"You were right, okay?" Laura huffed as she flopped down on to Carmilla's couch. "Will thought it was a date and I totally led your brother on. I'm just not used to guys asking me out… or flirting."
"Please. Guys flirt with you all the time. Girls too, for that matter." Carmilla scoffed with a shake of her head. Opening her fridge, she took out a beer and a can of that grape soda, the type that Laura drank by the gallon. "Not that you'd notice."
"Name one time you've seen anybody flirt with me! Other than your brother." Laura quickly added as an afterthought. She didn't want to make it too easy for Carmilla. The older girl's eyes lit up, relishing the challenge. Tossing Laura the soda can, Carmilla climbed over the back of the couch and made herself comfy; practically sitting on the smaller girl.
"Okay, Cutie. Let's see. There's the mailman. That creepy guy from the first floor. The artsy girl from the Grind last week. The guy working the toll booth at the movie theater the other day… Need I go on?"
"Wait, that girl from the Grind was hitting on me? Wow, she added me on Twitter. I should probably message her." Laura made to stand up, but was thwarted as Carmilla tugged on the back of her shirt.
"Great. First you stand me up for my brother, and now you're ditching me for some liberal arts student with dreadlocks."
"She was cute! You could have told me she was hitting on me!" Laura pouted, socking the other girl in the shoulder. "You are a lousy wing-woman, Karnstein!"
"Bite me, Hollis." Carmilla snorted in to her beer.
With her lips wrapped around the neck of the bottle, Carmilla took a long gulp. She needed it to steady her nerves. Laura really was oblivious when it came to people flirting with her. "Hey!" Carmilla protested as Laura snatched the bottle out of her hand.
She knocked it back - trying to match Carmilla's efforts - resulting in the teenager almost choking. A smirk appeared on the older girl's face as Laura ended up having a coughing fit. "Easy, Party-Animal." Carmilla leaned forward and started patting her back. Taking the beer back from her, she finished what was left in the bottle and placed it on the coffee table.
"If a date with my brother was bad enough to turn you to the bottle, then you're going to need more than that." Carmilla teased. "Why don't you go tell your dad you're back? Then come back over and we'll have a couple of beers. You can spend the night… If you want to?"
"That sounds awesome. Thanks, Carm." Laura threw her arms around her, giving the other girl a quick squeeze, before bouncing off to her own apartment. Carmilla watched her go, groaning internally at her own stupidity. Why the hell had she invited Laura to spend the night?
"You're a fucking masochist, Karnstein." Carmilla shook her head. Pushing herself back up to her bare feet, she padded over to the refrigerator and took out another two beers.
"Hey Dad! I'm back! I'm spending the night at Carm's!" Laura crashed through the apartment she shared with her father like a hurricane. John Hollis glanced up from his newspaper and just caught sight of his daughter's back as she retreated to her room.
"Hey Monkey. How was your night?" John folded his paper over and set it aside, pushing his horn-rimmed glasses to the top of his head. "I thought Carmilla wasn't going with you?"
"She wasn't. I uh, I ran in to her in the hall." It was only a small lie, but it was a necessary one. If she told her dad that Will had kissed her, well, it wouldn't be very good for neighbor relations if he wound up killing Carmilla's brother.
"I'm going to stay over at her place tonight. If that's okay with you?"
"Of course. Just don't stay up too late." John reached up to peck her on the cheek. Laura froze, fearing that he would be able to smell the beer on her breath.
"We won't." The teenager promised, hastily pulling away. "See you in the morning!"
Laura had left Carmilla's front door on the latch, so she was able to slip straight back in to her apartment without knocking. "Hey Carm, I brought-" The teenager stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of Carmilla's open bedroom door.
The older girl was busy changing for bed, with her back turned to Laura. Bending over to pull on a pair of shorts, she was giving the younger girl an utterly sinful view. Laura's jaw almost hit the floor. Her mouth was moving, but no sound escaped from her parted lips.
The handful of DVDs she was cradling almost dropped out of her arms as she stumbled backwards, out of Carmilla's line of sight. "Laur? Is that you?" Still flustered, the younger girl scrambled to answer.
"Uh, no… It's a burglar! I'm here for all your money!" Laura joked, earning a throaty chuckle from Carmilla.
"Give me a second, Ms Burglar. I'll help you look."
Emerging from her room, Carmilla was wearing a pair of shorts and a Silas U teeshirt. She gave Laura a critical look and shook her head. "Sorry, Cutie. What you're wearing is just not gonna cut it. Go get changed for bed. I'll choose the movie." Taking the stack of DVDs from the younger girl, she ushered Laura in to the bathroom to get changed.
The high school senior made sure to close the door all the way over behind her. Rifling through the overnight bag she had hastily packed, she pulled out her pj's; and groaned at the sight of the cartoon animals on her shorts. Seeing what Carmilla was wearing, and just how good she looked in her bedclothes, Laura felt self conscious about her own. She really should have paid closer attention to what she was picking out.
"Looking good, Creampuff. Loving the shorts." Carmilla grinned as she caught sight of the younger girl coming out of the bathroom. Laura stuck her tongue out at her. It hardly helped her with looking more mature, but Laura wasn't particularly bothered about that
She was too preoccupied with the blanket that had suddenly appeared on the couch. Carmilla was already curled up under it, flipping through the DVDs Laura had brought over. There were two beers on the coffee table, along with a big bowl of popcorn.
Laura picked up one of the beers and sipped at it, not wanting to repeat her earlier mistake of trying to chug it. Taking a seat next to Carmilla, she pulled the blanket up around her.
"You're taste in movies is appalling." Carmilla rolled her eyes at the selection of DVDs in front of her. "It's all Hollywood drivel!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Miss 'I-only-watch-movies-with-subtitles'." Laura was poking fun at her, but Carmilla refused to bite.
"I suppose this will have to do." Carmilla let out a fake sigh, holding up one of the movies at random. She really didn't care what they watched. Apparently, she'd made a good choice.
"I love this one!" Laura beamed. She bounced up off the couch to put the movie on. Carmilla watched her closely, her tongue darting out across her lips as she watched the younger girl bending over to work the DVD player. Her shorts had ridden up, and her hair was falling over her face and in to her eyes.
Biting down on her lip hard enough to draw blood, Carmilla tried to distract herself with her beer. Laura, who was oblivious to just what she was doing to her neighbor, joined her back on the couch just as the movie started to play. She picked up her own beer bottle, sipping carefully at it.
"So, will my brother be getting a second date?" Carmilla asked in teasing tone, earning a groan of frustration from the younger girl.
"Never!" Laura laughed, burying her face in the side of Carmilla's shoulder. "You're brother is lovely, he's just not my type."
"Not female enough for you?" Carmilla cracked.
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Laura rolled her eyes at her. "I just came out for a good time, and I'm feeling so attacked right now!" The younger girl went to stand, but Carmilla tugged her back down again, wrapping her arm around her waist.
"And what, exactly, is your idea of a good time, Cupcake?" Carmilla's voice was low and husky in. She had no idea whether Carmilla was doing it on purpose or not, but it was doing a hell of a lot more for Laura than Will's kiss had.
She made herself comfy against Carmilla's side before answering. "Oh you know… subtitled movie, piss-poor beer, terrible company."
"Laura Hollis, did you just say a naughty word?" Carmilla struggled to suppress a drunken giggle as she feigned shock at hearing the other girl using such language. She'd already had a few beers before Laura had shown up at her door.
Laura laughed with her, playing along with Carmilla's little game. "Maybe. What are you going to do about it? Tell on me?"
"Actually - Cutie - I was thinking about bending you over my knee." Carmilla purred in her ear, her voice as smooth as silk.
"Really?" Laura's reply came out in a breathy tone. She could feel her heart slamming against the wall of her chest. Biting down on her lip, and trying to ignore the heavy feeling of Carmilla's hand on her stomach, she added, "Well… fuck."
Both girls broke out in a fit of hysterics at that. Their giggling settled down once the movie started up, with Laura still resting against Carmilla's side. The older girl kissed the side of her head. She couldn't remember a time when she felt more content; at least not since Elle had died.
"Carmilla, dear, don't slouch." Lillith Morgan-Karnstein reprimanded her middle-child with a stern frown. "It's unbecoming of a lady."
"Yes Maman." Carmilla answered with a sigh. She checked her watch for the umpteenth time, wishing that dinner would be over already.
Laura was coming over for their usual Netflix night; which was pretty much any night that Carmilla wasn't working and Laura didn't have a ton of homework to do. Carmilla was counting down the minutes until Mattie would be driving her home.
At least she wasn't the only one who had to suffer through dinner with her mother; Mattie and Will were sitting either side of her. Will was in his element, surrounded by his whole family at the dinner table. He'd been bugging his sisters to come up to the house for weeks.
Mattie was as enthused about visiting their mother as Carmilla was. Like Carmilla, she only came to keep Will happy. Their younger brother might have been eighteen, but to the girls he would always be the baby of their little family.
At twenty-six, Matska was the oldest child. She'd been adopted from a Parisian orphanage by the newly married Karnsteins. From an early age, Lillith had been told she would never bear children of her own. That's why Carmilla, her only biological child, had been her little miracle.
She'd been born while her parents were still living in Austria. Her father was a British property investor, he'd met her mother in an Austrian university that they'd both attended. William had come along four years later. He was technically Carmilla's cousin. Her father's brother and wife had been killed in an accident in London, leaving Will an orphan at barely six months old.
They were an eclectic mix, but the three siblings had grown up closely. Daniel Karnstein's death had rocked his family, but his children had held fast, sticking together when they could have so easily broken apart.
Their mother was no easy person to live with. Mattie had already moved out before their father had died. Carmilla had only been fifteen at the time. She'd had to suffer under her mother's roof for another three years, before she'd been able to escape to college.
Carmilla had stayed in the city - choosing to go to Silas U instead of some far away place - only for Will's benefit. Once he was old enough, Will would be going off to college himself; and Carmilla would be free to live her own life.
Lilith carried on throwing questions at her children, asking about school and work; though she had no real interest in their answers. She made sure to slip in a dig about Carmilla majoring in philosophy. She wasn't happy about her daughter taking such a 'frivolous' degree. She expected Carmilla to follow in the family business.
The Karnsteins were property moguls, with over two dozen buildings in the city. Lilith expected her youngest daughter to join the family firm once she graduated; Carmilla, however, had other ideas.
She clock watched for the whole meal, choking down her dessert in a bid to leave. Mother had other plans for her. She already had her jacket on, ready to leave, when Lilith pulled her aside. "Carmilla, darling. Could you accompany me to the study for a minute? I have some papers I need you to sign."
"Of course." Carmilla gritted her teeth and followed her mother in to the study. It had once belonged to her father, and the smell of him still clung to the curtains and the leather books that lined the walls. Carmilla breathed in deeply. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine he was still there.
"It's just some paperwork for this term's tuition to come from your trust fund. It's pretty standard stuff."
"Sure." Carmilla signed the papers without giving so much as a glance over. Her college tuition was paid for out of the sizable trust fund her father had left her.
The only conditions of her inheritance were that she'd get it after graduating college. It was no substitute for her father, but the money was her ticket away from her mother. "Thank you, my dear. I'll pass these on to Vordie." Vordenburg was their family lawyer. He was a weaselly kind of man, who would do anything for a buck. Carmilla had never met a man she disliked more.
"Could those dinners get any more tedious?" Mattie rolled her eyes as she slipped behind the wheel of her car. It was something German. Carmilla couldn't remember what. She wasn't very good with things like that. Cars held no interest for her.
"She knows Will is graduating next year. The last of her flock is fleeing the nest. She's desperate to keep her claws in us." Carmilla muttered, her attention fixed on the passing world outside. She was leaning against the passenger window, her mind a million miles away.
"I can't wait to see her face when she finds out we're moving to Paris next summer." Mattie smirked, her own focus on the road ahead. It was already dark out, and she was tearing up the road. Mattie knew her sister was eager to get back, but she didn't know why. "Right, Kitty-Cat?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." Carmilla agreed, barely even listening. Her face lit up when her phone started going off. She pulled it out of her jacket and answered it with a smirk. "Hey Cutie. I'm on my way back now. I'll be an hour, tops. Okay. See you soon babe."
Mattie watched her with a guarded expression, waiting for Carmilla to hang up before commenting. "You're sweet on that Hollis girl, huh?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Carmilla answered coyly, ignoring his sister's pointed look.
"Hmm, I'm sure you don't. Just remember, come July, we're blowing this place off... So don't be getting too attached."
"Staying out again? I ought to rent out your room." John Hollis joked as Laura came out of her room, dressed in her pajamas and carrying her laptop under her arm. "These last few weeks, you've barely been home." His tone was light and teasing, but something in his eyes struck Laura. She paused with her hand on the door.
"I could stay home tonight, if you wanted?" She'd spent most of her nights at Carmilla's place for the last few weeks, and their sleepovers had become a regular occurrence.
"Don't be silly." John laughed off her concern. Getting to his feet, he dipped down to plant a kiss on Laura's forehead.
He was glad to see her getting out. She'd spent far too much time locked away in her room after she and Danny had broken up. "Your old man doesn't need babysitting. You go on ahead; just make sure you girls don't stay up too late."
"We won't. I promise." Laura kissed the side of his cheek, before bouncing out the door. She timed it just right, meeting Carmilla just as she was putting her key in the lock.
"Hey Shortstop, right on time." Carmilla greeted her with a genuine smile, the type she reserved for Laura, and not the usual smirk she kept for everyone else. Taking the younger girl's hand, she tugged her inside once the door was open.
"Go set up your laptop. I'm going to grab a quick shower and then I'll come straight through." She gave Laura's cheek a quick peck before heading for the bathroom. "Oh, and don't forget it's my turn to pick what we watch!"
"It was your turn last night, and the night before!" Laura called after her with a huff.
"Only because you always cave and let me pick!" Carmilla shouted back, tugging her shirt over her head; despite the bathroom door still being wide open.
Carmilla already had the shower running, and the steam was starting to spill out in to the hallway. Laura tried not to stare as the other girl undressed and then disappeared from sight, stepping under the hot spray of the water. Laura made herself useful while Carmilla was showering. Making her way in to the other girl's bedroom, she pulled back the covers and climbed in to the queen sized bed, laying her head down on Carm's pillow as she waited for her laptop to load up.
Despite the ample room in the over-sized bed, Laura knew that Carmilla would climb in and cuddle up beside her, as surely as she knew the sun would rise in the morning. Her dad had no reason to worry about the girls staying up all night. Laura was usually the first one to fall asleep.
She was already dozing off by the time Carmilla walked in to bedroom. She'd changed for bed in the bathroom, and towel dried her hair, so she slipped straight under the covers to join the teenager. "Your feet are cold." She grumbled, as usual.
Laura ignored her complaining as shuffled back a little, so Carmilla was pressed flush against her from behind. Taking Laura's lead, Carmilla wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, cuddling in to her like she were a human hot water bottle.
"How was dinner?" Laura made small talk as she started flicking through her Netflix queue, trying to take her mind off just how low Carmilla's hands had settled on her stomach.
"Hmmm… The usual." Carmilla sighed right in her ear, her breath hot against the side of Laura's neck. "William sends his regards." She teased, knowing just how to get a rise out of the other girl.
"Haha." Laura deadpanned, refusing to take the bait. It had been weeks since her accidental 'date' with Carmilla's younger brother, and she hadn't let it drop. "Careful, Karnstein. You almost sound jealous!" Laura pointed out with a smirk of her own, noting Carmilla's deeply set frown with a degree of satisfaction.
"And just what am I supposed to be jealous of? Huh, Cupcake?" Carmilla shot back, nestling her head on the younger girl's shoulder as she made herself comfortable.
"Nothing…" Laura mumbled, her eyes already beginning to close over as Carmilla pressed another kiss to the side of her cheek. "Nothing at all."