Love Lasts

8

Carmilla looked up at the giant redhead standing in front of them, and the girl glared right back. She looked at Carmilla and Laura's intertwined fingers and scoffed, causing Carmilla to grasp Laura's hand more tightly.

"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?" Carmilla vocalized her thoughts, anxious to know what had Laura looking terrified.

"I'm Danny. One of Laura's ex girlfriends. I was just surprised to see her here. With- erm-another girl? Hollis, what the fuck? I thought you and Jeff were together? I thought that I was like, the only girl you said you wanted?"

Carmilla glanced over at Laura before glaring up at Danny, opening her mouth to tell her exactly where she could put her thoughts about Laura, when from next to her came a cough as Laura looked at her, eyes telling her not to get into this.

Then she spoke.

"Danny, no. That's not the way it was at all. Sure maybe I loved you at one point. And what we had, it was good. While it lasted. You thought that I was too dumb to know what I can and can't handle, and needs to be protected by the big strong grown ups. I liked you. I really did. But I don't need a dad, Danny. I've already got that one covered."

"So what you're saying is that she's better than me?!" Danny interjected.

"No. This was about me and you needing two different things. But the thing is, I'm over you and I'm with Carmilla now, so we're going to go home, and you can stay here and out of my life!"

She turned around and dragged Carmilla away, tears in her eyes as she stumbled across the parking lot to their car. When they were in the car, Carmilla took Laura's hand again and with her other hand she pulled Laura's chin up from where her forehead was resting on the steering wheel.

"Hey, baby, look at me. Laur, look at me."

And when Laura's gaze finally relented, Carmilla softened. She leaned in and kissed the trails running across Laura's cheeks, peppering kisses across the bridge of her nose and jaw and forehead, anywhere she could to make Laura laugh. And it worked too. But the time Carmilla was pressing kisses to Laura's eyelids, she had stopped crying and started giggling and sniffling.

Carmilla kissed her once, slowly, on the mouth before pulling back to look at her.

"Laura. You are amazing. She won't bother us again, you told her off and she'll be running with her tail between her legs for weeks. Every time she sees you, she's gonna turn and go the other way. So don't cry, cupcake, because you're beautiful and strong and, that was pretty ballsy, Hollis. I mean. That girl was 6 ft of pure muscle and leg. I was kinda scared back there, to be honest with you." She leaned over the center console again, kissing Laura gently, then deepening the kiss a bit before pulling away again.

"Now let's get us home in one piece, cupcake," she said, sliding a hand onto Laura's thigh and squeezing gently.

Laura's eyes widened, because she knew what that meant. She stepped on the accelerator and breezed through every stop sign and yellow light from the school to her house.

--- --- ---

When they got back to her house and Laura had dashed through all the rooms, making sure her dad wasn't home, she had bolted back to the front door and pushed Carmilla up against it, standing on her tiptoes slightly to give her better access to Carmilla's mouth. She kissed all along her jawline and up to her ear, nibbling the lobe quickly and giving it a tug as she worked her way back to Carmilla's lips, sucking and biting the bottom lip as Carmilla gripped her hip and slid a hand into her hair. Carmilla's hands worked down her body until they were at her sides and she squeezed them and then lifted up. Tucking her legs around Carmilla's waist, Laura let her body and head rise above Carmilla and she leaned down and forward to kiss her as Carm carried her upstairs.