JoBeth & Amy #2: The Start of Something New

JoBeth & Amy: Story 02 – The Start of Something New - CHAPTER 9

*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. Upcoming chapters, however, do have bondage again, of course, 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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The powerful shears finished cutting though the leather strap with a resounding snap. A pleased smile spread across Lauren’s lips and she set the final length down on the living room’s coffee table. “Perfect!” the dark haired girl declared, stretching her arms out over her head. She’d been working most of the morning, picking out the right metal loops and measuring the strap lengths she wanted, but now that the first part of the job was done, Lauren decided it was time to take a break.



Heading into the kitchen to top off her nearly emptied glass of water, Lauren left the temporary workspace she’d made near the couch behind. When they’d gotten home the night before, Amy had helped her clear up a little room for her to work on creating the first of her designs. The leather strap harness that she’d sketched out would be the easiest to make with its adjustable straps, while the rest of what she’d come up with would function best as something tailored for a specific, special person.



Walking over to their refrigerator, Lauren stuck the glass under the ice dispenser, letting a few cubes drop into her glass before pushing the button marked ‘water.’ Letting it fill most of the way, she shut the water off and took a first sip, letting her mind wander off for a moment.



It had been almost a year since she’d had anyone in her romantic life that would have qualified as ‘special,’ but thanks to Amy, she’d never once felt lonely. Just like her best friend, Lauren was hoping to find someone exciting, fun and open-minded to share her life with, but she didn’t want to rush into anything for the sake of a little companionship in the bedroom. As much fun as playing with a girl could be, Lauren agreed with Amy’s assertion that without a personal attraction and connection on a level beyond the physical, the relationship simply wasn’t that interesting.



With a deep, refreshed sigh, Lauren topped the glass off again before heading back into the living room. Considering the way that her last relationship had imploded in a giant, over-dramatic mess, she was happy to bide her time until the right girl came along. While it had ended badly, the way that last girl she’d been serious with had come straight out of the blue had certainly been a big part of the thrill. Not knowing when, where or who that right girl might be made it that much more interesting to meet her and find out everything about her in time. A small, familiar and wishful smile tugged at the corners of her lips and Lauren couldn’t help but hope that maybe her girl wasn’t too far away.



Until she had someone to make them for, Lauren figured that she would start with the design that could find a use very quickly, depending on how things developed between Amy and JoBeth. Out of the blue was the best way to describe how the brunette had swooped into her best friend’s life and Lauren couldn’t help but be happy for Amy. The courtship between the two so far was trickier than most, but based on everything that was happening between them so far, it would be no time at all before Amy was together with the cute and seemingly fun freshman girl.



Setting all of the stories that Amy had told her aside, Lauren had only needed to see the way that JoBeth reacted to her on Friday to know that the girl was into her. Everything that had happened since then suggested that she was curious not only about exploring a relationship with Amy, but about the kinkier games that Amy had introduced her to as well.



It had taken a little bit of convincing to get Amy to finally agree that it would be a good idea, but she had sounded pretty confident about talking to JoBeth after class when she’d left the apartment that morning. Lauren had been trying to get Amy to just take her aside and tell her how she felt for days now and if Amy was able to find that moment with JoBeth, she was sure that Amy would discover that the girl had the same feelings in return. If JoBeth really did like Amy and if she was as open-minded as she seemed, Lauren hoped that she could finish the harness in enough time to be a first present to a hopefully happy and very playful couple.



Setting her glass down on a nearby coaster, Lauren flopped back down on the couch and brushed her hair back behind her shoulders. Surveying her handiwork so far, Lauren started organizing the straps by what their eventual placement and use would be. Some of the straps would be riveted around the metal rings permanently while there were others that would need to have the releasable snap-rivets that she’d had in mind.



Lauren picked up the ruler and white out pen that she’d borrowed from Amy’s desk along with the first of the straps. Measuring few inches in from the end, she made two small dots with the whiteout where the rivet would eventually be placed before capping the pen and turning to the leather hole punch tool that her parents had given her. Carefully centering it over the white dot, Lauren squeezed down until she heard the satisfying pop of the leather finally giving way.



“Very nice…” Lauren said with an approving smile, holding up the strap. Looking through the hole, she was happy to note that the punch was clean and that it hadn’t ruined any of the surrounding leather. Flipping the strap over to check the other side, Lauren was very pleased with the result. Thankfully, the material was quite tough and she wanted the harness to be able to stand up to a fair bit of wear and tear, considering some of the activities that she hoped it might take part in along with Amy and possibly JoBeth. So far as she could tell, her design was off to an acceptable start.



Turning back to the punch again a moment later, Lauren made the matching hole. Her reflective, slightly somber mood melted away in the face of the giddy excitement of progress. Within a few minutes, Lauren had settled into a steady rhythm of measuring, marking and punching.



Over in the corner of the room, their computer was still cycling through the music playlist that Lauren had tossed together that morning, and Lauren cheerfully sang along while she worked. While she’d taken extra care to make sure that her measurements were correct, she wasn’t quite ready for the amount of strength that it took to punch that many holes that quickly and the pain in her hand that would come along with it.



A little more than halfway through, Lauren had to stop for a moment, waving her hand quickly back and forth in an attempt to shake out some of the stiffness and soreness that had worked into her hand. She’d managed to prepare all of the strips with the marks for their rivets, so it would be quick work to finish them off once her hand recovered, but a glance at the clock above the television told her that Amy would be back home any minute now.



Lauren chuckled softly and she was glad to see that Amy was running a little later than usual. She was really hoping that Amy would come back home with JoBeth in tow, but today, she’d be perfectly fine settling for knowing that their talk went well. The sneaking suspicion that she would be meeting JoBeth again at their apartment one day soon had only grown stronger over the last few days and it was something that Lauren was happy to encourage Amy to arrange.



Even after shaking, the stiffness in her hand showing no sign of fading any time soon and Lauren collapsed back against the couch, deciding that it was a good time to take a break. There would be plenty of time to work on the harness after Amy got home and in between her usual Thursday afternoon paper grading, she hoped that Amy would be willing to step in and help her hold things in place while she placed the snap rivets.



Reaching for her glass, Lauren took another sip of her drink before she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching their door. The metallic crunch of Amy’s key turning in the lock was followed a moment later by the apartment door swinging open to reveal her best friend.



“Hey, Lauren,” Amy called out, stepping in through the doorway and giving a little wave as she pushed the door closed behind her.



Noticing the wide grin that was plastered across Amy’s face and the excited sparkle in her eyes, Lauren let out a smile of her own. “Hey Aims,” she said, setting her glass back on its coaster and leaning back against the corner of the couch. “You’re back a little later than usual…” Lauren teased, watching the blonde slip out of her boots.



Normally she was very good at keeping certain emotions in check, but just thinking about JoBeth made her so happy that she didn’t want to contain it. “I suppose…” Amy replied with a coy smirk, dropping her messenger bag by the entrance and walking over to the couch. Collapsing down onto the other end of the couch, Amy let out a long, deep sigh. She knew that Lauren would catch her the moment she’d walked in the door and even if her excitement over what had happened wasn’t already obvious, she’d have burst out with the news almost immediately on her own.



Content that Amy was back and settled in, Lauren was dying to know if her encouragement and Amy’s resolve had finally come through. “So how’d it go?” the dark-haired girl asked, flashing a curious and playful smile.



With a wide grin behind a bright pink blush, Amy bit her lower lip bashfully. For the entire drive home, all she could think about was the number she’d just programmed into her cell phone and how much she wanted to call it right away. Grabbing one of the throw pillows nearby, she clutched it to her chest. “Lauren, I am in so much trouble…” she laughed, sinking back into the couch.



“So it went well then?” Lauren asked, her anticipation building. JoBeth wasn’t there with them yet, but she held out a hope that Amy had managed to bridge enough of the gap for them to seriously consider seeing each other in a much more personal way.



A smile lit her features and Amy gave a small nod. “It went more than well…” she replied, struggling to contain the bevy of emotions and excitement that were surging through her.



“We just talked, but… it went really well,” Amy continued, pausing to reflect on all the signs that pointed to what she wanted to say next and how thrilling it felt to be able to even say those words. “I think she likes me…”



Laughing, Lauren stood up off the cough to grab her emptied glass. “Oh, you think now?” she asked, walking around the couch towards the kitchen for a refill and to grab something for Amy.



“Well, I’m pretty sure that she does…” Amy said, allowing herself a degree of certainty. The subconscious cuddle had been the final straw and she’d been amazed at how naturally JoBeth seemed to warm to her physically. Her cheeks reddened a little and she tried to stifle the thoughts of places she’d rather be able to cuddle with JoBeth.



Turning her gaze to follow Lauren out of the living room, Amy gave a small chuckle, figuring out exactly what the girl was up to. Based on the sounds that were coming out of the kitchen, her roommate was bringing her something to drink that would help to facilitate what would end up being a much more detailed description of what had happened after class.



“You know you’re telling me everything, Aims,” Lauren called out from a room away, waiting for the second glass to fill before she headed back into the living room.



Taking her glass of ice water from Lauren, Amy nodded her agreement. “Who else am I going to go gush to for the nest hour?” she laughed, taking a sip while Lauren reassumed her place on the opposite end of the couch. The dark-haired girl slid a coaster in her direction and Amy set her drink down, trying to figure out where she would begin.



Amy launched into telling Lauren the story of how she’d spotted JoBeth at the café stand before class and everything that had followed after. At the time, it had taken her almost a minute to gather up the courage to start the flirtation, but after the start, it all came so easily. There was something about being around JoBeth that felt comfortable and natural. It put her at ease every time they’d talk, no matter how nervous she’d get about all of the worst case scenarios she’d worried over beforehand. In their far too short time together, all that JoBeth had managed to do was add to Amy’s desire to find out if she really was the one for her.



Giving the constant flirting glances in class a passing mention, Amy quickly got to the part of her story that she knew Lauren wanted to hear the most; the part of it that still made her heart race. In between Lauren’s asking about JoBeth’s outfit and some pleasantly diverting debate about what sort of underwear JoBeth might wear for their first time together, Amy started to tell Lauren about what had happened once they’d been alone.



The way that JoBeth had just leaned into her embrace, almost subconsciously, had made her want to tackle the brunette down to the desk and kiss her right then and there. The vibe she’d gotten from JoBeth had been so completely warm and affectionate that it just felt like it would be alright. All of her doubts about whether or not JoBeth wanted to pursue a relationship were long gone and the entire ride home, Amy had tried to answer the only question that remained; how.



“Wait a minute,” Lauren interrupted, waving her hands to catch Amy’s attention. “Cuddling?”



Amy picked up her now nearly empty glass and broke into a small chuckle. “There might have been…” she said, her voice echoing into the cup.



“You’re telling me that there was cuddling and you’re not hunting her down right now?” Lauren asked with a touch of feigned and teasing disbelief in her tone. Watching her best friend put the emptied glass down; Lauren fixed Amy with a curious gaze. Something like that was more than she’d hoped for and Lauren thought it was all the proof Amy would need to know that she could safely tell JoBeth how she felt.



The rosy glow on her cheeks deepened and Amy shifted a little in her seat to get better access to her hip pocket. Pulling out her cell-phone, Amy felt her pulse starting to pound again and the urge to call the girl she’d been crushing on for weeks surged up inside her. “Well…” Amy started shyly. “I did end up getting her phone number.”



Lauren’s face lit up instantly with excitement. “Amy!” she exclaimed, nearly leaping across the couch to wrap the blonde up in a hug. “That’s awesome!”



Laughing away, Amy returned the embrace with the arm that wasn’t pinned between them. “Thanks,” she said, not particularly sure how to respond, but that didn’t really matter right now. Outside of the strong desire she had to pull up JoBeth’s number, Amy was filled with affection and thanks for Lauren and all of her support.



“So how’d it happen?” Lauren asked, untangling herself from Amy and resting back on her haunches. She could tell how flustered Amy was even thinking about it and that was a pretty good sign that the events of the day between Amy and JoBeth might not be finished just yet.



Taking a deep breath, Amy explained how she’d ended up getting JoBeth’s phone number, and all the little teasing back and forth between them. “It just… felt right talking to her,” she said, finishing off the main chunk of her story and drawing an acknowledging nod from her best friend.



“I could be myself, like I didn’t have to hold back with her or anything,” Amy continued, flashing a bashful smile and fidgeting a little with her hands. “We were just talking, but it was okay for me to tease her or play around with her a little. She was right there with me the whole time, taking it all in stride…”



Her bright, happy smile was still spread across her features and Lauren felt her own semi-excited glow knowing that their conversation, however simple it might have been, had helped nudge Amy and JoBeth a little closer together. “Aims, that’s fantastic…” Lauren cooed, patting Amy’s knee affectionately. “I’m glad.”



The two girls lost themselves to a laugh and Amy pulled Lauren in for a hug. “Thanks, Laur,” Amy said, giving Lauren a quick squeeze. “I don’t know if I’d have found the courage to just talk to her without you…”



Over the years that they’d been friends, the constant, genuine and unwavering support was the strongest bond they shared between them and something that Lauren would never trade for anything. “It’s what we do,” Lauren replied, returning the squeeze before the embrace broke. “But you’re not done yet, right?” she asked, arching a curious eyebrow.



“What do you mean?” Amy asked, playing coy.



Lauren gave Amy a gentle nudge. “You know what I mean,” she said flatly. “You’ve got her number now, so you’d better get to calling her!”



Amy laughed, not trying very hard to resist her friend’s assertion. “I know,” she said, turning her phone over slowly in her hand. “I will.”



“You’d better,” Lauren chided suggestively. “If I don’t see you calling her by tomorrow night, I’m going to call her for you!”



“Evil!” the blonde protested, swatting Lauren lightly with her pillow. “I said I’ll call her!”



Crossing her arms with amused skepticism, Lauren cocked her head to the side. “Oh, will you now?” she asked.



“Yes!” Amy said with laughing exasperation. “Just as soon as I can figure out what the heck I’m going to say to her…” She’d wanted to call JoBeth almost since the moment she’d walked away but the problem facing her now wasn’t one she’d given that much thought to. She’d been so worried about whether or not JoBeth liked her that she hadn’t even started thinking up a believable reason to give JoBeth that would make her want to meet up somewhere more private.



In all the years they’d known each other, Lauren had never known Amy to be timid about her feelings once it became clear they were accepted and she didn’t think that Amy was about to back down now. Between them, they’d think of something and when the time was right, Amy would see where it went. “Good,” Lauren said behind an approving nod. “That’s what I like to hear.”



Curling back into the couch, Amy took a moment to relax and enjoy the giddy rush that spending just those few minutes with JoBeth had given her. Smiling away, Amy couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made her feel quite like she did now. “Anyway…” she sighed contentedly, turning to look at the leather and metal that was taking up a good amount of space on their coffee table.



She’d spotted Lauren’s work the moment she’d walked in the room, but thankfully, Lauren had wanted to hear about what had happened with JoBeth as much as she’d wanted to tell it. “While I think of something here, look at you!” Amy exclaimed proudly, gesturing towards the mostly organized and partially assembled collection of straps and tools. “You’ve made some serious progress here, Lauren!”



With a proud, beaming smile, Lauren gave a small chirp of agreement. “Thanks, Aims…” she said brightly, turning to look over her handiwork. “My hand is killing me, but I punched most of the holes that I think I’ll need there…” she added, still very aware of the low but insistent throbbing sensation in her right hand.



With a new brand of excitement for her friend, Amy picked up one of the punched straps and took a closer look at the clean-cut hole. “Lauren, this is awesome,” she said, turning back to see Lauren glowing with pride. “You’re going to have this done in no time!”



Flexing her hand, Lauren felt thankful to hear Amy give her support and approval. She’d been sketching up ideas for her own clothing and even fetish gear ever since middle school, but following through with it was a whole other mountain to climb. She knew that Amy was behind her one-hundred percent, but hearing it out loud still made her feel better.



“Yeah, if my hands can take that kind of punishment,” Lauren said, chuckling softly.



Nodding, Amy picked up one of the marked but un-punched straps along with the puncher itself. “You mind if I try one?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at Lauren.



“Go for it,” Lauren chirped. “Just punch over the white dot there.”



Centering the punch on Lauren’s mark, Amy squeezed down on the handle. The leather was surprisingly sturdy and the strain in her hand and wrist was pretty strong. The blonde let out a sharp exhale along with the resounding click of the punch once the hole finally snapped through a moment later. “Wow,” she said, setting the punch down and shaking her hand gently. “You weren’t kidding there. That’s going to take some getting used to...”



Between Amy’s encouragement and her parents’ support, Lauren had already steeled her determination to see this project through and to see what her design skills were made of. She’d started with focusing on a type of clothing that she enjoyed seeing personally and the fact that some of her designs could even be used by someone as close to her as Amy was a wonderful motivation. At this point, she had the resources. It was high time to start figuring out how she could go about her plans and what she’d have to learn. “I plan on it,” Lauren said, exuding a cheerful confidence.



“That a girl,” Amy said, patting Lauren’s knee affectionately.



With an impish smirk, Lauren reclined back against the pillows stacked in the corner of the couch. “And you know… Depending on how things go with JoBeth, we could always measure this up for her…” she teased, causing Amy to immediately light up a bright shade of pink.



“Lauren!” she squeaked, swatting at her roommate with a throw pillow. Amy couldn’t deny that the thought had occurred to her. Despite the several intimations that JoBeth had made over the week, she wasn’t completely sure how interested the girl was in exploring any potential fetishes she might have, or just how far she might be willing to go with her. Delightful as those thoughts were, it wasn’t anything that she wanted to get distracted by until she found out if JoBeth was even interested in her that way, but every passing day had made that a tougher task.



Batting the pillow away, Lauren laughed. “What?” she asked in protest. “I can’t give a present to my best friend’s girlfriend now?”



Shaking her head, Amy crossed her arms and fixed Lauren with a playfully incredulous glare. “I think that one of us needs to stop counting chickens before they’re hatched…” she chided, doing the best she could to keep her pragmatic side in command and not get ahead of herself.



Lauren’s suggestion had brought a vision of JoBeth modeling the strap harness for her in her bedroom and suddenly, all of the warm, tingly feelings she’d been trying to fight off all week came rushing back. Knowing full well that her cheeks were likely glowing red, Amy pushed the decidedly wonderful mental image aside for a moment, just as she’d been forced to in the lecture hall with JoBeth earlier that morning. As exciting as the notion was, the last thing Amy wanted to do was assume something about JoBeth’s feelings or intentions and make an irreparable mistake before their relationship even got off the ground.



“Oh, I don’t know, Aims…” Lauren said cheerfully, nudging Amy’s leg. “You’ve got her phone number and she’s cuddling with you. I think there’s a pretty good chance it’s already hatched…”



Bobbing her head thoughtfully, Amy’s didn’t want to rule out the admittedly valid notion. One thing she did know for certain was that the adorable, amazing brunette was the first thing on her mind. “Well, we’ll see…” she said, letting the hopeful rush that she’d been struggling to keep at bay all week grow a little louder.



“We better!” Lauren chimed.



Chuckling, Amy knew that if she wasn’t able to summon enough of her own resolve to call JoBeth, Lauren would happily provide some of her own. Deciding to change the subject for a few minutes and hopefully gain some time to think, Amy moved on to another topic that she knew was near and dear to Lauren’s heart. “Well, until we figure out what I’m supposed to do about JoBeth, how about we have some lunch?” she asked, inclining her head towards the kitchen.



She’d been hungry ever since she’d started wondering when Amy would get home and the suggestion was all the excuse Lauren needed. “Sounds like a plan to me!” she said, hopping up off the couch. “Got anything particular you’re thinking of?”



Amused by Lauren’s ever-present enthusiasm for a home-cooked meal, Amy followed suit with her friend and they both made their way towards the pantry. “Oh, I don’t know…” Amy said thoughtfully, scanning over the shelves. “I was thinking simple but effective… The last thing I need today is to feel like crap…”



“Especially if you’re going to go see JoBeth later…” Lauren teased, giving the blonde another playful nudge in her side. “Because something tells me you’ll be putting the moves on her…”



“Okay, that’s enough out of you,” Amy laughed, shushing Lauren away from the pantry with a few waves of her hands. “I’ve decided what we’re having, and you’ve lost all opinion privileges.” Putting on a feigned pout, Lauren gave Amy a sad look, but in the years they’d been friends, Amy had learned how to resist the nearly irresistible charm. “And no pouting!”



Immediately losing out to a mischievous grin, Lauren held up her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright,” she said, heading back into the living room for a moment. “I’ll just try to get some more hole-punching done!” she added, grabbing the rest of the measured straps and the punch off the coffee table. Bringing them back into the kitchen, Lauren pulled a chair out from the kitchen table so that she could watch Amy and work and talk at the same time.



“There,” the dark-haired girl said, setting the spares down on the table and taking the first strap. Hoping that her hand had recovered enough, Lauren squeezed the handle and was pleasantly surprised by the quick, crisp snap of the punch. The slight stiffness in her hand was much fainter than before and with a grin, Lauren moved on to the next hole.



On the other side of the kitchen, Amy dug a few containers and bags out of the refrigerator. After spending half the drive home that morning thinking about one, Amy grabbed all of the ingredients she’d need to put together a good salad. Her nerves were shot enough already from everything with JoBeth. The last thing she wanted was to be battling off an upset stomach while trying to figure out how she could convince JoBeth that seeing each other wasn’t a bad idea.



Having already snagged a large plastic bowl out of the cabinet, Amy gently kicked the door closed and set everything up on the counter. “Here we go…” she said, ponderously, turning to look over at Lauren for a moment. “What do you think; cheddar or mozzarella today?” she asked, deciding to let Lauren have at least a little input on the type of salad she’d make for them.



Pursing her lips in thought, Lauren glanced over what Amy had spread out over the counter. All the usual stuff was there, but once she spotted the chopped up meats and the dressing, she knew exactly what she wanted. “Ooh, mozzarella, definitely,” Lauren said. Amy’s homemade antipasto salads were one of her favorite things in the world and the mere notion of one right now was enough to make the pangs of hunger she was feeling grow more insistent.



Nodding, Amy took what she wouldn’t need back over to the fridge. “Antipasto it is,” the blonde chuckled, returning to the counter. Popping open the lettuce container, she started on shredding a few leaves before taking a few seconds to steal a glace over at Lauren.



She felt a sense of pride in seeing her best friend so happily at work over at the table. Every few seconds came the click of another punch and Amy was glad that Lauren was finally working on one of her dreams. The past two years of running the IT side of her parent’s website had paid the bills, but Lauren wasn’t that good at hiding the fact that it wasn’t exactly her passion in life. Amy knew her too well for that.



Lauren had been drawing and sketching things for as long as she could remember and Amy remembered one late night back in high school when she’d come into their bedroom and announced that she’d finally decided what she wanted to do after college. While it might have taken a little longer than they’d thought, Lauren was going after it, and that alone was enough to warm Amy’s heart.



“How’s that one going, you think?” Amy asked, starting to mix in a few of the other ingredients with the lettuce.



Setting down the last strap that she’d measured already, Lauren flashed a bright smile. “More than great, I think,” she replied, her optimism reflected truthfully in her voice. “Depending on how hard the rivets are to put in here, I think it could be ready to wait for its final measurements later tonight!”



“Wow,” Amy said, a little surprised that the first one had come together so quickly. Admittedly, the strap harness was a simpler design and she’d agreed that setting out to accomplish an easier one first would be a great motivator to move on to the next, increasingly more complex outfit designs. “And by ‘final measurements,’ you mean…” she trailed off, having ventured a guess at where Lauren was going with the comment.



The proud smile turned into that familiar impish grin, and Lauren gave a confirming nod. “Yup. Though, I might have to ask for your help later with the rivets…”



Finding herself looking forward to helping Lauren put together one of her creations, Amy was happy to offer her assistance. “Of course,” she replied.



“Thanks,” Lauren said, still smiling brightly. “And I meant what I said earlier…” she teased. “I’m not measuring those last loops until after I’ve met JoBeth officially…”



Laughing quietly, Amy’s cheeks turned a shade of crimson. “Lauren… I don’t know if…”



“Aims, I saw you two together. You even made out with her while she was tied up. When the time’s right and you two get to that place, I think she’s going to love having something of her very own that she can wear for you…” Lauren said, cutting Amy off outright with her playful tone.



Shaking her head, Amy slid the chopped up pieces of ham and salami into the salad. “If you say so…” she said dubiously, trying to hide the effect that the mental image of JoBeth in the straps and nothing else was having on her. “But… that’s if we do start dating, and if she’s into this stuff… But thank you…” Amy added, offering a warm smile.



Waving her hand dismissively, Lauren shook her head. “No worries, Aims! Just drop that little ‘if’ word there!” Lauren started with a smirk, drawing a chuckle out of Amy. “I want my first design to be put to use by someone I care about,” she said, returning the blonde’s affectionate smile. “And besides… With that blush you’ve got going there, I don’t think she’ll be the only one enjoying her present…”



Laughing again, Amy tossed a crouton across the kitchen at Lauren. The dark-haired girl was giving her a cheshire grin, deflecting the incoming crouton harmlessly onto the table. “Oh, enough out of you already,” Amy protested, closing the box and starting to mix up the salad. “Keep that up and you’ll see how much of this you’re going to get!”



“No!” Lauren exclaimed in mock alarm, grabbing the crouton and eating it. “Anything but that…”



“Good,” Amy said, nearly finished with her preparations. “Now if you’re done with the straps for now, do you mind tossing in a few pieces of the garlic toast for us?”



Her eyes widening a little at the suggestion, Lauren hopped up out of her chair quickly. “Ooh, good idea…” she said, making a bee-line for the freezer.



“And speaking of done with the straps,” Amy said, slicing up a tomato and what was left of a cucumber. “Have you figured out what you want to start on next?”



Lauren had already pulled out the foil and placed four slices of the garlic toast on it before turning the toaster oven on. “I was thinking about one of the tops, actually,” she replied, leaning back against the counter to watch Amy while the toast cooked. “But I think I’m going to have to go back to the store and borrow a few more tools from Mom if I’m going to be able to actually do anything…”



Mixing the chopped up vegetables into the salad a little, Amy finished with the cutting board and wiped it off before rinsing her hands. “Oh yeah? Are you going to head back home this weekend?”



Shrugging, Lauren gave a small nod. “I think so…” she said thoughtfully. “Probably on Saturday, if you’re not back yet…”



“Back from what?” Amy asked, her brow furrowing slightly. Lauren’s mischievous grin was all the answer that she needed. “Oh…” she sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend.



“Hey now, I didn’t say anything,” Lauren said, chuckling at the slightly dirty look that Amy was giving her. “You’re the one that thought it.”



Propping a hand on her hip, Amy shook her head. “Yeah, but that doesn’t make you any less evil over there, you know…” she replied, drawing a knowing grin from Lauren.



“I just think that you’ll be pretty occupied this weekend, if you want to be…” the dark haired girl reasoned confidently. “But if you do somehow come home in time, you know you’re more than welcome to come back with me.”



With a laugh, Amy turned back to the drawer where they kept the silverware. “We’ll see…” she said, echoing her same sentiment from earlier.



“We’d better,” Lauren said, hoping to reinforce her point once more.



Amy wanted to call JoBeth, but she wasn’t about to go putting all her eggs in that basket until she knew that JoBeth did want to see her. She’d been trying to come up with a good excuse to call the freshman from the moment she’d sat down in her car, but all she could think about was how nice it had felt when JoBeth had been cuddling into her side just over an hour ago.



With a small smile, Amy felt that familiar, frustrating but oddly wonderful warmth deep inside her glowing impatiently. It was definitely getting a lot harder to keep the dozens of momentary fantasies about JoBeth that were flashing through her imagination under wraps.



Taking out two pairs of silverware, Amy slid the drawer closed again and set them inside of the two bowls she’d already gotten out. Carrying them over to the table, she’d set two places by the time the bell of the toaster oven rang, signaling that they were almost ready.



“You got that?” Amy asked, retrieving the dressing from the counter.



“Yup!” Lauren chirped, gingerly pulling the foil tray she’d made out and onto the granite countertop. Sliding the bread off onto a plate, she followed Amy over to the table and sat down. “Man, this looks so good…” she mused, her mouth watering in anticipation of one of her favorite meals.



Pouring the dressing into the main salad bowl, Amy snapped the cap back on and started to mix it, pulling her chair underneath her with her foot. “You ready over there?” she asked, satisfied that the dressing had spread into the salad.



“God yes,” Lauren replied, setting their two bowls down next to the salad. Amy filled them both and within a few seconds, the two girls were sitting down, happily chatting away over lunch. The slices of garlic toast were divvied up quickly between talk of color preferences and joking suggestions for good reasons to call JoBeth.



A half hour later, the main salad bowl was emptied and the girls cleaned up what few dishes there were. Lauren busied herself with the dishwashing and Amy stood by with a towel when the conversation turned back to the subject of serious reasons for phone calls.



“You know, I still say that she gave you her number for a reason…” Lauren said, tossing the subject back out there while she finished washing the last bowl. “I’m pretty sure that’s a signal that she won’t mind you calling her, whatever the reason.”



Nodding, Amy wasn’t about to deny the statement. “I know,” she said, putting the silverware away and pushing the drawer closed. “But I’m not going to rush her… If I’m going to talk to her, I want to do it right and when I don’t think I’m going to sound like a yammering idiot while I’m talking to her.”



Chuckling, Lauren turned off the water and dried her hands on a paper towel. “That’s fair enough,” she said, offering a confident smile. “There might have been some kind of pretense about the paper, but I don’t think that’s the reason she gave you her number. Something tells me it’d be pretty hard for you to rush her here…”



The faint blush and shy smile returning to her cheeks, Amy draped the towel back over its rack. “I’ll call her later,” she said, drawing an arched eyebrow from Lauren. “I will! Until then, I do have a few papers left to grade and you said you needed some help with the rivets on the harness there…”



“Sounds good to me,” Lauren chirped, collecting her straps from the corner of the table and leading the way back into the living room. “Whatever you feel like first…” she trailed off, and Amy followed her over to the couch.



“A little relaxation sounds about perfect right now,” Amy said, sitting on the couch a little to the side of where Lauren had set up her workspace. “You up for it?”



With a single, resolute nod Lauren sat down next to Amy. “You know it,” she said, snatching two of the rivet pieces out of their respective piles, along with a ring and one of the straps. “Hold this?” the dark haired girl asked, handing Amy the strap while she looped it through the ring. After a bit of fumbling, the rivet was pressed through the corresponding holes and with a firm squeeze of the pressing tool, the first of the rivets was secured.



A momentary celebration followed a stress test of the rivet itself and the girls quickly got to work on the rest of the completed straps. Lauren felt her excitement run up to a fever pitch and with the two of them working, the harness was coming together faster than she could have ever imagined. Between them, in less than an hour they’d managed to snap all the straps around their rings and Lauren felt monumental relief that she’d measured everything out properly for the rings.



Content to figure out how she’d set up the connecting straps, Lauren waited for Amy to come back into the living room with their refilled drinks.



“Here you go,” Amy said, handing Lauren a glass full of her newest drink selection; some grape juice. Sitting on the back of the couch, she took a drink of her own, pausing for a moment to decide what she wanted to do next.



Amy still hadn’t come up with a good idea for what might work to get JoBeth to want to hang out. Luckily, it was still early in the afternoon and Amy couldn’t help harboring a small hope that even if JoBeth did have plans, she might consider dropping them in favor of spending a bit of time with her. Until she did finally come up with an idea or the courage to just flat out call JoBeth, Amy was happy to knock out what little work she had left to do that weekend.



“Aahh…” Lauren exhaled, finishing her first sip and setting the glass down. “Thanks.”



“No problem,” Amy replied, patting Lauren on the shoulder. “But for now, I think I’m going to try and knock out those papers I’ve got to read…” she said, walking over to retrieve her bag from where she’d dropped it near the front door before heading over to her desk in one of the corners of the room.



Remembering something that Amy had mentioned offhand during her story earlier, Lauren turned to look over at Amy sitting at her desk. “Didn’t you say something about JoBeth giving you her paper to read earlier?” she asked curiously.



The blonde’s eyes widened in a mix of shock and alarm and she nearly dropped her bag. “Oh my God, I completely forgot!” she exclaimed, tossing the flap open and starting to shuffle through the papers inside it. JoBeth had handed it to her explicitly asking her to read it and she’d promised her that she would. “How in the hell did I forget about it?!” Amy muttered to herself, finally fishing the folder out and gazing for a moment at the cover.



“Well, you did just get her phone number after a bit of cuddling…” Lauren reasoned playfully, giving Amy a goofy smirk. “I think I’d call that a reasonable excuse for being temporarily scatterbrained.”



Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Amy shook her head. “Yeah, but I promised her I’d read it as soon as I got home…” she said, slightly crestfallen.



Not wanting Amy to sink into a useless pit of depression over something so trivial, Lauren worked quickly to head that train of thought off and get her friend going back in the right direction. “For starters, she doesn’t know how long it takes you to get home, right?” she asked, a little rhetorically.



“Yeah,” Amy replied, arching a skeptical eyebrow.



“And don’t you think she’d be fine with you having a bite to eat once you got there?” Lauren continued, drawing a chuckling agreement from the blonde. “See? Nothing to worry about!”



Laughing at her own miniature overreaction, Amy was reminded why Lauren was her best friend. “I suppose you’re right…” she said, her lips curling up into a small smile.



“Of course I am,” Lauren concurred, giving airs of a feigned pride in herself.



Still chuckling, Amy settled back into her desk chair, letting Lauren start to sort through her work while she opened the folder’s front cover. She recognized the new title as one of the ideas they’d been talking about in the library on Monday and Amy couldn’t help but feel a small thrill to know that her student and her crush had latched on to it.



Looking forward to finding out how JoBeth had handled the admittedly difficult, nebulous topic, Amy turned to the first page and started reading. She remembered JoBeth mentioning something about page five, but when it came to seeing what the girl thought about the subject, she wanted to start at the beginning and not miss reading the whole thing.



Her introduction had a new punch to it that hadn’t been there at the start of the week and the first few points she was making really served to drive her thesis home well. Amy smiled dreamily to herself, happy to see that JoBeth had done more than just regurgitate their conversation on Monday and expanded into thoughts that were all her own. Before she knew it, Amy was a few pages in and she was already feeling proud of what the girl was capable of.



When she finally turned to page five, Amy found out that JoBeth really hadn’t been kidding about something being there. Her jaw dropped when she saw one of the photos she’d taken of JoBeth on Friday night tucked between the pages.



“Aahh…” Amy squeaked, completely overtaken by the rush of excitement and arousal she’d been struggling against all week. In the picture, JoBeth was dozing adorably away on the stretcher, and by pure chance, it was the one that she’d had the hardest time parting with. To have it again and for JoBeth to give it to her was something she’d never expected.



Forgetting all about the remarkably good paper she’d been reading, Amy pulled the picture out of the folder, discovering that something had been taped to the back of it. Thoughts of JoBeth’s smile and the warmth of their every fleeting touch filled her mind and a blissful chill ran up Amy’s spine as she turned the picture over to see what was there.



Even if it hadn’t been attached to the picture itself, Amy could have spotted JoBeth’s clear but distinctive handwriting anywhere. Amy felt the familiar, warm haze of excitement stirring within her and she could feel her cheeks lighting up a bright shade of red while she read the simple but adorable note.



“Oh dear…” Amy moaned softly, letting out a small giggle.



Her curiosity and interest already piqued by Amy’s initial squeak, Amy’s second statement was enough to get Lauren to set her own work aside and find out what Amy was up to over there. Turning to look at her friend, she noticed that Amy’s blush was back and brighter than ever and she’d seen that particular grin before. It had showed up almost every time Amy talked about JoBeth. If anything, it was a good sign that the phone call might just happen.



“What’s going on over there?” Lauren asked, snapping Amy out of the little fantasy that she was entertaining.



“Hmm?” Amy asked, her brow rising at Lauren’s question. “She, uh… She added something to her paper here…”



Getting up from the couch, Lauren walked over towards Amy’s desk. “It has to be something good for you to be grinning that much,” she teased, prompting Amy to bite her lower lip bashfully.



“It’s one of the pictures from Friday,” Amy explained, causing Lauren’s brow to rise in return.



“Seriously?” Lauren asked, even more impressed with JoBeth’s direct and straight-forward attempt to broach the fairly difficult subject.



Nodding slightly, Amy turned the picture back over in her hand to look at the image of JoBeth with a fond smile. “Yeah… But that’s not all,” she continued, waiting the few seconds it took for Lauren to come up beside her. “She’s got a note here on the back of it…”



“Aims!” Lauren said excitedly. “What’s it say?”



Holding the picture out, Amy let Lauren take it for a moment. “Here,” she said, her entire body feeling completely aglow with joy.



Lauren remembered the picture from when they’d sorted through them together and it certainly was one of the cuter ones she’d taken of the girl. She couldn’t deny that Amy had started to fall in love with one wonderfully cute and seemingly very fun girl. Flipping the note over, she saw exactly what had her best friend floating on air.



The note wasn’t long or rambling at all. It said about as clearly as possible what she felt, in hopes of finding out how Amy felt in return. Considering how they had to keep any courtship as quiet as they could, Lauren couldn’t think of a better way for JoBeth to get Amy churning.



“‘Just wanted to say that you’re the best kisser I’ve ever met…’” Lauren read aloud, causing Amy to squirm happily in her seat a little. “Well, that’s true. You are pretty darn good at that, when you want to be…” she added, not wanting to pass up the opportunity to tease the blushing blonde.



Waving a dismissive hand, Amy let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, I’m glad she thinks so, at least…” she said, having hoped quite a few times in the last week that their first kisses wouldn’t also be their last.



“She’s thanking you for opening her up to experiencing something she’d never have tried on her own,” Lauren continued, just as enthralled by JoBeth’s note as Amy was. “And she hopes that it wasn’t a one-time thing?”



Laughing, Amy, folder her legs up underneath her body. “I told you she’s perfect,” Amy said though a beaming grin.



Reading the last bit of the note, Lauren felt a blush of her own coming on. JoBeth really was managing to be amazing in ways that she’d never thought possible. Her teasing line about how Amy had ‘possessed’ her on Friday being a reason that she should have at least one of her pictures back to remind her of her ‘adoring captive’ nearly floored her. If there ever was a girl for Amy, JoBeth was it.



“Awww…” Lauren cooed, making a mental note to wrap the girl up in a thank you hug when they finally, officially met. “Amy, this is so cute…”



“I know!” Amy exclaimed, taking the picture back and re-reading the note herself.



She’d made the same point quite a few times in the time since Amy had gotten home, but this note put at least exclamation points on it, along with an underline. “You know you’ve got to call her, right?” Lauren asked, watching Amy smiling away in her chair.



“I think she might be into me, Lauren…” Amy chuckled, wrapping herself up in the notion of what had just become blatantly obvious to them both. Looking up at her best friend, she was met by an amused and agreeing smirk.



“Of course she is, Aims!” the dark-haired girl said with no uncertainty in her voice. Rotating Amy’s chair until she was facing her, Lauren took Amy by her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. “Call her now!” she repeated, finally drawing a nod from Amy.



Thankful that Amy had finally relented in the face of the overwhelming evidence that she didn’t need any excuses at all to call JoBeth, Lauren started glancing around the room. “Where’s your phone?” Lauren asked, giving up a few seconds later and looking back to her still blushing friend.



“It’s right here on the desk,” Amy replied, reaching over for it.



Just before she could pick it up, a familiar ringtone chimed in the suddenly quiet living room. The two girls glanced at each other quickly and Amy hesitated a moment before she finally grabbed her phone and checked the screen.



The anticipation in the room was palpable and deep down Lauren knew that there was only one person that it just had to be. “Well, who is it?” Lauren asked, her heart racing almost as fast as Amy’s.



With her faint but giddy smile, Amy’s answer was written all over her face. Clicking the ‘answer’ button, she let out her excitedly whispered response. “It’s JoBeth…”





- - -





“Oh, would you just ring already?” JoBeth wondered aloud. The mix CD she was listening to was one of her favorites but right now, it wasn’t nearly enough to distract her from staring at her cell phone’s darkened screen and letting out a deep sigh.



The brunette was sprawled over Tara’s bed, kicking her feet lazily back and forth in the air. She’d filled Tara in on exactly what had happened between herself and Amy during lunch and while it had been a struggle to muster enough motivation, JoBeth had joined her suitemate back in their rooms to try and knock out their remaining homework for the weekend.



JoBeth didn’t have much of her own work left to do. She’d put the final touches on her paper late last night and she’d only needed an hour to finish the last exercise preparing for an earth sciences experiment before she was done for the weekend outside of a bit of light reading.



With the promise of finally having a way to hang out with Amy dancing though her head, JoBeth was glad that she’d be able to have this weekend to herself. It had been hard enough to focus on what little work she did have to do and while she waited for Amy’s call, the frustrated freshman had found herself with too little distraction at a time when she needed it most.



Tara still had plenty of work left to do for her chemistry class and JoBeth was glad that that was a class that they didn’t share. Until Tara was done, JoBeth was content to relax as best she could in her friend’s company, trying not to distract the redhead and trying not to wish too hard for Amy’s name to appear on her phone’s display.



“You know, you could always just call her instead,” Tara suggested, looking up from her assortment of text and notebooks to give JoBeth an amused smirk. JoBeth had been bouncing all over her room since she finished her work in search of entertainment. After what she’d told her earlier about Amy, she certainly couldn’t blame her for being so distracted.



Pulling her earphones off for a moment, JoBeth stopped her CD and her brow rose in curiosity. “What’s up?” she asked innocently, not having heard the question well.



Chuckling, Tara propped her head up on her arm. “You could just call her,” she said again. “She did give you her phone number too, didn’t she?”



“Yeah,” JoBeth said behind a blushing smile. “But I don’t want to bother her or anything… What if she’s stuck in a meeting still, or maybe she hasn’t gotten home yet?”



They were legitimate questions, but Tara didn’t think that any of them would prove to be a particular deterrent. “If she’s busy, then she’ll just let it go to voicemail,” Tara pointed out. “Or she can step out if she wants to…” she continued before a mischievous spark twinkled in her eye. “If she sees your name on her caller ID, I’m pretty sure she’s going to drop whatever she’s doing…”



“Tara!” JoBeth laughed, collapsing onto her side and looking away bashfully. “…You think so?” she asked a moment later.



“Oh, I’m pretty sure,” Tara replied. Every piece of the proverbial evidence that she’d heard from JoBeth suggested that Amy would do a lot more than drop whatever she’s doing, given the right opportunity. She imagined that their courtship wasn’t exactly easy, but considering Amy’s teacher’s assistant position and the fact that JoBeth was a student, she could understand their mutual hesitance to come out and just say how they felt about each other.



JoBeth looked back over at Tara, wearing the same dreamy smile that had been keeping her company their entire walk home. “I hope so…” she said, flashing a momentary grin. “Do you think she’s found the picture yet?”



Both girls broke into a small fit of laughter at the thought of just how forward JoBeth’s little note was, but Tara had agreed that it was also pretty hot at the same time. She’d turned beet red at the thought of a girl ever sending her something like that and while she was waiting for JoBeth after class, she’d had to fight off a small fantasy about being tied up herself and what it would be like to have a girl she loved taking pictures of her like that.



That blush of Tara’s returned in full force at JoBeth’s question and she felt that increasingly familiar warmth starting to churn inside her. “If she has, I’m pretty sure she’d have called already,” Tara chuckled, prompting another giddy grin from JoBeth.



“I wish,” JoBeth laughed, relieved that she had something she could share her excitement with. Taking a deep, relaxing sigh, JoBeth rolled onto her back, holding the phone up for an almost subconscious check.



Smiling over at her roommate, Tara quickly jotted down another note before she turned back to continue teasing her roommate. “You know, I’m pretty sure that you can’t make her call you with sheer force of will, no matter how hard to stare at that thing…” Tara said with a wry smirk.



Arching her eyebrow in feigned offense, JoBeth looked up at Tara. “You’re doubting my telepathic powers of suggestion?” she asked, receiving a very quick, confirming nod from the redhead.



“I might be,” Tara said, biting back a grin of her own. “Of course, at risk of repeating myself, there is a pretty simple solution to your current problem…” the added, trailing off in hopes of reeling JoBeth in.



Rolling back onto her side, JoBeth propped her head up on her arm. After all the silly ideas she’d had on their walk home and during lunch for ways that she could approach Amy, she hadn’t come up with anything that had jumped out at her as the right answer. She knew that Tara was playing around with her, but she wasn’t about to turn an idea down, joke or not.



“What’s that?” JoBeth asked, curiously. “You think I should call her first?” she added mockingly, knowing full well what Tara was about to suggest.



If Amy was wrapping her arm around JoBeth casually like she’d said, Tara didn’t see anything wrong with taking the direct route again. It seemed to be working wonders so far, with the notes and little hints, so a phone call that only they would hear didn’t feel like too much of a logical stretch. “Might be a good idea,” Tara confirmed, refusing to give up until she saw JoBeth hit the ‘call’ button.



The notion was simple and at this point, JoBeth thought it was somewhat practical. She had been pretty forward with Amy in the last few days when they’d been able to share their few moments together and Amy had been very receptive. “Well, she did give me her phone number…” the brunette mused, unlocking her cell phone and opening her contact list where Amy’s name was listed first. “It’d be a shame not to use it…”



Nodding, Tara gave JoBeth an encouraging smile. “You’ve got that right,” she agreed, glad that JoBeth was starting to come around. “Just say that you want to talk about your paper or something, or make something else up…” she continued, shifting in her desk chair to face her friend.



Taking a moment, JoBeth thought back over everything that had been happening between them lately. Almost all of it suggested that Amy wouldn’t mind her calling for any reason whatsoever. “You really think that’ll work though?” she asked, giving voice to her diminishing concerns.



“I’m pretty sure she wants to talk to you Jo,” Tara said. “And I don’t think she’s going to care about the reason if it means you two get to spend a little time together…”



Slowly giving in to an excited smile, JoBeth curled up on her side again, running though every wonderful outcome she hoped a phone call could have. “I suppose I could always just ask to talk to her about my paper if I can’t think of something else…” she said through a small laugh at the idea alone.



It certainly wasn’t unheard of for someone to make up a reason to want to be around someone when they like them and Tara had the feeling that Amy would get over it pretty quickly. Especially if she was all tangled up on a bed with JoBeth at the time, like she knew they both wanted to be.



Tara’s cheeks flushed a bright shade of scarlet that spread all the way to hear ears at the thought and she was a little surprised at how quickly she’d gone somewhere that adult in her mind. Thankful that her friend was still distracted by her phone, Tara tried to shake off the faint, buzzing warmth that had sprung up inside her.



From their many conversations about just how JoBeth felt about Amy, Tara was quite aware of what they’d done already and what JoBeth hoped they’d be doing if they could find a way to be together. The last few nights, Tara had found herself laying in bed thinking about what it would be like to have someone like that in her life. It would be nice to have a girl that she longed for and considering just how much JoBeth’s kinkier story had affected her, someone that she might even be able to give complete control to, when the time was right.



Twisting the cap off her water bottle, Tara shoved the significantly naughtier thoughts that had flooded her imagination aside. Focusing instead on the problems at hand, she set the bottle back down on her desk and hoped that JoBeth wouldn’t start asking questions about why she looked like she’d just finished working out.



Closing her chemistry notebook, Tara got out of her desk’s chair and sat down on the foot of her bed. “I say you go for it,” Tara said, nudging JoBeth’s feet aside and breaking the momentary silence that had settled over the room. “What have you got to lose?”



JoBeth sat up on the bed, leaning back against the assortment of pillows stacked against Tara’s headboard. “I know,” the brunette replied, holding her cell phone in her lap. “You’re right.”



With a playful smirk, Tara crosser her legs in front of her and pivoted on the mattress to face JoBeth. “It’s not like you two are going to keep talking about your paper for long…” she teased.



Tara’s playful comment echoed the exact thoughts that had been running through her head all afternoon. JoBeth knew that whatever pretense got her together with Amy would not last very long if they found somewhere private, especially not when there were so many other things she wanted to talk to the blonde about. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” JoBeth huffed in mock protest, refusing to outright admit that she was guilty of Tara’s joking accusation.



“What?” the redhead asked, cocking her head to the side skeptically and arching an eyebrow behind her glasses. She loved JoBeth as a friend and she loved seeing her so happy about a girl, but she was enjoying being able to play around with her a little about it. “You want to tell me that you’re not going to tackle her the moment you’re behind closed doors?” she asked.



Shrugging, JoBeth smiled innocently back at Tara. “I might wait a few minutes first…” she said, trying to sound like she actually meant it. “Maybe let her sit down or something and ask her about her day before we get to that…”



Tara nodded, adding a smirk and making a small show of pretending to agree. “Yeah, you might do that, but I doubt it…” she said, watching JoBeth’s cheeks light up with a knowing blush. “Besides,” Tara continued, giving JoBeth’s knee another gentle nudge. “She might end up tackling you first…”



With a joyous giggle, JoBeth fell back onto Tara’s pillows, feeling an honest thrill at the prospect. Something about Amy taking charge and control like that pushed buttons inside of her that she never knew she’d had until a few nights ago. “Well, a girl can dream, can’t she?” the brunette laughed, propping herself back up on her elbow.



“So are you going to call her,” Tara paused, arching a suggestive eyebrow. “Or am I going to have to steal that phone from you and do it myself?”



Clutching her phone tightly to her chest, JoBeth gave Tara a momentary pout. “I’m going to call her already, Miss Pushy!” she proclaimed, chuckling a little. She’d been considering it since she’d walked out of the literature building that morning, but thanks to Tara’s second opinion, JoBeth felt a lot better about taking the more proactive approach. “I mean, who cares if I’m done with the paper already? It’s a perfectly good pretense…”



Folding the body pillow that normally ran along the side of her bed behind her, Tara reclined back against it, smiling at JoBeth. “Like we’ve both said now, Amy’s not going to mind. Especially if you choose your wardrobe carefully…” she said, drawing a bashful grin from the brunette.



She’d already considered several ideas for outfits she’d wear, but if Amy was really willing to come over, the only ones that JoBeth liked were different varieties of underwear. The thoughts sent another giddy blush to her cheeks. Amy had already seen her in panties, but JoBeth had a few others in mind that she hoped the blonde might consider to be a beautiful sight before she slipped them off her hips shortly thereafter.



Breaking into a small laugh, JoBeth buried her face into a pillow. While the mere thought of being alone with Amy like that made her feel tingly in certain places, JoBeth realized just how far ahead of herself she’d gotten in planning for a more intimate moment before she’d even asked Amy if she’d be willing to come over. “Gah, what am I even going to say?!” she exclaimed, emerging from her makeshift hiding place to look at Tara.



“Whatever you want to,” the redhead replied, resting a reassuring hand on JoBeth’s knee. “You’ve talked to her plenty of times this week, Jo. She obviously is going to listen to whatever you end up babbling about…”



“Oh, man, I’m totally going to be babbling at her, won’t I?” JoBeth laughed. “I’m going to transform from a mostly-mature college student into a yammering mess of giggles…”



Shaking her head and chuckling at the mental image that JoBeth had just painted, Tara patted her friend’s thigh. “No you won’t,” she said confidently. “Because I’ll be right here with you, making sure you sound at least like a fifth grader.”



The girls shared another laugh and JoBeth reached down to give Tara’s hand an affectionate squeeze. “Thanks, Tara,” she said through a smirk. “I appreciate it.”



With an elaborately and humorously pleased nod, Tara returned the squeeze. “No problem.”



Letting Tara’s hand go, JoBeth sat back up on the bed, setting her phone back in her lap. Stretching her arms out overhead, she kept running through all the different ideas in her head for what could happen once she hit the ‘send’ button. “I don’t want to be stuck somewhere we can’t talk again, though…” she sighed, settling back into a more normal sitting position. “I was just going to invite her over here, if we were going to talk about the paper, but I’d be fine with going over wherever she is…”



“Yeah, but unless the bus goes near her place, it’s pretty cold at night…” Tara pointed out.



“I don’t have a problem walking…” JoBeth said resolutely. “Not if it’s for her…” she added with a not so innocent smile.



She knew that JoBeth would take care of herself if it came to a short walk at night, but having Amy come to the dorms made a bit more sense. It was perfect place for Amy to stay as long as JoBeth didn’t ask her to leave and it was somewhere private that Tara figured both girls could be comfortable.



“I think you should invite her over here,” Tara said, voicing her opinion. “It’s not like we couldn’t sneak her in pretty easily.”



While they’d been talking in the library, JoBeth hadn’t thought to ask Amy about where she lived at the time. “That’s a good point,” JoBeth acquiesced, pondering exactly how they might go about it. While it was a perfectly logical question, but JoBeth didn’t know where Amy was staying, or if she was in any position to have one of her students come over. In her room, she was at least sure that they wouldn’t be bothered or interrupted by anyone that might want to interfere.



There was no shortage of places that they could let Amy into the dorm without other students noticing and several that weren’t that far from the dorm’s bus stop and parking lot. Tara wasn’t worried about JoBeth not being able to get Amy upstairs and into her room if the time came. “And if she does ask you to go over there instead…” she trailed off, slightly curious.



“Oh, I’ll be on my way before she hangs up the phone,” JoBeth laughed. “Dressed nice and warm, of course.”



“Good,” Tara chirped, giving her friend an approving smile.



A devilish grin spread across JoBeth’s features, incited by the delightfully naughty idea that had just popped into her head. “Besides… More clothes means I’ve got more I can take off for her…”



Tara gave JoBeth a light, joking swat and she could easily see JoBeth giving Amy quite the strip show if the right situation presented itself. “That ‘a girl, Jo,” she laughed. “That sounds like a pretty good plan to me!”



JoBeth took a deep breath, determined to make tonight work with Amy. It was now or never and she really wanted to see what chance there might be with a girl like Amy. “I just need to figure out what the heck I’m going to wear…” the ponytailed brunette mused, glancing down at the hoodie and yoga pants that she’d donned for the sake of comfort when they’d come back from lunch.



Taking a look at JoBeth and thinking about the different clothes she’d seen in her roommate’s wardrobe, Tara thought that the girl had options, depending on how much she felt like showing. “Our rooms can get pretty warm if you turn the heat up a bit…” she said, glancing over at the radiator’s controls. “I’m pretty sure you could pull off a tank top and shorts in a way that gets her thinking about you, if you want…”



Grinning widely, JoBeth’s cheeks lit up with another faint blush. When it came to Amy, she was happy to encourage that sort of thinking, particularly when it might help them address the issue that had been hanging in the air between them all week. “I don’t see why not…” JoBeth said, liking Tara’s suggestion. “It would cover up the other things I was planning on wearing long enough, anyway…”



“Oh yeah?” Tara asked, trying to hold down a laugh and admittedly a little curious about what JoBeth was referring to. “What’s that?”



Looking back at Tara innocently, JoBeth bit her lower lip a moment before answering. “Well… Let’s just say that it might involve a bit of black lace…” she said, trailing off into a shy grin.



“Nice, Jo,” the redhead chuckled, nodding her approval. “I like it.”



Falling back onto the pillows again, JoBeth couldn’t shake off the giddy sense of anticipation or her wide grin and she didn’t want to. The way that Amy made her feel, even without being there, was a kind of amazing that she never wanted to go away and she was hoping that this time, she might have found a girl worth sharing her life with.



Rising back out of her momentary reverie, JoBeth’s attention and gaze flicked back to Tara. “Hopefully she will too…” she said, sharing a quiet laugh with her friend.



“You know, you could always answer the door only wearing that…” Tara teased, causing the blush on JoBeth’s cheeks to redden. “She might not even wait to tackle you then!”



JoBeth couldn’t hold back a giggle at the suggestion. She was already feeling a little hot and bothered about being alone with Amy and the fantasies that were flashing through her mind of Amy’s reaction to such a thing were only making it worse. “Too bad I have to let her in downstairs first!” she replied, not so much against the idea of Amy seeing her in her underwear as much as she’d rather not traipse around the dorm for anyone else to see her like that. That was something she hoped she could share with Amy alone.



“That’s true…” Tara sighed, snapping her fingers in mock disappointment, causing JoBeth to give her an amused smirk. “But seriously, I don’t think she’s going to be judging your clothes either…”



With a shrug, JoBeth wasn’t about to argue the point. “You’re probably right there,” she said. “Not if she really does come all the over here to see me…” she trailed off, her shy, hopeful and somewhat excited blush returning.



“She’ll love whatever you’re wearing, Jo,” Tara said, certainty ringing in her tone. “Or whatever you’re not wearing…” she added, giving the brunette a wink.



Kicking out at Tara’s legs, JoBeth gave a plaintive scoff. “Hey now! I’m not that easy…” she proclaimed, giving her friend a small pout.



“Really?” Tara asked, still proudly wearing an impish smile. “You’re telling me you wouldn’t help her toss whatever you’re wearing straight on the floor if she asked you to?”



Crossing her arms over her chest, JoBeth looked away for a moment and tried to hide the guilty grin that had spread across her face. “Okay, fine…” she huffed, glancing back up at Tara’s triumphant smile. “But only for her! I’ve decided Amy’s got special privileges…”



Arching a curious eyebrow, it was Tara’s turn to blush a little. “Special privileges, huh?” she asked, cocking her head to the side and still smiling away. “Sounds like something Amy might be interested in hearing about later tonight…”



She wanted to believe that it was a certainty, but she hadn’t made the call yet. “If she doesn’t mind coming over,” JoBeth said, trying not to let her hopes rise too high before she found out exactly what she’d be doing later that night.



“Jo, the moment you ask, she’s going to want to come over,” Tara said, her calm tone comforting and drawing a smile out of her slightly flustered roommate. “And whatever you decide to put on for her, she’s going to think you’re the hottest thing she’s seen all week.”



Laughing quietly, JoBeth was glad to have a friend like Tara. “Thanks, Tara,” she said, giving her an appreciative smile. The girl’s support had been a godsend over the last week, helping her figure out how to navigate the particularly tricky waters of trying to ask out one of her teachers, but there was still the problem of figuring out what Amy might like best.



From the moment she’d first seen her on the first day of class, JoBeth had loved Amy’s sense of style. It always worked for her while never being too much or inappropriate for class. She never showed a ton of skin and that was one of the things she secretly hoped might change once they were alone.



The blush on her cheeks brightened at the thought of what Amy might look like in lingerie and JoBeth shifted a little on the bed, trying to shake off the newest round of tingly feelings that were washing over her. “Kind of makes me curious what she’ll wear…” she confessed, heading off the question in Tara’s features.



Tara had been wondering where Amy found some of the sweaters she’d been wearing since the weather had started to turn cool and she wouldn’t disagree that the blonde girl knew how to wear them. “She is a good dresser…” Tara nodded.



“I know, right?” JoBeth asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen her wear a pair of boots I’m not in love with…” she added, grabbing one of Tara’s spare pillows and placing it in her lap. “And those sweaters she’s been wearing this week?”



Amused by JoBeth’s sudden outburst of energy, Tara’s lips curled up into a smile. “She does wear them well…”



Clutching the pillow tightly, JoBeth rocked back against the remaining pillows and the headboard behind her. “Some of them I just want to…” she started, trailing off into a wide grin and a giggle. One common theme that had run though many of the fantasies she’d had that week had involved simply being able to cuddle in with Amy before exploring what was underneath.



The two girls shared a laugh and JoBeth knew that the naughtier thoughts that she was having about Amy were pretty apparent in her beaming grin. “Well, hopefully you’ll find out what she’s up for letting you do soon enough…” Tara said, glancing down at the cell phone next to her friend’s leg.



“Just got to call her…” JoBeth sighed, still hoping that she’d be able to sound like an intelligent college student and not like some giggling goofball with a crush.



“Yup,” Tara chirped. “And you know I’ll be right here while you call.”



“Aww, Tara…” JoBeth cooed, crawling over to Tara’s end of the bed and quickly wrapping the girl up in a hug. “Thanks.”



Tara let out a laugh, patting JoBeth’s arm as best she could. “What’s this for?” she asked once JoBeth loosened her embrace enough for her to turn and look at the smiling girl.



“For you being you,” JoBeth replied simply. Tara’s unwavering support and understanding was proof enough that the redhead was a real keeper as a friend.



A bashful look and a blush lit Tara’s features, and she looked away for the moment, filled with affection for the outgoing girl that lived in the room next door. “You’re welcome…” she said quietly, pausing for a moment to enjoy the warmth of JoBeth’s arms still draped loosely around her neck.



“And like I’d let you out of my sight for that phone call!” Tara added, her devilish smirk returning with JoBeth’s curious gaze. “If you start choking mid-call, I’ll just use my ‘JoBeth’ impression…”



“You’ll back me up, huh?” JoBeth asked through a laugh.



Tara nodded confidently, looking quite pleased with her plan. “Of course!” Tara said. “When you can’t think of something else to say, you can just give me the phone,” she continued before putting on a slightly affected voice meant to tease JoBeth. “I’ll start with ‘Hey, Amy! Can you come over to my place tonight? I really, really want to make out with you for a while, and after that we can…’”



JoBeth tried to contain her laughter, letting Tara go long enough to grab a pillow and playfully swat at the girl with it. The light hit was enough to send Tara into her own laugh that they both could share. “Okay, I think that’ll be fine, thanks,” JoBeth said, shaking her head at Tara’s decidedly simple summation of what she was really feeling.



“I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about, Jo…” Tara said after they’d both calmed back down. “You’re going to do fine!”



Relieved by Tara’s timely diffusion of her concerns about the call, JoBeth clapped her hand on her shoulder. “That makes one and a half of us thinking that then,” she said through a chuckle, not quite able to admit that she was certain yet.



“Whatever you do, I’ve got your back,” Tara replied, placing her hand on JoBeth’s. “I do want you to be happy, and I think Amy’s a great girl…”



A beaming smile overtook her, and JoBeth pulled the redhead back into another appreciative embrace. “Tara…” JoBeth purred, ruffling her friend’s hair. The once shy, quiet girl next door was an absolute sweetheart in her opinion and the best friend she could have hoped for coming to college. “You know I want you to be happy too, right?” she asked, hoping that Tara didn’t think that the sentiment was one-sided only.



“I know,” Tara said, smiling and returning the hug. She knew that JoBeth cared for her just as much as she did for her, but right now, JoBeth had a chance to find that happiness with Amy and she wasn’t about to let her miss it. “But until I find a girl of my own, you’ve got a beautiful blonde girl that likes you, missy!” she proclaimed once JoBeth released the embrace to settle back into a sitting position.



With a chuckle, JoBeth grinned widely. “I suppose that might be true…” she allowed, helping Tara to get her hair back into decent order with a quick brush of her hand.



“And you know what the best part is? You’re about to call her and ask her to come over, and I can’t wait to see where it goes!” Tara finished, feeling her own sense of excitement for the potential developments of the evening.



Sliding back to the top of the bed, JoBeth picked her phone up off the mattress from where she’d left it. “I suppose I should get on that, huh?” she said, sliding the screen up and pulling up the contacts list again. Her heart was starting to beat faster already in anticipation of talking to Amy and a few of the specific questions that she wanted to ask her about what she was doing that evening.



“No reason to wait…” Tara said, her enthusiasm encouraging the blushing brunette.



Amy’s name was at the top of her contacts list and JoBeth couldn’t help a small smile at the pleasant coincidence. “Alright,” she said, pressing the button that highlighted the blonde’s phone number and taking a deep breath. Gathering all the determination and all of her hopes for where the night might go, JoBeth looked over at Tara. “I’m going to call her,” she said, willing herself to get through the mass of nerves and worries still standing between her and one simple push of a button.



Giving her friend a reassuring nod, Tara patted JoBeth’s knee encouragingly. “You’re going to do great, Jo,” she said, hoping her confidence would help bolster JoBeth’s understandably harried resolve. She was reminded of times that she’d been in JoBeth’s position and it had been anything but easy to do something that seemed so simple.



She wanted to support JoBeth as best she could and right now, if that meant giving her a few gentle nudges in the right direction, Tara was happy to do that. She’d felt JoBeth’s heart racing though their embrace a few moments ago and she knew that they were both feeling a sense of anticipation about the call.



Her own excitement getting the better of her, Tara let out a bright, playful grin and leaned a little closer in to JoBeth. “And don’t forget to put her on speaker phone!”



JoBeth broke into a laugh that sounded a little more relieved than anything else. All of her nerves about making the phone call had sent her mind spinning, but with her one simple comment, Tara had somehow made it all fall away. “I see how it is…” she said a moment later, shaking her head at her roommate and feeling like a gigantic weight had been lifted off her shoulders.



Her lips turned down into a joking pout, Tara gave JoBeth her best attempt at a puppy-dog pout. “What?” she asked, feigning innocence. “I want to know how it goes!”



“Uh huh,” JoBeth nodded, stringing Tara along.



“Besides,” the redhead continued, dropping her pretend pout. “That way, I don’t have to make you tell me all about it later!” she said, sounding as practical as ever.



Taking a deep, ponderous breath, JoBeth nodded slowly. “That’s true…” she agreed, cracking a smile. Her friend’s unexpected bout of adorable silliness had diffused all the stress of the moment and if the call went as well as she hoped it would, JoBeth wanted to thank her for it later. She was already planning on doing so for Tara’s morale support, but there was no harm in teasing her friend a little. “I don’t see why not…”



Her beaming smile returning in full, Tara clapped her hands together once in a small celebration of her own. JoBeth was still blushing something serious, but she seemed so much more like her usual, playful and cool self than just a few minutes ago and Tara was glad to see it. She knew that Amy had to love that irresistible side of JoBeth and she wanted her friend to have the best possible chance to see what could happen with Amy, no matter what.



“Yay!” Tara exclaimed, still trying to contain her excitement while scooting a little closer to JoBeth on the bed.



“And this way, you’ll know if you need to jump in with that terrible impression of yours,” JoBeth added, still holding her thumb over the ‘send’ button and nudging Tara playfully in the side.



“Oh, would you just call her already!” Tara laughed, unable to stand the suddenly palpable anticipation one second longer.



Her finger still hovering over the button, a small, wishful smile tugged at the corners of JoBeth’s lips. Adrenalin was taking over and everything that had happened in the last week had finally led her to the point where she’d find out what was there between her and Amy.



“I just hit ‘send…’” JoBeth said, grinning at Tara. Her heart racing, she listened to the gently ringing tone. Each moment it rang spanned an eternity before there was a familiar, potentially life-changing click. Amy had answered the phone.



*End Chapter 9 - To Be Continued!*