Authors note: Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well. I'll try to update weekly!

Chapter 2

"So what exactly is the chef's special?" Laura questions in between bites.

"Salmon grilled to perfection with a hint of rosemary and lemon over a creamy risotto, a side of asparagus with garlic and a secret sauce..It was my mom's favorite recipe," Carmilla says as she pushes her food around her plate with disregard.

Laura, without hesitation, reaches across the table and touches Carmilla's hand. Her hand is cold against her warm touch, as she brings her eyes to meet Carmilla's gaze. Realization sets in and she pulls her hand back as if she's been burned.

"I'm sorry, I just, I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Carmilla smiles a small smile.

They both have finished their meals by now and are making small conversation about university, business and customers. It isn't until Laura lets a yawn escape and Carmilla takes this as a queue to clean up. Laura insists she wash the dishes seeing as Carmilla cooked for her. Carmilla takes this time to clean up the rest of the bar and stock for opening the next day. Laura comes out of the kitchen, stopping in the doorway, and leaned against the door frame. Carmilla looks over at Laura. Laura's the first to speak.

"Why did it take you so long to talk to me?"

"Cutie, I've only been here a couple of months.."

"That's 60 days too long."

"I wasn't looking for a gift," Carmilla blurts out as she looks down and fidgets with the towel in her hand.

"What?" Laura questions, standing up straight and moving to the other side of the bar to face Carmilla. She spots a juke box next to one of the tables but moves her gaze back to Carmilla.

"Earlier today. I wasn't looking for a gift for my brother. I just, you know, wanted an excuse to come and introduce myself."

"You could have easily done so without any excuse."

"It was harder than you think, but I'm sorry."

"No, no don't apologize. Thank you for telling me the truth." Laura smiles a small smile and turns, walking towards the jukebox.

Carmilla watches her as she looks through the different songs. She settles on a slow one. Soft music fills the bar as Laura makes her way to the side of the bar. She holds a hand out for Carmilla. Carmilla tosses the towel on the bar and slips off her apron. She takes Laura's hand and follows her to the dance floor. Laura stops in the middle of the floor and turns around to face Carmilla and she doesn't remember the last time someone gave her this many butterflies or made her feel so warm, and safe, and happy. As they smoothly sway Carmilla gets lost in her thoughts and she cannot bother to remember a time when someone made her heart skip a beat or her palms sweat so much or make her feel, alive. The song ends but Carmilla still sways, still lost. Laura chuckles and takes a step back.

"Where did you go just now?"

"Oh. I just, sorry I got lost in my thoughts."

"You apologize a lot."

"You make me nervous, a lot." Carmilla says as she looks down.

"What were you thinking about?"

"You'll think it's silly."

"Try me."

Carmilla takes a deep breath, contemplating what she's about to say, "there's just something about you."

"What do you mean?" Laura's heart beat begins to speed up, she can hear the pounding in her ears.

"You just, you make me nervous in a good way of course. And I can't remember the last time I felt that way. And now you probably think I'm weird."

"I don't think you're weird at all. I actually find you fascinating. And I can't remember the last time I had this many butterflies or felt flustered just by someone looking at me or had someone cook me dinner or feeling so comfortable around someone I just met for the first time or dancing and feeling like I'm on top of the world and now I'm rambling and you probably think I'm the weird one."

Carmilla just smiles, and it reaches her eyes and Laura just finds her captivating.

"You're not weird, cupcake." Carmilla's smile turns into a smirk. Laura blushes at the nickname and walks away to her bag. Carmilla pouts but it instantly fades when she realizes Laura only lives across the street. "Let me walk you home."

"Oh, such a gentlewoman are we?" Laura answers over her shoulder as she walks to the front door, Carmilla following closely behind.

Carmilla locks the door to the bar behind her as Laura waits on the sidewalk. She gestures for Laura to step into the street, "after you ma lady."

"Now I'm your lady, how lucky am I?" Laura takes a shallow bow towards Carmilla, who just laughs.

They reach the front door to the book store, Danny was long gone, the store was dark. Laura fumbles for her keys as she makes her way to the door next to the store which leads up to her loft. She finally finds them and starts to fidget with them in her hand.

"I had a great time tonight, Carmilla."

"Me too, sweetheart."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Woah there, you don't even have my phone number and you're already asking me out on a second date?"

"So this was a date?"

"Well I mean, yeah, I guess if you wanted it to be, it doesn't have to be." Carmilla stutters with her words.

"Relax Carm, although, I did only mean I'll see you tomorrow when we start work. But here's my number anyways, you know, just in case." Laura reaches forward and slides Carmilla's phone outside of her front pocket, with no objection from Carmilla, still stunned at the nickname Laura had just given her. "There, now you can not ask me out on non-dates," Laura smiles.

Carmilla looks down at her phone, "Cupcake?"

"Yeah, so you'll know it's me."

"I could never forget."

"Good night, Carm."

There it is again, that nickname, sounds so good coming from Laura. Carmilla blinks, "Good night, Laura."

Laura makes her way inside and up the stairs to her loft as Carmilla makes her way back across the street, to the door that leads up to her apartment. Carmilla catches herself smiling, she shakes her a head a little which only causes her to smile even brighter and it was all because of Laura, Laura Hollis.

Laura makes her way inside her loft, sets her bag and keys down on the coffee table and sits down on the couch. She leans back and stares up at the ceiling. She realizes just how sore her face is from how much she had been smiling all evening. She decides to get ready for bed so she heads to the bathroom to start the shower. But before she gets in the shower, she wraps a towel around herself, walks on into her room and to the coffee table. She retrieves her phone from her bag and turns it on. No calls and just one message from Danny, she decides to respond later and goes back into the bathroom.

Carmilla steps into her apartment and goes straight to her bathroom to get ready for bed. She takes her phone out of her pocket and unlocks it. It opens to the contact 'Cupcake.' She decides to start a new text message to Laura.

"Hey cutie." No, no erase. "Cupcake!" No, erase. "Hi, Laura." Nope, erase.

She sighs to herself, decides against sending a message and sets her phone down. Carmilla undresses and slips into the shower, letting the water cascade down her back as she tries to get Laura out of her head. She fails. Miserably. She just can't grasp what it is about Laura and why she can't stop thinking about her long silky hair or her delicate brown eyes or just how short she is but she does know one thing. She needs to get to know her.

As Carmilla finishes getting ready for bed, she hears the door to her apartment open and close.

"Will?" She calls out.

"Yeah," he yells from what sounds like the kitchen.

She comes out of her room and stands in the doorway between their rooms and the rest of the apartment. He closes the fridge and turns around to face Carmilla. He squints his eyes and hesitantly asks, "what's wrong with you?"

Carmilla furrows her brow, "what do you mean?"

"You're smiling.."

"I can't smile?"

"Well I mean, yes, but it's weird."

"Well I'm..happy," she says with a small smile and looks down at her feet.

"I'm happy you're happy," he walks over and gives her a hug that doesn't last very long.

"I finally talked to the book store owner, Laura."

"Finally! How did that go?"

Carmilla nudges Will with her shoulder. She steps past him and goes to sit on the couch. Will grabs his forgotten water from the counter and sits next to her. She turns in her seat and faces him, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I made up this excuse about needing to get a comic book for you and that's why I went into the store."

"I haven't read a comic book since I was 12."

"I know, I know, and later I explained that to her."

"Later?"

"Yes I'll get to that part."

Carmilla continues her story with such detail and excitement that Will can't help himself but to smile. He hasn't seen Carmilla this excited about someone in years, which reminds him of someone from Carmilla's past. His smile drops a little but he shakes away the memory and continues to hear all about Carmilla's date.

Carmilla and Will notice that it's already past 10pm and they decide head to bed. They bid each other goodnight before they go into their separate bedrooms. Carmilla walks over to her window and looks out across the street to what she assumes is Laura's loft. Her lights are still on. It's only a few seconds later when she sees the lights turn off. She frowns a little and walks to her bedside to plug in her phone.

Laura had finished showering and is now sitting cross legged on the edge of her bed, scrolling through her phone. She remembers to reply to Danny's message which read, "Do you need to me to open tomorrow?"

She starts typing. "I'm just getting ready for bed, I can open tomorrow, you can take the morning off. Thanks for everything!"

A few minutes go by and Laura gets up to turn the light off. Her phone vibrates on the nightstand indicating she had a new message. She runs, almost tripping over a stool and jumps onto her bed to look at the message. Hoping it's from Carmilla, her heart drops a little when she realizes it's just Danny replying 'thank you.' She sighs and checks the time. 10:22pm. She sets her phone down and gets comfortable underneath her blankets and her hair falls against her bright yellow pillow. Her phone buzzes again. Laura rolls over and groans, "now what, Danny?"

There's definitely a text message but not from Danny. It's from a number Laura doesn't recognize. The message reads, "Hey cutie, still up?"

Laura is confused for a second and is about to respond to ask who it is when she realizes. Her eyes light up as she quickly types, "Carm?"

The one and only.

I thought'd you'd never text.

Aww were you waiting around for me?

What? No. I just, you know..

Relax cupcake. I didn't forget if that's what you think.

Good. Thanks good to know.

I just wanted you to have my number. See you around!

Got it, thanks again for tonight, I had a lot of fun.

I did too. Good night, sweetheart.

"Good night, Carmilla." Laura says to herself. She rolls over, sets her phone on her nightstand and instantly falls asleep.

Carmilla places her phone on the table next to her bed. She turns to face the other way when she realizes she's doing it again, smiling to herself. This time she doesn't shake it off, she embraces it because for the first time in a long time Carmilla is truly happy. And it feels great.