The club was dark, loud, the odd strobe lights flashing on and off in the distance every so often. It was the place you went if you were looking for a one-night stand, really.

So why, exactly, had Laura allowed LaFontaine to drag her here? 'It'll be fun!' they said. 'It's about time you got yourself a woman!' they said. Maybe it was. Laura was 21 and she hadn't had a girlfriend since she left high school. It took a little bit of convincing before she finally agreed. After all, what harm could it do?

And so here she was, shuffling awkwardly between drunken couples making out against the wall of the narrow corridor leading into the main part of the club. Of course, Danny had to tag along, claiming it was to make sure Laura didn't get herself into any trouble when really it was just so she could catch Betty once she was off the clock. Now that they had hired another bartender, the ginger was able to have a drink and a dance with her girlfriend once she'd finished her duties behind the bar. Perry was set to join them later on.

The Lustig had opened about a year ago and had since then become insanely popular among the students on and around Silas University campus. It was known for its Blackouts (where they shut off all of the lights so you could 'mingle' and dance with a complete stranger in the dark. If you asked Laura, really, on its own, it was just a huge inconvenience and all it succeeded in doing was increasing the amount of collisions you had with other people) and for its foam parties that happened once in a while. All in all, it wasn't really Laura's style, but she was already here so she might as well make the most of it.

LaFontaine had a grip on her right hand, pulling her through so she didn't get lost in the mass of bodies, most of them being the ridiculously huge Zeta Omega Mu guys. Danny was right behind, practically shoving the guys out of the way, more than half of them being smaller than her.

Laura wasn't really surprised when LaFontaine dragged her straight to the bar. It was in the corner, stretching around two walls in an L shape. They were perched at the corner, so they had a good view down both sides of the bar. Betty was manning one end, the new bartender on the other. She was facing away from them, neither her nor Betty had realised that they were there.

Laura took the time to quickly scan over the back of the new girl. Dark hair in soft waves, back tank top, leather pants and a red plaid shirt tied around her waist. (To Laura, her whole get-up was screaming lesbian.) She only had a few seconds before Betty approached them, winking at Danny. It was then that the new bartender chose to walk past behind the blonde, tapping her on the back before sticking her finger in her mouth and gagging, clearly making fun of the relationship between the medical major and the green-high-waisted-jeaned giant.

All Laura caught sight of within those few seconds was a pale face and a jawline to die for.

Danny had ordered drinks for all three of them and took them over to a table on the far side, not too far away from the bar. The perks of being friends with the bartender? Free drinks. Still, even after Laura had walked away from the bar, the dark-haired girl still lingered in her mind for a bit.

She was on her third cocktail, not drunk but considerably buzzed. It gave her a little more confidence and she leaned forward, elbows on the table and staring right at Danny. "So, um, the new bartender. What's the deal?"

Danny looked up from her phone, half way through texting Perry. "Her name's Carmilla. I've only spoke to her once or twice but from what I can see she isn't all that bad." She shrugged, sending the text and slipping her phone back into her pocket, smiling up at LaF once they returned from the bar. "Perry won't be long."

LaF nodded, "Well, I'm gonna wait in the corridor then." On the outside they were calm but Laura knew they were excited. It'd be the first time that they'd see their girlfriend in about a week, due to some family events on Perry's side.

They both watched the ginger walk off and once they were out of sight, Danny stood up and announced that she was going for another drink.

Laura jumped at the chance, "I'll join you." She nodded quickly a couple of times, more to confirm to herself that wow, was she actually doing this? They walked to the bar together, looking like a ridiculous pair because of the height difference, however once they reached the bar, Danny split off to the other end towards Betty.

And then there was one.

Okay, maybe she wasn't buzzed enough to do this – to talk to a girl that looked absolutely ridiculously hot in leather pants. Who even pulls off leather that well anymore? The realisation came too late though, because Carmilla had already spotted her and was walking in her direction. Laura watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering for a few seconds like they were adjusting something. Since when did women this attractive exist? Had she missed something?

"What can I get you, sweetheart?"

Laura jumped a little, her mind was pondering Carmilla's existence so much that she hadn't realised the other girls face was next to hers. "Oh—um, yeah, sure."

Carmilla's head was tilted slightly and she let out a small huff of laughter. "Care to tell me what you want exactly?"

Laura didn't even need another drink, she had half of a cocktail left anyway, but she'd been caught so she was kind of compelled to order another. "Whatever you recommend."

The bartender's lips pulled up in a smirk and she leaned forward slightly, close enough that Laura could feel her breath against her ear. "I'd recommend the Carmilla but I'm not too sure how much you can handle." She figured that Danny would've told her who she was.

Laura's jaw dropped and she stared as the other girl pulled away, watching her laugh and wink before her hand went up to her ear again.

Carmilla ended up making her a Bloody Mary, and unfortunately for Laura that was the first and last time she would speak to her that night.