Had a bit of a hard time with this one, guys. Hopefully the ending of this chapter is alright, it almost felt a little bit rushed in the scene, but, I just couldn't quite find myself able to extend it anymore. Thoughts and critiques are both welcome and appreciated!
"Wow, so, okay," Amy grumbled testily- her fury brimming just barely under the surface. But that was definitely enough for Karma to notice.
And Karma could admit that it was probably fair- she hadn't really thought this whole "threesome" thing through. That being, she didn't think Amy would say yes and she didn't think about how the other girl would react after being told that, basically, she wanted her to hit the road as soon as they got into that hotel room. Sure, maybe it was a little bit of an ill notion to ask her fake girlfriend to join her and her secret (almost) lover in a wild sexual adventure, but, really, the plan was just to get her that far without... well, it was an excuse, really. And she knew it. So that Karma and Liam didn't need to really have the awkward breaking of the ice "Let's talk about having sex" talk. Amy was like (in the nicest way possible, of course) a chess pawn used to gracefully escort Karma to the other side of the chess board, where Liam awaited.
If that made sense.
But she figured that when she revealed this to Amy, the other girl would be absolutely relieved. Not... irritated, or whatever this was.
"I'm sorry," And Karma meant it- building up the courage for Amy to even think about getting involved in something like this must have taken a lot, and only to be shut down at the end?
Yeah, Karms. You really didn't think this one through.
"I didn't think you'd really want to do it, anyway," She wasn't sure how to respond to Amy's behaviour about this.
She watched as the other girl opened, and closed her mouth a few times; struggling to get out a reply. Karma wondered just how many back rubs it would take to make up for this one.
"It's just a little bit," Amy finally seemed to have gathered her thoughts, "harsh to be kicked to the curb,"
"Aims," She sighed, allowing herself to sit down on the other girl's bed- "Think about it, though; did we both really want to be losing our V Card in front of each other, with the same guy, at the same time? Talk about weird,"
Even Amy couldn't disagree; as offended as she was. That was clear by the way she nodded lightly and shrugged. It was good to see she wasn't holding onto this anger too much, "I don't even think we could come back from that one," She admitted, which caused Amy to smile lightly.
"Maybe not," The other girl agreed, scuffing her socked foot against the carpet, "So what was really the plan?"
"Well, I was thinking," At this, Karma perked up. Good. Amy wasn't holding onto it- and she was going to lose her virginity to Liam Booker. Everything was falling into place perfectly.
Man, she'd owe Amy so many back rubs.
"We meet there, obviously- and but, so it's not too evident that this was the plan all along- things need to start," She trailed off, watching Amy's expression ghost something of horror. She chose her next words carefully, "Going as they do, before you make up an excuse that you have to go- and it's urgent. Boom," Karma threw her hands into the air, "It's all taken care of."
"But what do I say?" Amy asked unsurely. Karma shrugged, "I dunno. Say your mom fell down the stairs or something,"
Amy twisted her lips; clearly not too swayed by that example. But whatever- Karma was just spit balling ideas, anyways.
"'K," The girl just replied- the edge creeping back into her voice. This time, Karma ignored it; Amy was a big girl who could make her own decisions; she didn't need to hold her
hand all the time. At least she knew the drill now. If she wanted to be pissy, that was her problem; Karma could deal with it later, when the time wasn't so dire. But still... if Amy was pissy...
"You're still... in though, right?" She asked her friend tentatively.
Amy rolled her eyes, "Don't know if I'd call myself 'in'," She crossed her arms over her chest, visibly upset about the situation that (Karma did feel bad about) she had been dragged into, "But, I'll go play my part,"
"Oh, Aims," She scoffed- why was she so upset? She had nothing to be upset about, not really. "Don't say it like that,"
"Well, what am I?" The girl responded sharply, "Chopped liver?"
"Do you seriously want to have a threesome?" Karma couldn't catch the bark in her voice this time, but her patience was waning.
"No," The irritation rose an octave.
"Well," Karma threw up her hands, "That's how you're making it seem. What's the big deal?"
Lately, she couldn't figure Amy out. And by lately- that meant very, very recently. Starting just before the croqembouche incident, it seemed like her reasonings, and, even moreso- her emotions- were just erratic. The mood swings were becoming more frequent, little things would tick her off, and Karma couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe she was just stressed about the whole lesbian ordeal- and, her guilt for that was there, don't get her wrong. She dragged her best friend into it. But she was just trying to work with it- hell, she was trying to fix it.
But, the little psychologist in her had a theory. And the more she thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make.
At first, she'd thought that Amy had been jealous of her, for snagging someone like Liam Booker. Amy had always had trouble talking to boys, so, maybe seeing Karma's love life start blooming, she realized how... what was the nice way to put it... well, how behind she may be in the whole boys thing. Let's be honest; Amy could hardly talk to a member of the opposite sex without either stumbling over her words, or being a complete condescending dick. But hey, at least she was working on it.
So Karma had cut her some slack. She understood, she tried to help her out, but nothing was clicking.
But then, she started noticing the way she bristled around Liam. Even the mention of his name seemed like enough to completely send her off the deep-end sometimes. The clenched jaw, the lowered eyes, the hostility. And that's when it hit her; she wasn't jealous of Karma. She was jealous of Liam.
She couldn't really blame her for that one, either. They had, obviously, been best friends since kindergarten; and for so many years they were each other's only real close personal bond. They shared something special, and Karma knew it. She supposed it would be normal for them to grow so accustomed to one another, but then, when someone else entered the scene that caused Karma's attention to shift from Amy to Liam- then came the jealousy. A lot like a kid and their favourite toy; Amy didn't know how to share.
And, she felt a little bit bad for psychoanalyzing, but, she couldn't help but think about her dad sometimes. Maybe she was afraid that Karma was leaving her. Of course, she had no concrete proof that this could be the deep lying root of the problem, but she wondered about it. And that made her feel even worse. But, what could she really do about it? She didn't want to smite Amy by asking her about it; she was instead hoping that Amy would gradually climatize to these new changes.
And Amy seemed to mull the question over in her head; run over a few times, swish it around in that brain of hers- rinse and repeat. What was the big deal? She doubted even Amy knew.
"I don't know," She groaned. Karma couldn't help but feel a little bit smug that she knew her best friend well enough to know that she was just arguing for the sake of it, "I just feel so," Amy made a few vague, pedalling hand motions, "used."
Karma deflated, the weight of her indiscretion settling on her shoulders again, "Don't," She urged, starting to feel a little bit exasperated, "I didn't mean it anything like that, and you know it,"
"I know you didn't," Amy mumbled, the anger and irritation that was flaring in her a few moments ago now completely vanished, only to be replaced by something much more... tired. "But it's like, you still thought of it anyway,"
"Aims-"
"Like you still just figured that I'd be totally fine with all of this- like, 'Oh, it's just Amy!',"
Aw, fuck, here we go.
"Aims, I didn't-"
"No, but Karma," The frustration was back again, as Amy pointed a finger accusingly at her best friend sitting on her bed. Karma felt the heat in her cheeks rise, "You did."
"You know I didn't mean anything by it," She insisted- Amy was just being difficult. Just trying to guilt trip her- which, she didn't need, because she already felt shitty enough about it. Sure, maybe it wasn't a great idea; she didn't really count on Amy actually going through with it.
"But you still," Amy started, before closing her eyes, her hands curling into fists at her sides. She was clearly trying to lose her temper entirely- which Karma still didn't fucking understand because Amy was just making a bigger deal out of this than she needed to be. "Took no consideration-"
"Then don't come, Aims," Karma was putting an end to the shaming that was about to take place before it even started. The other girl appeared taken aback that her friend had
cut her off so abruptly; her mouth hanging open slightly, but there was definitely, for sure, unmistakably the fury sparking behind her eyes that she hadn't allowed her to finish. Amy was like that. She hated being talked over- but sometimes, Karma had to do it, for the good of both of them, before any real claws could get out.
Huffing, she pushed herself to her feet, "I gotta go. Don't come if you don't want to, but I'll be there," She grumbled, grabbing one of Amy's mother's trenchcoats from the floor, and then brushing past the taller girl towards her bedroom door.
She was just glad that Amy didn't come storming out after her. Five more minutes in there and Karma predicted it could have been a real shit show.
She just... She had to take everything so personally.
Karma took the stairs two at a time, putting as much distance between herself and her friend as she could; hopefully, Amy could think it over and calm down a little bit.
Entirely flustered, Karma yanked open the front door; welcoming the walk home ahead of her.
Still standing with her hands crossed her chest; Amy glared at the electric alarm clock on her night stand, and it was telling her that Karma had left ten minutes ago, already.
And she hadn't stopped stewing since.
So, she was only being dragged into this utterly ridiculous threesome proposal so that she could actually say 'hasta la vista!' and leave Karma with Liam? That had been the girl's intentions since the start? A... pawn?
And no, it wasn't like Amy had actually been looking forward to what sounded like the absolute worst evening of her life- but the fact that Karma had the audacity to use her like that? And, it just made it so much more frustrating that the other girl couldn't even see what she was doing when she was doing it. Her judgement was totally clouded by her own selfishness.
And for what- a good lay? To lose the V Card to her gross new 'boyfriend'?
She really should've seen it coming.
And she should've expected her to run away when faced with the allegation. But, Amy had allowed her to; if she'd stuck around any longer, things could've gotten nasty.
Like the fact that Karma just couldn't own up to anything. And whenever things got serious, whenever anyone pointed anything out to her that she'd done wrong- any social injustice- she was a runner. Hell, she might as well stuck her fingers in her ears and started screaming with the way she ignored it. It was one of her friend's less fine traits.
The inability to cope with her own actions. Yet, she still- after all these years- remained just as reckless. She never learned!
No matter how many times Amy could complain about a less than fair treatment, Karma just couldn't help but repeat her behavior. She had very little regard for how anything she did could affect others- most specifically, Amy, who was so often on the receiving end of the shit stick.
Groaning, she (just barely) resisted the urge to kick the foot of her bed in all of her anger.
There went her and Shane's little theory.
Of course Karma wasn't interested; she'd been so gullible and desperate to hear what she wanted to that she'd completely overlooked all other outcomes.
"Stupid," She scolded herself, scanning the room for some kind of distraction.
Stupid Amy. Stupid Karma. Stupid, fucking, pig Liam Booker.
She sure was craving something chocolatey. Maybe that would soothe her agitated nerves. Turning, she threw open her door with an unnecessary force, stomping down the stairs, feeling a pout pulling at her lips as the anger faded away into the sulky kid phase.
As she entered the kitchen, she found Lauren; looking flushed, post workout as she poured herself a glass of almond milk. The other blonde looked up as Amy entered; quickly regarding her demeanour, and obviously piecing together the dramatic exit made a few minutes ago.
"What," A self-satisfied smirk played at the corner of her lips, "You and your girlfriend have a hissy fit?"
If only you knew, she muttered internally. "Something like that," Was all she returned.
"Trouble in paradise," Lauren played back coolly, lifting the glass to her mouth as Amy swept past her for the cupboards. "Must be hard."
"She's so difficult," Amy said stiffly- unsure why she was even beginning to think of venting to her step-sister nemesis. Surely it'd just be thrown back at her, sooner or later.
Lauren rolled her eyes, "Okay, don't care,"
Amy heard the fridge open and close again as the milk was returned- she allowed herself to peek over her shoulder at the girl; she was still itching to complain about it to someone. And while she had half expected Lauren to lap up any sign of trouble, she found herself glad that she was indifferent instead.
Lauren paused as she made her exit, throwing one last smug look over her shoulder, "You sure know how to pick em'!"
I sure do, she agreed bitterly, pulling a box of chocolate covered granola bars from it's depths. I'll turn my best friend into my fake girlfriend so that I can use her to get herself a real boyfriend! Oh, and to top it all off, it's a great time to start wondering about all of those feelings of yours!
"Stupid," She repeated again, carelessly tearing open the wrapper.
She had to find some way to fix this.
Impulsively, Amy opened up her phone, searched for Shane's contact, and hit dial. Holding it up to her ear, she munched on her granola bar, once again reflecting on the conversation she and Karma had not thirty minutes ago. It seemed completely unreal.
The phone rang.
Wait until she told Shane. She could just imagine his response- he'd be optimistic about it, she was sure, but she could imagine the long stereo silence that stretched between the phones as he realized just how shitty that was. But he'd come up with something.
It rang again.
Just take off, what the hell?
And again.
She'd been so sure... It had seemed so clear; all of Karma's dropped little hints, or crawled kisses, or looks that lasted a little bit too long... she just didn't know how to talk about it, right? Karma just wanted to be normal, right? That's why she couldn't talk about it?
She wrung her hands together.
The phone rang on the other end of the line for a fourth time.
Where was Shane?
She'd still have to show up, even if just to spite the other girl. Show her that she was fucking game. Amy wouldn't be cast aside, not like this- that was just way too far.
The boy's chipper voicemail came up, and she sighed; out of all the times he couldn't answer his phone...
"Shane," She said urgently into the mic after the sound of the beep, "You'll never believe what Karma just told me. She wants me to- to just- hit the road before anything can get too serious. Can you believe that? This isn't... I don't think this is for the reason we thought it was, and I don't know what to do- I really don't want to go to this thing but I don't want to back out now either,"
It clicked.
Like the missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle, turning gears, or pressing a big giant button that specifically read "DO NOT PRESS". Clear as day. Hallelujah.
"But that's okay," She stuttered, feeling a devious grin tug at the corner of her lips, "Because I actually think I just realized how to do this. I'll call you later,"
Hanging up the phone, Amy jumped to her feet, making a complete beeline for her bedroom.
Amy could be a bitch.
She had it in her, deep down- she hardly had to chance, but she knew that when she was feeling particularly crossed (as she was right now) she could be a vindictive, cold, ruthless bitch.
There was a little bit of guilt in her that she'd be taking it out on Karma, but, she had put up with enough of the red-headed girl's BS in her life, and sometimes, that bitch came out. Whether it be in the form of a sharp retort or a knife in just the right vulnerable spot, or- in this case- maybe the worst of all; it was dressing in the sexiest lingerie she could get her hands on and having the notion in her mind:
She'd make her presence there known. Whether it was to Liam or Karma, she didn't really care; she'd just make her presence wanted there.
It was perfectly hostile, and Amy knew it. A quiet, two middle fingers held up kind of revenge.
And, maybe it was a step too far. After all, she didn't really have a right to be so upset at Karma; it's not like the other girl was aware of the extent of Amy's feelings- but, she was pretty damn mad about being expected to be nothing more than a pretty object to nestle Karma closer to the boy. So, she compensated the anger for that as being more reasonable than it was, maybe, and if anyone asked that was what she could tell them. Instead of the whole, "I'm into you and you're not into me, wah," Crap.
It was selfish.
It was petty.
But Amy didn't care. For once, she would be the most selfish, petty one of them all and Karma could feel the kick in the balls.
She had stared at herself for a long time in the mirror- regarding the way the bralette cupped her breasts, pushing them up- with it's teasing straps allowing a peek-a-boo. Her toned stomach (all thanks to a wonderfully functioning metabolism), and nothing more than a hand-picked, black pair of panties.
The worst part about it all, however, was that as she looked at herself, swallowing up every last movement of her abdomen, arm, looking for all of her best angles, she had to resign and realize she was hoping Karma would see it and somehow, again, rethink. Want her.
And why?
The icing on the cake:
Before the argument, there had been a different plan. Karma wanted to have a test-run; she'd giddily dug through Farrah's closet (with Amy's permission) until she came across some old, forgotten about, reporter trench coats. It was part of the ambience thing again- something the other girl was so inexplicably keen on. And, like trying on a prom dress- Karma had rushed to put on her newly bought attire for the evening- to Amy's slight nausea.
She felt uncomfortable with the idea of dressing sexy for Liam.
She still felt uncomfortable with the idea of Karma dressing sexy for Liam.
And, while she waited, a mess of nerves and excitement- with Shane's voice echoing around her head, Amy couldn't help but wonder, again, if this really was that big bicurious bat signal in the sky.
Conceding to the idea that she was the lamb, and Karma was the slaughter, Amy shrugged on the trench coat left for her, and waited some more.
When the bathroom door opened, and Karma stepped out in a similar style coat- they grinned sheepishly at one another. Amy felt her stomach lurch uneasily.
"Are we ready?" Karma had asked, her voice bubbling with excitement. She was still having trouble's wrapping her head around just how her friend could be so nonchalant about this all.
But she held Karma's gaze, fearful that if she dropped it- one of them would back down. And her heart was hammering in her chest and Karma was staring at her, searching her, still grinning- but it was shrinking, as the moment dragged out and neither of them knew how to proceed.
"Yeah," Amy finally responded, just now realizing she never did.
Karma's eyebrows knit together for a brief moment- as if she too, only now noticed the other girl hadn't answered her question.
And then she pulled in a deep breath, recovering herself and smiling again, "Okay,"
Amy wondered if the other girl had purposefully waited for Amy to answer before continuing. She had just been so caught up in the moment that she'd... forgot.
"So we..." Karma cleared her throat, taking a tentative step forward. She noticed the other girl's eyes glance past her, at the door- double checking that it was both closed and locked. (As if Amy would forget that. This was the last thing Lauren or her mother needed to walk into.)
Amy felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat; watching Karma's lips as they gravitated closer to her own. She remembered the way they felt against her own- the way she moved, the flow of the kiss they'd shared in the gym. The hunger of the kiss she'd dreamed about. The innocent bewilderment of the kiss in the courtyard. Her stomach stirred as she thought about what this one would be like.
She saw Karma's chest rise as she took another deep breath, "So I'm thinking," She said, "I'll be here," Gently placing her hands on Amy's shoulders, she guided her back a few, awful steps- distancing them. "You'll be here. Liam will be," She held out a hand, making a generalized circle motion, "Over here-ish."
"That has good threeway feng shui," Amy remarked, trying to ease the situation that was happening not only physically- in the present- but what was happening in her head.
And her stomach.
"No giggling," Karma instructed, although she didn't try to hide the smile playing on her face, "We need to be convincing,"
Amy nodded fervently.
"So first, I'll undo your coat," The redhead reached out, grabbing the strings in her hands abruptly. Amy started slightly under the movement, but the other girl didn't notice, "All sexy-like,"
Oh, good God, Amy, what have you done?
A half amused half terrified sound escaped her before she could catch it. Karma resumed dutifully pulling the strings- she was so cute. Biting her lip. Excited. Oblivious. What was even happening?
Karma slid her hands under the coat, pushing it off by the shoulders- to reveal... the very same pyjamas Amy was wearing only a few minutes ago. She furrowed her brow, mouth opening and closing again, wordless.
Panicked, Amy blurted, "This seemed authentic,"
The other girl gaped at her incredulously for a few moments, still looking her over in... well, Amy didn't really know.
"Whatever," Karma finally returned, a hint of edge in her tone. Amy didn't realize the lack of... ambience would be quite so... frustrating for the other girl. "Now you do mine,"
Registering that demand took a few seconds.
She wanted Amy to undress her.
Nothing dirty.
Karma had no idea.
What? There were no ideas.
Coming to, Amy nodded again, resisted the urge to wipe her clammy hands against her boxer shorts- and reached for the strings of the other girl's coat. As she began undoing her, it felt like eternity was stretching out before them; the tension rising in the air as a knot formed in the strings, and Amy picked at it for a moment, pretending nothing was askew. As the knot came undone, and the grand reveal was around the corner, she raised her eyebrows at the other girl in anticipation- as though she hadn't already seen the lingerie.
But that was alright. Karma's moment of snappiness seemed to have ebbed away somewhere in the process. There was a heavy look in Karma's green eyes that was making something in Amy's legs a little bit weak.
Inhaling sharply, the coat finally dropped to the ground; leaving Amy up close and personal, once again to... the whole...
Cleavage.
But taking in the whole thing again was nice.
Karma seemed to appreciate it, with that knowing little smirk on her face as she absently fixed the hair that had gotten disarrayed in the removal. And then, she leaned forward,
"Mm," She remarked, clearly trying to break the ice, "You smell yummy,"
The choice of word sent her heart fluttering, "I do?"
"Mmhmm," Karma nodded, straightening out a lock of Amy's hair, "Chinese food?"
At this, her heart instead did a little somersault of embarrassment. She felt a heat creeping up her cheeks, "Oh," She exhaled the word, "I had mu shue pork for lunch,"
Karma giggled with her- of course, it was so Amy. But that eased the embarrassment a little bit, that at least her best friend hadn't forgotten who she was- which was a mu shue pork eating kind of gal.
The redhead absently stroked Amy's hair a few times- and, in the silence- she was finding it harder and harder not to look at those lips again.
"Well," She tried to sound like she wasn't squirming- she was pretty sure she failed, "I guess there's nothing left to do but-"
"Kiss?" Karma finished for her- eyes instantaneously clouding over as they glanced from Amy's eyes and down to her lips.
Something in the pit of her stomach definitely flipped.
Yes. Yes kiss me.
Thrown by the directness, Amy nodded- and watched in a sort of awe as- unbelievably- Karma began to close the space between them.
Was she seriously going to do it?
Was it really this easy?
But she kept coming. So far that Amy relented to the idea that yes, this was happening. She just hoped nobody would pinch her.
Transfixed by her lips, Amy opened her mouth slightly, anxious for Karma to close the space entirely- and she did, as her hand came up out of seemingly nowhere- and she planted one against the back of her hand.
Amy reeled for a moment- the fog of lust that had been drifting it's way into her mind instead replaced with confusion.
Karma pulled back- ignoring the way Amy's eyebrows were near touching, "I can't believe I'm going to lose my V Card,"
And, well, it was all downhill from there.
So Amy would be a bitch. She'd show up in even less clothing than Karma, she'd try her damndest to be as confident as Catwoman and she'd... well, she'd see where it got her.
She was almost certain she'd regret it. But maybe this would show Karma that Amy was more than some idle by girl- she was... worth it.
Wasn't she worth it?
Pulling her lip between her teeth, Amy observed herself in the mirror for a few more moments, exhaling heavily as the rage fuelled vengeance poured out of her, only to be replaced by some kind of self-pitying melancholy.
Saying she had stooped to that level- whatever that level was, which, she supposed, must be this- it sounded terrible, but she accepted it, anyway. Sure, it was rude. Of course the whole thing was rude, and terrible, and just altogether strange.
She and Karma both accumulated at the hotel before Liam had; the redhead was standing in the lobby awkwardly- sporting that ridiculous trenchcoat (So was Amy, to be fair). Her eyes flickered upwards as Amy approached- and she felt her heart skitter again. She wanted to turn around and exit again, run, go home- hide under her blankets. This was it; she was here; and she was all too aware of what was under the other girls coat- all too aware that Karma, in turn, had no idea what was under hers. That filled her with a sense of... anxiety, upon what her response would be. Anger? Surprise?
However, there was a tension that stretched through the air- a very obvious elephant standing, snugly, between the two of them.
"Are you still mad at me?" Karma asked, not sounding entirely heartfelt.
A twang went through Amy's chest, provoking her again. Shrugging, she answered icily, "No,"
Karma narrowed her eyes at her, only glancing back at her from the corner of her eye, "If you want to start another argumen-"
"I don't," Fuck feeling guilty about pulling the bitch-move.
Something flashed across the other girls face, as she straightened up, as though she was trying to look Amy directly in the eye, "I-"
"Sorry I'm late," Liam interrupted, as he came fumbling through the lobby, struggling with the key in his hand, "I got stuck in traffic,"
Karma's anger melted into an award winning grin as she greeted him, "It's okay!"
Amy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Here he was, unimpressively grinning as his eyes darted between the two of them, and he hastily went to unlock the door. He was disgustingly excited. Over his bowed head, she looked at Karma- who noticed instantly- her smile wavering.
Karma was nervous. Shaking in her faux-leather boots.
Amy?
The irritation she felt was somehow keeping her cool- collected. She was certain Karma could notice her lack of nerves, too- by the way her eyes were scanning her unsurely, softening.
She hoped Karma would like it.
The lock clicked as Liam twisted the key, pushing it open afterwards; it was... definitely nice, for a motel room. Like- way too nice. Did Liam call in advance, and sucker his rich daddy into buying a bunch of new shit? Seriously- why is this so nice?
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she allowed Karma in after the boy, and then followed behind; grabbing the door and shutting it behind her.
Shit.
Nerves?
Here they are.
Suddenly being shut in this- why is it so sexy-? motel room felt abruptly claustrophobic. Amy half expected to turn around and see the two going at it already. Karma really, really wanted to jump his bones. Enough to drag Amy into a 'threesome' (only to be tossed aside again, but, anyways). She found it hard to believe that her friend would abstain as soon as that door was closed.
Taking a deep breath- preparing herself, she turned on heel- relieved to find the two of them sitting on the bed- looking entirely... lost.
They were both quiet, eyes occasionally glancing up at her- only to peel away, and look anywhere else, aside from each other. She saw Liam's Adam's apple bob nervously as he loosened the collar of his shirt. At least he'd dressed somewhat nice- maybe he and Karma both shared that same flair for ambience.
Shifting a little on spot, she managed to build up the courage to make her way to the bed; taking a seat on the unoccupied side of Liam. Closest to the door- just in case she did have to run out of here at last second and yell 'chicken!'
As she sat, Liam tried to smile; in what she assumed he must have hoped looked friendly and polite- but it was ruined by the absolutely terrified look that filled his eyes as he quickly averted meeting her gaze. Not that Amy was complaining; she didn't really want to look at him, either, and wonder what the hell was supposed to happen next. She'd relied on Karma to be the one taking charge; as she usually did. And if not her, Liam.
But both of them continued to sit there, as if they were eleven years old and stuck in a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven.
"So," He finally croaked, staring forwards, "Thanks for coming,"
Amy cast a sideways glance at her friend, who had her eyes furrowed together, "Thanks for... having us?"
Karma returned a more desperate look in Amy's direction. Startled at being put on the spot for input, she agreed, "Yeah. This hotel room is something,"
Liam appeared as though he had been physically struck; dumbfounded. The sneaking suspicion that he had prepared earlier quietly confirmed itself in Amy's mind.
"Is that ice over there?" Karma asked, springing to her feet, "I'm going to go break it,"
She sauntered over to the dresser, a grin that was equally hopeful as it was hopeless playing across her face- as her attempt to diffuse the tension failed. Amy wondered if the remark had simply just gone over Liam's head.
"How about some music?" He asked, hopping onto his feet just as suddenly as Karma had. But, the redhead nodded enthusiastically at the idea; her eyes glancing towards Amy again, and then back at Liam.
The boy fumbled to remove his iPod from the pocket of his pants, and then place them in the iHome that was just- very conveniently- sitting on the end table. His fingers were visibly shaking as he searched for some song to set the mood.
Ambience?
Maybe Mr. Macho wasn't as renowned as she had previously thought.
His shaking fingers selected Mr. Saxobeat- of all songs- and the saxophone was blaring out of the speakers- causing Amy to cringe and Karma jumped at the sudden noise.
"Sorry," He apologized, frantically scrambling to change the song, and lower the volume.
It wasn't off to a great start.
He found a song, much softer- although Amy had never heard it before, it was an obvious improvement. But, after that ordeal had been taken care of; they instantly slipped back to square one; with all of them awkwardly taking quick peeks at one another, and then roving their eyes around every other inch of the room. It was painstaking- the unease crawling up Amy's spine as the verbal silence stretched out between them.
"Fuck it," She finally groaned; after it was clear that no progress would be made between the two 'keen' on the threesome. "Is this a threesome or a staring contest?"
Standing up, she took in the reaction of the other two for a moment; which were both very similar. Liam's lips parted a little, and his eyes bulged out of his head. Karma's lips parted a little bit, as she watched with an expression closer to intrigue than fear. Her reaction solely was what gave Amy that last little prompt to move her hands to the tie of her jacket, and undo it. She shrugged it off- revealing the attire she'd decided on earlier that evening.
Amy didn't bother looking at Liam as she dropped it.
Karma's pointed look remained fixed on Amy- she saw her chest expand in a moment of quiet shock, as her head slowly lowered, but her eyes didn't move from... well, it wasn't Amy's eyes- she couldn't quite pinpoint where Karma was so focused.
Until she snapped out of it- a spark igniting behind her eyes as she must have noticed she'd been staring. Amy really, really, didn't mind. She'd never even begun to imagine the sensation she'd feel of having Karma look at her like that; the darkness clouding her eyes for a few, delicious moments- Amy'd confidence swelled under it.
And then she decided she ought to look at Liam, though she really didn't want to.
He looked like a boy shamed; it was flattering, actually. His cheeks had a bit of colour and he looked as if he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
And then, she glanced back up at Karma who... had the exact same look on her face.
Amy felt the heat rise in her own cheeks at invoking such a response out of them. Although, at this moment;
(at all moments)
she only cared about one of them.
Holding out her hand in Karma's direction, she searched the features of her face again- lapping it up. Karma kind of had that same look she got before she was about to stress cry.
Amy knew that would be a mess.
She offered the girl a gentle smile- the anger that she had felt since their argument was forgiven, forgotten, and buried.
Hesitantly, Karma placed her hand in Amy's own, and she turned again, seeing Liam observe the gesture, and then swallow visibly- again- heading towards the bed.
She supposed it was up to them.
Guiding Karma towards her, Amy grinned at her affectionately again; taken by the way Karma's eyes flitted across her face, searching. Amy carefully moved her hands towards the knot in the girl's jacket; raising her brows slightly to show the other girl what she was doing. In response, the girl lifted her own brows in a wordless go-ahead. Thankfully- the reveal this time was quicker than it had been in practice. The knot came undone without hassle, and Karma inhaled sharply as it fell around her ankles- that terrified expression still on her face.
Who would've thought she would be the one keeping it together?
Fixing the girl's hair the same way that Karma had done to her in their practice, Amy could practically see the overthinking that she had suffered from so often whirling around in Karma's head, in the form of a little crease between her eyebrows, and the slightest pout of her lips.
"Relax," She whispered, tucking a lock behind her ears. Karma's gaze softened a little, and she nodded- not appearing entirely convinced.
Amy felt her eyes wander down her friend's face, piquing interest at her lips. She felt Karma's do the same; Amy had started to become quite familiar with those looks.
Reassuringly, her fingers reached out and grazed Karma's- and they twitched at the touch. The other girl was still nodding a bit to herself, still thinking too much.
Amy pried her eyes away from the girl's lips, and Karma took note- her own eyes frantically searching Amy's, for any kind of guidance. She was flailing. Slipping.
Slowly- without breaking their gaze- Amy began to lean forward. Anxious, the girl's green eyes skipped from Amy's own to her mouth, and back again, several times. She marvelled in it; something whirled in the base of her gut- and it wasn't until her face was only centimetres to Karma's before she allowed herself to look down again. Karma's mouth was already parted slightly- her fingers clammy against Amy's own, where she gently, subtly, entwined their fingers together.
Karma pulled in the faintest breath- gaze dropping one final time before she met Amy's- it was nervous, closed mouth. But Amy didn't mind, as the swirling in her gut dropped with surprise to something farther down.
She held their lips together for a moment, before pacing onwards slowly, gently grabbing Karma's upper lip between her own. The girl pulled with her, allowing herself (to Amy's slight surprise) to be guided by the movement of her lips. Gradually, she deepened the kiss, feeling the other girl begin to relax.
It was dizzying to some degree, having Karma entirely following her lead.
Smiling, Amy delved into another, gentle kiss; absorbing the moment entirely- before a rustle on the bed reminded her of the third party's presence.
Pulling away, she watched the expression of the other girl's face shift; she kept her eyes closed, and her mouth still open. Amy felt a small tingle between her legs, and she shifted, a litte bit uncomfortable with the fact that- hell, if Liam wasn't there, she would probably go at it again.
"Whoa," Karma whispered, finally opening awe-struck eyes.
"I know," She felt her gaze wandering down towards her lips again, unable to contain her glee about the positivity of her reaction.
An arm wrapped her around her waist; Liam pulling her against his body and pressing his lips against hers. A small moment of shock surged through her, before remembering that this was part of the program, too. It wasn't just her and Karma.
His tongue darted out, and she instinctively opened her mouth into the kiss; everything about him was so much rougher; his stubble scratched against her face and his tongue probed and jabbed and lacked the finesse that made every kiss with Karma so wonderful. Part of her brain screamed at her to pull away, but if kissing Liam somehow opened up more doors for kissing Karma, then she would deal with it.
She rolled herself into the kiss, allowing her body to react at it's own accord (awkwardly aware of the unmistakable boner pressing through his pants and against her hip), until the moment of freedom when he broke away, huffing as if he'd just ran a marathon.
But, Amy found it relieving that, in the brief moment they shared eye contact, they appeared to be having the exact same thought; what the hell am I doing?
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she glanced back over at Karma; immediately confused at the crumpled interpretation on her face. Her eyes darted between Amy, to Liam, and then back at Amy again; before hastily bending down to pick up the discarded coat from the floor, and whispering, "I can't do this,"
There was no time to respond, thanks to the speed at which the redhead departed from the room- shutting the door almost with an emphasized softness behind her.
Wordless, Amy turned towards the boy, who, in turn, stared right back at her; mouth slightly agape.
"Uhm," He croaked, running a hand down his face, "So we aren't-?"
"No," Amy snapped, picking her own coat off of the floor, "Excuse me, I need to go check on my girlfriend,"
He nodded fervantly, slowly lowering himself back onto the motel bed. Fumbling with her shoes, Amy left the room with a slightly heavier hand on the door; staring off in the direction her friend had left.
But there was no sign of her.