Firstly, this had over 600 hits last night and I'd like to apologise profusely to you all about how shit this is. And can we EVEN TALK ABOUT LAST NIGHT? The all-consuming sexual tension was almost painful, and sad Lorraine had some serious fucking sass/character development going on and that kiss omfg. I can't.

Also I haven't proof-read this at all. I don't plan this either, it just happens, so feel free to leave me criticisms/suggestions for plots/whatever.

Finally, I just wanted to ask if you wanted me to carry on writing this now it's back on the TV? I'm happy to do whatever you want and if yous still want me to write this I'm totally down for that, but equally I don't want to be like annoying or anything. Yeah.

Here's a new chapter. Sorry if it's shit.

Chapter 10

"Morning everyone" I smile, sweeping into the staffroom. Maybe I'm a little bit late. Maybe my hair is a fraction dishevelled and my smile is a little too wide. Nikki looks up at me sharply as I enter the room, but she glances away too quickly as I begin to speak. Suddenly, I feel shakily scared. My throat a little dry. It was a one night thing. I've told myself that, over and over on the solitary drive into work. Like the others, she was a one night thing. She won't want anything to do with me now. We can be friends, and strictly nothing more. Because I don't know what else I can do. Because I can't remember the last time I slept with anyone when I was sober. I can only remember dark drunken nights with men, and their sweat that stank of alcohol. Closing my eyes and willing myself to let it feel good. And it never quite worked. But right now, I can't even tell myself that I was drunk. Because I wasn't. I was stone cold sober when I slept with her. Her. I slept with a woman, stone cold sober, and god, I loved every single second. And that scares me. That scares me stupid. It scares me brave.

"So Nikki, did you have time to look at those reports?" Tom leans towards her. And I notice how closely they're sitting. Her knees together, her chin down, head tilted towards him as she listens to him speak. Something hot flutters through my chest. I don't know what it is. But it burns me. I cough slightly as she replies. Maybe I want to attract her attention. She doesn't look up instantly.

"Umm, no I'm sorry, I was busy last night." She's shrugging. And then her eyes quickly flick up towards me. I know that she sees me staring at her. And I think that I imagine a shadow of a smile hovering just over her lips. I look away.

I'm her boss. I pay her wages.

No. No, you're friends. You're just friends.

No. Maybe I should ask her out again tonight.

Five minutes to three. And I can't take it any longer. I feel as though something inside me is lowly cracking under the tight pressure and worry that has settled like a huge weight within my chest. Cracking my ribs. Making it impossible for me to concentrate, and even harder for me to breathe. I've barely noticed Michael shooting confused, concerned looks at me all day. Or Tom's mumbles as I burst into the staffroom at lunchtime, looking for Nikki.

But now, I'm striding down the corridor, my heels too quick on the linoleum floor as I hurry down the narrow corridor towards the dark blue door to the PRU. I self-consciously tuck my hair back behind my ears, tossing it over my shoulders, and I stride through the door. Quickly, confidently. My back straight, my shoulders down, my head held maybe a fraction too high. I push open the door. Several heads turn to look at me. Nikki looks up maybe a bit too quickly. And she's smiling.

"Yes?" She says. Her voice light. Cool. Professional. Maybe even friendly. But nothing more. For a second, my confidence wavers.

"Hey, Nik-...I mean, Miss Boston. Could I have a word please?"

And the bell goes. Thank god. The classroom suddenly erupts in a hot flurry of movement. Kids stuffing books into bags, throwing screwed up paper across the room. And her eyes are down, shuffling through the stack of papers she's holding. And she's quickly moving between the tables, collecting up textbooks and pushing in chairs. She still doesn't look at me, and I hesitate by the door. All the kids are roughly pushing through the door, out into the wide schoolyard beyond. But they all keep their distance from me, not one of them even brushes past me, shoulder to shoulder. I walk across the suddenly silent, gapingly empty room, sitting on her desk chair and swivelling around slightly. And I'm nervous. God. I'm clutching my hands together. And she's still not looking at me. I clear my throat nervously, and she glances up. Looking straight at me.

"You okay?"

"Nikki-" I start to speak, but she's not looking at me. Her eyes are flickering towards the wide windows that look out over the schoolyard. Suddenly, I feel shy. Exposed. Less than twelve hours earlier I was clutching her sheets to cover my chest. God. My throat is dry as I repeat her name, softly now. "Nikki?"

"Sorry Lorraine" She looks at me. And smiles. And then she crosses the room. Quickly, easily. She's confident. Playful maybe. One hand stuffed into her pocket, shoulders back. And she opens the door. "Shall we go to my office Miss Donegan?" She suggests it with a slight tilt of her head. I get up, and I follow her.

Tom isn't in their office. I think she knew that we'd be alone when she invited me in there. And I like it. Just me and her. I'm sitting in her chair.

"Hey" She moves a stack of papers quickly to one side and sits beside me. Perching on the edge of her desk, tucking her dark hair back behind her ears and then crossing her arms across her chest. Pulling her dark blazer tight around her body. And she smiles at me, her eyes gentle, soft. I think that she knows that I'm nervous. And I think that maybe she's a little bit nervous too. And I smile right back at her.

"Hey" I look at her nervously, and I touch my tongue to my lips. And I'm flicking my hair out of my eyes, and blinking up at her. She smiles wider, biting down at her lips and tapping her very fingertips on the edge of the table.

"You okay?" She murmurs. Her voice soft, gentle. I lean back in my seat, flexing my shoulders. Resting my head in my hands and frowning.

"Yeah" I grin right back.

"You look tired" I can hear something that might be tight concern lapping at the back of her throat. I shrug. I look up at her. Her hand twitches slightly, as though she were going to reach out towards me. But maybe she stops herself at the very last moment.

"Cheers" I sigh, smiling sarcastically. "It's been a long day. And last night, I...I mean, we...we didn't sleep much" I'm smiling properly now, running my hand through my hair. She reaches out too, and she brushes my hair back from away from my face. Running her fingers gently through my curls. I know that I should pull away from her. Because someone might come in. Someone might see. But she moves instead, and she drops her hand back to her side, and smiles grimly at me. Eyes flickering all over my body. And then I grin. "And that's your fault." I raise my eyebrows. She bites her lips. Shaking her head.

"Sorry" she murmurs, feigning innocence. I manage to smile for almost another half a heartbeat, and then I allow it to slide from my face.

"You're doing my head in." I sigh. She looks at me for a moment in silent confusion.

"What do you mean?" She's suddenly serious too.

"You know what I mean"

"I don't"

"I slept with you. In case you hadn't noticed, we slept together."

"Yeah" her voice is soft, coaxing. Tangled with hot, worried confusion. But she tries her damn hardest not to let it show.

"And is that it, I mean, I totally understand if it was like...like a one-time thing, for you." I nod. I don't look at her. I fix my eyes at a point slightly above her left shoulder.

Ready to feel as though everything inside me has been punched away. Ready to build up a smiling facade and thank her for...everything. I get ready to be friendly. Cool. Murmur something about a meeting and hurry away. Whilst everything inside me was crumbling away like confetti in the wind.

And I wasn't expecting her reply. Two tiny little words.

"It wasn't."

"What?"

"It wasn't like that. Not for me." And she's looking scared. Shy. Shocked maybe. Her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide open, fixed on mine. And oh my god, I want to kiss her.

"Oh" I breathe. And I reach out, placing my palm on top of her hand. She glances down, and then holds my hand properly. Fingers entwined together.

"Lorraine?"

"Well, in that case Nikki, I was wondering if...we could go out tonight, if you wanted, of course...?" I suggest it quietly. And her smile widens.

"Really?"

"Yeah. If that's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah of course, that'd be great." She looks happy. She's really smiling now.

"We never went for that coffee last night. We could go there tonight if you wanted. Straight after work, if that's okay with you?"

I bite down on my bottom lip, watching her as her eyes fly over my face. And they rest on my lips. And for a single chilling moment, I think that she could be about to kiss me. Kiss me again. And that makes me feel hot, scared sweat suddenly leaping to my palms. Her lips part, shaking a fraction. I tilt my head upwards. But she blinks. And glances away.

"Nikki?" I whisper.

"Yeah, yeah, coffee. That'd be great." She nods quickly. "What time are you finishing work tonight?" she speaks quickly, keenly, as though she has to force the words from her mouth before she loses her nerve.

"I've got a meeting at...umm..." I glance away from her. My breaths quick, short. Looking down at my phone, but I know that my meeting isn't scheduled on the calendar on there. And I breathe quickly still, my fingers shaking as they fly over the screen. "I think that it ends at half six, babe." I say. And the last word just slips from my tongue before I really have time to register what I've said. And I blush violently. She looks up at me, sharply. And then she smiles.

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be great!" She grins, keenly. She leans forwards a fraction, wriggling slightly closer towards me across the desk. She looks at me. Her eyes everywhere, all over me. For a second, I feel hot friction running down the back of my spine. And I like it, I really liked it. And I know that I really, really like her too. So I lean forwards a fraction. Perching on the very edge of my seat, crossing my legs. And my skirt moves half an inch further up my thigh.

"We could meet here, in your office afterwards, if you want?" I suggest, quietly. She tilts her head to one side. And she doesn't say a word. She just jerks her head slightly. And leans forwards. Her hands wrapping through my hair. Her short nails in my scalp. Running her fingers carefully through my curls. Her eyes wide open, holding my gaze for a fraction too long. Until my hands shake a fraction as I hold the back of her neck. Tight. I feel her chest rise as she takes a long breath in. And I close my eyes.

And then she kisses me. Hotly, quickly. Her lips caressing my own, gently, carefully. And her breaths are soft, quick. My hand tightening on the back of her neck. As I stand, wobbling slightly on my high heels. And I pull her closer to me, holding onto her tighter as I pull her right onto the edge of the desk. Her lips everywhere. Her tongue running over my bottom lip. Her teeth. My lips. And I'm teasing her lips apart now, as her hands circle around my waist. And the kiss lasts for a heartbeat. A second. A whole lifetime. Or maybe longer. And she's pulling away from me really quickly, roughly almost. My eyes fly open. And she's dropping her hands to her sides.

"Okay?" She whispers. And then she's repeating the word. Her eyes holding mine, too tightly. Over and over. "Okay? Lorraine, are you okay? Okay?" And I break eye contact. Looking down.

"I can't. I can't kiss you here. Someone might see us." I say quickly. And she's nodding, quickly. Biting down on her lip.

"I understand" she whispers. Does she? Does she really? Does she know how my throat ties itself in knots when I see her. Or how she makes me want to kiss her, right now. Hold her hand. Hold her hand as we sleep. Sheets and her hot skin. Does she understand that I want to wake up beside her tomorrow morning? Nothing but daylight and all the things we can't say between us. Maybe she does understand. Maybe she doesn't. I don't know.