Chapter Text
Erin Gilbert was responsible, that was the word she’d use to describe herself, she always thought things through and she always obeyed the rules. She was actually voted Most Sensible in high school and she hadn’t changed. That’s what she was thinking about as she marked the papers scattered over her thighs, her side of the bed, and the floor below her. She may be sensible but that didn’t mean at almost three o’clock in the morning she wasn’t messy. As she reached for her pen her eyes lingered over the sleeping form of the person next to her. Crazy blonde hair, detached from its usual tens of bobby pins and bun, flowing down between perfect shoulder blades, which Erin had a sudden urge to scatter kisses all over. The sheet was low, barely clinging to Jillian Holtzmann’s hips, and as she shifted in her sleep it sunk lower, making Erin’s cheeks heat up, now being able to see Jillian’s sex. She snapped back to her papers, trying to focus, mumbling the words she read under her breath as she did so.
“Erin?” The voice that escaped Holtzmann’s lips was barely audible and hoarse. Erin looked over to see that she was lying on her back now. She could see the small goose bumps that had risen across Holtzmann’s breasts and down her stomach and wandered why she wouldn’t just pull the sheet up, not that she wanted her to, because it was a truly beautiful sight.
“Yes?”
“Are you grading papers right now?” A smirk formed on Holtzmann’s lips and her eyebrows furrowed in the most adorable way.
“Yes?” Erin repeated.
“Have you looked at mine?” Holtz twisted so she was on her side, her head resting in the palm of her hand, her hair a messy tussle of wavy curls around her elbow, her eyebrows now waggling about, in a way that made Erin feel half turned on and half hysterical.
“No. I have not, and don’t think for a moment that…” But Erin was distracted as Jillian slowly raked her teeth over her bottom lip. She couldn’t take her eyes away as it was left a brighter red than the top one and all she wanted to do was kiss those perfect lips.
“That?” Holtz murmured.
“That… that because you’re… you’re with me, that you’ll get any special treatment.”
“With you? You could just say we’re fucking,” Jillian lets out an exaggerated breathy moan to accompany the word ‘fucking’, and then laughs, clambering out of bed, all of her naked body now visible. Erin thinks she might drown in the puddle that has formed in her underwear. Of course she’s seen Holtz naked before, but she still gets that same feeling every time she sees her. She’s never seen a body so perfectly formed, every curve, the dip in her collarbones, the smoothness of her jawline and the way her nose curves upwards, her hip bones that slightly poke out when she moves a certain way, Erin can’t help but be breathless each time.
“You’re the definition of distraction, you know?” Erin sighs, casting her eyes down, back to her paper, trying to be nonchalant about the fact that the girl she’s with is standing at the foot of her bed, stark naked.
Jillian shrugs, “Maybe. You don't mind though, do you?"
Erin blushes. No, she doesn't.
"Shhh. I'm trying to work."
"Mmkay. Do you want coffee?"
"Yes, please. And," Erin pauses. "Put a shirt on at least."
Jillian laughs, but grabs a shirt that was discarded earlier on the floor, and pulls it over her head as she leaves the room.
*/*
Erin knows this is against the rules - whatever it is she and Holtz are doing. She had poured over the University handbook, scouring every page, hoping to find some sort of loophole. She might obey the rules, and be the most sensible person in the world, but she also couldn't ignore her heart. Not when it felt like it would come pounding right out of her chest each time she saw Jillian. No, there was no ignoring that.
*/*
"Doc?" Erin turned away from the smart-board and back to the lecture hall, looking for the person that accompanied the voice that had just spoken.
"It's Doctor Gilbert." Erin corrected, still struggling to find the person. Her eyes landed on the girl whom had spoken. Bam. It was like someone had shoved her hard in the stomach. The girl had a mess of blonde curls twisted half back into a bun and half whipped across her head. She had dimples deep enough to hold water. And she was looking at Erin with glaring blue eyes. She had the cutest nose Erin had ever laid eyes on. The girl was holding a pen to her mouth that she was chewing on the end of. It was one of Erin's pet peeves. She took a gulp of air.
"Doc, is it true... about the ghosts?" One of the girl's eyebrows arched, and she popped the pen back in her mouth, holding it there with an open mouthed smile, revealing perfectly white teeth.
"Uh, oh, well, um..." Erin stumbled over her words, partially due to the girl's ridiculous beguilement and partially due to the chosen question. "That isn't what this class is about."
"Right. So maybe later then?" Erin was sure it must have just been a trick of the light- she didn't just wink at her, right?
"Anyway..." Erin continued, trying to keep focused on the course material, but she couldn't help finding those blue eyes every now and then, as she spoke.
Erin watched as everyone filtered out of the lecture hall when she was finished. Sure enough, the girl had remained in her seat, now one leg was draped over the seat next to her, the pen still in her mouth.
"Can I help you?" Erin managed to shakily choke out. The girl just grinned, then stumbled gracelessly from her seat and marched down the steps right up to the lectern where Erin was standing. Involuntarily, Erin sucked in her breath.
"Holtz. Holtzmann." The girl extended her hand for Erin to shake and when Erin extended her own she pulled it back and ran it through her hair instead. Erin sighed. Holtz grinned. And there were those damn dimples again.
"I'm not talking about... about the thing, so." Erin said, shuffling her papers together and putting them in her bag.
"Wanna just grab dinner instead then?" Holtz said so quickly that Erin wasn't even sure she heard her correctly.
"What?"
"What?" Holtz repeated, shaking her head, as if she hadn't said anything at all. Erin couldn't decide whether she found the girl annoying or charming. But there was one thing for sure - she was hot. And that one thing was distracting her. She knew she had to get out of there otherwise she'd do something stupid, she was sure.
*/*
Erin doesn't remember saying yes. She doesn't remember walking down to the quiet cafe on the end of her block. She doesn't remember much really since she left the university this afternoon. But somehow here she is, sitting across from Holtz in a quiet corner, in chairs that are much too low. Holtz is babbling on about something but Erin isn't listening, she's more focused on her mouth and her dimples that appear as quickly as they vanish. Erin is mesmerised, she can't believe someone can speak this fast, that someone’s mouth can move that quickly.
"You're not listening." When Erin falls back into reality, pulling her eyes away from Holtz's lips, she sees that she is watching her with raised eyebrows, an amused look on her face.
"Um." Erin licks her lips nervously.
"Is something wrong?" Holtz asks, leaning back in her chair. Erin opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. I don't know how I got here and the way your nose crinkles when you laugh makes my stomach flip, and that's terrifying.
"Doc?"
"Erin." Apparently she's lost control of her mouth, because Erin can't believe she's just said that.
"Erin? Sweet." Holtz grins.
They do this a lot over the next few weeks. They adopt the corner as their own and talk about science and ghosts and eventually they delve into their personal lives. Erin learns to focus and listen, instead of staring. Sometimes Holtz holds her hand when they leave the cafe. Erin secretly wishes she’d do it every time, but she’s too afraid to reach out and grab Jillian’s hand of her on accord, and she doesn’t dare just ask, so the sometimes just have to do.