Though this is pretty early, I'm happy to present chapter 2! Don't expect such quick updates in the future, but I'll try! Thanks, and enjoy!


Anneliese found the number three days later, when Anya started whining at her to pick her coffee mugs up before she hit them with the vacuum. With a small grumble, she started scooping up brightly colored mugs, her name painted on the handle of each one in dark purple. Three mugs in, the scrap caught her eye, and she immediately planned to get it once these mugs were in the sink. That task happened quickly, the water running as Anneliese stooped, wiggling her butt a bit to stretch stiff muscles in her lower back.

Slim fingers grasping the scrap, she stood straight once again, unfurling the paper and reading it. For a moment, the series of numbers was unfamiliar, but it was the note under it, that she recognized. "Hey cutie, just in case you want to talk again!" It was signed with a careful Julia, and a small heart. For a brief moment, Anneliese smiled, folding the paper and vowing to text the other once she had finished cleaning up.

That took perhaps an hour, Anya and her chatting cheerily, picking up and folding clothes, chasing dust off the carpet with the vacuum. Even with all of the physical moving, Anneliese found it fun, a good way to simply entertain herself, and bond with Anya. It'd be nice, to be closer to the Russian girl.

"So, remind me, when your brother and sister are visiting?" Natalya was fifteen, and Dima was twenty-four, creating a few years between each sibling. Anya paused at that, blinking a few times.

"The flight comes in three days, and I will be going to pick them up from the airport. I'd let you come too, but the car is little, and there is a lot of luggage." A smile now, and Anneliese noticed that her English was sounding a bit better.

"Alright, I'll leave the door unlocked, m'kay?" Idly, she began winding the cord for the vacuum, before hauling it into the closet. "Is Natalya still as clingy as always?" That described the youngest Braginskaya to a good degree, clingy. When she'd first met Anya's siblings, Dima had been friendly, if not a bit skittish and somewhat willing to keep to himself most of the time. Natalya on the other hand, had stayed close to her sister, face peeping out under her arm, eyes narrowed like a cat.

Chuckling at the memory, the last of the cleaning products were put away, and the pair were sitting in the main room, Anneliese stretched across the couch with her phone in her hands, and Anya sitting neatly on the floor, untangling a ball of yarn. Anneliese, content to watch the other, fished the number from the pocket of her jeans, and smoothed it on her thigh. "What are you knitting now?"

"A sweater."

"With that much yarn? That'll be a heavy sweater, don't you think?"

"No, it'll be perfect." Anya had such a childish sounding voice at times, and Anneliese couldn't help but be amused by it. "I'm giving it to Natalya, for before she leaves. I already made socks for Dima."

"I'm sure they'll like that. How long is our apartment going to be full of your siblings though? It gets a little cramped in here, since we only have the pull out couch." Anya nodded in agreement, and let out a small sigh.

"A week and a half, don't worry Anna." Trailing off at that, Anya began her knitting, needles clacking and tongue poking between her lips. At that, Anneliese decided to text Julia, looking at her phone with a critical expression. A careful hand punched the numbers in, and she tried to think of something decent to send.

A simple 'hello, it's Anneliese from the bar' would suffice, but it felt too damn boring. Something with a stupid winky face would make her seem more interested, but, it seemed cliche to start, and creepy to follow. Finally, she settled for the first.

[Text: Julia] Hey, it's Annie, from the bar? I saw you slipped your number in my pocket, so I thought I'd reply.

Satisfied with that, she nodded once, and sent it, the screen of her phone dancing happily. With the message sent, she set the device on her breasts, steadying deep breaths, and watching the phone rise and fall. When she received a reply, it vibrated violently, and a shiver ran down her spine, the feeling vaguely pleasurable.

[Text: Annie] Hey hey sweets! I was wondering when you were gonna come calling. ;)

The wink. Anneliese stared at it, confused and wondering what Julia meant by that. Sighing, she opened the keyboard, beginning her reply.

[Text: Julia] I was doing some cleaning w/ my roommate, nothing exciting, you?

[Text: Annie] Rearranging my room, and trying to get a fly out of my kitchen, boring. :P

Anneliese smiled slightly at the little smiles that Julia would attach to her text, each expressing some sort of emotion, and making it feel a bit more like a conversation. A low chuckle escaped her lips, one that Anya paid no attention to, knitting needles clicking away.

[Text: Julia] Fun? I don't know, this dorm is too damn tiny for rearranging. I'm going to die in here, especially with my roommate's siblings coming over.

[Text: Annie] Ew.

[Text: Annie] If ya really want, we can have coffee and stuff. I'll take you out for lunch while they're there, if you want to.

[Text: Julia] I… Really? They're coming in three days.

Surprised, Anneliese set the phone down for a few minutes, the phone vibrating to indicate a reply, though she didn't pick it up. Taking her out to lunch? That was a whole lot for someone who had just met her, and Anneliese didn't really know what to do. Julia was pretty, and seemed like a nice enough woman, so, perhaps it would be nice, to get out. Musing over it, Anneliese let out a long sigh, this time causing Anya to stir.

"What is it?" The Russian girl blinked doe eyes, and reached up to scratch an itch on her nose. "You're making noises again."

"I got invited to lunch-"

"Then go."

"By that girl I met at the bar."

"Go." Anya insisted again, setting her knitting aside and folding her pale arms. "You do it, because it's good for you." God, she sounded like a mother, and Anneliese couldn't help but be a bit humbled by that.

"Fine, fine. Jesus Christ, what time is it? Maybe I'll go out today." Anya leaned over to look at the wall clock, facing Anneliese with a look.

"It's right there, Anna. But it's one-thirty." Rolling her eyes now, the pale haired woman went back to her knitting, and Anneliese finally checked her phone.

[Text: Annie] Maybe we could even hit lunch today then? You sound like a girl who needs a break. :)))

[Text: Julia] That's likely. I'd be up for lunch, where would you like to meet?

[Text: Annie] Idk, are there any good coffee shops with sandwiches? :o

[Text: Julia] Yeah, there's a place on 5th and Alder. I'll meet you there?

[Text: Annie] Hell yeah, see ya sweets. ;))))

With that, Anneliese put her phone down, and looking down at her outfit. Finding the jeans and green blouse to be acceptable, she rolled off the couch, sitting pointedly in front of Anya. The roommate in question looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Braid my hair?" Anneliese smiled, letting out a tiny whine in an effort to get the other to do what she wanted. "Please?"

"Ah, the so called magic word." Anya let out a giggle, and took the long curls into her hands, and started an easy french braid, singing in low Russian as she did. Anneliese listened to it happily, leaning against her and looking at the ceiling.

When the other had finished, Anya sent her roommate off with a laugh and a friendly kiss to the forehead, shooing her from the apartment with her purse slung over her shoulder. Hailing a cab, Anneliese had a slight smile on her lips as the cabbie took her to the cafe, dropping her off on a cloudy corner, and driving away. Julia wasn't there yet, so she sat at a table, holding off the waitress until the other showed up.

Within five minutes, Anneliese was a little bit nervous that the other had completely ditched her, but she passed it off as paranoia, staring up at the clouds. The day was cloudy, crisp and gentle, autumn beginning to set itself into the world around her. It promised to be a snowy winter, according to that farmer's almanac, and she hoped it would be. Snow was memories, cold fingers and laughter.

"Hey sweets." Anneliese perked up at that, and glanced to see Julia's grinning face, the black knit cap still perched on her head like an old friend. "I found the place pretty easily, glad to see your face." A pale finger tapped her nose, and Anneliese snorted, watching Julia take a seat across from her. "So, coffee? Where's the waitress?" Waving a hand excitedly, the waitress was eventually attracted, and stood at attention.

"And, what would you ladies like to drink?" The woman was blonde, with a perky smile and tired eyes, which Anneliese found a little sad. Shrugging it off, she glanced to Julia, gesturing for her to order.

"Cappuccino, with extra foam, please." Throwing the please in, Julia grinned, nodding her head.

"A mocha, with extra chocolate." Watching the waitress scrawl down their orders, Anneliese asked for a pair of club sandwiches to go along with it, and she left, leaving the pair alone. "So- When did you move in again?" Curious, she leaned forward a bit, and rested her chin in her hands.

"Two weeks ago, remember? I told you that." Julia sniggered, folding her hands to mimic her table partner. Undeniably, she seemed interested, chattering about this and that to Anneliese, who was happy enough to sit and listen.

"Right, right, silly me." A small laugh, and Julia laughed along with Anneliese, playing with a napkin, folding it this way and that until it made a small origami penguin. "Do you like birds?" Noting the creation, she reached out, touching it carefully.

"Yeah! I have a canary at home, and a dog. This old girl named Jillian, and my canary is Elsie." She seemed so proud of that, and Anneliese smiled as well, tucking a loose piece of hair back.

"Well, all I have is Anya, and she's my roommate." That earned a laugh from Julia, and the dark haired woman felt her cheeks turn barely pink.

"Ah, pesky roommates. I live all my lonesome." Winking at Anneliese, she sniggered again, folding another penguin napkin. "One for you, and one for me." A pause now, and she looked up from her origami. "Oh, Annie, I wanted to ask you something." Biting her lip, Anneliese perked up a bit, tilting her head.

"Hm? What is it?"

"Uh- are you gay?"

Stunned by the question, she fell silent, suddenly a bit embarrassed. She closed her eyes now, and opened them a few moments later, eyes softened and lips parted just a little bit. There was no point in lying, and it would be too obvious if she did. What if Julia didn't like the idea though? Suddenly despised her? Fretting for a few moments, Anneliese finally sighed.

"I am. Yes." Pausing, she tried to think of what to say. "Well, at least bisexual, I may be a lesbian, but I don't know." Nodding once, she glanced at the other with a small glimmer of nervousness.

"Hella." Hearing that made her snort, and immediately blush, which led to Anneliese suppressing giggles at the word, before calming down. "I'm a lesbian, and honestly, I thought I was flirting with a straight girl." Straight girl? Anneliese nearly laughed at that thought, but then wondered what she meant by that. Flirting with a straight girl- that could mean she was just looking for sex. Either way, Anneliese wasn't sure if she was interested in anything with this woman.

"Oh- You look it, just a little bit. Not too much though." Nodding, their odd conversation was interrupted by their food, that tired eyed waitress dropping off the food and leaving without much more to say. Picking up her sandwich, she took a bite, watching Julia. "I suppose-" Pausing when she realized her mouth was full, she swallowed. "That I could be a bit interested in that idea. Though, I haven't dealt with romantic relations in quite awhile. If you're plotting, I'd prefer to take things slowly, take me on a date at least."

"Fine, fine." Julia nodded, though she finally frowned. "Who said that was my intention though?"

"I was, curious." Anneliese replied in a soft voice, suddenly on edge about all of it. Finally, she curled her toes, and took a few breaths to soothe herself. "I'm sorry, if that was rude. It was, not my wisest move." Her cheeks went red again, and Julia smiled at her.

"Awh, it's okay sweets. I'm just looking to be buddies, ya know? I was just curious." Anneliese nodded at that, and ran her fingers through her hair. By this point, she simply dug back into her sandwich, about two-thirds of the way through it.

"Oh, of course!" Her smile returned, careful and bright. To that, Julia returned the smile, and dug into her own food, sucking lettuce from between her teeth. Anneliese took the half eaten tomato from her sandwich, and nibbled on it, savoring the sweet flavor on her tongue.

They didn't speak again until both of them had finished their sandwiches, pushing crumb covered plates to the side, and offering slight smile to each other.

"So, here's the cliche one, tell me about yourself." Anneliese chuckled, gently running her fingers through her long hair, and glancing at Julia's cap.

"Well, I used to live in the midwest, can't remember when we moved there, but I just moved out here. As you can tell, I like animals, I want to be a vet tech." She grinned at that, and adjusted the hat. "I longboard a bit, and I like tattoos too- I've got one on my shoulder. As you can tell, I'd call myself adventurous, and kind of freelance. Tell me about you, sweets."

"Erm.." Anneliese bit her lip again, to which Julia smacked her arm softly.

"That's not good for you, Annie, leave it be."

"Fine, fine. I immigrated from Austria about a year ago, and I just got my citizenship here. So, I'm completely legal, and fluent in English and German. Studied them in my schooling time. I guess, I can be a bit shy.. But I adore music, and singing. I'm an alright dancer, but not great."

"Cute, what do you play?" Julia raised an eyebrow, and played with her fork.

"Mm, piano and violin. I like them both a whole lot. I play, but I'm hoping to find a symphony in town to join."

"You should do it, I'd like to hear you play sometime." At the encouragement, Anneliese smiled slightly.

"Ah- thank you.. I think our bill is here though." True to her word, the waitress set the bill down, looking expectantly at the two of them. "Should I pay?"

"Nah, I've got this one sweets, one second." Whipping out a credit card, she passed it to the waitress, who walked off. "It was nice to have lunch, yeah? You looked like you had fun."

"I did! I haven't gone out in awhile, so, it's a nice change and all. So, thank you-" Trailing off, Anneliese ran her fingers through the tip of her braid, enjoying the softness.

"Hey- you're welcome Annie. It's nice to make friends here, and well, you're a real nice lady." Offering Anneliese a smile, Julia closed her eyes. "And- there's my card!" Grinning, she snatched it up, and got to her feet, holding out her hands and pulling Anneliese up. "Shall we part ways, sweets? I can drive you home if ya want."

"I'd appreciate it." Anneliese nodded, and smiled softly, before carefully leading the way to the parking lot. "Where's your car?"

"Right here."

"That.. That's not a car." In fact, it was a motorcycle, a black Harley with a shiny finish, and a helmet hanging from it. Surprised it hadn't been stolen, she examined it.

"Yeah! It's a bike. That's the extra helmet, and mine's with me." She smiled, putting it on, and putting the spare on Anneliese. "You just have to hang on tight, and you'll be fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Hell yeah. Just be careful." Anneliese finally nodded, and carefully watched Julia climb on the bike, before climbing on behind her. "Hang onto my waist, sweets. It'll be a fun ride." Nodding again, Anneliese carefully snared her arms around her waist, and let out a shrill squeak when the motorbike roared to life, her arms tightening around her waist.

"Jesus-"

"What-? Can't hear you very well Annie! Tell me which way to go?" Anneliese pointed left, towards her home, a few miles away.

"The new apartments!" Julia nodded, zooming out and turning left, following a trail she'd taken a time or two, going out to explore. It took perhaps ten minutes for them to pull up at the apartment, the pair getting off and Julia walking Anneliese to her door, where Anya still sat knitting away.

A slight smile on her lips, she turned to Julia, one hand on her keys. "Hey- thank you, very, very much Julia.. I really appreciate you paying, and the ride."

"Hey, of course! We should do it again. And, text me." Grinning, Julia bent a bit to kiss her cheek, before trotting back to her bike and roaring away, leaving Anneliese's stomach in knots.


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