Chapter 2
“I’m sorry, what?” Laura’s face was calm. Totally calm.
“Be my girlfriend.” Carmilla repeated.
“What?”
“Girlfriend. Be mine. My gal pal, my lady love, my-“ Laura slapped a hand over Carmilla’s mouth.
“To me, for some weird reason, it sounded like you just asked me to be your girlfriend.” Laura exclaimed.
Carmilla rolled her eyes and licked the palm of Laura’s hand until she frowned and pulled back with a gross look on her face, wiping her slobbery hand on her thigh.
“Look, I know we don’t talk about it, but don’t pretend that you don’t know about my crazy homophobic mother and my aversion for returning home,” Carmilla picked at her chipped nail polish as if to look disaffected, but Laura knew her better.
Carmilla shrugged. “I figure what better what to come out than with a hot z list celebrity girlfriend.”
Laura’s eye widened briefly, then a very Carmilla-esque smirk formed on her face. Carmilla seemed to realized her mistake because the nail polish picking ceased.
“I didn’t mean-“
“So you think I’m hot, huh?” A shit eating grin was sported on her face.
“Whatever,” Carmilla pushed past her, a blush creeping up her neck, to start pushing the cart towards the register.
“Carmilla Karnstein thinks I’m hot!” Laura sang, trailing behind her.
She began loading the items on the conveyer belt, noting a lack of anything actually substantial in Laura’s grocery pick. Maybe she should’ve been paying attention more. She tried to ignore Laura and began walking to the car with the paid for groceries.
“I mean I can see you oogling when I do living room yoga, but who knew outside of sports bras and tight pants I was still hot to you,” Jesus Christ, Laura was still going. Carmilla needed to put an end to this, fast.
Carmilla swiftly stood in front of Laura, her hips pressing her into the side of the car, cart forgotten. Her hands rested on either side of the cupcake’s head. Laura’s let out a squeal of surprise.
She visibly gulped and Carmilla bit back a smile.
“I’d be a blind idiot to not realize you’re beautiful Laura,” Carmilla spoke close to her ear and a shiver ran down Laura’s spine.
She didn’t miss the switch from “hot” to “beautiful” either. But this was just Carmilla being teasing Carmilla. Laura had watch enough of the study buddy parade in her college life to know that Carmilla had game. And she wasn’t about to be another player.
Laura steeled herself and stood up straighter, meeting Carmilla’s gaze, but the sexy smirk she’d expected wasn’t there. Carmilla looked…vulnerable, and suddenly Laura was brought back to why they were having this conversation in the first place.
“Hey” she hesitantly placed her hands on Carmilla’s cheeks.
Carmilla smiled for a second and breathed out a chuckled. “Hey.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Look I know it’s weird and I don’t expect you to-wait what?” Carmilla backed up, effectively dislodging Laura’s hands much to her displeasure.
“I said I’ll do it,” Laura repeated. “I’m not exactly a fan of homophobic people, or people who hurt you, and I guess this is like two birds with one stone. And I don’t know how useful I’ll be exactly but I’m definitely willing to help you wherever you need me because you’re my best friend Carm and I lo-“ Whoa where did that come from? “I’d like to think that I can somehow ease your discomfort even a little so I’ll do it and gosh why am I so nervous right now?!” Laura was wringing the hem of her shirt.
Carmilla was just staring at her with a blank expression.
“Well, say something!” Laura nearly shouted at her.
But Carmilla bypassed the dialog and dove right in for bodily contact instead. Hugging wasn’t something new to them, but it caught Laura off guard anyways. Carmilla secured her arms around Laura’s waist and buried her face in the crook of her neck, breathing out a sigh of relief. It took a moment before Laura’s mind caught up with her enough to reciprocate, wrapping her tiny arms around her neck, tugging her close.
“Thank you Laura. Really.” Carmilla mumbled into her neck. Laura laughed at the sensation and gently push her away.
“Alright you big softie, lets get these groceries home,” she grinned up at Carmilla who matched her. Laura looked around her.
“Uh, Carm?”
“Mmm”
“Where’s the cart?” Carmilla’s eye brows furrowed and then shot wide open as she caught sight of the rogue cart on a war path toward an innocent car, set loose probably by the sudden hug.
“Shit!” Carmilla sprinted toward the cart, leaving Laura against the car.
She dropped her head against the window and muttered to herself, “Worst. Crush. Ever.”