Chapter 10: Surprises
Laura groans as she listens to the lecture, she was bored to death and really wanted to get back home.
Chewing on the end of her pencil she thinks back over the last few weeks, she was able to get to know Carmilla better and she had finally come to terms with liking the mostly insufferable woman but she noticed that Carmilla always held back a bit.
The blond didn't even realize her professor was calling on her.
"MISS HOLLIS!"
"Yes, what…32?" She looks up and then groans realizing it was her literature class.
"Miss Hollis, please pay attention, what Elizabethan author have you chosen to study?"
"Sorry Professor…haven't chosen yet…" She sighs.
"Find one soon, it is for your final."
Soon after the class finished, and Laura makes her way out but a hand on her shoulder stop her; looking up she looks into Danny's green eyes. "Hey Danny."
"Hey, what's up with you, usually you are really into class?" the redhead falls into step with the shorter woman.
"Oh just thinking about a lot of things." The blond states as they weave through students.
"You mean thinking of someone" Danny states as they stop in the large common room of the English building.
Laura gives a small smile, "Maybe, but my grades are not suffering, just haven't picked an author yet."
"I worry about you, Carmilla is bad news."
"Okay, what do you have against her? Every chance you get, you put her down so spill!" Laura demands and sits down in a chair; putting her stuff on the small table.
Danny sits down, "She will break your heart, she has done it with every chick on campus."
"Every chick?" the smaller woman asks, raising a brow.
"Yes…"
"So she broke your heart?"
"I uhh yeah she did." Danny looks down, "I just don't want it to happen to you."
Reaching over, Laura takes one of the tall girl's hand "I appreciate that you care, but it's not your decision to make for me. It's mine alone."
"Yeah, I know…"
"Okay no more depressing shit, I need to get home food is waiting for me! And Danny, if I do get hurt, I'll let you bring the ice cream and romance comedies okay?"
"Deal, now get home."
"Will do!" Laura grabs her stuff and walks away at a brisk pace, leaving a still worried redhead sitting at the table.
She walks down the sidewalk, worries and happy thoughts in her head; but knowing that if it happens, she would deal with it then.
"Whoa watch where ya going there frosh."
"Laf! Sorry was thinking, how are you?" Laura asks with a smile,
They smile back "Doing well, heading to work and then to Perry's later."
"How is Perry, haven't seen her in a while?"
"Good, very good." They blush a little, "and how is Carmilla?"
"Great as a broody Carm can be"
They both laugh.
"Well good seeing you Laura, we will see you at the party Sunday?" Laf asks as she begins to walks backwards.
"We will be there, want us to bring anything?" Laura asks quickly.
"Drinks would be great! See ya!" Lafontaine turns and walks away.
"Alright!" Laura chuckles and starts back to the apartment.
~At the Apartment~
Carmilla had set the table and just plated everything, as well as pouring water in the glasses. "I think it's all set."
She moves to the kitchen to start the cleanup, better now than later; the two had gotten comfortable but neither had asked if they were technically seeing each other, which was going to change soon.
She had just put a cd in the player when the door opens, turning she chuckles seeing Laura bounce in and drop her bag on the floor.
"Hey Carm" the blond sniffs the air, "Ooooo that smells good!"
"Well let's eat then, shall we?" the older woman offers as they move to the table.
They ate in silence for a bit, just enjoying the food when Carmilla clears her throat "hey Laura?"
"Yes?" the blond looks up expectedly.
She sets her fork down, "What are we?"
Looking confused the blond sips her water, "What do you mean, what are we?"
"Well I know we are roommates, but what are we now…we hang out and go out together…we practically act like a couple…so are we?"
Carmilla looks across the table, her eyes showing how much she needed to know.
"Would you like it to be us…as a couple?" the blond looks down at her plate, the woman's stare was getting very intense.
"Yes"
"Wait what?"
"Yes, I want that. I know I can be callous and an ass but yes." Carmilla gets up and walks around the table and offers her hand to Laura.
Taking the offered hand, the blond stands up still shocked.
"Laura, will you be my girlfriend? I know I have a bad reputation but let me show you that I can actually be a good girlfriend?"
Without uttering a word, Laura leans up and gives Carmilla a kiss on the cheek and simply smiles.
"I will take that as a yes" the older woman says with a grin, "Now that we are official, what do you want to do?" Carmilla loops her arms around the blonde's waist.
"Cuddle and watch TV?" Laura suggests and then giggles.
"Alright, go get the couch warmed up and I will put the dishes in the sink real fast." Carmilla says and steps away moving to the table.
Both instantly wish they were touching but both move in opposite directions.
Carmilla quickly makes work of the cleanup and then joins the blond on the couch; groaning when the Doctor Who movie starts to play, "Really?"
"Duh" Laura grins and cuddles into her new girlfriend's side, happy when Carmilla drapes her arm around her. "Plus you are starting to like it, admit it!"
"Nope, never!"
"Oh come on" Laura pokes Carmilla in the side, "admit it"
Trying to dodge the pokes, Carmilla shakes her head "never hun."
Laura humpfs but is still smiling as they begin to watch the movie.
~Perry's Place~
Lola was sitting at the kitchen bar sipping on a drink when her partner walks into the apartment, "Hey babe, good day at work?"
"Yep, barista's work is never done." Laf grins, and gives Lola a quick kiss on the lips, "Bumped into Laura on the way to work."
The woman turns around, "How is she and what's her name again?"
Chuckling Laf shakes their head, "Laura and Carmilla are fine, they will be bringing drinks to the party Sunday."
They sit down next to the woman and leans on the counter and Lola smiles, "Should be a fun bash."
"I hope so, I invited everyone from work, school and Danny is coming." Laf states as they go through the list in their head.
Lola nods, "I hope she is okay with Laura and Carmilla, she's voiced how much she doesn't like that woman."
"It's none of her business what Laura does, unless she makes it Danny's business." Lafontaine states, "Anyway, I am going to go take a shower, watch some Netflix when I am done?"
"Sure, anything in particular?" Lola asks, depositing her glass in the sink.
"Nope anything really!" Laf yells over their shoulder, as they make their way to the shower; quickly getting it started.
Back in the living room, Lola was setting everything up; blankets for later, popcorn and turning on Netflix so they could choose something together when Laf rejoined her.
Sitting on the couch, the redhead smiles to herself about how things have worked themselves out; herself and Laf together as well as Laura finding someone, even if that someone annoys the crap out of her.
She begins to laugh and doesn't realize the time that passes, as Lafontaine watches from the doorway.
"What's got you busting a gut baby?" Laf asks walking over with damp hair.
"Oh just how much some people can annoy some and make others happy, so what you want to watch, the 100, Sense 8, Orange is the New Black or Orphan Black?" Lola rattles off the list for the night.
Sitting down and pulling Perry to them, Laf thinks "the 100."
"Alright"
The play button is pressed and both sit back cuddling and binge watching the rest of the night.
~Back at Laura and Carm's~
Carm's head lolled back as she tries to tone out the next episode of Dr Who, after the movie was over Laura got into a marathon of the series; and of course she relented to watch with her.
"Carm, you awake?" Laura asks and pokes her girlfriend's side.
Lifting her head, the woman frowns "Sadly I am awake."
"Well what do you want to watch then?" the blond asks and offers the woman the remote.
Taking the remote, the older woman switches to satellite and puts it on HBO for Game of Thrones, "This."
"Never watched this before." Laura states as she watches the beginning, and then cringes as someone gets killed by a sword, "Oh wow this is violent."
"I love it, very gruesome." Carmilla grins and feels Laura cuddle closer to her, "you okay hun?"
"Yeah, just all the violence…" the blond says quietly and jumps at a sound coming from the TV, looking up she sees a large dragon flying around.
"Well I'll kiss it all away later." Carmilla offers with a sly grin.
"Promise?""
"I promise cupcake."
TBC