Learning Between the Lines

[Strzyga]

She couldn't have been more pleased with Amber's reaction at that moment. She was almost shocked by the yipe. But that swiftly turned to a look of satisfaction. It was was thrilling her, quite beyond normal, to watch the part-time librarian sqiuirm in total embarrassment.

She sat there for a moment, basking in the squirming. And then, as the girl was hiding behind her hair, she followed up her comment in a most cruel way. Looking right at Amber, while still smiling, Katrina winked.

[Lydyn]

Suddenly, Amber stood up and pointed at Katrina, though there was a playful expression on her face, in spite of the blush. "You know what? I don't know, but it's cheating!" She leaned a little towards the woman and directed a playful huff in her direction before snatching her book with a mock anger and hugging it to her chest. Amber made sure to stand a safe distance before doing what she was commanded not to and stuck her tongue out at Katrina once more with a grin hiding behind it as if playfull challenging her roommate to do something about it.

[Strzyga]

Challenge accepted. Katrina put on her deadpan face again. It was a brilliant forgery, conveying the qualities of authority, determination and the willingness to do the unthinkable. Professors would have been jealous. She started to speak. And while she did, she lifted herself from the sofa in the same manner as her speaking; slowly and coolly.

"First: it's only cheating," She started "if we're seeing other people. Now," Here she broke the act, unable to suppress a grin as she walked up to Amber. "If you don't intend to use you're tongue young lady, I'm going to have to punish you."

[Lydyn]

The woman's eyes widened once more as she just stared at Katrina almost dumb-founded by what she had just said. There was no way this was happening, no way she had magically been able to lure her roommate into this affectionate teasing that could easily spill over into something completely different for the both of them. True she had developed a crush on her a couple months ago, but she never imagined it to play out like this and certainly not so quickly. Her eyes grew more serious for a moment as she hoped to all that was good that this wasn't a simple tease - the disappointment would only serve to feed her self-doubt. "A-are.. are you serious?" she asked quietly, surprise being too much to continue the act, though there was nothing saying Katrina couldn't if she wanted to.

[Strzyga]

Oh my god, she really wants this! The realization hit her like an unexpected snowball as the question was asked. It was Katrina's turn for her heart to flutter. She was already feeling a strange predatory satisfaction. Now lust became a part of the equation as well. Her emotions were swirling, and it was lovely. But her wildside knew that she had to act fast before her logical feelings could ruin the fun.

She blurred the lines between the act and reality. Hell, for all intensive purposes, she threw them out the window. She walked right up to the other girl, so close that Amber could taste her breath. She put he hands on the book. The fence between them. She looked into her eyes, ready to play the part of the seductress. And as she looked into her eyes, she saw an innocence in them that she had never noticed.

So it was that the second snowball of the evening collided with the back of her chest. Oh my god. If I do this on a whim, without meaning it, I will break her heart! Katrina closed her eyes and opened them again. Guilt was creeping over her. She pressed the book down and left it in the girls hands.

She walked over to the bed that they were near and sat down. Patting the space next to her, she finaly spoke. "We need to talk about this."

[Lydyn]

Waves of heat washed over her as the other woman got closer and nervousness settled in and she stood there and finally pushed the book back into her arms and went to the nearby bed. Soon, flustered feelings were almost completely replaced by nervousness and self-doubt as she heard those words and sighed inside, licking her lips a little as her eyes dropped down. She knew all too well what those words meant and they were never good. She really should've just kept playing along, but now it'd be awkward and tense between the roommates which only serve to remind her of how lonely she really was - she could see it all now.

Still feeling pulses of heat tickle across her skin, it was now because of fear and nervousness than butterflies in her stomach and she slowly shuffled over to the bed, sitting down next to Katrina. Before she could talk, Amber blurted out, "sorry.."

[Strzyga]

"Really?" There was a bit of amusement in her voice. "You're sorry for getting me all worked up? I would've thought just the opposite..." She smiled just a tiny bit, hoping her roommate would look up and see it. She even scooted up next to the other woman to accentuate her point. But then she took a slow breath, and her expression grew less jovial.

"Look Amber, first of all, this isn't THAT kind of a talk. It's serious, yes. But I'm not saying 'no' to anything right now. Okay? So" Here she gestured with her right hand to the still-clutched book. "Feel free to lay your shield down. It's only fair, since I'm probably about to do drop mine too..."

[Lydyn]

She looked over to Katrina as she joked, catching hint of the smile and offering one herself, partially forced, but it was easy to tell that part of it was from relief - especially when she heard the second part. However her roommate scooting closer did seem to release some of the tension building up in her body. She really did like Katrina being close. Sighing audibly, she slowly set the book behind her on the bed and bit her lower lip as her hands folded in her lap. Her eyes would bounce from her hands to Katrina's eyes as the other woman spoke. This was more or less of what Katrina had gotten used to, though Amber seemed far more withdrawn into herself, like putting up a shell almost like she had already gone through some bad experiences before in her life.

[Strzyga]

This was the real challenge. Getting through that shell. She had hoped the other woman would have at least said something. It was too late, though, to ask questions. She had started. Forward was the only option. Time to press on and hope to not to be judged.

"I can't say 'No, I'm not serious.' I'd be lying. But at the beginning of that exchange I could have said that. Don't get me wrong, I always enjoyed looking at you. I think you're beautiful." She reached over and placed her hand on Amber's hands.

"I do. But I don't know that I can give you what you need. You see..." What was coming was clearly not something she was used to talking about. Not in any seriousness, at least. "I... haven't woken up next to the same women twice in over three years. And I don't know if I'm capable of ever doing it again."

[Lydyn]

"O-oh.. I, uh..." she sighed, her body relaxing as she gave in the self-doubt, telling herself that this was to be expected. "I understand.. it's.. fine. Um, thanks for being honest." She looked up, slightly flushed as it was both extremely disappointing and embarrassing at the same time, but she managed to produce a sad sort of smile for the roommate. As if reassuring Katrina that everything was fine, she added, "it's fine - not everyone is looking for the same thing, after all." Amber gently removed her hand from underneath the other woman's, feeling too rejected to even entertain the idea of holding hands, which symbolized hope in her mind. She needed to dash the hope down and kill it as soon as possible, otherwise she'd end up staying up for nights trying to grasp that something was possible. She had gone through this too many times - rejection - to waste her time worrying about it this time. Letting out a breath of air, she looked away a bit and ran her hand through her hair again, trying to gather her thoughts.