JoBeth & Amy #2: The Start of Something New

JoBeth & Amy: Story 02 – The Start of Something New - CHAPTER 5

*Note: This story got a little longer on me than I expected - it is not completely edited, so if you see any little errors in there... that\'s why!*



Note: THIS chapter talks a little about bondage, but doesn\'t have any in it. Chapter SIX, however, does have bondage again, if that matters to anyone.



*WARNINGS: This story IS FOR 18+ ONLY! If you don\'t like adult situations, don\'t read any further!! This story will eventually contain BONDAGE, a sexual situation, and will involve a suggestive bit of girl/girl fun...*



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For what felt like the hundredth time since she’d sat down, JoBeth flipped her cell phone open to check the time. The tiny little numbers on the illuminated display had become her enemies and no matter how many dirty looks she gave them, they refused to move any faster.



It was just past six forty-five on the cool and cloudy Monday evening, leaving her with fifteen minutes to wait before Amy would arrive. Looking off back down the long main hallway and looking forward to seeing her blonde crush again, JoBeth knew that they weren’t going to pass anywhere near quickly enough.



“Almost time,” she sang quietly to herself, tucking the cell phone back into her pocket. JoBeth tried turning her attention back to the two notebooks that lay open before her, but she’d barely been able to focus on anything since leaving her English class. Her interest in her essay and her class notes paled in comparison to her interest in what had happened between herself and Amy in the past few days. A smile danced across her lips and all she could think about was how wonderful it had been to simply hold Amy’s hand the night before and the conversation they’d had after class that morning.



Looking back up from her notes, the freshman glanced around the café, hoping to spot Amy arriving early somewhere among the small sea of faces. Students and teachers all over campus were busy preparing for tests, projects and presentations, and while many of them had found their way to the library, there was no sign yet of the one she wanted to see most of all.



The midterms had given her a perfectly innocent excuse to ask Amy for a little personal time together and she was certain that they both hoped it might lead to something decidedly less innocent. With a small, anticipatory giggle at the idea, JoBeth gave in for a moment to her imagination and her anticipation of what was to come.



She’d had barely been able to stop smiling all day. Simply knowing that she’d share her evening with the girl she had a crush on had been enough to keep JoBeth feeling like she was floating on air.



Amy ran their class’ lecture herself that morning and seeing the blonde in charge, so confident and self-assured, had made JoBeth squirm in her seat. She already found Amy to be incredibly sexy on her own, but watching her take command of a room only underscored just how alluringly impressive she could be.



The professor was an interesting speaker on his own but the class always seemed more engaged when Amy was behind the podium. Unlike a lot of other teachers she’d had in the past, Amy had a way of making any topic interesting and relevant, no matter how the class felt about it initially. The blonde was simply someone that people listened to. Her fun, upbeat demeanor kept their attention and interest with ease.



The discussion itself had been lively as the other students asked questions about ideas that were doubtlessly for their own essays, but all JoBeth had been able to do was smile shyly at Amy. The flurry of emotions in her mind had made her afraid that if she said anything at all, she’d wind up blurting out how much she wanted the blonde. She’d spent the full ninety minutes of class blushing different shades of pink and hoping that she wasn’t being too obvious or distracting.



Rising back out of her momentary trip into the morning’s memories, JoBeth continued to scan each new face that wandered towards the café. A small but delightful tingle surfaced inside her as she remembered how Amy had returned many of her smiles during class. A cute, rosy glow had appeared on her TA’s cheeks each time their eyes met and it was those little moments they were able to share that had her ready to follow Amy into the nearest empty room or anywhere else the other girl wanted to take her.



As much fun as she was to think about, JoBeth couldn’t keep herself from a somber sigh. The excitement that the blonde naturally inspired in her only served to feed the frustrations she felt at being unable to actually be with the girl.



On her way into the lecture hall, she’d asked Amy if she’d have a few minutes after class Monday morning, but even after the lecture was over, she’d still needed a few extra minutes to figure out just what she wanted to say. The last thing JoBeth wanted to do was walk up to the girl she had a big crush on and start babbling like some vapid, moronic school girl.



JoBeth realized how difficult it would be for Amy to have the conversations that they both wanted to have around class time and she’d sent a curious Tara ahead without her, claiming to still have a few questions about her essay. After patiently waiting for the last pair of her idly chatting classmates to leave, she’d made her way through the aisles and down to the front of the lecture hall.



The inviting smile on Amy’s lips had put JoBeth instantly at ease and the fact that Amy had lingered along with her made her confident that her invitation wouldn’t be rejected. They’d need to find a few moments of privacy if anything was ever going to happen between them and the best way that JoBeth could figure out how to arrange that was to just ask the older blonde if she’d be willing to meet somewhere outside of class.



Amy had lit up with joy for a moment before reining herself back in to a smaller, demure smile. Watching her crush’s reaction to the request had made JoBeth’s heart leap. It had told her everything that she needed to know. Slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder, Amy had taken a tentative step closer and said that she’d be happy to find a little time to help however she could.



The agreement set had set her heart racing and JoBeth had broken out into a wide grin of her own. She’d pulled out her pen and when she’d taken Amy’s hand in hers, Amy gasped quietly, not quite sure what to do. Happy to let the moment linger, she’d just smiled at Amy, tucking some of her hair behind her ear before turning her palm upward.



She wrote ‘7PM @ the library cafe’ on Amy’s palm, taking care to blow gently on the ink with the pretense of drying it and flicking her eyes up to lock with Amy’s. The blonde had shivered slightly, letting out a longing sigh of her own to match the one that she’d barely contained herself. She’d kept Amy’s hand gently in her own for an extra moment to ask if the time was okay.



At the time, she wasn’t able to stop smiling playfully at the blonde, watching her tilt her hand enough to read it without pulling away from her. JoBeth vividly remembered watching Amy glance down for barely a moment, giving a small nod and in agreement and a delighted ‘yes.’



With a bright smile of her own, she’d chirped that it was a date. Saying the simple words out loud had her own heart racing and they’d managed to turn Amy’s cheeks a cute, bright shade of crimson. Letting Amy’s hand go, JoBeth had made sure to add that she couldn’t wait until then before darting out of the lecture hall, if only to hide the wave of euphoria that had been rapidly overtaking her.



She’d caught up to Tara in the main lobby, making up an admittedly lame excuse for why she was grinning from ear to ear on their way back to the dorm. After sharing a quick lunch together, JoBeth had spent the rest of the afternoon struggling to finish off the last of her remaining homework and bouncing off the walls of her dorm room.



After dinner and her second, final class of the day, she’d drafted Tara into service to help her pick out something to wear. Tara had kept asking why she needed to look cute so urgently but didn’t press things too far. JoBeth counted herself lucky that her suitemate was satisfied with the answer that she was meeting someone over at the library.



The first part was easy, and JoBeth had started with her favorite black lingerie, leading Tara to jokingly suggest that she go wearing only that. They’d both laughed the idea off at the time, but the thought of Amy seeing her dressed like that had started that certain delightful tingle that seemed to arise every time she thought of the blonde once more.



Working on the rest of the outfit, they eventually settled on a pair of cargo pants and putting a tight, red, spaghetti-string tank top on over a similar white one. The three colors of straps pulled tightly over her shoulders, and JoBeth couldn’t help being pleased with how the tops clung to her body. They left just a hint of her midriff uncovered and she couldn’t help a small hope that it would attract Amy’s attention even more than usual.



JoBeth was already comfortable with Amy looking at her that way and the sooner that she could get Amy to realize it, the sooner they might get to do a lot more than just look at each other. Their situation did make it difficult to throw out the remaining hesitations that were standing between them, but JoBeth was already resolved to do whatever she needed to start the conversation.



Another glance at her clock had pulled her away from the mirror and any remaining worries about her outfit. Satisfied that it was fine, JoBeth had turned her attentions to the few accessories that she’d wanted to add to her outfit before she could start on the short walk across the quad to the main library. She’d wanted to make sure that she arrived before Amy did, in hopes of securing as private of a table for them as she could.



Tara had politely excused herself from the room when JoBeth said that she was about to get going and with a quick hug, she’d seen the redhead back into her room next door. Once they’d gotten past Tara’s initial quiet shyness, JoBeth thought that she’d really lucked out to have such a cool suitemate for her first year at school. They’d already hung out a fair bit since they’d moved in, but the girl was still politely discerning when it came time to excuse herself. Thanking whatever administrative powers that had arranged it, she was glad to have made such a nice and understanding friend.



One Tara’d pulled the door closed behind her, JoBeth hadn’t been able to help singing happily to herself, wondering what Amy would be wearing to their study session, before turning to her bottom dresser drawer. Sliding it open, she’d surveyed the new toys that she acquired from Amy a few nights before. The straightjacket was right where she’d left it and her fantasies of Amy putting it back on her sprang immediately to the front of her mind.



With a determined shake of her head, she’d forced herself to tuck those thoughts back away, instead pulling out the two leather cuffs that had been used on her ankles. She’d already removed the chain that connected to the cuffs, hoping to use them as bracelets and as a way to both tease and even remind Amy about Friday night. Buckling one around each of her wrists, JoBeth figured that Amy would easily recognize her own equipment that she’d used on her. By wearing them, she’d be able to subtly reiterate that she was okay with what had happened to her.



The last accessory to her wardrobe had been her collar. Grabbing it off the top of her dresser, she’d buckled it around her neck and slipped into her favorite black hoodie. The early fall days were still pleasantly warm, but the nights had already begun to cool down enough to warrant the extra layer. She wouldn’t need it inside the library, though, but the last thing she wanted to do was get sick and turn incredibly unappealing while she tried to get Amy to go out with her.



Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, JoBeth had taken one last look in the mirror to make sure that everything was in order. Part of her hoped that she wouldn’t come back to the dorm without company and at least not until much later that night, but there was no huge hurry so long as she could make some kind of progress with Amy. She’d called a farewell over to Tara on her way out the door, locking it behind her and starting off towards the stairs.



The walk across the quad wasn’t a long one, but her anticipation for what could happen that night was had already risen to a fever pitch. Every step towards to the brightly lit library building brought her closer to the first time she’d have the girl she’d been thinking about nonstop for days nearly alone. With a bright grin, JoBeth had passed through the glass entryway and darted past several groups of her fellow students, quickly making her way towards the café to seek out the table she was sitting at now.



Through one of the opened windows, JoBeth heard the university clock tower’s chimes echoing in the evening air, breaking her reminiscence and pulling her back into the present. Another quick glance at her cell phone’s illuminated clock told her that while the ringing chimes were almost a minute early, it was nearly seven o’clock.



Slipping the phone back away for what she hoped would be the last time, JoBeth looked back down the long hallway for her blonde-haired crush. Her heart was pounding and her leg bobbed up and down quickly both from nerves and her anxious impatience for Amy’s imminent arrival. Distracted by the surrounding low din of conversations and her own search, JoBeth didn’t hear the sounds of approaching footsteps from behind her.



Amy had spotted the brunette’s familiar twin ponytails from behind the moment she’d rounded the corner. Crossing the café, Amy shrugged off the anxiety that had been building inside her all afternoon. JoBeth was right where she said she’d be and she was there waiting for her. “Hey, JoBeth,” Amy said cheerfully, resting her hand lightly on JoBeth’s shoulder. “Found you.”



“Aaah!” JoBeth exclaimed, hear heart leaping into her throat. She’d have recognized the voice anywhere, but the suddenness of the greeting and Amy’s hand on her shoulder had nearly made the freshman jump out of her seat. “Amy!” she squeaked out between laughing breaths, turning to face the worried looking blonde.



“Sorry,” Amy said, hesitantly pulling her hand off of JoBeth’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to scare you there…”



“Oh, no, no…” JoBeth replied quickly, resting her hand on her chest as her heart slowed back to a normal level. “You’re fine, Amy. I was just… I was actually just thinking about you…” she added with a smile.



The remaining worries that she’d made some mistake melted away at the sight of the brunette’s reassuring smile and Amy let out a small, relieved chuckle of her own. JoBeth’s reaction told her that she wasn’t the only one feeling nervous and the notion that JoBeth was thinking about her made her feel indescribably happy. “I had you all distracted, huh?” she asked innocently, cocking her head to the side and offering a sweet, amused smile.



JoBeth chuckled, looking away bashfully for a moment to gather her wits back about her before meeting Amy’s gaze again. “Well, yeah,” she confirmed. “I was keeping an eye out for you...”



“Thanks,” Amy nodded, her smile turning for a moment into a beaming grin. “I probably should have warned you that I’d be coming in the back entrance. I don’t really mind walking around campus, but one of the perks of being a TA is that I can use the faculty parking lots,” she explained, setting her messenger bag down on the chair next to JoBeth.



Even though she’d known that Amy had agreed to the meeting, JoBeth was still smiling away and squirming a little in her seat, delighted that her crush was really there with her now. “Makes sense to me,” JoBeth quipped, watching Amy nonchalantly tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.



Amy had noticed that there was nothing on the table outside of JoBeth’s notebooks and a few stray papers. If they were going to be talking for long as she hoped they would be, she’d need something to drink. “Before we get started, did you want to grab something?” Amy asked, gesturing over towards the café’s main stand.



“Yeah!” JoBeth replied, turning to her own bag in search of her wallet. “Just let me grab my…”



“Nah, you don’t need it,” Amy interrupted, walking around to the far side of the table and the front of the café. “Come on!” she added with a smile.



JoBeth slid her chair back and started to stand up before her uncertainty took control. “You sure?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows curiously. “I’ve got some money with me…”



Amy laughed, taking a few steps away and gesturing for JoBeth to follow her. “I’m very sure, JoBeth. Now get your little butt over here and come with me.”



JoBeth’s tentative look gave way to a grin and she stepped around the table. Giving it one last check to make sure that nothing valuable was left laying out in the open, she looked back over at Amy. “Yes, Ma’am,” JoBeth purred, happily taking advantage of the opening to tease the blonde girl.



Amy was still wearing her light sweater and jeans outfit from class earlier and JoBeth couldn’t help but steal a long look at Amy as she turned to lead the way. While the older girl tended to dress sensibly for her role as a teacher’s assistant, there was no denying that she was incredibly sexy. The look worked perfectly for Amy and when she took charge of a situation, it made JoBeth tingle in ways she never had before.



Shaking off the pleasant chill that the brunette’s answer gave her, Amy led the way over to the main counter once she knew that JoBeth was following her. The fact that JoBeth was able to get her heart racing with just those two simple words, whether she was doing it intentionally or not, was rather exciting itself. Trying to hide her own faintly blushing grin a secret by keeping in front of her student, Amy watched the last two people in line take their drinks and leave them next in line.



Walking up to the opening under the ‘order here’ sign, Amy was certain that her blush hadn’t yet faded from her cheeks. She returned the barista’s greeting and tried to brush past it. “Do you know what you want?” Amy asked, arching a curious eyebrow at JoBeth.



JoBeth looked quickly over the menu, but Amy’s warm touch on her shoulder and her presence had thrown her completely off. When they’d walked over, she’d spotted that the note she’d written on Amy’s had a few hours before was still there. Yet another sign that Amy really did like her, and as much as Sunday night had emboldened her, Amy’s touch still left her flustered.



“I, uh…” JoBeth started, trailing off hesitantly.



“No rush,” Amy chuckled, watching the cute freshman girl try and find something on the menu. JoBeth was wearing the collar that she loved seeing every day in class, but the two leather cuff bracelets were new. A quick glance down was enough to tell Amy exactly where JoBeth had gotten them.



“Are those from Friday night…?” Amy blurted out, feeling a chill rush up her spine. The girl behind the counter looked understandably confused at the unexpected query, but Amy and JoBeth were paying her very little mind for the moment.



Turning a shade of red that matched her tank top, JoBeth grinned. “They might be,” she replied impishly, twisting back and forth a bit where she stood and holding her wrists out in front of her a little. She’d hoped Amy would notice that she’d put them on and judging by Amy’s reaction, they’d had her desired effect. “You like them on me?”



Amy laughed quietly, her mind spinning through the fantasies she’d had just on the drive over alone. JoBeth was wearing the cuffs she’d left her in a few nights ago and holding her wrists almost invitingly. She was almost certain that she could invite the girl back to her apartment right then and there and JoBeth would lead the way, but every practical bone in her body told her that she could never do it without bringing all hell down on their heads.



Opting for a mischievous smirk of her own, Amy let her naughtier side win out with the thought that there wouldn’t be any harm in having a little innocent fun. “You better believe it,” she said, winking at JoBeth before turning back to the confused barista. Remembering the drink that she’d seen JoBeth bring with her to class time and again, Amy decided she could assert herself a little more here. She knew exactly what she wanted to do.



“I’ll have a strawberry banana smoothie, and so will she,” Amy ordered, setting the girl behind the counter into motion. Pulling out a few folded bills from her front pocket, she set a five dollar bill down on the counter before noticing that JoBeth was now standing right next to her.



The way that Amy had just taken the decision away from her was strangely exciting and it was all JoBeth could do to resist reaching out for the blonde girl’s hand. “How’d you know?” she asked, cocking her head lightly to the side and tucking her bangs back behind her ear.



With a small laugh, Amy smirked at JoBeth. “From class,” she said simply. “I see you bringing one every day from the snack bar downstairs.”



JoBeth broke into a laugh of her own as the barista set the first one down in front of them. “What?” she asked in mock protest. “They’re good! I can’t help it.”



“You’re allowed to be thirsty,” Amy said teasingly. “But now I’ll find out if they’re any good!”



The blender was whirring loudly behind the counter, making their second drink while the two girls were engrossed in their own conversation. “You mean you’ve never had one?” JoBeth asked, looking a little surprised by the idea.



“Not yet,” Amy said with a small shake of her head.



JoBeth grinned brightly, grabbing a straw out of the holder and peeling off its wrapper. “Oh, I know you’ll like it, Amy,” she purred, poking the straw through the lid before lifting it up to Amy’s lips. “Here, you’ve got to try this!”



Her heart was racing from just spending time with JoBeth, basking in the younger girl’s delightful energy. Simply talking with the girl there in the library’s café had made her feel warm and excited in a way that she hadn’t felt in years, but this was something else. “Alright,” Amy agreed with a chuckle, parting her lips enough to take the straw between them and a first, slow drink.



“Wow,” the blonde sighed a moment later, leaning back from the straw and savoring the cool, fruity taste of the smoothie.



JoBeth looked back at Amy with an enthusiastic smile. “See? Pretty good, isn’t it?” she asked, her eyes locked with Amy’s as she took a sip from the same straw. Amy’s cheeks were still a soft shade of pink, framed by blonde locks that looked so soft, and more than anything, JoBeth wanted to toss out the ridiculous obstacles between them and run her hands through them.



Amy nodded, swallowing hard at the sight of JoBeth smiling at her before finding her voice again. “It is,” she laughed, biting her lower lip playfully, trying not to blurt out anything more.



“That’ll be four even,” the girl behind the counter said, finishing with the final smoothie. She handed the chilled plastic cup to Amy before taking the bill off the counter, breaking their private little moment. “Thanks,” Amy said to the barista, tucking the dollar in change into her tip jar. “Here you go,” she added, picking the new smoothie up and offering it to JoBeth.



JoBeth shook her head back and forth slowly, her twin ponytails dancing behind her. “Nope,” she chirped, holding up a cup that was already partially emptied. “You’ve never had one before,” she explained. “And you paid for them, so you get the full one!”



There wasn’t any need to argue with JoBeth’s logic and Amy couldn’t deny that the smoothie was rather wonderful. The initial tension that had hung in the air between them had faded away, replaced by a comfortable atmosphere that felt very natural. “Thanks, JoBeth,” she said with a warm smile, letting go of her worries and concerns. “This is really good…”



Flashing Amy a pleased grin, JoBeth led the way back towards their table. She could tell that Amy had started to relax a little, adding to her confidence that her crush was reciprocated. “Hang around me enough and you’ll find out that I’ve got good taste,” she chuckled, nudging Amy’s arm playfully.



JoBeth’s nudge gave Amy a delightful tingle, even more than when the younger girl had held the drink up to her lips. Lauren’s less than subtle suggestions that she should just tell JoBeth how she felt had been echoing through her head all evening and Amy certainly hoped she could let a little more of that through. “And what if I’d like to find out more?” Amy asked seductively, arching a curious eyebrow.



“I, uh…” JoBeth trailed off, looking away shyly for a moment to slide into her seat.



The way that the past few days had gone between them, the question barely qualified as pushing a boundary, and it certainly seemed to be welcomed by the brightly blushing freshman. “You what?” Amy asked innocently, pulling her backpack off the chair next to JoBeth’s to sit down. Set her drink down on the table, Amy tried to maintain the appearance of calm while her heart was racing in anticipation of JoBeth’s answer.



“I don’t think I’d mind you doing that…” JoBeth purred, glancing around to make sure that no one was looking at them. Her lips curled into a small, playful grin and JoBeth watched Amy’s eyes flick down to the leather cuffs wrapped around her wrists for a moment before meeting her own again. “But you’ll have to decide which tastes you’d want to discover…” she added with a wink.



JoBeth’s voice was barely above a whisper and their eyes had locked in the unexpectedly private moment. JoBeth wanted to reach over to take Amy’s hand in hers and she would’ve if not for all the other people around. Judging by how the night was going so far, there would be plenty of opportunities for that later.



Amy’s eyes lit up with her smile and a small laugh slipped out at JoBeth’s response. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, smirking. What she really wanted to do was grab JoBeth and kiss her right then and there, onlookers or no. “You sure are something, JoBeth…” she sighed.



The freshman had long since picked up on the conflict that was being waged in Amy’s mind and she was ready to do anything she could do to help settle it in their favor. “Hopefully something good,” JoBeth said with a curious and hopeful look on her face.



“Something very good,” Amy said, the spark in her eyes momentarily turning into a mischievous glint. “The cutest little ‘good’ I’ve seen in a long time…” she continued, her voice low enough for only JoBeth to hear.



The whispered statement made the brunette’s grin stretch from ear to ear. “You think I’m cute?” she asked impishly, scooting a little closer to Amy. JoBeth had figured that Amy was attracted to her based on everything else that had happened and she wanted Amy to like how she looked, but to hear it out loud made her suddenly very aware of herself and her body in Amy’s presence.



Amy bit her lower lip, gazing desirously at the student. “I think you’re a lot more than cute,” she said, her tone assuring the freshman of the fact. “But that’s not why we’re here now, is it, JoBeth?”



“No,” JoBeth replied, breaking into a small laugh and shaking her head. “I asked if we could talk about my essay…” she continued, keeping the real truth of their meeting to herself while it sent a blush to her cheeks.



“That’s what you said back in class,” Amy nodded, teasing JoBeth with a smile. It had taken her a few minutes to settle down from the rush of seeing her crush sitting at the table waiting for her, but talking to JoBeth for a few minutes had worked wonders. All the jitters and fears she’d had at what she’d say and how she would act around the girl she’d been fantasizing about for days had vanished.



She’d felt at ease with JoBeth almost automatically, taking charge of the conversation and not letting it go anywhere beyond where she was comfortable. The leather cuffs on JoBeth’s wrists were giving her ideas and bringing memories of Friday back in vivid detail, but it was the wrong place and the wrong time for taking it to that next level and Amy wasn’t going to let herself give in to those impulses just yet.



Once she’d realized what her true feelings for JoBeth were, days had gone by before she’d been comfortable enough to talk about them with her best friend. With all her concerns about what could go wrong, Amy thought that the library was among the worst places to try and address those feelings with the girl that they centered on. For now, she wanted to try and focus on JoBeth’s essay, leaving the rest of her conflicted emotions aside, to be dealt with later.



Next to her, JoBeth squirmed in her seat under Amy’s silent but adoring smile, stifling a giggle. Amy’s confidence, the way she took her teasing in stride and returned it in kind, made her feel tingly all over. She didn’t mind sitting there alone with Amy with her imagination running wild with ideas for everything else they could be doing together. It brought her dangerously close to melting into putty in Amy’s hands, making JoBeth finally speak up.



“Hmm?” she asked with a curious arch of her eyebrow. “Do I have something on my face?” she added, brushing her hands over her cheeks quickly.



The questions served to break the momentary lull in their conversation and pull Amy out of her thoughts. “Nope,” Amy laughed, shaking her head slightly. “Just thinking there for a moment,” she explained, settling into her seat and glancing down at JoBeth’s opened notebooks that were spread out on the table.



“So what do you think? Should we try and get to work?” Amy asked, sliding her chair over a few inches closer to JoBeth and pulling into the table. She grabbed her drink off the table, taking a slow sip through the straw and waiting for the younger girl’s reply.



JoBeth’s heart beat faster as the pleasant, relaxing scent of Amy’s lilac perfume settled over her and she scooted herself a little closer as well. Wishing she could hide the blush on her cheeks, she couldn’t deny how exciting it was being that close to Amy, even if it was for innocent reasons.



“Sure,” JoBeth said with a grin, grabbing her pencil and shuffling through a few loose pages. “Here’s where I am now…” she started, handing the printout of her paper’s latest draft to Amy. Her first question about one of her data sources turned into several more and both girls settled in, happy to have found an excuse to spend a few extra hours together.



- - -



The last glow of the setting sun over the campus had faded hours ago, giving way to the streetlights and to the cool evening air that wafted in through the café’s opened windows. Even after several hours of questions and debate and discussion, Amy and JoBeth were still fully engrossed in conversation and hadn’t noticed that the library’s main lobby was slowly emptying as the hours passed.



With everything else that was on her mind, it had been hard to get focused on JoBeth’s essay at first, but Amy had quickly been drawn in by her arguments and the thoughtful opinions that were evident in her work. “And you’ve got a few sources supporting this?” Amy asked, arching an intrigued eyebrow as JoBeth started to explain how she’d reached her final conclusion.



“Yup!” JoBeth said, grabbing one of the books she’d sought out in the stacks a few hours ago and flipping through a few pages of her notebook to seek out her proof. “I know I wrote it in here somewhere!” she protested with a laugh, glancing over at the blonde’s encouraging smile for a moment.



For as well as tonight had gone, JoBeth only just gotten past how incredibly nervous she’d been about sharing her writing with Amy in such a direct and interactive way. Over the weekend, she’d gotten on a bit of a roll while writing the draft. She’d been inspired to make something she was proud of herself and something that would make Amy proud of her. Her daydreams about Amy’s reaction to her work, both good and scarily bad, drove her progress, and Amy’s curiosity and interest in her work had allayed her remaining fears that she wouldn’t measure up, turning tonight into something that had become very fun indeed.



“No hurry,” Amy laughed, taking a sip of her drink and settling back in her chair, happy to watch the freshman scan over her notes for a few minutes. The few hours they’d spent together had been an absolute delight and Amy hoped that they didn’t have to come to the end of the essay quite so quickly.



JoBeth had been teasing her all night with small smiles, leaning closer into her from time to time and making sure that those leather cuffs of hers were right where she could see them. The times when their arms or hands had brushed that night had Amy feeling thankful that she was sitting down and able to hide behind sips from her drink or quick glances away.



More than once, Amy had fought back the urge to drape her arm over the back of JoBeth’s chair. Every signal that the brunette sent told her that she’d be entirely comfortable with it, but all of her doubts and the people walking by had kept her from taking anything too far.



With a pleased huff, JoBeth found the page in her notes that she was looking for and started to flip through the book she’d picked up. “I knew it was in here somewhere,” she mused, setting the book down on the table between them. “Third paragraph from the bottom,” JoBeth said with a grin.



Amy returned JoBeth’s grin with one of her own. “Good work, Jo,” the blonde replied, sitting back up from the more relaxed posture she’d slid into. “That’s the one.”



“What do you mean?” JoBeth asked, furrowing her brow. While she thrilled at hearing Amy refer to her affectionately, the fact that Amy hadn’t even looked at her quote had thrown her for a loop.



“You’re on page two eighty eight,” Amy said casually, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “It’s got one of my favorite passages in that book and it’s the exact one you’d want to use to make your point there.”



JoBeth’s confusion melted into a delighted and relieved smile. “Really?” she asked, Amy’s validation of her reasoning still settling over her. “I’m not just babbling nonsense there?”



Shaking her head, Amy reached over the few inches that still separated them to rest her hand reassuringly on JoBeth’s thigh. “I think you’re going to be more than fine with this paper, Jo. You’re already well on track.”



The warmth of the touch spread over both girls, faint blushes forming on both their cheeks. “Thanks, Amy…” JoBeth trailed off, looking down into her lap for a second before meeting Amy’s affectionate gaze again. “For your help, I mean. I was worrying about a few of those paragraphs. I think I’ve got a few ideas now for where I want to expand and add a few details…”



“I’m just glad I could help,” Amy said, smiling. “That’s what I’m here for! Besides, from what I can see, you’re going to turn in a solid paper. A little polish in there and you’re going to set the curve, and I’m not even the one grading them!” she added, chuckling playfully.



JoBeth shifted a little in her seat, but not enough to slide Amy’s hand off her thigh. The warmth of the touch filled her with a dull tingle that felt amazing. She didn’t want it to stop. “Well, I know I just said it, but thanks…” she started, still grinning brightly before lowering her voice enough so that only Amy could hear her add, “…ma’am.”



A wonderful shiver ran through her and Amy fixed the brunette with a playfully dirty look. The signals JoBeth had been sending, her desire to wrap the brunette up in an embrace, her own feelings for JoBeth and Lauren’s encouragement all spun wildly through her head. If she was going to try and get something out there, now was as good a time as ever.



“You’re such a tease, you know that?” Amy said, sliding her hand off JoBeth’s thigh and slowly taking her hand. Their fingers laced together on their own and Amy ran her thumb gently over the back of JoBeth’s hand, feeling the other girl give her an affectionate squeeze in return. “You might want to watch that, JoBeth, considering what I want to do with naughty girls like you…”



The suggestive purr of Amy’s tone reignited the insistent glow inside JoBeth. It was starting to feel like the buzz she’d felt on her way home Friday night. Amy was there with her leaning in close with her faint lilac perfume, talking so no one else could hear them. Just being able to hold her hand was more exciting than any of the times that she’d tried to satisfy the frustration on her own.



She was breathing a little harder than normal thanks to the dizzying mix of emotions, and JoBeth’s grin became a shy but happy smile. Tucking the loose strands of her bangs back behind her ear, she looked into Amy’s deep blue eyes. From the start, she’d found them delightfully easy to get lost in and when Amy was happy, they had a certain twinkle that made her swoon.



“But…” JoBeth said quietly, pausing to gather herself before finishing the thought that had been the subject of her fantasies. “I was kind of hoping to find out…”



Both girls were now blushing bright shades of red, just a few inches apart from each other and paying no attention to anyone else that might see them. “You were?” Amy asked, after a short laugh. JoBeth replied with a simple nod and another squeeze of her hand.



The whole evening had been wonderful and every hope that she’d had about their feelings being mutual had been seemingly confirmed. As far as JoBeth was concerned, there was no way that they’d be here like this if Amy didn’t want to say the same things to her. If being a student and teacher was the only decidedly silly barrier between them while they both wanted to be together, there was an opening for JoBeth to follow through with her plan.



“Kind of hard to ask a teacher out though,” JoBeth chuckled, shifting in her chair to face Amy. She’d finally said the words that she’d wanted to say for days. The elation of giving voice to her desires, if only through an allusion, was both liberating and exciting. It was all out there now. The weight of her worries was gone, replaced by the nervous energy of waiting for Amy’s reply.



Amy’s heart was racing, her whole world coming to a momentary halt as JoBeth’s statement sank in. “You wanted…” the blonde started, glancing down at her hand and JoBeth’s message that was still written there. “That’s why you asked to meet here?”



“One of the reasons,” JoBeth smiled, giving a small nod. “Both for your help on my essay here, and to maybe spend a little time with you again…” she trailed off, biting her lower lip bashfully.



JoBeth’s initiative in asking to spend time with her filled her with a warmth and joy that she’d nearly written off as impossible. The shock of the revelation quickly wore off and her stunned expression turned into a playful smirk. Amy squeezed JoBeth’s hand affectionately, trying to find the right words without letting everything gush out at once.



“We could get in so much trouble, you know,” Amy said cautiously, conscious of her fears but refusing to let them get the best of her.



Fixing Amy with a reassuring smile, JoBeth took Amy’s other hand in hers. “I’m not going to tell on you…” she said. “I promise.”



A thought flashed through Amy’s mind and she gently brought JoBeth’s hands together. “And what if I decide to keep you for myself, then…” she trailed off, holding the leather wrist cuffs together.



JoBeth giggled, turning a shade of red that nearly matched her tank top. “Then I guess I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone about us…” she replied innocently. “And besides, I think some of your toys could help us see to that…” JoBeth added, her smirk turning into something much more suggestive.



It was Amy’s turn to light up in a combination of embarrassment and excitement. In barely more than a month, the brunette had found ways of pushing her buttons that no one else had in a very long time. She wanted to wrap JoBeth in an embrace and just be with the bright, vivacious girl in any way that she could. Their time together that evening told her that it wasn’t impossible.



“I think I could arrange that, if you really don’t mind that stuff…” she said quietly, regaining a piece of her composure. “I do like to keep my naughty girls where I can make sure they’re behaving…” she added, tingling with anticipation. JoBeth’s apparent comfort with her kinkier toys had her mind racing and Amy was coming up with possibility after possibility for ways that she could introduce JoBeth to more and help the younger girl explore her newfound curiosity.



Squeezing Amy’s hands in her own, JoBeth made no effort to pull her wrists apart. Something about it felt natural, safe and wonderful when Amy was with her. “I don’t mind it at all, if it’s you…” she whispered, smiling shyly. “I think it’s actually kind of fun…”



“Jo…” Amy sighed longingly, wishing she could do more than just hold JoBeth’s hands.



Giggling softly, JoBeth grinned mischievously. “And I’m only a naughty girl for you, Ma’am…” she teased, adding a small wink and causing Amy to chuckle blissful surprise.



Amy’s mind was spinning at everything that had happened in the last few hours. She’d gone from wondering where they could go with their feelings and being afraid of the consequences to trying to think of ways that they could be together. No matter how much they wanted each other, JoBeth was still her student and she couldn’t sacrifice her career by rushing something like this.



The blonde tried to think of the right thing to say and a way to catch her breath when the ringing tone of the library’s speakers sounded overhead. A quick glance at the café’s clock confirmed what she knew the announcement would be about. A cheerful and caffeinated female voice came on, saying that it was a quarter to eleven and that the library was closing down in fifteen minutes.



Students were starting to file out of the café’s lounge and down the long main hallway as the two girls turned their attentions back to each other. Amy looked at JoBeth with a hopeful smile, pulling the brunette’s hands close to her chest tenderly.



“Jo…” Amy sighed again, her desires for the evening continuing to wage a pitched battle against her hesitation to take it too far too fast.



JoBeth smiled back at her warmly, wishing that the night didn’t have to end just yet. “Guess we’ll have to save that for next time, then?” she asked cheerfully, hoping that she hadn’t messed anything up and that Amy wanted there to be a next time.



Letting the other girl’s hands go, Amy’s lips curled into a smile. “Yeah,” she nodded. “Tell me when, and I’ll be there…” she said with a small laugh.



“Good,” JoBeth chirped, closing her notebooks and stacking them before sliding them into her messenger bag. “But if you weren’t, I’d just have to chase you down…”



Amy chuckled at the thought. “Oh yeah?” she asked incredulously, taking the last sip of her second smoothie.



Confirming her playful threat with a grin, JoBeth closed the flap of her bag. “Yup,” she said, watching Amy for a moment. “And I told you they were good.”



“I won’t doubt your tastes again,” Amy laughed.



Standing up out of her chair, JoBeth couldn’t summon the strength to walk away quite yet. She wanted to linger just a few moments longer with Amy. The blonde girl was so absolutely adorable and the feelings she inspired in her were growing stronger by the minute. They’d just spent the last four hours together talking about the paper and a whole range of topics that had come to mind, but it hadn’t been nearly enough time. Amy was fascinating to be around and there was no way she was going to let some stupid rules get in the way of seeing if there was something more between them.



“Thanks again for the drinks, Amy…” JoBeth said, taking a moment to gather her courage for what she wanted to do. “And for all your help,” she added, leaning down and reaching out towards her companion’s face. She felt Amy tense up as she brushed her blonde locks back and her heart leaped at the sound Amy made when she kissed her on the cheek.



“Aah…” Amy squeaked, lighting up a bright shade of pink as JoBeth pulled away. As astounded as she was, all she saw was the brunette beaming back at her, grinning from ear to ear. “Jo…”



Amy’s reaction was all that she could have hoped for. The kiss seemed to get Amy as flustered as she felt herself while Amy was around. Judging by the older girl’s blush and the hint of a giddy smile behind it, JoBeth knew that it wouldn’t be their last.



“See you in class tomorrow!” the freshman said cheerfully, waving a moment before she darted off between a few of her fellow students, down the hallway and back towards her dorm.



“I could have given you a ride,” Amy trailed off quietly to herself, watching JoBeth disappear down the hallway. She raised her hand that was still warm from JoBeth’s touch to her cheek, stunned by her student’s departure. The smile on her lips grew slowly into a euphoric grin. “She kissed me,” she mused, giggling to herself for a moment and hoping she could calm down enough to stand up.



Her whole body was tingling with excitement. Everything that had happened that night cleared up any doubts about what JoBeth’s feelings for her were. The only thing left to figure out was how they could find a way to see where this could go. “She kissed me,” Amy repeated, the smile still plastered across her features.



Grabbing her own messenger bag, she collected her two empty cups and slowly stood up out of the chair. Her knees wobbled for a moment before she regained her footing, proving that JoBeth had just as big of an effect on her physically as she had emotionally. With another small, private laugh, Amy crossed the nearly empty café and tossed the cups into the trash.



Her desire to return the kiss in kind nearly made her follow JoBeth down the hallway in hopes of catching up with her, but Amy shook off the temptation. Like JoBeth had said, she knew that there would be a next time. Smiling brightly, she made her way to the library’s back entrance and the faculty parking lot, feeling like she was walking on air.



Heading through the back doors, Amy paused for a moment to breathe in the cool, fall air before she turned towards her car parked a few spots away, right where she’d left it. She needed to tell someone about everything that had happened that night and there was really only one person that she could or even wanted to share it with. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Amy pressed the button that would speed-dial her best friend in the world.



“Hey, Lauren?” she said, unlocking her car door and stepping inside. “I’m on my way back.”



“Well? How’d it go?” came Lauren’s excited query from the other end of the phone line.



“Have drinks ready when I get there,” Amy replied, turning her key and the engine over. Grinning as wide as ever, she finished, “You’ll never believe what happened.”



*End Chapter 5*