys themselves?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Laura stuck her tongue out at her, “but yes, I’m going. Laf wasn’t about to let me say no, when they ambushed me on the way to my car before I left campus. They even threatened to have Perry give me a talking to, if I didn’t agree right then and there.”

Little did they know that it really wasn’t necessary. She’d already decided to go after it got brought up in a group text before her class yesterday morning. Although admittedly, her playful banter with Carm over lunch is actually what made up her mind for her, for more reasons than one. But, still--the coercion wasn’t necessary.

“Did they really,” Natalie bit back a smile, as she turned to check the timer on the oven. “I wonder where they came up with that idea.”

Laura caught a glimpse of her doing a victorious little fist pump, and couldn’t resist trying to bring her down a notch or two. “But, for the record, even if I wasn’t gonna go, I definitely wouldn’t have been home all alone,” she said, taking a pause for dramatic effect, when she saw her eyebrows rise out of curiosity. “I’d have Carm to keep me company, and I wouldn’t have felt left out, because she has no problem entertaining me.”

“Yeah right, like she would actually stay home the weekend after midterms,” Natalie’s eyebrows arched even higher as she regarded her skeptically, choosing to ignore her loaded statement, because she wasn’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole. “You and I both know she’ll be out in the club doing her thing, just like she always does. Hell, to be honest, I’ll be surprised if you even see her for breakfast on Saturday, let alone when the sun goes down.”

“Nope, you couldn’t be more wrong,” Laura stated, radiating self-assurance, “I’ll see plenty of her and so will you, because she’s coming with us.” She couldn’t help grinning smugly, when her mouth gapped open at the news.

“You’re kidding,” Natalie exclaimed in utter disbelief, “Carmilla hasn’t been to a frat party since freshman year!”

“I know! It’s going to be so much fun.” If she weren’t about to do the cake, she would have rubbed her hands together eagerly at the very thought of dancing with Carm, because it’s been such a long time, and she’s missed the way they moved together on the dancefloor.

“But, I thought she hated the ‘Greek Letter Club’, as she likes to call them, more than being subjected to main stream media!”

“She does,” Laura replied, smiling at the look of bewilderment she saw on her face out of the corner of her eye, as she turned on the air compressor and put several drops of black food coloring in the airbrushes receptor, being careful not to over fill it so it wouldn’t spill out and ruin the cake.

Gripping the airbrush a little tighter she took a deep breath to center herself. Letting the aromas of the bakery accompanied with the traces of wood smoke and jasmine clinging to her clothes soothe the effect the memory of dancing with Carm was having on her, as she pressed the trigger on the airbrush with just the right amount of pressure. Spraying around the edges, with a slight change in the distance of her hand and a simple shift in the angle of her wrist, she alternated the color between light and dark, leaving certain places barely touched so the original color of the buttercream still showed through.

Normally she did the more intricate detailing with the icing bag, because she certainly was no artist and it was easier to do, but she was feeling inspired to try something different. The tip of Laura’s tongue poked out the corner of her mouth in concentration as she moved her hand in close to make bold lines with just a bit of thickness, spiraling around the entire thing from the edge to a point near the center. Then she went back and made several evenly spaced arching curves between each and every one to form an interweaving webbing pattern with them.

“So how’d you talk her into it?” Natalie asked after a long pause.

“Oh. Well...” Laura shrugged nonchalantly. Taking a moment to rinse the color well on the airbrush with a squeeze bottle of hot water until the spray ran clear, “she doesn’t know about it yet, but she’ll be there. You can mark my word for it.”

She switched to blue and used it to overlay the black, creating shadows that added richness and depth to the tone. Coloring in all but a spacious oval at the center that she was going to go back and hit with a deep eye catching red before she did the line work for the webbing in the unshaded parts and outlined the caricature to give it distinction and cover up any gaps she’d left.

“Good luck with that one,” Natalie said with an air of skepticism in her tone, because she just wasn’t buying it, no matter how strong Laura’s conviction was. There was no way she could spring this on Carmilla at the last minute and expect her to actually do it, especially when she hasn’t had much success trying that in the past.

“I won’t need it,” Laura murmured to herself. Knowing she had something better working in her favor to ensure she got what she wanted, she set the airbrush aside to get a bowl from the shelf below the counter to divide the remaining frosting. Dipping out just enough for the scroll work, she added several drops of royal blue coloring gel to the rest, until she got the right hue. After choosing an embellishment tip that would make the border look like a fluffy picture frame, she filled the icing bag and carefully went about piping it, because this was going to be the best Spiderman cake she’s ever made.

A smile played across her face and she bit her lip, dragging it between her teeth, as she thought about the car ride with Carm and her entire body started to tingle at the memory of what she’d done. She still wasn’t sure why she’d run her hand up her thigh like that. Well, okay—yeah...maybe she did want to tease her a little. But to be honest, she hadn’t been thinking about much at all in that moment, other than the way her heart was thundering in her chest. Then Carm turned and met eyes. And any sense of rationality she might have had left, went right out the window. Because she just couldn’t resist the desire to touch her, or the muscles twitching beneath her fingertips as her hand slid higher.

She never expected to get that kind of response with something as simple as a caress. And yeah, okay. Her hand may have strayed a little purely on accident, but still, it was a feat in and of itself, because Carm usually didn’t get worked up that quickly unless she was really emotional, but last night she felt the heat radiating off her before her fingers even reached the juncture of her thighs. And she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she got a little turned on by it. Or that she wanted nothing more than to do it again.

Not that it was the only thing that made the night special, by any means, because everything that happened afterwards was a big part of that too. But, it was what had her brimming with certainty that Carm would go to the party with her. Because, it was merely a prelude of what was to come. And it she could have that effect on her when she wasn’t even trying—imagine what she could do when she actually was.

...

“There goes two hours of my life that I’ll never get back,” Carmilla muttered under her breath as she left the classroom.

But, at least it had been good for something. Answering those stupid essay questions took her mind of the events of the night and her subsequent arousal long enough to calm her overactive libido. So, in the end she guessed it was a small price to pay, because she wouldn’t have had time to do much about it before going back to the Nook anyway. As it was, she barely had enough time to stop in the student center to grab a burrito to eat on the way.

Okay, well...maybe that was kind of an exaggeration of the truth, but in her mind it still made perfect sense. Because, what was the point in hanging around campus by herself, a moment longer than she had to? When there was the slightest possibility she could finagle it so she got off work a little earlier, if she made it back there quick enough. That would at least give her a chance to spend quality time with her Cupcake. And yes, she knew it was all dependent on whether she woke up from her nap or not, but any amount of time with Laura was more than worth the flack she might get for what she was about to do. Even if it didn’t quite pan out like she wanted it too, just being in the same place with only the thin walls between them would be more than enough.

Fortunately the line in the cantina wasn’t that bad and she placed her order almost as soon as she walked up, but waiting at the pickup counter for her food tried the limits of her patience. She shifted from one foot to the other, glaring at the worker’ s with pure malice, because she wanted to get on the road before traffic built up, and their lack of urgency was holding her up. And maybe she was a little anxious at the moment too. But that was only because she hadn’t spoken to her Cupcake since she left this morning, and she felt the prickles of anticipation tingling beneath her skin, knowing it wouldn’t be much longer until she was with her again.

“How long does it take to make a damn burrito,” she muttered, pulling out her phone to check the time, only that wasn’t what she focused on when she glanced at the screen.

Expelling an airy breath, a smile tugged at her mouth when she saw that there was a message waiting for her. And she bit her lip eagerly, as she opened it. The slightest blush rose on her cheeks when she read the words on the screen, and her heart stuttered in her chest, before returning to a more normal rhythm.

My Cupcake 1:57pm
Thanks Carm,
Everything’s going good with me,
and I hope you’re having a good day too.
You can tell me all about it later, eventually.
See you tonight. :-* ;-)

Tucking her phone back in her pocket with trembling fingers, she grabbed the tray with her food off the counter, and made a dash for the exit, not stopping until she reached her car. She drove like a bat out of hell, with a goofy grin plastered on her face, that she couldn’t seem to erase, and this time, it had nothing to do with the rumble of the engine, or the freedom and thrill she got from pushing ‘the beast’ fast as she could safely go on the crowded city streets.

She made it back to the Nook in record time. Barely taking more than a few bites of her burrito in the ten minute drive, which would have been less if she hadn’t hit traffic. Normally she would have sat in the parking lot and polished it off, but she didn’t want to waste the extra few minutes that would take. Besides, with the flutters that erupted in her stomach when she read Laura’s text, she wasn’t even that hungry to begin with. She simply rolled it up in the wrapper to have for later, so she wouldn’t have to stop on the way home.

Grabbing her bag off the seat beside her as she climbed out of the car, she strolled inside with purpose. Surprising Perry and her mother when she entered the office to drop her bag and interrupted the conversation they were having. She was about to back out the room, but Edith motioned for her to stay before she could even take so much as a step away. And she had to refrain from cursing under her breath as she stood rooted in place. She was expecting Thomas to be there, not her. This changed everything, and she didn’t even want to think about what she was probably about to get roped into.

“Sweetheart, I’ll stop by the café on my way out,” Edith said to Perry, who gave a silent nod and turned to leave the room.

“It’s nice to see you, Carmilla,” Perry said politely, when she passed by on her way out the door.

“Um--yeah, you to Perry,” she replied in turn, mustering up a half-hearted smile that barely twitched at her mouth, before her gaze reverted back to her mother’s.

“Well,” Edith said, glancing up at the clock and back at her with raised eyebrows, “this is certainly a first.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Carmilla scoffed, as she set her bag on the floor by the desk, “I haven’t been late in over a month.”

“That may be so, but usually you barely make it by the skin of your teeth, and yet today you’re here more than a half hour early. And as much as I’d like to believe that you’re finally embracing responsibility, I have a feeling that’s not the case at all,” she said, eyeing her suspiciously. “So now, tell me dear, what do I owe your promptness to?”

“Okay fine, I was up all night...studying and I’m tired as hell, so I was kind of planning on starting now and leaving at seven-thirty,” Carmilla conceded gruffly.

“I can’t just let you change your schedule whenever you feel like it, Carmilla,” she stated firmly, “it wouldn’t look good to the rest of the staff if we played favorites, but more importantly we’re running a business here, and we dole out shifts accordingly.”

“Oh, come on, cut me some slack for once,” she huffed, “I’ve never done it before, and I won’t make a habit of it.”

Sitting back in her chair, Edith crossed her arms and regarded her over the rim of her glasses with an unreadable expression, and despite herself, Carmilla squirmed beneath her gaze. Not that she was afraid of her or anything, but Perry had gotten her personality from somewhere, and it definitely wasn’t her father’s side of the gene pool that made her so damn neurotic. If Edith didn’t give her the go ahead, she’d be stuck here and might miss out on seeing her Cupcake, along with the kisses her message had promised her.

Carmilla scuffed her boot on the tile floor, mumbling, “Besides, we’re not that busy, and I’m not even the one closing tonight. So, it’s not like thirty minutes will make much of a difference.”

“Alright,” Edith finally said after several long moments of silence, “I’ll make a deal with you.”

“And what exactly would that be,” Carmilla asked hesitantly, despite the flutter of excitement in her stomach that made her want to jump for joy.

“As long as things don’t pick up, you can leave early, but if they do you’ll have to stay and work your schedule shift.” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, steepling her hands. “But... in the real world everything comes with a price, so you’re going to have to do something for me in return.”

Carmilla eyed her and waited for the other part of her ultimatum, and she knew it had to be something she probably didn’t want to do, since she didn’t just come right out and say it. But, at this point she’d agree to just about anything, as long as it meant she got to be with her Cupcake tonight.

“I want to see you show more initiative and step up for the manager position we’re going to open up soon...”

‘Oh fuck! Anything but that,’ Carmilla mused dejectedly, her face contorting in displeasure the moment the words left Edith’s mouth. As much as quality time with Laura meant to her, she had to draw the line at this, because she couldn’t handle shouldering that kind of commitment to anything or anyone. But, even if she had been willing to try, there was the whole situation with Leslie that she was trying to keep under wraps. Besides, she was already the unofficial supervisor, wasn’t that enough! What more did they want from her! And why did they need a store manager anyway?

“...but seeing as I’ve never gotten a positive response from you before, I’ll settle for you helping us with a new design for the store’s monthly mailers and business cards, because Thomas and I have hit a wall coming up with one.”

“I guess I can handle that,” Carmilla deadpanned, not wanting to give off the slightest hint that she was actually kind of intrigued by the idea, as a wave of relief washed over her.

“So I take we have a deal,” Edith said arching an eyebrow at her.

“As long as I get to leave at seven-thirty, we do,” she replied with the same hint of defiance in her tone she would have used on her mother when she regarded her with a sense of confidence, knowing she had her right where she wanted her.

“That’s good to hear, dear,” Edith nodded her approval, “now, go punch in before I change my mind about this arrangement.” She waved a dismissive hand, and Carmilla didn’t hesitate. Hightailing it out of the room with a relieved breath. Missing the pleased smile she shot after her, and the quietly uttered, “Thomas is never going to believe how easy that was,” that accompanied it.

Grabbing her time card off the hanging rack outside the office, she ran it through the time clock and headed up to the front, taking a cursory count of the customers as she went. Just like she told Edith, they weren’t that busy. Not that there weren’t plenty of people roaming up and down the aisles with their arms full of books at the moment, but they seemed to be doing fine on their own. And there was no reason to think that would change, as it got later. Carmilla almost couldn’t believe how well everything was coming together, considering how her day had started. It was looking pretty damn good right now.

She spotted Nick behind the register, and made her way over, “what would you rather do, stock the shelves or ring up customers,” she said as she joined him at the counter.

“Oh, hey, Carmilla,” he said, closing the copy of Sports Illustrated he was flipping through. “I didn’t expect you to be here for a while.”

“Yet, here I am,” she stated wryly.

“No really...I thought you were just a figment of my imagination, being that it’s barely three-thirty,” he retorted with a sardonic grin.

“You’re actually getting better at this,” she said with an eye roll.

But she had to give him credit for trying because he was the only one outside of the Perry’s that wasn’t outright afraid of her. (She didn’t include Leslie in this, since the only reason she smarted off the way she did was because she had something to hold over her head, otherwise she’d run away with her tail between her legs like she did before they had sex).

“In case it isn’t clear to you by now, I’m starting early, so-- what’s it gonna be?”

“I’d rather work in the stacks with the customers.”

“Fine by me,” Carmilla traded places with him, and plopped down on the high-back stool behind the register, expecting him to walk away, but he simply stood there eyeing her up and down curiously. “Do I have to give you instructions,” she said, leveling a pointed glare at him.

“Nope,” he shrugged, “but one of these days I’m gonna convince you to tell me how you work it the way you do.”

“We’ve gone over this before,” she replied with a smirk, “I’m not going to school you on how to score with girls, if you haven’t got it figured out by now there’s nothing I can do for you.”

“I meant with the Perry’s,” he sputtered defensively.

But, she merely rolled her eyes at him again, as if to say ‘obviously,’ and flipped open the magazine he’d abandoned indicating she was done talking to him.

“Okay, I get it. I’ll leave you alone,” he said with a defeated sigh, and rolled the go back cart out onto the floor.

Now that he was gone, she put the copy of Sports Illustrated on the rack where it went, and settled back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest to watch the people passing back and forth in front of her. The only time she moved was when she had to ring someone up. Her mind was only half in it though, because she couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of Laura’s soft full lips, and the length of her body pressing against her while they cuddled beneath the covers.

Although, she did pretend to be busier than she was when she spotted Edith making her way to the café before she left for the evening. But as soon as she disappeared inside, she put the order ledger away and went back to staring into space. As luck would have it, she had just finished helping someone else, and wasn’t sitting around daydreaming, when she popped back in a few minutes later to tell her she only had to worry about supervising Nick until she left, because Perry was staying to work on some new recipes, instead of coming back later to oversee the close.

Once she left the store for good, Carmilla took her place on the stool again, and almost felt a tinge of guilt that she wasn’t working like she usually would, but she couldn’t help it. It was hard to focus on much of anything when all she really wanted was to be snuggled up with her Cupcake and steel as many kisses as she could before they fell asleep. Picking up a book one of the customers changed their mind about, she cracked it open and buried her head in it, but it wasn’t because she was trying to read, or even interested in it for that matter.

The thought of kissing Laura had the corners of her mouth twitching involuntarily, and she didn’t want anyone to notice the smile playing on her lips. She had a reputation to protect after all, and she didn’t do these kinds of things. But, it was like she was no longer in control of her body, because no matter how she tried to wipe the expression from her face, it just wouldn’t go away. The strange thing was she wasn’t sure she really wanted it to, because it was her Cupcake that brought the smile to her face.

The next hour or so passed in much the same way, but not even the process of checking out chatty customers could take her mind off Laura for more than a few moments at a time. And as soon as they walked away, she hid behind the pages of the book once again. Worrying her bottom lip, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was the only one of them being affected like this, or if Laura had been thinking about her all day too. The text she sent made her believe that she had, but she wouldn’t know for sure, until she had her in her arms. But, she still couldn’t stop herself from smiling none the less.

She was so deep in her thoughts, that she didn’t even notice someone approach her, until she saw a container of weird green goo being set on the counter out of the corner of her eye.

“Well, well, well!” Lafontaine said, sporting a crooked grin, when she looked up and met their gaze over the edge of the book. “Who woulda thought...you actually do remember how to smile when the tiny ball of energy isn’t around.”

“Whatever, Ginger nerd,” Carmilla muttered, forcing a scowl. “Why are you bothering me?”

“I was on my way to meet, Perr, when I saw you sitting here and thought I’d stop and say ‘hi’,” they replied with a shrug.

“Mission accomplished, now go way,” Carmilla snapped gruffly. But, they did the exact opposite, and simply rested their elbows on the counter and continued to watch her with a combination of amusement and intrigue.

“Ah, come on,” they said smugly, as their mouth twisted into a teasing smirk, “tell Doctor Laf what has the queen of broodiness so happy that she can’t wipe the smile off her face, and scowl at me properly?”

Crossing her arms over her chest without uttering a word, Carmilla glared back at them with an unwavering gaze for several moments, until she realized the stuff in the jar was starting to bubble and foam. “What the hell is that,” she motioned at it with a slight nod of her head.

“Oh this,” Lafontaine broke out in a maniacal grin. “It’s just a little something I’ve been working on to stabilize different types of combustible material and more effectively eliminate bio pathogens in containment and testing facilities when there’s a threat of contamination,” they said, as they picked it up and gave it a good shake, causing it to foam up even more.

“Get that shit away from me, you fucking nutcase,” she growled through clenched teeth, as she got up and set the book aside before taking a giant step back for good measure, (because they had a habit of blowing stuff up purely on accident, and their eyebrows were still growing back from the last time they messed with something flammable).

“Don’t worry! It’s perfectly stable as long as it’s not exposed to air particles in an uncontrolled environment,” They stated matter-of-factly, tossing it gently back and forth in their hands, and then scrambling to catch it when it slipped between their fingers.

Taking another couple steps away, she watched them like a panther, prepared to scramble and duck beneath the other end of the counter if they actually dropped it. But after several bumbling attempts, they finally managed to regain a hold of the jar right before it hit the floor.

“Phew, that was close,” they said with a grin. “I’d hate to lose more body hair again.”

“Lola, you better get out here,” she shouted, not taking her eyes off of them.

“What is it, Carmilla,” Perry replied with a huff, from inside the doorway to the kitchen.

“Come get your person, and their crazy concoction the hell away from me, before I toss them out on their ass,” Carmilla said in a clipped tone.

In under a minute flat, she scurried out wiping her flour covered hands on her apron with a stern scowl that made their grin falter. “Lafontaine, how many times have I told you not to bring your experiments inside,” she chided, when she stopped in front of them, like a drill sergeant about to ream a private.

“But, Perr, it’s really vital that I monitor it closely,” they protested with a pout. But ended up, sighing in submission, when she simply pierced her eyes at them, and pointed to the door firmly. “Alright, alright,” they mumbled as their shoulders slumped. “I’ll go put it in the car.”

Not surprisingly, Perry walked them out with a detailed lecture along the way, on the risk they posed to public safety and the image of her parents business, if anything were to happen. And by the time the door closed behind them, Lafontaine was looking like a wounded puppy, and apologizing profusely. Which must be their get out of jail free card, because that was all it took to lighten Perry’s mood enough to have her kiss them on the forehead affectionately before they sauntered off with that crooked grin in place.

“Well, that was a rush,” Carmilla grumbled, waiving off Nick when he popped up at the end of one of the isles mouthing ‘what hell just happened’.

Maybe she should feel a sense of relief now that it was over, but these encounters with Lafontaine happened fairly regularly, at least once every few months to be exact. And she’d gotten so used to them, that as soon as the threat was neutralized, so to speak, she always went back to what she was doing without giving it another thought. She simply slumped back on the stool, book in hand, and went back to what had her heart playing a little staccato rhythm in her chest to beginning with.

....

Bouncing on the balls of feet, Laura hurriedly punched in her code when the clock struck five and practically skip-ran all the way to the breakroom to get her things. She should have felt anything but the hum of excitement vibrating through her entire body for obvious reasons, but in spite of being beat, she couldn’t help herself. And yeah, of course, she could have simply chalked it up to the effects of caffeine and the sugar rush from the snack she had earlier, but that wasn’t the reason for it.

She barely opened her locker all the way before she was pulling out her phone to see if Carm had text her back. Not that she expected it or anything. But she was hopeful, because it was incredibly hard going so long without hearing her voice, and simply getting another message would at least give her a small reprieve. Since there was still more than two hours before her shift was over, and even then it would take at least a good fifteen minutes for her to get home with the way she drove, provided she didn’t stop off for something to eat, which she probably would. Given that there was no way Carm wanted her to cook for them, and all their favorite places to order from took forever to deliver at that time of night.

Nibbling on her lip with her heart thundering in her chest mirroring her eagerness, she unlocked it and swiped her finger across the screen to check her notifications. But, other than a missed call from her dad there was nothing else, and Laura couldn’t help letting out a sigh as she put her phone away. It wasn’t even that she was disappointed--well maybe she was a little bit, but only because she wondered if Carm was missing her too, since she’s been on her mind ever since she drove away.

And yeah, okay, it was only a few more hours give or take, but she really didn’t want to wait that long to see her. The thing was, she couldn’t just pop by the bookstore like any other day, and keep her company either. Because she’d promised to go home and take a nap when she left the bakery. But at the time, she hadn’t been thinking about how long it would be. Or the simple fact that she’d rather be with her and wind up falling asleep on one of the comfy couches at the Nook until Carm got off work, than go home to an empty apartment.

She gave her word though, and she wouldn’t break it, so there was nothing left to do now, except wait somewhat patiently and enjoy the unbelievable high from this morning that still had her within its grasp. Slipping on her coat and shouldering her purse, she went to meet Natalie by the exit, (even though she got off a little before her, she had some shopping to do, and said she’d stick around), so they could walk out together.

“How can you possibly still be so upbeat,” Natalie said, gathering her grocery bags from the shopping cart, when she came bouncing up to her.

“Why wouldn’t I be,” Laura replied enthusiastically, as she pushed the cart back into the alcove where it went for her since her hands were full.

She used the handle bar to do a quick little side jump and clicked her heels together, once it was connected to the others, before sprinting back to Natalie and skidding to a halt in front of her with a grin. “I mean we’re off work already and it’s not even totally dark out yet. Plus, I’m completely obligation free after tomorrow, because I managed to get the entire weekend off without even asking for it, which never happens.” She rubbed her hands together gleefully, already imagining all the alone time she was going to have with Carm because of it. “So what’s not to be excited about?”

“Okay, okay, just stop,” Natalie exclaimed, making the knock it off motion with a handful of groceries.

“What? I’m not doing anything,” she chirped, titling her head in confusion.

“I was only here half an hour longer than you and I’m practically dead on my feet, and I actually got a full night’s sleep” Natalie said, regarding her with a bemused expression, “but somehow you’re running around like my nephew when he’s on a sugar high, and it’s just too much for me right now! Watching you is making me feel even more worn out.”

Laura merely chuckled in acknowledgement, as they headed out the door. Because--yeah, she was a lot more hyper than she ought to be after such a stressful week. There was no point in denying it, and all she could think was, so what! With the utter amazingness of everything that’s happened between her and Carm, she’s happier than she’s ever been. And that wasn’t something she could suppress, nor did she want to. It just felt natural to be so light and free, even if she was over flowing with an abundance of pent up energy.

Resulting in her chattering endlessly as they crossed the parking lot, simply because she couldn’t hold it in, even though she knew Natalie would have preferred to walk in silence. Not even her groaning, “Oh brother, what did I do to deserve this,” was enough to get her to stop. And to be honest, Laura wasn’t even sure what she was going on about, the words flowing out of her mouth were merely a bunch of randomness to salve the thoughts of kissing Carm running through her mind—because she was almost craving the feel of her soft lips right now.

“Do you want a lift to your car,” Natalie cut in to her rambling, as she popped the trunk on her bright red Altima, and put the groceries inside.

“...uh, no-no that’s okay,” Laura stammered distractedly. “I’m not parked that far away.”

“Oh my god, you’re totally zoning out again, aren’t you!” Natalie exclaimed, peering over at her.”

Laura shook her head profusely, even as she felt a tinge of heat stain her cheeks in the cool breeze. “No, I’m not. I’ve been talking to you the whole time,” she said, but she could tell by the expression on her face, that the lie fell short, no matter how true it was.

“And I’m willing to bet you don’t remember a word of it,” she said with unconcealed amusement, as she closed the trunk and came around to stand in front of her. “But, it would have been slightly more believable, if you weren’t the same shade as my car.”

“That’s a bit dramatic,” Laura mumbled. Groaning inwardly, because yeah--of course! The way she was blushing had given her away. And she blamed it all on Carm and those incredibly kissable lips of hers, for causing her body to react like this, and make it nearly impossible to deflect Natalie’s attention.

“Right...” Natalie had a retort on the tip of her tongue, but it died on her lips when she noticed the hickey marring her neck for the first time, with them standing directly beneath one of the lights illuminating the parking lot.

Gears were turning in her head as she processed the new information, because it wasn’t something she could simply put off on Laura’s make out session with the girl in the club. She didn’t have a mark on her that night, or she would have seen it irregardless of how buzzed she was, that’s for sure. And that wasn’t something Laura would’ve felt the need to try and hide with makeup either, considering everyone was there. But, based on the amount of concealer she had on it that kept her from seeing it sooner, especially during the time they were sharing a workstation while making up the dough for cinnamon rolls when she started. It left a lot to question.

Her remarks about her having a crush were just for a laugh because Laura had made it entirely too easy. But, now it was becoming clear how right she really was, given that she had yet another love bite. That combined with the fading ones she’d been sporting last week and her unintentionally suggestive comment about Carmilla ‘entertaining’ her from earlier, only one thing made sense. At least, she took this as a definitive confirmation they were doing a hell of a lot more than just cuddling when they were alone.

Now, of course, she normally wouldn’t have hesitated to bring it up, but considering how evasive Laura’s been, and the way she freaked out on Laf for even mentioning the possibility of something between them, she wasn’t going to make the same mistake.

“...Anyway,” she said, giving her a quick hug, “I’ll see you Saturday for sure, right.”

“Yes!” Laura rolled her eyes, because this was like the ninth time she’d asked. “We’ll be there with bells on, or at least I will, as far as the bells go. Carm will more than likely be in her usual state of broodiness.”

She was a little surprised that Natalie was passing up the perfect opportunity to tease her, since she’d been going at it pretty darn hard all afternoon, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“You better not flake at the last minute like you always do,” Natalie said, as she opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat, “because if you don’t show up on your own, I’m leaving the party and coming to get you, no exceptions.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Laura mumbled to herself, smiling innocently when she cut her eyes at her. “I make no guarantees we’ll be there as early as you. It’s probably going to take a while for us to get ready because Carm’s distracting when we’re not going out together, and I’m sure she’ll be even worse when it comes to attending a frat party.”

‘Well, maybe she did have the pull to influence Carmilla’s decision after all, but only time will tell,’ Natalie mused as she trailed her to her car and waited for her to get in before she drove away. The real question was, what the hell kind of games were they playing with each other? And how could they keep denying that there was something more between them, when they were clearly making out pretty regularly, or something damn near it. More importantly why was it so hard for them to admit to their feelings, when it was obvious to everyone that they’re attracted to each other? Because it just didn’t make any damn sense.

The last rays of daylight gave way to night as Laura merged onto the highway, and despite the commute traffic she ran into, it was fairly smooth sailing until she hit the strip. On that two mile stretch of road, lined with shops in every variety imaginable, it was nearly impossible not to catch almost every red light no matter the time of day. But this was the quickest route to get home, because avoiding it meant navigating through the mazes of residential neighborhoods bordering the area.

Not that she ever really minded the constant stop and go that made her ten mile drive take a little longer, but today she was especially grateful for it, because it was eating up some of the time she had to wait for Carm. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat and hummed along, even though the radio wasn’t on. She didn’t need it for this particular song. As she’d come to realize that she made the tune up herself, and it was ingrained in her memory, just like the feel of Carm’s mouth ghosting over hers in the most tantalizing of ways.

Sighing longingly, she trailed her tongue over her lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss Carm properly. She had a feeling that she would take her lip gently between her teeth and bite down on it with just enough intensity to make her moan, (since she liked to bite her on the collarbone sometimes when they were cuddling), but that was never going to happen, because kissing for real wasn’t part of the deal for their fake relationship at Sarah’s party. But, there was nothing wrong with imagining how good it would feel.

Laura’s thoughts were interrupted by her grumbling stomach, as she drove past an Italian restaurant emitting the most delicious aromas in the air that she could make out clearly despite her windows being rolled up. “Crap, I can’t believe I forgot to get something for dinner before I left the store,” she mumbled, when her stomach let out another growl that couldn’t be ignored.

Resigned to fast food, instead of a nice home style meal from the grocery’s deli that she was planning on, she turned into the driveway of the little burger joint Carm had taken her to on many an occasion, when they wanted something late at night. At least the food was good and they made killer milkshakes too, so it wasn’t all that bad. And she could go ahead and call her dad back, while she was in line at the drive thru, rather than doing it when she got home, like she had intended.

“Hi daddy,” she said, beating him to the punch when he finally picked up.

“Hiya, pumpkin, it’s so good to hear your voice,” he exclaimed with breathless excitement, and she could only guess that he’d dropped whatever he was doing and made a mad dash for the phone when it rang.

“You say that like I haven’t talked to you in a while,” she teased.

“Well, it has been an entire week, you know,” he said with mock sternness, as she heard the rustling of him settling back in his favorite worn out leather chair. “I was starting to wonder if you even think about your old man at all, anymore.”

“Oh, stop it, dad,” she chuckled. “Things have been kind of crazy this week, you know that.”

“Yeah, yeah,yeah! I vaguely remember what it was like to be young a billion years ago, but it wouldn’t have hurt to send me a text in your spare time, kiddo.”

This time she outright laughed, enjoying the way he made fun of himself so easily, just like when she was growing up. “You’re not that old. And I would have messaged you if I had any spare time to speak of, but midterms and the Sentinel kicked my butt when I wasn’t at work, so...”

“I guess, I’ll let you off the hook this time, but only because I get to see you next weekend.”

“Gee, thanks,” Laura said with an eye roll, as she moved up in line. It would be her turn to order soon, but she didn’t bother looking at the menu, because she already knew what she wanted.

“Although I’m a little hurt, that it takes your cousin getting engaged for you to come for a visit before the holidays,” he said, semi-jokingly. And damn, was he laying the guilt trip on thick tonight, which was more than enough of an indicator that he was up to something. “Which brings me to the reason I called you earlier,” he finished in a way that made her kind of nervous.

“What would that be?”

“You’re girlfriend,” he said, trying to curb his excitement, but she heard it loud and clear. “There won’t be anything to prevent her from joining us, will there? Because we’re all on pins and needles! I mean, this is the first time you’re actually bringing someone ‘special’ home with you, and we can’t wait to meet her.”

“No, she’ll be with me guaranteed,” Laura shook her head with a grin, even though the conversation made her kind of anxious because it was based on one big lie after another. “I’m giving you my permission to tell everyone, because Carm wouldn’t miss it for the world, and I know you’re going to do it anyway.”

“Carm, huh,” he murmured, letting her name roll off his tongue thoughtfully. “As in your best friend that you’ve been living with for years, and talk about every chance you get, like she’s the best thing to come along since you discovered chocolate chip cookies. Is that her?”

“Mmm, well...um, yeah,” she squeaked in an unnaturally high voice, as a blush rose on her cheeks at the way he described her. “But, it’s not like we’ve been...you know, this whole time. Things just kind of changed gradually...” she cleared her throat, utterly mortified that she’d just eluded she and Carm were having sex. Not that it wasn’t already implied, since they were supposedly ‘in a relationship’, but still, that’s not the kind of conversation she wanted to have with her dad, ever.

“No need to explain.” He chuckled knowingly. “I’m aware of how these things go, kiddo, there’s a lot I never told you about me and your mom...”

“Okay, dad, seriously,” she exclaimed, ignoring the butterflies that erupted in her stomach at the mere idea of ‘sleeping’ with her.

A barreling burst of laughter filled her ear, and she could just imagine him rocking back and forth and slapping his knee at her discomfort with the topic, (but even when she was ten and her body started to change, she refused to talk to him about this kind of stuff, and relied on her aunt to teach her everything she needed to know about the birds and the bees).

“I was just going to mention that, we started out as really good friends too,” he said when he regained himself.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Laura mumbled under her breath, because he always liked to reminisce about how he used to romance her mom with chocolates, flowers, and sugar sweet love notes, whenever her love life, or lack of one came up.

“I heard you,” he said with a smile in his voice.

“Yeah, well-you were supposed to,” Laura replied with another eye roll, even as she smiled.

“I just hope Carmilla’s prepared to be thoroughly scrutinized by me,” he said, taking up a serious tone. “And more than likely, your uncle will want to get in on it too.”

“Wait...What?” Laura exclaimed with a high-pitched squeal, because she wasn’t really expecting that.

“I have to make sure she’s good enough for you, pumpkin,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I know she means a lot to you and everything, just by the way you talk about her. But, it takes more than friendship to make a relationship work, and I just want to see the measure of her love for myself, nothing serious.”

‘Holy crap!’ She already felt really bad for deceiving him about having a girlfriend as it was, but this was just too much. ‘H-o-l-y C-r-a-p!’

Laura was about to reply, when a static voice came over the intercom, “Can I take your order, please.”

“Dad, we need to talk about this! Hold on just a second while I order my food,” she said quietly into the receiver on her headset, before speaking up so the attendant could hear her. “I’ll have the double bacon burger, with extra pickles and no mustard, a small side of natural fries, and a jumbo chocolate shake with extra extra syrup whipped cream and two cherries.” She rushed through it and barely paid any attention when they repeated it back to her with her total before telling her to drive up to the next window.

“Okay, I’m back now, so let’s discuss this.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said, choking back a laugh, “besides, it’s pretty obvious that you’re driving, and you know how I feel about that, so I’m going to let you go.”

“D-a-d,” she exclaimed, because he was trying to rush her off the phone now, without giving her a chance to change his mind, and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “I’m sitting in line at the drive thru, not on the road. Don’t you dare hang up with me.”

“It’s still the same thing,” he stated adamantly. “You’re behind the wheel and I don’t want you talking on your phone, because it’s just not safe.”

“But...”

“I know you’re an excellent driver, with a perfect record, because I taught you myself,” he interjected before she could say anything else, “but there are a lot of people out there who aren’t.”

“Fine,” Laura huffed in defeat, because there was no way she could argue with his logic. “At least promise you’ll be nice to, Carm, first.”

“Of course,” he said with a mischievous laugh, “you have nothing to worry about. Talk to you later, kiddo.”

“Bye, dad,” she murmured just before the line disconnected.

Laura paid for her food and got back on the highway, wrapping her fingers on the steering wheel. But, this time it wasn’t because of the melody she’d gotten so used to, so much as the nerves coursing through her entire body. She spent the rest of the short ride home and the time it took her to devour her food replaying the conversation with her dad in head, and by the time she changed her clothes and climbed in bed, she thought it just might burst from an overload.

The most worrisome part was knowing that she was going to have to tell Carm about it, so she truly knew what she was getting herself into, and just hope she didn’t change her mind and back out on her. Not that she would blame her if she did. It was a lot to ask of someone, even her best friend, and just the simple fact that she’d agreed to do it in the first place, made her love her even more. Strictly platonically of course, because yeah. There would never be anything else between them.

“Ugh! Why do I keep on reminding myself of that?”

It happened more times today than she could even count. Her mind just took off in that direction of its own accord, and she couldn’t begin to fathom why. Because, she didn’t have any illusions about Carm or what they meant to each other.

‘But, damn!’ Yeah. That covered it. When she knew the truth, but her brain didn’t always play by the rules, or function in the realm of reality for that matter. It’s just...well, it’s never been this bad before, and she’d been having some rather weird thoughts about Carm for a while now. But, ever since the sparks of intimacy she felt between them when she helped clean her tattoo, it had increased tenfold, maybe even more, and it was so friggin’ confusing.

Laura groaned as her head hit the pillow. But, the moment she looked up at the ceiling a smile spread across her face, and she was transfixed by the glowing constellations above her, that Carm created with stick on stars in every color of the rainbow, so she could still see them when she slept with her. For some reason just the sight of them seemed to wash away all her worries. Letting her eyes drift closed, she didn’t even flinch when the sway of their bodies moving in perfect sync in the bathroom mirror played behind her eyelids, while she relived the feel of her fingertips etching their pattern over every inch of her back.

But that was just the beginning.

Her mind retraced every moment of the week they’d shared together, but ultimately settled on last night as she began to hum softly. Of all the places she thought they might end up, where they did certainly wasn’t one of them. Smiling brighter, she let their song flow out of her and echo around the room harmonious and free because of everything that happened once Carm turned off the car.

She wasn’t all that thrilled when, Carm parked outside a deserted building in one of the slightly seeder parts of town. Half the street lights on the block were either busted or burnt out, and if it weren’t for the first rays of sun brightening the sky, she wouldn’t have even been able to decipher that much about where they were. Not that knowing settled her nerves any, because other than a few homeless people sleeping in the doorways of darkened businesses the street was empty, and much too quiet for her taste. But she trusted Carm absolutely, so she didn’t say a word when she got out of the car, and quickly followed her to the trunk, with her spidey senses tingling like crazy, because these were the type of situations her dad always taught her to avoid.

“Relax, Cupcake,” Carm said, when she closed the trunk, after shouldering their bags, and saw the look on her face.

“I’m fine...and perfectly calm,” she uttered rather unconvincingly.

“Nothing’s going to happen to us,” Carm murmured, kissing her softly to reassure her, before taking her hand and leading her down the street.

They walked for half a block, before stopping in front of a building that looked like it was locked up tight for the night. But, when she pulled on the handle, the door opened with ease, engulfing them in the bright light spilling from inside as well as the hum of conversation and people moving about. Once they made their way up a short flight of stairs and she got a look around at the tables arranged methodically about the expansive room, she realized where they were.

“It’s an internet café!” Turning back to Carm in awe, she could only smile when she found that she was watching her with a smug grin.

“Feel better now, Cutie,” she said, squeezing her hand, as she led the way to a table.

“Yeah, I am,” she murmured glancing around again.

It pretty much reminded her of the campus library with desktop computers at most of the workstations, although there were several standalone hubs capable of connecting up a personal laptop too. “You know I never doubted you though, right,” she said, when Carm set down their bags, and pulled out a chair, motioning for her to sit.

“Mmm hmm, sure you didn’t,” she replied sardonically, as she took a seat next to her and scooched her chair closer so that they were practically shoulder to shoulder.

“No, I mean it, Carm,” she implored with a furrowed brow, “I’ll always place my faith in you, no matter what the circumstance.”

“I know that, Cupcake, I was just messing around.” She leaned in to kiss her softly, letting her lips linger for several moments before pulling back to look her in the eye. “But, I also know how your dad raised you, and even if you hadn’t made it so blatantly obvious, I could feel the nervousness radiating off your body.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, yes you were, Cupcake,” she said with a teasing lilt.

“Shut up,” she pouted. But, that only earned her one of Carm’s trademark smirks in response, and since she found them absolutely adorable she let it slide with nothing more than an eye roll as she grabbed her bag and took out her computer. “How’d you find this place, anyway,” she asked, while she waited for it to boot up.

“I know it’s not exactly my kind of thing. But, I was too drunk to drive one night after... an encounter,” Carm cleared her throat and glanced away timidly before continuing, “and I was walking it off, when a group of people came out, so I decided to see what it was all about. I ended up camping out at one of tables and taking a nap for a couple hours with no one bothering me.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “So, I come here sometimes, when I don’t think I can make it home safely.”

“Carm!” She gaped at her in disbelief. “Why don’t you ever call me? I would come and get you.”

“And leave ‘the beast’ in this part of town overnight...I don’t think so.” Carm slid a soothing hand down her arm to cover hers. “It’s fine, Cupcake. You don’t have to worry about me all the time.”

“Yes, I do!” she murmured adamantly, “I can’t help it. Because you mean so much to me, and I just don’t know any other way to be.” She bit her lip with baited breath, waiting for a response, but Carm just stared at her wordlessly for so long, she started to wonder if she’d said too much or it came out wrong. Because she was just trying to express how much she cared about her, and that described everything going on in her head so perfectly.

Carm finally broke the silence with a raspy breath, “Yeah, I know, Cutie...me to,” she murmured, holding her gaze intently as she stroked the back of her hand.

The uncharacteristically soft glimmer in her dark brown eyes conveyed everything she couldn’t put into words as their mouths met in the tenderest of ways. They broke apart smiling, with flushed cheeks and shallow breaths. In what was the shortest kiss that they had shared, and somehow it felt far more meaningful to her than all the rest, and left her heart pounding in chest.

For a few moments they just looked at each other and tried to catch their breath. But, then Carm trailed her tongue across her lips, and quirked an eyebrow at her with a quick glance at her mouth. Making it obvious she wanted to kiss her again. So, she did. And this time when their mouths brushed together it sent tingles of sensation shooting through her entire body, that was like nothing she’d ever felt before.

She didn’t know if Carm felt the same sensation in the split second it lasted, or anything at all for that matter. But, she’s the one who pulled away first, and let out a soft moan as her eyes fluttered open. Making it impossible to decide what was more incredible, the way every inch of her seemed to come alive in response to the kiss, or hearing that sound leave her lips.

“How’d I ever let you turn me into such a sentimental fool,” Carm scoffed, looking away as she turned a shade of red that she’d never seen on her before.

She couldn’t help but smile at her obvious embarrassment, but only because the tiny smirk tugging at Carm’s mouth gave her away. Even if she wouldn’t say it out loud, it was clear that she was enjoying every moment of it. And that was more than enough for her.

“It’s part of my charm,” she said with a laugh that bordered on giddiness, “and you know it’s why you love me so much.”

She simply shrugged when Carm met her eye again with arched brows and an amused smirk in place, even though her cheeks still held a hint of a blush. And yeah! There was something incredibly—satisfying about turning those words back on her, or maybe it was the way her heart was still racing from the kiss. All she knew for sure was that she felt better than she had in a long time, and it had everything to do with the amazing girl sitting next to her that she was lucky enough to have as a best friend, because even when Carm wouldn’t let the rest of the world in, she never hid from her. And that was pretty darn wonderful.

“You think you’re so damn cute, don’t you!”

“Yep,” she replied with certainty, “now just admit how adorable you are because it’s only fair that you own up to it too.”

She couldn’t help chuckling when Carm rolled her eyes even as a grin played on her face. And the gentle pressure of her hand as it tightened around hers almost made her forget why they were there in the first place.

“Come on, let’s get to work,” Carm murmured, bring her hand to her lips and kissing it before letting go.

She wasn’t the only one flushed as they shared one last smile, before doing just that. At least she attempted to, anyway. But, it took all her energy to try and focus on reading over the rough draft of her paper and the notes she’d made for her quotes, because it was hard not to admire Carm when she spread out her art supplies and started the process of coloring in one of the pictures she’d drawn last night.

From the way the locks of hair she kept tucking behind her ears slipped free and fell across her face when she leaned over to retrace the pencil markings and make them permanent, to the slight flex of muscle in her forearm when she erased the ones she didn’t need and brushed away the debris with quick swipes of her hands, and the sureness she exuded when she picked up a color pencil and began shading. Everything about it was so incredibly beautiful.

“Ahem...” Carm cleared her throat with a knowing smirk, when she glanced up and caught her staring.

“...um, yeah--right! Term paper,” she said, turning to her computer feeling the slight heat of a blush rising on her cheeks.

It wasn’t long before her gaze drifted back over, because she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off her for more than a few moments. And it quickly turned into another one of their games. Every time she peered over to check out the progress of the painting, she’d kiss her on the cheek or simply lean into her, until Carm glanced up with an arched brow and an amused smirk, and ushered her to get back to typing with a quick peck on the lips for encouragement.

But, she wasn’t the only one who had a habit of being distracting, that’s for sure. Because, Carm turned right around and rubbed the back of her neck, or rested her hand on her thigh to trace their pattern on the inside of her knee, and she didn’t stop until she started to squirm. Then she’d take her hand away with a smugly pleased smirk and go back to coloring.

Sometimes it was the accidental brush of their arms or legs that got them going again, but for the most part their caresses were completely intentional, because they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. Not that they were really trying. But, ironically they were being slightly more subdued than usual, since they were in public.

Laura’s eyes drifted open with a content smile when the memory slowly fused with the others in her mind, as she hummed the rest of their song and ended with a little yawn. Just like the rest of the day, she still felt—lighter, almost like she could sprout wings and fly if she wanted to. And it was the nicest thing in the world. She never would’ve guessed that getting up at the crack of dawn to write a term paper would turn out to be so friggin’ amazing, let alone end up being one of the best nights of her life.

Another yawn escaped as she glanced at the clock on her bedside table to see how much longer it was before Carm got home. “Two more hours,” she murmured. But, as the adage goes ‘waiting makes the heart grow fonder’, or in her and Carm’s case, it’ll make kissing so much better than it already was, and she could definitely handle that. With a smile, her heavy lidded eyes fluttered shut once again, and she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

...

The night had dragged by at something slower than a snail’s pace, but to occupy herself and combat the restlessness, Carmilla did some more on the drawing she’d started before Laura got home last night. For the most part she just focused on adding in the small details and perfecting the line work, because she didn’t want to start shading with the limited supply of color pencils she’d had on hand. It didn’t matter that, technically she had all the colors she needed with her to do that part too. They weren’t her Faber’s. And that just wasn’t good enough.

She was going to make this the best painting she’s ever done, and wouldn’t settle for less on any aspect. It simply meant way too much to her, and the intensity of the color and saturation from the Faber’s would make it look real to life, like everything was floating off the paper, and that’s what she was going for. So yeah--there’d be no compromises, big or small. With each stroke of her pencil and every line she added, the restlessness faded, and all concept of the time slipped away. Until there was nothing but the design for the drawing at the forefront of her mind, along with thoughts of her Cupcake that were there already, and...well, the entire week for that matter, because it had been pretty damn amazing.

Needless to say the session was very productive. She’d managed to ink most of the outline by the time Perry came to relieve her and give Nick his closing instructions, and it almost made being there when she wasn’t really needed worth it. But, she was more than ready to leave the Nook behind and head home to surprise her Cupcake. Sighing whimsically, she smiled at the thought of what was waiting for her and couldn’t help repeating Laura’s message silently in her head for what felt like the dozenth time.

Reaching for the burrito nestled in her lap, she took a huge bite as she cruised along with solid green lights as far as she could see. It was when she was chewing slowly, that she recalled the entirety of the text, and not just the kissing part she’d been focusing on ever since she saw it. Laura said specifically that she wanted to hear about her day, and it was inevitable that she would ask while they were cuddling, which wouldn’t have been a problem any other time. But when she thought about whether to mention how turned on she’d gotten earlier, her throat went dry at the very idea of having that conversation.

Swallowing hard to get down the food in her mouth, she wiped her sweaty palm on her pants before returning it to the steer wheel as different scenarios play out in her head. She didn’t really want to keep it a secret from her, but she didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about it either. Not that she was delusional enough to think Laura thought about her in that way. She wasn’t even her type to begin with, so the idea of it was ludicrous. But, she was still kind of afraid that it might make her Cupcake think she was developing feelings for her. And that could make things so fuckin’ awkward, when there was nothing true about it.

And yeah...okay fine, she got more than a little turned on by her last night, and simply thinking about it had the exact same affect. But, she could admit that her body reacts to Laura in ways it’s never responded to another girl. That was nothing to be ashamed of! Her Cupcake’s beautiful inside and out. So who wouldn’t get aroused by her, especially when she was intentionally trying to provoke that response in the first place? Besides, it wasn’t even really a thing, and could easily be dismissed as just another part of the connection they share, so it shouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference that it’s never been quite that intense before. And it certainly didn’t mean she had a thing for Laura, or something crazy like that.

Of course, that rationalization did nothing to ease her mind. She was still feeling all out of sorts, and the only conclusion that made sense was the added benefit of being able to kiss Laura whenever she wanted to was throwing her off her game. So maybe, it would be better if she kept the whole damn thing to herself to avoid any unnecessary confusion. Because it would be a non-issue once she went out to the club this weekend and got it all out of her system.

She spent the rest of the trip trying to push it from her mind, because none of that did anything to stem the desire to cuddle with her Cupcake. If anything, it made the need to be shrouded in her warmth even stronger than it already was. The moment she turned into the complex’s parking lot, she spotted Laura’s Camry, and a tremor ran down her spine as she pulled in next to it and cut the engine. Taking a calming breath, Carmilla stepped out into the cool night and took a moment to glance up at the stars twinkling above the light dusting of clouds. But, she wasn’t idle for long, because as much as they gave her a sense of comfort, it simply didn’t compare to the feel of being wrapped in her Cupcakes arms.

Barely feeling the chill with the way her body was humming all over, she traversed the lot and rushed up the stairs and down the long hallway to their apartment. Other than a sliver of light coming through the gap in the curtains, it was completely immersed in darkness when she entered and clicked the deadbolt into place behind her, not that she’d expected anything else. Without bothering to turn on the light, she dropped her keys in the dish with a little resonating clang, and headed for Laura’s door, easily avoiding bumping into the furniture as she traversed the living room.

But as she got closer, she could tell it was just as dark in there, and there wasn’t an inkling of light coming from under the door. With her hand hovering over the knob, she debated with herself over whether or not to go in, because she really just wanted to crawl in bed with Laura and hold her close so damn much that her heart was actually fluttering in her chest. But, she also knew it wasn’t right to wake her when she was finally getting some much needed rest.

Heaving a sigh, Carmilla let her hand fall back to her side, but even still she stood there rooted to the spot for a few moments longer. It was hard as hell to turn and go to her own room, but she did. Leaving it lit by nothing but light from the moon, she dropped her bag by the nightstand and kicked off her shoes before flopping down on the bed and stretching out on her back. Not caring that she was still fully dressed as she pulled the covers up around her shoulders. It was much earlier than she normally went to bed but she was tired from staying up all night and being gone all day.

Sleep should have come easily. But it didn’t. She doesn’t know how long she tossed and turned, craving the feel of Laura to lull her to sleep, before she ended up just lying there staring out the window at the stars, hoping she’d find the solace in them she always did, while trying to will it to happen. But, after a little longer she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Damn it!” she mumbled, tossing off the covers, and hopping out of bed with a quickness. She’s been missing her Cupcake like crazy all damn day and there was just no way she was going to be able to fall asleep without her. It didn’t really matter how tired she was. She needed her Cupcake, and there were no ‘if, ands or buts’ about it.

Taking a moment to strip down and change into something more comfortable, before she made her way back to Laura’s room to see if she could crawl into the bed without disturbing her. Or if nothing else, she would just settle for sleeping on the floor. She felt guilty and foolish for being so damn needy, but what was she supposed to do, when she’s been waiting for this all day. Shutting the door behind her with a soft click and tiptoeing over to the bed as quietly as possible. When she saw her it left her kind of breathless. The way her hair was splayed across her yellow pillow with tendrils framing her face, she just looked so...

“Cupcake,” she rasped before she could think to stop herself. And she wasn’t really sure whether she’d said her name to see if she would stir, or because she was so beautiful in the dim light seeping in through the window and illuminating the room with the moons glow. But, her heart was beating a little faster either way.

“It took you long enough,” Laura murmured groggily, as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She met her gaze with a sleepy smile and held up the covers for her, chuckling softly when she quickly scampered into bed and wrapped herself around her. “Hey,” she said softly, brushing their mouths together once she was settled.

“Hey, Cutie,” Carmilla said with a satisfied hum, closing her eyes for a moment to breathe in the scent that was so distinctly her, as she tightened her arms around her and drew her even closer. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay. I’ve been drifting in and out for a little bit anyway,” Laura said, letting out a little yawn, before leaning in for a quick kiss.

Carmilla drew her back in for another when she started to pull away, shifting to tangle their legs together, as she slipped a hand beneath the hem of her shirt to scrape her nails across her stomach. Almost instantly she began to squirm, but it wasn’t from her touch, at least not entirely. The foot brushing against the inside of her calf was ice cold and her hand wasn’t much better.

“Carm, you’re freezing,” she mumbled, shuddering against her.

“That’s why I’m here, so you can warm me up,” Carmilla replied with a smirk, as she nuzzled her neck and trailed her foot along her calf again.

“Jerk,” Laura exclaimed giving her a playful shove, but she simply dropped another light kiss on her lips to quiet her and continued to run her foot back and forth along her leg like she always did.

“It’s not my fault that you’re always warmer than me,” she said against her lips, loving how easy it was to stem her protest with a kiss. But, even before it was a thing, she would simply brush her lips over the sensitive spot behind her ear to make her forget all about it.

“You’re such a brat!”

“Mmm hmm, love you too, Cupcake,” Carmilla drawled.

Laura sensed more than felt her self-assured grin when she rested her head on her shoulder again, and it drove her kind of crazy. Because yeah...Okay, fine. So, maybe she really likes the feel of their contrasting body temperatures a lot more than she lets on, and she knew Carm was well aware of that. But, she didn’t have to be so darn smug about it all the time.

“You can stop smiling now,” she mumbled giving her butt a soft smack.

“Nope,” Carmilla’s grinned broadened. “And I like when you do that, so it didn’t really help your case.”

Rolling her eyes, Laura couldn’t help but smile, as she brushed her lips against her cheek and murmured, “be quiet.”

For a while they laid in comfortable silence, but she didn’t forget what she had to do. Even if the conversation with her dad was a deal breaker, not telling Carm wasn’t an option. She figured now was as good a time as any, because there was no point in putting it off. Sure, it was a little nerve wracking but she didn’t want Carm to feel like she was obligated to her, or that it was another part of her punishment she couldn’t get out of, (enticing her to go to the party was the most she was willing to draw her out of her comfort zone), and it was really important to her that Carm made the decision free and clear.

“What’s on your mind, Cupcake,” Carmilla said after several moments of feeling her stirring and twitching against her.

“So, um...I talked to my dad earlier on the way home, and uh--there’s kind of something I need to tell you about next weekend because, well--um, I don’t want you to be blindsided...”

“Mmm hmm,” Carmilla simply murmured in between stammers, cuddling her closer and doing her best to let Laura get it out because she was clearly nervous about whatever it was.

“...and this might change your mind about doing it, which is totally fine, because I won’t blame you if it does. I just want you to know that.” she said adamantly, tugging on the sleeve of her midriff shirt for added emphasis. “Because, it already means so much to me that you even agreed to it, and I know it was a lot to ask...well, I didn’t really ask, because you offered since you didn’t like the idea of me finding someone through the personals, but still. It’s the same thing. And um...”

“Okay, Cutie, spit out, before you make me as anxious as you are,” Carmilla interjected softly, placing several light soothing kisses on her neck.

“Mmm!” Laura moaned at the distraction. Tangling her fingers in her hair, as she let the words slip out without the nervous rambling to interfere. “My dad intends to put you through the ringer, which means he’ll be assessing everything you say and do to make sure you’re good enough for me, and he’s going to get my uncle involved in his scheming too...”

Breaking the contact, Carmilla propped herself up with a smirk twitching on her lips, “is that why you thought I was going to change my mind?”

“Um...well, yeah. Pretty much,” Laura nodded, not sure what to make of her response.

There wasn’t even the slightest inkling of apprehension or regret marring her beautiful features, and this was nothing like what she was anticipating, that’s for sure. And it almost seemed a little too good to be true, to believe she was taking the news so well, because Carm had a tendency to shirk anything that involved her emotionally investing herself in something, and she didn’t really think she was an exception to that rule regardless of the closeness and intimacy that they share, which is why it meant so much to her that Carm had even offered to help her to begin with.

“Well, Cutie, you have nothing to worry about then. I’ll have you know, I wouldn’t expect anything less from him, and I can handle it.” Carmilla drawled, breaking out in a full blown grin, before her Cupcake squealed happily. Drawing her back in for a tight hug and brushing their mouths together, so the last part ended up being whispered against her lips. “Everything will go off without a hitch. Trust me.”

That little peck turned into another and another, and Carmilla was more than happy to let it happen, because one of her favorite things about cuddling was when her Cupcake got really assertive and demanding. She absolutely loved it when she tangled her fingers in hair and gave it a gentle tug, which was something she only ever let her do, and nobody else. Her fingers wove in deeper to scrape her scalp, and she purred in response to the light massage, as her own hand found its way beneath the hem of her shirt again to trace across her abdomen and feel the muscles contracting with every breath.

Laura slipped her hand from her hair to trail up and down her back, and she let out a groan of pleasure when she felt the light bite of her nails through her shirt. It was so easy to lose herself when she was like this, and she often craved it, because it was nice to let go without all the usual fear she was accustomed to. There was nothing but trust and love in every caress, and the soft echo of their rhythmic breathing filling the room soothed her in a way nothing else did, not even driving ‘the beast’.

She was getting really into it when Laura’s hand stilled on the small of her back, and she pulled away to look at her. “Oh, Carm, before I forget to ask, how was your day?” She said resting her head on the pillow next to hers as her hand started moving in little circles.

“Really, Cupcake,” she muttered with a pout. “You had to remember that right now!”

“Your adorable when you whine, I hope you know that,” Laura said, grinning cheekily. “But still...talk now, cuddle later.”

“Fine,” Carmilla huffed. Sneakily stealing one last kiss before settling her head on her shoulder to look up at the glowing stars with a tiny satisfied smirk.

While she gathered her thoughts, she began to trace the constellations on her stomach as her gaze travelled from one to the other. Starting with Orion and on to Ursa Major, she recreated the patterns with deft accuracy, enjoying the way her breath hitched with every stroke of her fingers, and finally began to speak when she got to one of her favorite ones, that made up the star system of Pegasus.

“Leslie was a total bitch as expected, and this time I almost went after her, when she knocked the books I’d inventoried and sorted off the cart, but then I thought about what it would be like to watch you kick her ass, and that was enough to calm me down,” she couldn’t help but smile when, Laura chuckled at that.

She paused for a moment, then purposely skipped over the part before class, “and my midterm was...a pain in the ass, but they always are, so nothing new there,” she mumbled. But, omitting it just didn’t sit right with her and her heart reacted to that accordingly, beating much faster than it normally did when they were snuggled up, and her stomach didn’t feel quite right either. But, she went on determined to ignore it.

“I think the most interesting thing to happen was when the pseudo mad scientist friend of yours came by the Nook to see Perry with one of their ‘experiments’ in hand, again. And of course they stopped to bother me, and almost ended up dropping the damn thing at my feet.”

“You didn’t throw them out on their butt again, did you?” Laura asked, trying to knead away the tension she felt building up in her back and shoulders.

“No. Perry got to them in time.” Carmilla replied, as her leg began to move restlessly against the mattress.

“That’s good,” Laura said, because it would make things a bit awkward Saturday night, if she had.

She wasn’t oblivious to the way Carm’s entire body was practically vibrating with the same raw pent up energy she has when she’s really emotional and needed physical contact though, which didn’t make any sense, because she was just talking about her day. And from the sound of it, it was fairly average at best. So, there was certainly no reason for her to be this wound up, unless--there was something she wasn’t telling her.

Any other time, she would have bit her tongue to curb her curiosity, and waited for her to get it off her chest on her own, but she had a distinct feeling she wasn’t going to do that tonight. And she couldn’t stand to see her like this. “What’s wrong, Carm?” She said softly, trailing her hand down to massage her leg and ease the spasms she felt vibrating through the bed.

“Nothing,” Carmilla mumbled.

Worrying her lip, because not telling Laura about the ‘incident’ wasn’t nearly as easy as she had thought it would be. And she felt incredibly guilty, when she simply let out a small sigh and kept rubbing her leg until it stilled. “Cupcake,” she said, barely above a whisper. “There was—uh, kind of something else that happened today. But, I don’t want to tell you, because I don’t want you to freak on me.”

“I won’t. I promise.” Laura smiled tenderly, when she cut her eyes at her with an edge of uncertainty. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, it’s just us. And you can always talk to me about anything, you know that,” she said softly, kissing her forehead for a little bit of extra encouragement.

“Okay,” Carmilla murmured. Closing her eyes at the soft brush of her lips against her skin, she let out the breath she’d been holding and with it everything just came flowing out. “Before I went to class, I was thinking about what happened on the way to the internet café and I...it made me horny all over again, and not just a little either. But, like really turned on to the point where I almost skipped out on the beginning of my midterm to go to the bathroom and take care of myself. I didn’t because getting to spend more time with you tonight meant more to me than that, but I was so wet, I really wanted to.” She opened her eyes to look at her, biting her lip even harder than before when she met her wide-eyed gaze.

For several moments Laura merely blinked, opening and closing her mouth, and willing something other than air to slip between her lips. It wasn’t that she was freaking out, or even the result of being particularly shocked for that matter, because she was the farthest thing from it. But, it was just...well, this was the only time since they’d known each other that Carm wasn’t trying to be all cool and disaffected, or make light of the affect she has on her, and it was more than enough to render her completely speechless.

‘Because, like...wow.’ She never thought she’d see the day, and yeah it just blew her away. Only, Carm must have taken her prolonged silence to mean something else entirely, because before she could fully process the sense of euphoria coursing through her body, she flushed with embarrassment and pulled out of her arms.

“Laura, you promised,” she scoffed, turning away to get out of bed.

“Hey, no...come back here,” Laura murmured, finding her voice as she sat up to wrap her arms around her and draw her back down before she could swing her legs over the side and stand.

She didn’t necessarily make it hard for her, but she wasn’t as receptive to being held as she’d been before and she flinched when she touched her, which hadn’t happened in...well, it’d never been like this before, and that was something she intended to fix before it had a chance to fester and create a chasm between them.

“I wasn’t freaking out, Carm! I swear.” Laura rolled her eyes and simply smiled, when she huffed in response and chose to stare at the ceiling, instead of looking her in the eye. “I’m sorry that’s the impression you got, but it doesn’t mean it’s remotely true. It’s just...this is the first time you’ve ever acknowledged the effect I have on you without being all sarcastic, or purposely doing something to make me blush and forget. So, yeah—I was surprised by it, but that’s all. Now will you please stop being broody, and look at me, so we can talk?” She pressed feather light kisses on her cheek and her forehead when she finally turned to meet her gaze, before placing one on her lips.

Carmilla let out an airy sigh and relaxed into her, “you’re not weirded out about,” she said, as the tension melted away and left her body, because that was really all it took for her defenses to come crumbling down.

“No,” Laura said simply, grinning broadly when she drew her even closer and draped an arm around her waist with a relieved breath of contentment, before leaning in for another tender kiss. In the next beat, things were back to the way they were. Trailing a hand up to caress her cheek affectionately, she whispered the same words she’d said last night, “I’ll always place my faith in you,” and was rewarded with the sweetest smile. They gazed at each other for a few moments, or maybe it was minutes. She didn’t know, and it didn’t really matter either way.

“I just wish we didn’t feel like we had to keep these things to ourselves in the first place. Because, it’s really not a big deal, as long as we don’t make it one.” She said eventually, chuckling when Carm arched an eyebrow at her in question. “I mean, think about, Carm! If we’re being honest, we get each other turned on all the time, intentionally. And neither of us feels awkwardly about it. Why should this be any different?”

“So,” cocking her head, Carmilla pursed her lips thoughtfully, “...it’s just as normal as the games we play?”

“Yeah, because it only has the weight we give it,” Laura stated with certainty, smiling at the understanding dawning in her eyes.

“Thanks, Cutie. That makes so much sense,” Carmilla murmured, licking her lips as she dipped her head to brush their mouths together, before burrowing into the pillow and nuzzling her neck.

In that moment, their relationship and the bond they shared at the essence of their friendship grew stronger. Now that they’d talked about this stuff and gotten it all out in the open, changing everything, it was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders for all the times they’d avoided having this conversation, and with it a sense of lightness washed over them, or maybe it was just the sparks of electricity crackling in the air and filling every inch of the room.

“...I guess in all fairness, I should tell you about last Sunday,” Laura groaned, when she started kissing the spot behind her ear that made her toes curl.

“Wait! What do you mean?”

Carmilla’s head popped back up instantly, so she could lock eyes with her. And the glint she saw shining in those honeyed depths when her Cupcake grinned made it pretty damn obvious that she wasn’t the only one with an incredibly sexual story. There were just so many good things that came to mind when she thought about that day though, and it was hard to pinpoint on which one of them put that look there.

“What have you been keeping from me all week long,” she said, shifting onto her side and resting her head in her hand without breaking eye contact.

“Well,” Laura said sly, reaching out to twirl a lock of her raven hair around her finger. “I was already more than a little aroused from the patterns you were drawing on my palm while we were cuddling, but then we got up to get ready and I saw what you were wearing and...let’s just say, I barely made it to my room before my hand was down my pants.”

“Really,” Carmilla drawled, arching her eyebrows as a smirk played on her lips. In one swift motion she moved to straddle her, and pin her arms between their bodies. “I’m curious, Cupcake, did you just enjoy seeing me in my underwear, or was it my ass in the air that really pushed you over...”

“Shush you,” Laura pressed a finger to her lips to quiet her, when she finally got a hand free. “I wasn’t the one who almost masturbated in a public bathroom, remember. So, you really can’t talk,” she said, shifting her hips slightly so Carm wouldn’t notice she was giving herself a little leverage, and in the next moment she expertly flipped her on her back and returned the favor, trapping her hands above her head with a grin.

“I wasn’t teasing you, Cutie,” Carmilla murmured, drawing her lip between her teeth, as her legs started sliding rhythmically back and forth against the sheets, (but this time it was for a completely different reason than before). “I just want to know.”

‘Because, yeah...what was the harm in it, if they weren’t giving any real meaning to any of this.’

“It’s late and we both have to get up early,” Laura countered, leaning in to whisper, “besides, why should I tell you...when I’m supposed to be paying you back for the hickey and being a smartass last night.”

“I, um...” Carmilla’s tongue darted out to moisten her parched lips, “...knowing will help me sleep, because if you don’t tell me, I’ll spend hours wondering and won’t be worth anything tomorrow,” she said hoping her answer was good enough, because she was pretty sure her punishment had just started, and she knew her Cupcake had plans for her.

“Alright,” Laura said, releasing her grip and slipping off her, “I will give you this, but don’t think it means I’m going to let you off easy.”

“I don’t,” Carmilla replied with a breathless grin, as she turned onto her side, so she could snuggle up behind her.

As soon as they were settled, she reached back for her hand and laced their fingers together, wrapping her arm tightly around her. Letting the sound of Laura’s soft voice and very detailed recount of exactly what she did to herself lull her toward the type of dream filled sleep that her fantasies were made of. “I was so far gone by then, Carm,” she murmured drowsily in her ear, “I pinched my nipple roughly, twisting it between my fingers and thrust deep inside pumping frantically, but it wasn’t enough, so I added another and fingered myself until I came, drenching my pants, the sheets and the mattress,” was the last thing she heard as she clutched their interlocked hands to her chest and succumbed to tiredness.