A fortnight had passed since Maple's arrival to the women's boarding school. She found her classes engaging and interesting, she found Mr. Collin's Sunday lectures dreadfully dull, but most peculiarly, she found Miss Winfield to be more thrilling to observe than the insects she dedicated most of her life studying. Maple had chuckled to herself one afternoon after having that very thought. She wondered if Miss Winfield would be offended if she could read her mind to find Maple thought her more interesting than a bug.
One night, perhaps a week into her new life, Maple who was returning from dinner, full and tired, had opened her room door to find Gracie wearing only her skirt. She was turned away from the door, facing the window so Maple, entranced, drank in every detail of her slender back. She watched her shoulder blades as they jutted out as Gracie wrapped her arms around herself, startled by Maples unexpected presence.
"Oh!" she gasped as she turned around, her breasts cupped in her folded arms. Then realizing it was her new roommate she relaxed. "You frightened me. I did not know who to expect."
Maple, hot in the face by this point anxiously joked back. "Who else would come into our room?"
Gracie laughed, but she stared at her bed as she did it. Then she asked, "Do you mind if I finish up here?" Maple nodded too flustered to say much else. She left the room, closing the door behind her then leaned against it.
Her pulse was beating hard, she felt her chest swell with emotion but the emotions were hard to decipher. On the one hand she felt deeply embarrassed. How dim witted and inconsiderate could she be to have not knocked before entering? This was not her own private space. She could use the excuse that she had never had to consider anyone else's privacy before in her life. Her father's office was the only exception. But she pushed that thought away. She did not want to think of her father. She wanted to think of Gracie and what she saw.
So, she did. She allowed herself to think of Gracie's naked skin and how inviting it was. How soft and and warm it looked. It was a peculiar feeling to see something so taboo and yet want to reach out and touch it. Maple gave herself to her memory, conjuring up in her mind the small glimpse of breast, or how deep Gracie's collarbones looked as she hunched over slightly.
But just as Maples heart rate began to speed up once again, suddenly the door was opened just a crack and she jerked to catch herself. They smiled at each other politely and the night went on as usual.
Now it has been a full fortnight since they both arrived and Maple struggled to get Gracie out of her mind.
The peculiar thing is that they did not talk to each other much. Every morning, they got ready for their classes, all of which they shared other than their final evening class. Occasionally they ate together or discussed a lesson. Mostly, they would occupy each other's company in comfortable silence. Rather, Maple assumed Gracie to be comfortable. As for herself she did not know if it was comfort, she felt.
She knew that she wanted to be around Gracie as often as possible but did not know what motivated that desire. At first, she thought it was admiration since she was such a fan of her landscaping. That didnt quite feel right though. Especially after the incident. Ever since then Maple would struggle to get flashes of Gracie out of her mind.
It was not always what she had seen either. New, created imagery would dance around in her mind's eye as she tried to sleep, as she tried to study, as she hunted for insects to pin for her entomology class.
If she were honest with herself it had begun to worry her how much this woman flooded her mind. Not a single person had had this strong of an effect on her before. And yet, as guilty as she felt, she could not stop. She was unwilling to banish these thoughts. When it came down to it, Maple knew she was attracted to her roommate and had no desire to turn her back of these good feelings.