"Hey Short-Stack. You missed a spot." Carmilla saddled up behind Laura as she walked in through the front door and found her painting the lobby.
"Ha ha." Laura deadpanned back at her, not bothering to turn around. She'd only started painting an hour ago, right after coming home from school. Laura was fighting a losing battle against the light. She had maybe another hour, at most, of natural light to work with. "You could make yourself useful and pick up a brush?"
"That sounds boring." Carmilla huffed, moving to rest her chin on the slightly smaller girl's shoulder. Her arms wrapped around her stomach out of instinct. "How about you blow off work and we can go catch up on that hoarding show you like so much?"
"Tempting." Laura started to laugh, and Carmilla could feel it deep in the pit of her stomach; before Laura pushed her away. "But, I promised my Dad I'd help him out with this. So you'll just have to wait." There was a teasing lilt to her tone. Almost a challenge.
"We both know patience isn't my strong suit!" Carmilla whined, tugging impatiently on the back of Laura's shirt. "C'mon, Creampuff. Just take a half day."
"Carm! Quit it! I've got work to do!" Laura childed, though her efforts to swat the other girl's hands away were only half hearted. "I'm serious! Stop it!" She broke out in a fit of giggles as Carmilla tried to wrestle the paintbrush out of her hand. Once she finally had her hand on it, Carmilla came within an inch of dabbing the end of Laura's nose with paint; until the feisty younger girl turned the tables completely.
Using the self defense classes her father had paid for - practically since she could walk - Laura managed to treat the paintbrush like it was a knife, pinning both of Carmilla's hands up the air above her head, while she shoved the older girl back against a section of the wall that hadn't been painted.
There was a tense moment of silence between them as their chests heaved and their eyes locked. Laura's were the first to break away; darting down to Carmilla's lips, and then back up again. "Carmilla." A booming voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs, making Laura jump back about a foot. She looked guilty as sin, while Carmilla just casually adjusted her skirt. It had ridden up a touch in the scuffle, which only made Laura's cheeks burn all the more brighter with embarrassment.
John Hollis walked towards the two girls, oblivious as to what he'd just interrupted, and carrying a can of duck egg white paint in each hand. He was wearing his usual jovial smile as he addressed the older girl. "Are you trying to corrupt my little girl?"
"Always, Mr H." Carmilla answered with a wink, making Laura blush. She hated the way a simple look from Carm could leave her weak at the knees. "Can you please tell your daughter to act like every other teenage slacker and skip work for today?"
"No!" Laura was still flustered as she snatched her paintbrush back out of Carmilla's hands. Some of the hair she'd tied back in a hasty bun had fallen out and she was forced to brush it back out of her face. "I promised to help. I don't shirk my responsibilities."
"You heard the lady." John shrugged, holding his bear like arms out as if to ask what more he could do. "Oh, Carmilla, while I've got you here. I'm going out of town for the weekend. I was wondering if you could keep an eye on Monkey for me?"
"Dad!" Laura protested, her embarrassment reaching new highs as Carmilla barely held back a snicker. "You have my word Mr H, I will protect Monkey with my life." She made some kind of half hearted attempt at the kind of hand signal used by scouts when swearing oaths.
"I don't need a babysitter!"
"Thanks, Carmilla. I'd appreciate it. She doesn't need much, three square meals a day, a bowl of water and a long walk in the evenings-"
"You're both so funny." Laura rolled her eyes at the pair of them.
"Oh, relax, Cutie." Carmilla teased. Her eyes were alight with mischief as she moved in closer to the younger girl, whispering in her ear. "I'll make sure to throw you a bone."
"Now you've got all the emergency numbers, and the number of the hotel. I'll be back late Sunday afternoon. No parties. No drugs. No boys-"
"Dad. Come on…" Laura gave her old man a disbelieving look, from over where she was curled up on the couch with an old, weathered, copy of Pride & Prejudice. "How likely is it that I'm going to have wild, drug induced, orgy while you're gone for two nights. Maybe if it was three-"
"Don't even joke about that." John pointed his finger sternly at his only child. "Or I'll pack you in my suitcase and take you with me."
"I'm not sure I'd pass for a marine. It's a height thing." Laura shrugged. Tossing her book aside, she stood up and walked over to give her old man a tight hug. "You've been looking forward to this reunion all year. So go, enjoy yourself, and don't worry about your very responsible and mature daughter. I promise, the most exciting thing I'll do this weekend is finish reading Pride & Prejudice for the millionth time."
"I dunno." John rubbed at his beard, his eyes narrowing like he was in mid-interrogation of the teenager. "Jane Austin was pretty revolutionary in her time. I'd hate for you to get ideas in your head…"
"Fine! Fine!" Laura laughed, physically pushing him towards the door. "I'll sit on the couch until you get back, and do absolutely nothing."
"I'm holding you to that." John chuckled. He wrapped his bear like arms around his tiny daughter, practically crushing her as they said goodbye to one another at the door. After a bit more persuasion, and John running through the emergency contact numbers with her again, he finally picked up his bags from by the front door and headed downstairs to catch his taxi to the airport.
Laura had managed to read another dozen or so pages of her book before there was a knock at the front door. Earmarking her page, Laura sat her book aside again and got up to see who was at the door. She was surprised to find Carmilla standing there, looking as drop-dead gorgeous as ever, in her trademark leather pants and a low cut sleeveless vest. Her hair was tied back in a functional bun, her lips were painted a dark red, and her eyes were lined with thick black Kohl. She looked like she was ready to head out on a hot date.
"Carm." Laura's voice actually squeaked as she greeted the other girl. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Hey. What's up?" Laura had last seen her neighbor the morning before, when she'd asked her to come over Friday night and watch crappy movies with her. Carmilla had declined the offer, but she hadn't given Laura a reason as to why. Clearly she'd already had other plans.
Leaning against the door-jam, Carmilla cocked her head to the side, looking past Laura and in to her apartment. "Hey, Creampuff. So where's the party?"
"You know my Dad said no parties." Laura scowled at the older girl.
"Ah. Of course. And you're so square you actually intend to listen to him." Carmilla shook her head with a cluck of her tongue. "God, it's a good job I organized a little shindig over at my place then, isn't it? Now go get ready."
Carmilla didn't wait around to listen to Laura's protests. Pushing her back inside of her apartment, she directed Laura straight to her bedroom. "We need to get you in to something cute. Your audience awaits, my queen."
"Wait. Who's going to be there?" Laura tried to dig her heels in, and slow Carmilla down, as she started riffling through her closet, throwing clothes about left, right, and center.
"You shouldn't leave your door unlocked like that." Laura chided at Carmilla's partially open door, while she set about locking her own.
"Relax, Creampuff. I invested in a guard dog." Carmilla took hold of her hand and tugged her across the hall in to her own apartment.
"You got a dog?"
"Sure did. Speak of the devil, there's Clifford now."
"Bite me, shorty." Danny rolled her eyes at their host. She greeted Laura with more kindness, pulling her in for a hug "Hey. I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too." Laura laughed. She wasn't quite able to believe that Carmilla had managed to keep the party to herself all week.
"I'll get you a beer." Carmilla's hand on the small of her back ended the hug with Danny. Laura took an abrupt step back, feeling a flash of guilt at the look on Carmilla's face. She didn't have long to dwell on it. Kirsch practically tackled her the second she stepped out of the hallway and in to the open living room.
"Little Hottie!" He grinned, scooping her up like an overeager five year old with a rag-doll.
"Hey Hollis."
"Hi Laura!"
Perry and LaFontaine were already there too. Perry was slaving over the oven, seemingly in the middle of baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies. There was already a veritable feast laid out across the kitchen counters. Everything from chips and dip, to mini slider burgers. Perry had gone all out.
Laura's mouth was watering at the sight, while Kirsch and LaFontaine were already tucking in to the food on offer. Laura felt a cold bottle of beer slip in to her hand as Carmilla saddled up beside her.
"Thanks." Laura grinned, leaning back against her. She'd spent a lot of time with Carmilla's friends, but it was nice to see her own mixing with them too. Kirsch and LaF seemed to be getting on like a house on fire as they stood around Carmilla's blender, mixing up cocktails of a questionable nature.
"Don't thank me yet." Carmilla leaned in close, her lips pressing against the side of Laura's ear. "Your boyfriend found out about the party too... I couldn't stop him coming over."
"What are you-" Laura started to ask what Carmilla meant, but she was cut off as the bathroom door opened and Will stepped out. Laura barely held back a groan at the sight of him. They hadn't spoken since their accidental date.
Will, for his part, looked just as awkward with Laura as he offered her a timid wave. "Hi Laura."
"Hey Will." Laura replied, hoping her cheeks weren't as hot with embarrassment as they actually felt. She would have curled up right there on the kitchen floor, had Carmilla not been keeping a firm arm around her waist.
Will walked right past the pair, grabbing a beer from Kirsch. "Thanks Bro."
"Not a problem, Bro!" Kirsch was in his element with another guy around. Besides the guys on his football team, he didn't really have that many male friends. "Hey Carm-Sexy, do you got any honey?"
"Cupboard on your left." Carmilla answered, without questioning why he and LaF would need honey when they were supposed to be making punch. Her attention was fixed elsewhere, namely on her neighbour. Laura was putting back her beer like there was no tomorrow. "Easy there, Cupcake. You know you're a lightweight."
"Am not!" Laura protested with a frown. Carmilla found it adorable whenever the other girl tried to act mad at her, because it was just that; an act.
"Really? Remind me, who did I have to carry to bed the other night after she'd had two beers?"
"I had the flu! The alcohol probably reacted with the cough medicine I took!" Laura tried in vain to defend herself, but they both knew Carmilla was right. The teenager really was a lightweight.
"Sure, Princess. Whatever you say." Carmilla rolled her eyes, sipping at her own bottle. "Don't worry. I'll get you safely to bed later."
"I'm sure you will." Laura replied - not so innocently - making Carmilla almost choke. "Easy there, Carm." The older girl was spared from having to reply when Kirsch and LaFontaine triumphantly announced that their concoction was finished.
"Okay people, everybody grab a glass!" LaFontaine instructed, already ladling generous measures of the bright green punch in to plastic cups.
"What the hell is this stuff?" Danny glared at the cup that Kirsch had handed her.
"Anti-Freeze #2!" LaF answered proudly, wearing a stupid grin on their face as Perry and Carmilla shared a look.
"Oh dear…"
"I'll put 911 on my speed dial." Carmilla sighed, taking two cups from Kirsch. She was loathe to hand one of them over to Laura, but she knew the tiny girl would object to being left out if she did.
"What is it?" Laura had the good sense to sniff cautiously at the ominous green liquid. The smell alone was caustic enough to burn at her nostrils.
"Apple Sours, Blue Hawaiian Schnapps, Southern Comfort, Mountain Dew and Honey." Carmilla answered. Her liver was starting to ache just looking at it.
Anti-Freeze #2 had been the cause of many a blackout for Carmilla and her friends, during their house parties back when they'd all lived together. LaFontaine had last made it the night of the wake they'd had for Elle. Carmilla had drank so much of it that she'd lost a whole three days.
"Seriously, Pop-Tart, take it easy with this stuff. It goes down like soda." For someone like Laura, who wasn't used to drinking, it would be all too easy for her to have too much too quickly.
"Yes, Mom." Laura rolled her eyes as she took a sip of punch. It hit her like a left hook from Mike Tyson. Trying to impress the older girl, she kept a straight face as she took a second sip. "It's good." Laura nodded, fighting back a dry cough.
Within an hour, the party was in full swing. Kirsch had his iPod plugged in to Carmilla's dock, pumping out music at an ear splitting level. Laura was just glad her father was in another state all together; otherwise he'd be banging down the door to get them to turn it off.
"Your girlfriend seems to be having a good time." LaF pointed out with a smirk, taking a seat beside Carmilla on the kitchen counter. Carmilla, for her part, was quietly watching Laura, who was stood on the other side of the room. She and Danny were deep in conversation.
"She's not my girlfriend." Carmilla huffed, her eyes narrowing on Danny as she reached out to pat Laura's arm. Coming from anyone else, the touch would have been innocent enough, but given Danny's history with Laura…
"Tell that to your face." LaF snorted in to their drink. "Seriously! You look like you're ready to go over there and shank a bitch!"
"Shank a bitch?" Carmilla shot her friend an amused look. She'd was already on to her second drink, though she'd been careful to keep an eye on how quickly Laura and her friends were drinking theirs. The last thing they needed was to have three drunk teenagers running around the place.
"You're watching way too much Orange Is The New Black." Carmilla shook her head. "And Laura isn't my girlfriend."
"Suuuure. You just spend all of your time together, she spends most night here, and - if I'm not mistaken - she leaves her stuff here." LaFontaine made a point of picking up a shirt off the top of a pile of laundry that Carmilla had left lying on the counter. The Doctor Who shirt clearly didn't belong to her.
"Shut up." Carmilla snatched the shirt back, and tossed it aside. "It's complicated, okay?"
"Looks pretty simple to me." LaF shrugged. They raised their glass in Laura's direction, catching the teen glancing Carmilla's way for the third time in as many minutes. "You two crazy kids are the most couple-ish non-couple I have ever met. Seriously, you're missing out on all the fun stuff!"
"Not all of it." Carmilla grinned, thinking about how it felt to wake up beside the other girl in the mornings. Laura's arms and legs intertwined with her own. Her hair tickling against the side of her cheek. The scent of her apricot shampoo… The sight of her smile when she first wakes up, and her eyes land on Carmilla lying beside her.
"Fuck this." Gulping her drink down, and setting the little plastic cup aside, Carmilla hopped down from the counter. She strode purposefully over to Laura and Danny, tugging on Laura's hand. "C'mon, Cupcake. This is supposed to be a party. Let's dance already."