Chapter 2 - Anxiety:

A week earlier…

Imogen sat in front of her dressing table mirror fizzing with nervous energy. She reached up with a trembling hand, trying her best to steady it so she could apply her lipstick.

"Relax Imogen", she said out loud to herself, "It's just a bloody drink, same as every weekend".

She tried to focus on the simple act of breathing in and out in order to try and calm herself down.

Over the past year, Imogen and Constance had got into the habit of having a quiet drink down in the kitchens on Saturday night after lights out. They'd take it in turns to bring a bottle each week, sometimes wine, sometimes spirits.

It had started the night Imogen had come home a day early from spending the weekend with Serge, the day she'd ended their three year relationship. She'd wandered down to the kitchens in search of food as she hadn't eaten since breakfast and was surprised to find Constance down there engrossed in a book. It was the most relaxed she'd ever seen her as her hair was in a loose plait and she was nursing a large glass of red wine, the same shade as her lips Imogen mused.

Constance noticed how down Imogen looked, offered her a glass and prepared her a sandwich. It was the best bloody sandwich Imogen had ever had and she had no idea why, it was just cheese, salad and bread! Well, to be honest she did know why, it was because Constance had made it. It was the first time Constance had ever shown her a kindness beyond professional courtesy and she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach, the same ones she got every time she was in close proximity to the brilliant witch.

She knew she was in love with Constance and had been for a very long time, it was one of the reasons she ended things with Serge. Everything about her intrigued her, she was simply the most captivating woman she'd ever met. Constance would probably scoff at being called beautiful, but she truly was. Imogen adored her intense hazel eyes, her sharp cheekbones, her dark red lips and her slim, elegant body. She was thrilled by how powerfully magical she was and how she could strike fear into her students with just a glare, even if it wasn't in line with Imogen's teaching style. Most of all however, she loved her hair.

Constance always wore her hair in a loose plait during these drinking sessions, strands of wispy darkness falling prettily about her face. Countless times she had to resist the urge to reach up and gently tuck them behind her ear. It was a privilege to see it out of the restrictive bun she always wore and only served to make Imogen fall all the more deeply in love with her. She'd even blurted out how beautiful she thought her hair was, they had both blushed deeply.

Their regular Saturday night drinks had helped to thaw their sometimes frosty working relationship and staff and pupils alike had noticed how much more civil they were toward one another during school hours. The more they drank the more they opened up to reveal details about their respective lives such as their childhood and education. Imogen felt honoured that Constance had placed her trust in her by discussing some of the more painful aspects of her upbringing such as her mother's death and her time at Witch Training College.

They laughed and joked about Davina Bat's eccentricities and their pupils' exploits. Imogen was pleasantly surprised to discover Constance had a wonderful sense of humour and an infectious laugh. Her strict authoritarian school ma'am persona really wasn't the real her at all and she came to understand some of the reasons behind her seemingly aloof character.

And so here she was, preparing for another eagerly anticipated Saturday night with Constance. Tonight was different however. Last week Imogen disclosed that she'd once had a relationship with a woman prompting Constance to reveal she had also once had a same sex romance. To say Imogen was surprised was an understatement. She didn't know what she was more shocked at, the fact Constance had been with a woman or that she'd told her.

She went to bed that night trembling with the possibility that this attraction she'd felt towards her all these years could in theory be reciprocated, Constance clearly didn't find the idea of two women together abhorrent. Imogen had caught Constance staring at her several times over the past week and quite honestly she was unable to tear her eyes away.

This was why Imogen was nervous. Something was going to happen tonight and she knew it. Well… she hoped with all her heart it might. That didn't mean she didn't feel sick to the stomach with nerves though. Imogen had day dreamed about what their first kiss would be like several million times over the past few years, but now that there was even the slightest possibility of it becoming a reality, she was panicking.

The lipstick she'd applied with shaking hands was too obvious, it looked like she'd made too much effort. She didn't normally wear lipstick for their Saturday night drinks, what if Constance noticed? "You want her to notice you idiot", her internal voice shouted out at her. She made to grab a make-up wipe to remove it but then hesitated, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Leave it Imogen. You're going to have to be the one to make the first move, she won't. You've got to do this or you'll risk spending the rest of your life alone and unhappy", she spoke out loud in a surprisingly calm and steady voice.

The realisation struck her like a thunderbolt. This was it.

She grabbed the bottle of incredibly expensive red wine she'd splashed out on and a blanket and left for the kitchens.