Tides

Something is twitching under your microscope. You're supposed to be looking at inactive viruses, but the thing about observing a living specimen is that the damn things move. They twitch and they swim and you swear they purposefully run away from your field of vision because they want you to fail this stupid class. Your lab partner, Danny, is doing her best to cheer you up with words of encouragement.

Danny is super nice, she's smart, and she works hard. You couldn't dream up a better lab partner, especially because you think she might like you a little bit. She's constantly complimenting you, whether it be on your outfit of choice, your hand writing, or your smile. She always mentions your smile. It's flattering, really. She's pretty too, in a way that makes your wish you could see her somewhere other than a stuffy lab in something other than a white lab coat.

"So, Hollis, I was thinking that maybe after lab we could walk over to the student center," Danny is talking as you give the microscope another go. She's saying, "I could really go for a smoot- uhhh excuse me..." when you hear a packet of paper woosh past your face and clap onto your workbench beside your microscope.

Carmilla blatantly ignores Danny's protests as she angles her body between Danny and yourself. You glance at the lab reports she just returned to your table and notice that there's a sharp red "C" at the top of Danny's. You look around for your own and notice that Carmilla is still holding it in her hand. She leans her hip against the table and passes it to you and says in a low voice so that only you can hear her, "Like I said, Perfect." Carmilla walks away and a whole new breed of butterflies burst to life in your stomach and your chest- butterflies that make you forget all about what Danny might look like without a lab coat. There's a large "A" next to the assignment title at the top.

"Earth to Hollis...," You swallow down your butterflies and turn back to Danny, "Hi, welcome back to planet earth, we're happy to have ya! So smoothies?"

Danny has already put away both the microscope and the specimen and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Smoothies sound great!"

Danny's chattering about an assignment she has to complete for another class as the two of you walk out of the lab and Carmilla's eyes follow as you leave.

_______________

The bell on the bookshop's door jingles as someone enters. You're in the process of restocking sweatshirts on the merch side of the store, so you call out, "I'll be with you in just a second! Sorry, it's just me today!"

You give up on perfectly folding all the hoodies and just toss them in a pile on the table before you straighten up your hair and walk to the front of the shop. When you get there, no one is waiting for you. Confused, you peer around the shop before deciding it must have been the wind. You turn around to head back to your hopeless pile of retail when you notice someone between the bookshelves.

"Carmilla?", you ask and at the sound of her name she looks up at you.

"Well, well. If it isn't my star student. Fancy meeting you here.", she smirks and walks toward you. She's maybe three inches from your face when you find yourself wondering why this shop seems so small every time she comes in. Maybe the bookshelves need to be spread out more. She stops right in front of you and reaches out- for a brief second you think she is going to slide her hand behind your neck and pull you in- but instead, her fingers slide around the spine of a book on the shelf next to your head.

She smirks and holds up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. "Just here to pick up the next book.", she says as she brushes past you.

"Ohhhh so the big bad TA actually liked the recommendation I gave her, huh?" You gloat as you follow her to the register and take the book from her hand. You scan the price-tag and type in your employee discount for good measure. Carmilla notices, "I didn't take you for a rule breaker, poptart. I guess sometimes big surprises come in little packages." She takes the book back from you with a nod of thanks.

"I mean that doesn't really count as rule breaking.. It's just 10% and the bookstore is overpriced anyway. I like to think of it as an employee and friends discount."

"And friends?" Carmilla echoes you, "We're friends now, are we sundance?" She raises and eyebrow.

"Well uhhhh yeah, I mean, yeah I think so. If we aren't that means I basically just bribed my TA. And besides I'd like to. Uh be friends, not bribe you, I mean. Because bribing would actually be rule breaking. Rule breaking in a bad way. And I hope you don't think I have only been talking to you because I've been trying to bribe you or because I want to do well in Bio-Chem. I mean I do want to do well but I want to be your friend too. Errr, your friend who doesn't bribe you." Your tongue is twisting over itself and blurting out embarrassing rants again, just like that first day you met Carmilla and you're hating yourself for it. You finally finish stammering and subside to an awkward silence.

Carmilla never stopped staring at you throughout that entire soliloquy and you're certain she thinks you've gone mad. Much to your surprise, there's amusement in her voice when she says, "Alright, cupcake, friends it is. Although if the price is right, I can't say I'd be apposed to bribery," she winks at you, but before you have time to process the flirty tone in her voice or the meaning behind that comment, she continues, "So, place to yourself today, huh?" and looks around the shop.

"Yes, I always work alone on Wednesday because Paige takes the morning off and everyone else has class."

Carmilla nods, "Well in that case, do you mind if I stick around for awhile? That window seat looks comfy and it's quiet in here, which makes for easy reading. Unless of course you're expecting Lawrence to show up with dopey eyes and a smoothie." Carmilla rolls her eyes.

You miss the reference to your conversation in lab with Danny yesterday and reply, "Oh, no I haven't seen Danny today! You're welcome to stay, I'd actually really like the company."

With that, Carmilla makes herself comfortable, like a cat in the sun, on the window seat. You go back to folding sweatshirts and Carmilla spends the rest of your shift reading aloud to you from Harry Potter book two. When she gets to the part where Harry and Ron can't get through the Platform 9 and 3/4 barrier and crash over their trollies, you throw your head back and laugh loudly. A smile touches Carmilla's lips as she watches you, and though you never notice, she lets out the first honest chuckle in years.

(Carmilla shows up and reads to you again the following Wednesday, and then the next, and the one after that.)