AN: This is actually the first story I ever wrote (and finished, yay me!), so it's very dear to me. Anyways, it's already completed, so I can promise you daily updates (CET, around eight pm-ish). Seven chapters full of fluff, drama and surprises! The title is borrowed from an amazing and heart-wrenching song by Listener.

Hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

„You alright, cupcake?" a low and raspy voice asks. She can't be far away since Laura can feel the vibrations of her voice in the air. At least she thinks she does. Cautiously she turns her head to the side; the direction the voice is coming from. If she reaches out to her right, she will probably be able to touch the girl next to her. They aren't far away from each other.

Something touches Laura's arm and she instinctively flinches back. Her heart skips a beat. She hadn't anticipated something or rather somebody to be touching her out of the blue. Somebody chuckles softly next to her. It must be the girl.

"Gee cupcake, I'm not contagious," the girl says. Her voice is soft, but rough at the same time. She sounds like a mixture of how Laura expects somebody working for a sex hotline to sound like and a voice actor speaking the voice over's for trailers. She has to smile at the thought. She is glad her counterpart can't see the way the corners of her mouth twitch. She wouldn't really know what to say if somebody asked her why she was smiling.

"Sorry," Laura says still sporting a smile. The other girl doesn't answer for a while, while Laura is still trying to accustom herself to this new situation. Carefully she moves her hands searching for the edge of the table mere inches in front of her. She lets her finger travel across the bottom side of the table while running her thumbs over the upper surface. It feels warm to the touch.

She thinks about the people sitting around this table. Will is somewhere to her right, though she supposes he is sitting on the opposite side. Then there is the girl with the husky voice next to her; Laura doesn't know her name. Perry had just excused herself to get the food ready. There is another girl that has been talking almost nonstop; Laura had stopped listening to her after a while, but from what Laura was able to make out she assumes that the girl is a biology major. The there is somebody called Kirsch and a few others she doesn't know the name of.

"No need to apologize. I didn't mean to scare you," mystery girl says. Instinctively Lara looks in her direction, but of course she can't see her since her eyes are still covered with darkness. She tries to imagine what the girl might look like, but comes up empty.

"You didn't scare me, I just…" She had been scared shitless, but doesn't want to admit to that. She already feels vulnerable enough not being able to see anything and being surrounded by strangers, no need to admit to another weakness. "This just feels weird, not seeing anything."

Weird is a mild description for what Laura feels at the moment. This evening wasn't going the way she had planned it to go. She thinks about Danny. Damn her and her stupid Summer Society for getting her into this situation. She is angry at Danny, even though she knows that this is all her own fault. She feels so alone. Danny was supposed to be by her side, maybe even holding her hand. Instead soft music and the indistinct mumbling of unknown voices surround her.

*~* not too long ago *~*

Laura took one last look at the address she had written down on the backside of her hand, then glanced up her mouth still hanging open. This couldn't be it. Tonight was supposed to be a cozy, fun night with Danny and her friends at one of their places and not… well, dining in a mansion. Again she checked the address, number five. The large white number is illuminated on the wall next to the huge door and there is no way this is the wrong street. Danny had never said anything about her friend being the son of some sheikh or rich entrepreneur.

The sign above the bell said "Karnstein". Laura couldn't remember if Danny had told her the last name of their host, but she remembered that his first name was Will. Danny had met him in their first year at the university and they had become friends after a period of challenging the other in class. She felt a little weird ringing the bell since she didn't know Will. Maybe she should have just accepted Danny's offer of giving her a ride. But since Danny resided on the campus, while Laura lived on the other side of town, Danny would've had to make a long detour. Besides, Laura loved riding her bicycle.

She saw someone approaching the door, before it opened. The door consisted of see-through glass panels, so Laura could watch someone turning on the light and making their way to greet her. The door opened.

"Hello," a girl greeted her. The first thing Laura noticed was how perfectly her lipstick matched her hair. Laura thought of how much time it must have taken her too find the right shade of red; going through piles of different shades until finally finding the perfect one.

"Hi, umm I'm Laura."

"Laura?" The redhead looked at her questioningly and for a moment Laura was pretty damn sure she had knocked on the wrong door. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks and was about to apologize and leave, when something akin to recognition flickered through the girl's eyes. "Oh... oh! You must be Danny's friend, right?"

"That's me!" Laura smiled relieved that she hadn't mix up the address.

"But... Will told me that you weren't coming. Well, he said Danny was tied up tonight and couldn't make it, so I assumed you weren't coming as well."

"What?" This was news. Laura remembered Danny's smiling face at lunch, when she told her how excited she was that they were going to spend the evening together.

"I'm not sure exactly, maybe I misunderstood him. I'll ask him, but come on in; you must be freezing," she said looking at Laura's light jacket. She stepped back and ushered Laura in. Laura wanted to protest, but the girl didn't really give her a chance. Even though the girl seemed relaxed, her posture was tense. Her back was straight, her shoulders squared and her chin was slightly raised. Laura was suddenly reminded of the three days she spend in ballet class. She had been very young and her dad had thought it might be a good idea, but Laura had hated it. She also had been really, really bad at it. Unsurprisingly really since she possessed the grace of an elephant.

"How rude of me, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Perry. You just wait here for a second, get out of your coat and make yourself comfortable, I'll just get Will." Then she was just gone – disappearing into one of the dozen adjacent rooms. Laura was mesmerized by the way her curly hair was bouncing up and down – in perfect harmony with the steps she took. When she was gone, Laura took her phone out. Four missed calls, two voice mails and three messages from Danny Lawrence. Oh fuck. She hadn't checked her phone since lunch she realized.

Danny (17:23): Laura, I tried calling you, but you don't answer your phone, but I hope you read this! I know this is last minute, but I have to cancel for tonight. There is an urgent Summer Society meeting at 7pm and I can't get out of it. Damn. I hope I can make it up to you. So sorry, I wanted you to meet my friends so badly :(
Danny (17:56): Laura? Did you get my message? Tried calling you at home, but nobody answers. Are you ok?
Danny (18:46) I hope you got my message and are ok. The meeting is starting soon and there is a strict no phone rule. Text me as soon as you get this. I'm worried. Danny.

Seven hells, she should really check her phone more often. When she had lectures, she always turned the sound off and most of the times she forgot turning it back on. God, she felt like an idiot. Maybe she should just leave before Perry made it back. But they were Danny's friends, she couldn't just leave like this. She tried to make up an excuse to bail, but she had never been good at lying. Damn you, Danny. How did she get her into this situation?

"Hey Laura, I'm Will," a voice interrupted her thoughts. She hadn't even noticed him approaching her. When she looked up from her phone, Will was only a few feet away. "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Danny has told me so much about you." He looked different than she had imagined him. She had expected him to be taller… he still towered over her, but that didn't really mean anything considering how small she was. His short, dark hair was slicked back and he was wearing a white button-down shirt. He smiled at her. Laura noticed the way the right corner of his mouth was much higher than on the other side.

She shook his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm so, so sorry about this. I just looked at my phone and got Danny's messages. I feel really stupid about this, I don't mean to disturb. I'll just…" Laura gestured towards the door and had already picked up her bag.

"Nonsense. Just because Danny isn't here, doesn't mean you have to go. You are more than welcome to stay. I mean it's totally ok if you want leave… I'll only be mortally offended and will hold your behavior against you till the end of time." He didn't even blink once while saying this. Laura was sure that he was kidding… right?

"Of course she's staying," Perry interrupted the silence and turned towards Laura, "at least until you had something to eat. I have a whole five-course dinner prepared."

There wasn't really much room for argument. Laura nodded cautiously. She was starved. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Perry took her jacket from her.

"Great! I'll get you your goggles, Laura."

Go- what? Before she could ask Perry, the girl was already gone. Her eyes fixed on the door frame Perry had disappeared though, she asked: "She's doing what?"

Will chuckled softly. "Didn't Danny tell you anything about tonight?" Laura shook her head slowly. Apparently her… date - she still wasn't really sure if this was what they were doing… dating – hadn't told her anything. "It's a tradition we started back in our first semester; we meet every month and have a blind dinner. One of us is the waiter and the others are blindfolded and get to eat while not being able to see anything. It's a lot of fun really."

Fun? That didn't sound like fun – at all. Being blindfolded and surrounded by people she didn't even know, forced to trust that they wouldn't put chili in her food or pull any other stunts. She took a deep breath trying to dispel away her worries. Growing up as the only child of a massively overprotective dad, Laura had paranoia practically written in her DNA.

She tried to smile at Will. Those were Danny's friends after all. If they were anything like her tall and beautiful TA, there was nothing to be anxious about. She just had to girl the hell up.

The soft hand is still resting on Laura's upper arm. She feels the warmth radiating from the girl's hand or maybe it's her own skin that emits the heat. The mysterious girl still hasn't said anything, since Laura made the comment about feeling weird about this whole situation. Not to her and not to anybody else at the table. If it wasn't for the hand still touching her, Laura would probably think that the girl was nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

Suddenly the hand is gone. It feels weird. A chill goes through Laura's body. With her left hand Laura touches the spot where their skin had connected just a few seconds ago.

"I can't believe I let them talk me into this," the mysterious girl says slowly; every word carefully chosen. Laura isn't even sure if she is just soliloquizing or actually talking to her.

"Me neither." She hears movement to her right. She isn't sure, but she thinks the girl has turned around in her seat and was now facing her directly. Laura could hear her taking slow breaths.

"Sooo... you wanna get out of here, sweetheart?" the girl asks suddenly. They way the mystery girl says those words makes Laura think that this is more than just a friendly conversation between strangers. Mystery girl is flirting with her. Big time. Sweetheart. That's what she just called her. Laura feels a blush coloring her face in a dark red. She's relieved nobody can see how flustered those few words make her. Then again everything the girl says sounds at least somewhat sultry. She could probably read the telephone directory and still manage to make Laura's knees go all weak.

Laura hadn't realized that the conversations all around the table had stopped. Even the biology nerd has stopped talking. But now that she is aware of how quiet it is, the silence roars like thunder in her ears. She waits for somebody to say something. She feels like she has done something wrong, like she broke a rule she didn't even know existed. She doesn't dare to break the silence.

She can hear somebody shifting in their seat. When a new song starts playing, Laura realizes that even the music had stopped. Somebody clears their throat.

"Carmilla, what are you doing?" Will asks into the silence that engulfs the room.

"What does it look like, little brother?" the mystery girl asks disgruntled. Carmilla. Laura finally has a name to match the voice to. Carmilla doesn't seem to be happy at the moment. At all.

"You tell me."

"I'm just having some fun."

The tension in the room becomes palpable. Laura still doesn't understand what this is about. Just a spat between siblings? She unsucessfully tries to make sense of what they are saying. This isn't about her... right? Can't be.

"Hitting on Danny's girl, huh?" some guy, who isn't Will, asks. He doesn't sound happy either.

Oh... Oh!

"I'm nobody's girl," Laura hears herself say. But when the words leave her mouth, she mentally slaps herself. Danny's friends. They are Danny's friends. Why would she say that in front of them?

Carmilla laughs. Laura feels the vibration in the air. Her heart is suddenly beating faster. She moves in her seat trying to get rid of this feeling that is holding her heart hostage. Her stomch churns, maybe it is just her body telling her she finally needs to get some nutrition into her system. That must be it. Get your shit together, Hollis.

"You hear that, Willie-boy?"

"Is this your way of getting back at me?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm here, because I have to be. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself."

"You want to leave? Nobody is stopping you."

"You know I can't."

"Carmilla, just keep your hands off her, she's taken." Laura can't do anything but watch (well, listen to) them arguing over her. She wants to tell Will that she is in fact not "taken", but remains silent.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I didn't do shit and you just start accusing me of... what? Trying to steal Xena's girlfriend?"

Again Laura wants to argue, but doesn't get a chance. Danny and her hadn't even kissed yet.

"Don't act all innocent. Fucking with my friends is exactly what you'd do to get back at me."

"Always making everything about yourself. God, sometimes you are really daft, little brother. I was only trying to be nice... you dimwits blindfold this poor girl and put her in a room full of strangers. And then you basically ignore her. You might not know how awful that feels, but I do. You say I'm the asshole, but maybe you should take a look at yourself for once."

"Shit, Carm..." Will starts, but is interrupted when the door opens. The sound makes Laura jump. Whoever just entered is whistling a jolly melody and doesn't seem to notice the tension in the room.

"So... who's hungry?" Perry asks.