These Walls Between Us (Are Paper Thin) Trufreak89
Summary:
When college senior, Carmilla Karnstein, moves in to one of the apartment buildings owned by her mother, she really isn't expecting much; that's why the building manager's daughter takes her by such surprise.
Work Text:
"Stupid...damn...machine..." Carmilla Karnstein punctuated each snarled word with a kick of her foot. The sounds of her cussing, along with her heavy boot connecting with the side of the dryer, echoed in the empty laundry room. When kicking the machine didn't get it working, she started yanking on the door handle instead.
"God. Damn. it! Why won't you open!" The college senior was starting to lose what little patience she had left as she wrestled with the dryer. She slammed her palm down on the top of it, just about ready to give up on ever getting her clothes back.
"Jeez, what did Betsy do to you?" Carmilla almost jumped out of her skin as an amused voice sounded behind her. She turned to glare at the unwelcome guest, but faltered as she found herself facing a smiling young woman. In the end, she wound up just staring blankly at the stranger.
The girl was gorgeous.
"Betsy... that's the dryer." The girl elaborated, her smile lighting up her whole face. There was something so easy and carefree about it that Carmilla felt the corners of her own lips curling up.
The other girl looked to be barely an inch over five foot, and maybe a couple of years younger than Carmilla herself. Her sandy-brown hair was tied back, wrapped around what looked like a pencil; with little wispy strands escaping from her messy bun.
She had a bohemian look about her – dressed in denim dungarees and a tank top – and Carmilla pictured her as an art student, or something similar.
"You named the dryer?" Carmilla arched a single, perfectly sculpted, eye-brow at the younger girl, making her blush. She dropped her gaze, still wearing a bashful smile. Ignoring Carmilla's teasing, the girl stepped up to the dryer and dropped down beside it.
She snaked an arm around the back of the machine, pulling loose a metal panel that gave her access to the wiring inside; as well as showing off the pretty impressive definition of her biceps.
"Betsy is older than I am. She's temperamental, but treat her right...and...voilà." The door to the dryer popped open, freeing Carmilla's trapped clothes.
"My hero." Carmilla's smirk widened as she started pulling out her clothes – which included some lacy underwear – and the other girl looked away, sheepishly. "I don't suppose you're as handy when it comes to plumbing? My hot water seems to have a mind of its own." Carmilla was only half joking.
Her morning shower had almost resulted in her developing hypothermia when the hot water had suddenly cut out. "You're in 4B, right?" The girl asked, and then quickly added, "Not that I'm some creepy stalker or something! I'm in 4A, just across the hall. I saw you moving in the other day..."
Carmilla had been in her new apartment for all of two days. It was hardly a palace, but the neighbourhood was up-and-coming, and it was a step up from living in the dorms back on campus.
"I'm Laura, by the way. Laura Hollis. My dad's the Building Manager." The younger girl offered out her hand. She quickly drew it back when Carmilla just stared blankly at it, as though the custom of shaking hands was completely alien to her. She at least gave Laura her name though.
"Carmilla."
"Nice to meet you Carmilla! Welcome to the building!" Laura beamed at her. Carmilla wasn't sure how she was managing to keep smiling so widely, and for so long; her own cheeks ached just watching the other girl. "I could take a look at your hot water... if you wanted? The pressure in the boiler probably just needs regulating."
"Knock yourself out, Mario." Carmilla shrugged, though she was biting back a grin as she picked up her laundry basket and followed Laura back upstairs. The laundry room was located down in the basement, so they had to climb up four flights of stairs to reach the floor that they shared.
The stairs finished on the fourth floor, with a separate set of steps leading up to the roof. Carmilla had tried to get up on the roof the first night she'd moved in, but the access door had been locked.
"I haven't exactly settled in yet." Carmilla seemed almost self-conscious as she unlocked her front door and stepped inside, her new neighbour following close behind her. Like Laura's own home, the kitchen and living room were open plan.
There were boxes and boxes piled up everywhere Laura looked. There was a single leather couch, along with two mismatched chairs sitting in front of a flat-screen TV. Rather than being fitted to the wall, the television was resting on one of the many cardboard boxes that filled the room.
Some of the boxes were open, with clothes spilling out of them. More clothes were strewn around the room, along with take-out boxes and books of various sizes. Carmilla wasn't much of a housekeeper.
"Your water heater should be in here." Laura ducked down in front of the kitchen sink, pulling open the cabinet below it. Sure enough, the boiler was there. It was the same unit that was in every other apartment. Laura could take it apart in her sleep.
She had helped her dad strip down and reassemble similar units more times than she could count. Laura could identify every last piece of the water heater; from the cold water valve right down to the thermocouple.
"If you're getting hot water some of the time, then your bottom element has probably burnt out. When the top element gets too hot it cuts-off and the bottom one should come on." Laura explained, while wrestling the cover plate off the boiler. "I'll have to turn the power off to it at the breaker, then test the elements..."
"Go for it, Cupcake." Carmilla shrugged. She couldn't identify a heating element if her life depended on it. Laura promised to be right back and bounced out the front door, leaving it ajar behind her. She was back within the space of a few minutes, carrying a metal toolbox that looked like it weighed more than Laura herself.
There was also an old tool-belt slung low around her hips. Carmilla found it oddly alluring. She bit back a snort, suddenly reminded of the start of a terrible porno.
Laura's attention was back on the water heater as Carmilla hopped up on to the counter beside the sink. "So are you a contractor or something? You look a little young to be qualified to do this." The older girl probed, hoping to learn more about her new neighbour.
"I'm not qualified at anything, just good with my hands." Laura answered. Coming from anyone else, Carmilla might have considered the comment to be flirtatious; but there was just something so innocent about Laura.
Of course, that didn't stop the suggestive smirk that flitted across Carmilla's lips. "I'm sure you are." She teased, making Laura blush as she realised what she'd just said.
"I uh... My dad's the building manager. I've been helping him just about since I could walk. I love taking stuff apart, figuring out how it works and putting it back together." Laura shrugged as she looked up at the older girl. She almost seemed bashful, as though she were admitting some deep, dark secret.
"You'd get on like a house on fire with my friend LaF," Was all Carmilla said back to her. She let the other girl get back to work, watching with childlike curiosity as Laura tested to see if the element was burned out. She was using something that looked like it belonged in a high school science class.
Two wires and some crocodile clamps attached a metal probe to a small bulb and a battery. With one of the clamps attached to the metal screw of the element, it formed a closed circuit, through which the electricity from the battery could conduct all the way around to the bulb.
The bulb didn't light up. Carmilla wasn't sure whether that was good or bad. Laura put the testing unit back in her tool box and began tinkering with the boiler, removing what Carmilla guessed was the old, burned out, element. "So what is it you do? Besides help out damsels in distress?"
"I'm a student."
"Really? What's your major?"
"Oh, I'm –" Laura's answer was interrupted by her cell-phone going off. The first few bars of the song Daddy Cool started before she could pick up. "Sorry, just a sec, it's my dad." Laura sheepishly explained.
Carmilla wandered over the fridge while Laura was talking on her phone. She busied herself with getting two cans of soda out, while trying to look like she wasn't eavesdropping; even through she could hear every word the other girl was saying.
"Sorry about that." Laura tried to apologise again as she finished the call and hung up.
"It's fine." Carmilla waved the apology off, and held out one of the sodas for the younger girl to take. She'd worked up quite a thirst, tinkering around with the boiler.
Carmilla hopped back up on to the counter, while Laura knelt back down under the sink again. "So what's the diagnosis, Doc? Is my water heater going to live? Or am I going to have to take Old Yella out
back?"
"She'll live." Laura let out a chuckle. "I just need to change this element and you'll be taking nice, hot, showers in no time. It won't take long."
"Take all the time you need, Buttercup." Carmilla didn't have any plans for the afternoon anyway. Even if she did have, she'd have happily canceled them in order to spend more time watching Laura work. The other girl's tongue was poking out of the side of her mouth as she worked on changing over the elements. It was pretty cute.
Sadly, it didn't take Laura all that long to finish up. She had the cover plate back on the working boiler before she'd even finished half her soda. "That should do you." She beamed at the older girl, wiping her hands down on the sides of her dungarees.
She'd brushed a strand of hair back from her face beforehand, leaving a smudge of dirt on her cheek. Carmilla couldn't help herself as she wiped it away with her thumb. "Thanks." Her voice was thick and husky.
Laura was dumbstruck. Her brain seemed to have flat out abandoned her as she stared at Carmilla's full lips. For the briefest second, she thought her new neighbour might be about to kiss her. Laura would have been lying if she said she wasn't disappointed when Carmilla pulled away.
Her cheeks were flushed as she ducked back down to put her tools away. "No problem." Laura did her best not to sound too flustered as she packed up. "I'm right across the hall if you need anything else."
"I'm sure I'll think of something..." Carmilla muttered under her breath as she followed Laura to the door. Out loud, she said, "I'll do that. Thanks, Cutie Pie."
Laura waved back at her as she unlocked her own front door. She winced as she tripped over her welcome mat, hoping against hope that Carmilla hadn't seen her. She placed her toolbox down in the hall, calling out to her dad. "Hey Pops, I'm back! I was just fixing the water heater in 4B. The new neighbour seems...nice."
Laura caught herself before she could say something incriminating. If her dad knew she had the hots for the new neighbour he would never let it drop.
"Oh, the Karnstein kid? I've been meaning to go over there and introduce myself." John Hollis was standing at the kitchen sink, wearing a pair of bright pink marigolds as he did the washing-up.
At 6ft 2", and with the build of a linebacker, the ex marine had no qualms about either wearing pink, or doing household chores. Ever since the death of his wife, he'd always tried to make an effort to give his home a feminine touch. For Laura's sake. She pecked him on the cheek as she hopped up on to the counter beside him.
"Wait. Did you say Karnstein? As in the Karnsteins who own this building? And, like, half of the city?"
"The very same." John gave his disbelieving daughter a nod of his head. "Though I think Mrs Karnstein went back to her maiden name…"
"That's crazy! Carmilla living here, not her mom changing her name. Why would Carmilla want to live here? She should be living in a mansion or something! Her family are loaded!."
"Hey, the Lustig Building used to be a mansion!" John said, pointing out a fact that Laura had heard time and time again.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad. Lustig used to be a grand old place... back in the golden age of silent movies and respectful children." Laura rolled her eyes at him. She'd heard it all before. "I just mean, she must be able to afford to live any place. Why here?"
"Here's as good a place as any." John shrugged. Pulling off his rubber gloves, and setting them aside, he offered his seventeen year old daughter the kind of smile that had caused the deeply ingrained lines at the corners of his eyes. "The plumbing's older than I am, and nothing much works, but the neighbours are good people."
"Except for crazy old Mrs Winston..." Laura mumbled, though she did it quiet enough so that her father wouldn't hear. He'd taught her to respect her elders, even when they were crazy old ladies who kept trying to feed her cakes full of salt.
To her dad, she said, "Maybe we should invite her over for dinner sometime? Welcome her to the building properly?"
"That's a great idea, Monkey." John agreed.
"Dad, do me favour, and don't call me that when Carmilla's here."
It was bad enough that Danny and Kirsch knew he called her that. The last thing Laura wanted was for her dad to embarrass her in front of her super cool - sexy - older neighbour. "Call you what, Monkey?"
"We've got to stop meeting like this, Short-Stack. What will the neighbours think?" Carmilla teased as she ran in to Laura in front of the mail boxes in the lobby. Despite only meeting the other girl the afternoon before, Carmilla felt an easy rapport with her. That's why she was surprised when she didn't answer her.
"Earth to Laura?" The younger girl had her back to her, and it was only as Carmilla tapped her on the shoulder that she realised she was wearing earphones.
"Jesus!" Laura jumped a foot in the air before turning around. "Carmilla!" She frowned, yanking her earphones out.
"Yours truly." Carmilla wore a toothy smile, like a shark that had suddenly picked up the scent of blood in the water. "You shouldn't have your music so loud. Didn't your mom ever warn you about going deaf?"
"My mom's dead." Laura answered flatly.
She hadn't meant for it to come out so bluntly. Her mother had died when she was still very young. Laura had grown used to people asking questions about how and when it happened. She'd become desensitized to it all in a way. Her candour had caught Carmilla off-guard though. The other girl stood there, her
mouth hanging wide open. "Shit...Cupcake, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. It had happened a long time ago." Laura shrugged. She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly realizing Carmilla had caught her in her pyjamas. "I should probably head up and get dressed."
"Don't let me keep you. I've got an extra large latte waiting with my name on it."
Carmilla wasn't a morning person, by any stretch of the imagination. She couldn't function without her morning caffeine fix. Luckily, her new apartment was within walking distance of the coffee shop that one of her best friends worked at.
'The Daily Grind' was the kind of small, independent, coffee shop that made just enough money to keep the lights on. Despite it being a Saturday morning, there were only a handful of customers dotted around the place when Carmilla walked in.
She claimed her usual couch by the window, tossing the redhead behind the counter a casual wave to let them know she was there. Carmilla pulled out a book and placed her feet up on the low coffee table in front of her, making herself comfortable.
She didn't need to wait long before Perry made her way over to her, carrying her usual order; a large latte and a piping hot croissant. "I'm impressed. You're only an hour late." Perry pointed out, knocking Carmilla's boots down off the table.
Back when they'd been room-mate's in their first year of college, Perry had dragged Carmilla along with her to open the store every Saturday; enticing the grumpy night owl with free coffee and handmade pastries. The two friends couldn't be any more different.
While Perry was a neat-freak, who spent her spare time baking, Carmilla was a lot more relaxed when it came to housework. It had been a miracle they hadn't killed each other in their freshman year. The two young women shared a love of languages and favourite authors. That had been enough for them to build a solid friendship on.
When they'd moved in to an apartment off-campus the following year – along with LaFontaine, Perry's oldest friend – Carmilla had been able to get out of her early morning starts. LaF had gotten a job at the Grind, leaving Carmilla to enjoy long, lazy, Saturday mornings in bed; with Elle.
Thinking of her ex left a heavy lump in Carmilla's throat. She'd moved out to get away from those memories. To get a fresh start. Dwelling on thoughts of Elle would only leave her in a funk for the rest of the day. "Yeah, well, I was enjoying a nice hot shower for once." Carmilla answered her friend with her usual charming snark.
"Did you finally get it fixed?" LaFontaine asked as they flopped down on to the couch opposite the one Carmilla was sitting on, having overheard her and Perry's conversation.
They greeted their girlfriend with an affectionate peck to the cheek, which was about as hardcore as the couple's public displays of affection got. The two friends had grown up as close as siblings, though a different kind of love had blossomed between them in their late teens. They'd become so used to hiding their relationship that, even after they'd gone public with it last year, they'd stuck to old habits.
"Hmm, I did." The beginning of a smile tugged at the corners of Carmilla's lips; though it had nothing to do with having an abundance of hot water.
"Did you get in touch with the building manager?" Asked Perry, right before sipping at the fresh cup of tea that LaFontaine had just brought her over.
It was quiet enough for the two of them to be taking a break, though Carmilla knew from experience that Perry would still be at a constant vigil for any customers who required her attention.
"No. I did run in to his daughter though." Carmilla was flat out grinning as she thought of Laura, picturing her impressive biceps in the tank top she'd caught her in that morning. "She was very happy to help."
"You do know that sounds like the start of a porno, right?" LaF pointed out, earning a sidelong glance from their girlfriend.
"Don't worry, it was all very PG-13." Carmilla rolled her eyes. "Hell, it was practically Disney." Laura had seemed oblivious to Carmilla's attempts at flirting.
She wasn't sure if the other girl was gay, or even curious, but the odds were definitely against her. "Good." Said Perry, in a very matter of fact tone. "You've only been there a few days. Try to at least give it a week before you get yourself in to any kind of trouble."
"What Perr is trying to politely say, is that you're not getting your old room back if you get kicked out." LaF joked, earning themselves another indignant look from Perry. Carmilla scoffed at that. She shook her head as she tore off a piece of her croissant and popped it in to her mouth.
"Fat chance of that when my family owns the building." Along with half of the others in the street. Carmilla's father had been a successful real estate mogul. He'd amassed a number of properties – along with a sizeable fortune – by the time he'd been killed in a car accident. Carmilla had only been sixteen at the time.
She'd understood the pained look on Laura's face when she'd spoken about her mother, though she hadn't brought up her own father's passing. It simply wasn't something she spoke about with strangers; no matter how cute they were.
Living in the family home, without her father, had been unbearable. Despite choosing a college within commuting distance of her mother's house, Carmilla had chosen to live on campus. She'd got out as quickly as she could. It had taken a lot for her to swallow her pride and ask her mother for help in finding a place to live after she'd decided to move out of the apartment she'd shared with Elle and the others.
The struggling student hadn't had a whole lot of options when it came to finding somewhere affordable to live. 'Affordable' in the city tended to mean a squalid studio apartment, on the wrong side of town, or a flat share with people of questionable employment.
"Speaking of family, is your mom still making you go to dinner tomorrow night?" Questioned LaF. They knew all too well how Carmilla felt about her mother. Their former room mate let out a sigh as she nodded.
"Yeah. That's the deal. I get the apartment and I've got to have dinner with her and Will twice a month. Mattie's going to be there too, so it's not too bad I guess." She shrugged, like the idea of sitting down to a family meal wasn't twisting up her insides.
Her father had been the glue that held their family together. After his death, Mattie had taken off to London to do a Master's Degree at Oxford, leaving Carmilla and Will to face their mother alone. Carmilla hadn't blamed her. She'd moved out the second she could, too. At seventeen, William was still young enough to be taken in by their mother's act. Her little brother was one of the very few reasons that Carmilla had anything to do with her mother.
She and Mattie only kept in contact with her for Will's sake. Mattie of course, being five years older, was a lot more diplomatic about it. Carmilla just couldn't summon the energy to hide her disdain for the woman who had given birth to her.
"We should have dinner together tonight." Perry suggested. The redhead was an amazing cook, and was the only reason Carmilla and LaF hadn't turned in to stereotypical students living on ramen and take out. "It could be a kind of house warming."
"Only if you're cooking, sister."
"Like we'd actually let you cook." LaF snorted in to their coffee cup. "I still can't even look at shrimp without wanting to barf!"
"Jesus, I gave you food poisoning one time!"
"I ended up in the hospital!"
"Indoor voices! Please." Perry snapped at the two of them in a harsh whisper, glancing over her shoulder to check they hadn't disturbed any of the other customers.
There were only thee other people in the coffee shop, and at least one of them was sleeping, but that didn't stop Perry from being the epitome of professionalism at all times. "I'll cook. I'll make my salmon en croute that you both like so much."
"With your sweet potatoes and green beans? Oh, and yams!" LaF perked up, bouts of food poisoning all but forgotten about.
"Of course, Sweetie. I'll make a pumpkin pie too." Perry beamed at their life long friend and partner, like the stars shone through their eyes. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at Carmilla that way.
"Great. Now I'm really hungry." Popping the last piece of her croissant in to her mouth, she got to her feet and declared her intentions to go get another one; leaving the sickeningly happy couple to get a minute to themselves.
Back at the Lustig, Laura was finishing up with the small list of jobs her dad had asked her to do. "There we go, Ms Winston. You're drain's all clear." Laura pulled off her rubber gloves with a cheery smile. She'd spent the last hour pulling cat hair out of her elderly neighbour's kitchen sink, but it was her last chore of the morning.
Dodging the old woman's offer of some home-made cookies, Laura made it out of apartment 4C, and in to her own, in record time. Dropping her tool belt on to her bed, she quickly changed out of her work clothes and in to a pair of shorts and a softball t-shirt. Her dad was downstairs in 2B, fixing a leaking facet, so she didn't have to bother saying goodbye as she raced back out the door.
It was already after midday, and Laura was running late. She took the stairs two at a time, bounding down them at full speed. "Kirsch!" Was all the warning she gave as she leapt off the last few steps, wrapping her arms around Wilson Kirsch's neck as she jumped on to his back.
"Hey, Little Hottie!" Kirsch greeted her with a wide grin as he took hold of her hands, making sure the tiny girl was safely settled on his back before heading for the door. It was opening just as they approached it, and Carmilla and her friends almost ran right in to Kirsch and Laura.
"Whoa, sorry ladies!" Kirsch apologised, still wearing a dumb grin as he stepped to the side to let them through. LaFontaine looked uncomfortable at the greeting, but said nothing. Of course, seeing her friend upset had Carmilla instantly on the defensive; the fact that Laura was on the overgrown man child's back didn't help matters much either.
"Watch it, Big-foot!" She growled at him, her Kohl lined eyes narrowing on Laura's 'friend'. It was just Carmilla's luck; of course her incredibly cute neighbour was straight, and dating a Neanderthal to boot.
"Hey, Carmilla! Sorry about nearly knocking you guys over, we're running a little late." Laura let out a laugh, still out of breath from running down three flights of stairs.
"Yeah, and Danny will kick my ass for it!" Kirsch pointed out, though his usual good-nature made it impossible for him to sound like he was in a huff. "Bye, Laura's friends!" He tossed them a wave, before barrelling out of the door at a sprint.
Laura's giggling faded away as they disappeared down the stoop. Carmilla stared after them, glaring at Kirsch's back. LaF – always the one to point out the obvious – came out with, "Soooo... I take it that's the building manager's daughter?"