Deanna awoke the next morning to find Carly still asleep. She giggled softly, realizing that the smaller girl had snaked her arms up the sleeves of Deanna's hoodie to keep her hands warm. The events of the night before played in her head like a movie scene and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.
"Carly," she whispered, nudging the smaller girl softly. "Carly, I have to get up," she giggled, looking over at the clock and remembering she had class that morning.
"Hmmm," the smaller girl hummed, fluttering her eyes open and smiling widely the moment she saw Deanna next to her. "Hi," she beamed.
"Morning," Deanna laughed, sliding out from underneath of the girl and sitting up.
"I have class today," Deanna said, walking over to her closet and digging through her clothes. "Which means you get to stay home with Riri until I'm back, okay?"
Carly nodded softly. She'd been getting better at realizing that Deanna does, in fact, come back home when she leaves in the mornings. That didn't mean she liked it, though.
Deanna slipped into the bathroom and changed into a comfortable outfit for class, wearing an old t-shirt because she knew they'd be painting that day. Carly waited patiently outside the door and smiled like an idiot when Deanna re-emerged.
"Someone's in a good mood," Deanna giggled. Carly just nodded.
"Yes, I kissed you," she chimed, reminding Deanna of the night before.
Deanna's cheeks grew red. "That you did," she laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "You can always do it again, y'know," she raised an eyebrow. Carly's face lit up, as if she hadn't even considered the idea.
"Okay," she nodded once. Without another word, Carly grabbed Deanna's face gently and planted kisses all over her face, finally pecking her lips once before taking a step back and smiling widely. Deanna's face was blood red by the time she was done. "Your turn," Carly smiled.
"My turn?" Deanna smirked. Carly just nodded, and Deanna pulled Carly closer to her. The smaller girl giggled excitedly, which made Deanna's stomach flutter. She placed one hand on the back of Carly's neck and closed the gap between them, slowly bringing their lips together.
This kiss lasted longer than their ones they'd shared before, if only by a few seconds. Kissing Carly was different than anyone else Deanna had ever kissed. The smaller girl was soft and gentle, and it made Deanna's heart skip a beat. They pulled apart and minutes later were interrupted by the flash of a camera.
"What the...?" Deanna whipped her head around, spotting Riri peering out of her doorway. "Oh my god," Deanna's cheeks grew red and she covered her face. Carly giggled.
"Ivy and Eya are never going to believe this," Riri smirked, walking over to them and tucking her phone into her pocket.
"RIRI! DELETE THAT!!"
Carly clapped her hands excitedly. "C'mon Deans, it's cute," Riri laughed and nudged her roommate. Deanna took her hands away from her face and scowled at the older girl, but couldn't hold back her smile.
"I hate to interfere, but you're gonna be late for class if you don't hurry your ass up," Riri pointed to the clock and Deanna cursed under her breath. All three girls ended up downstairs, and Carly wandered into the kitchen.
"So you two..." Riri smirked once she and Deanna were alone. "How'd that come about?"
Deanna shrugged, grabbing her bag from the couch. "She kissed me and it just sorta happened," she bit her lip to hide her smile when Riri clapped her hands happily. Just then, Carly padded back into the room and handed Deanna a banana.
"Breakfast," she smiled softly. Deanna giggled, finding the small gesture extremely adorable.
"Thank you," Deanna tossed her backpack over her shoulder. "I'll be back after lunchtime, okay?" Carly nodded softly. Deanna bent down and placed a kiss on the younger girl's cheek. "See you soon," she smiled softly, waving as she slipped out the door. Once she was gone, Carly sighed and sat down on the couch.
"You like her a lot, huh?" Riri giggled. Carly looked up and nodded happily. "I'm glad," the older girl added, walking into the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"
The pair made breakfast together and Carly was about to wander back upstairs when she noticed something out of place in the living room, she quickly found Riri in the kitchen and tugged on her sleeve.
"Didi's painting," Carly pointed in the living room. Riri tilted her head in thought for a moment before realizing what Carly meant.
"She needs that for her class, doesn't she?"
Carly nodded. Riri grabbed her keys from the counter and motioned for Carly to go grab her painting. "Let's go pay her a visit, then," she smiled. Carly's face lit up and she eagerly followed Riri out of the apartment, painting in hand.
*******
Meanwhile, Deanna sat in class, cursing herself for forgetting her required project for the second time in two weeks. She knew she wouldn't hear the end of this. She laid her head down on her desk as her professor droned on and on about the difference between oil and acrylic paints. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard the class fall silent. Lifting her head, she looked around to see what had caused her teacher to stop speaking.
"Uh, hi, I just needed to drop this off for Deanna."
Deanna looked over at the door when she heard Riri's voice. She sighed in relief when she saw the smaller girl holding her painting, silently thanking her.
"You can set it in the back of the classroom over there," her professor pointed behind him. Riri nodded and hurried over to place the painting in the back of the classroom. Deanna met her eyes and mouthed 'thank you,' Riri smiled and gave her a thumbs up.
"Didi?"
Everyone's heads turned back to the door, including Deanna. Carly recognized her and waved violently. The small girl glanced at Riri before slipping inside the classroom and running over to Deanna. The older girl's heart sped up and she felt everyone's eyes on her.
"Hi," Carly beamed, running over to the table where Deanna sat and smiling widely. Deanna bit her lip to hide her smile at how enthusiastic Carly appeared.
"Hey," Deanna said softly. Riri turned around and saw Carly, cursing herself for not making the girl wait in the car.
"Carly, c'mon," Riri hissed, motioning quickly for Carly to stop disrupting the class.
"Go," Deanna giggled and nodded towards Riri. Carly pouted but nodded slowly.
"Bye Didi," she mumbled, turning to leave but pausing for a moment. Carly turned back around, cupped Deanna's cheeks, and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
CARLY KISS HER IN FRONT OF HER ENTIRE CLASS!!!
Deanna's face grew bright red and she heard Carly giggling as she ran back over to Riri, who had just apologized to the teacher. Both girls were soon out of their sight and Deanna heard the whispers of her classmates.
Deanna bit the inside of her cheek in an attempt to hide a smile on her face. She looked down at her sketchbook as her teacher started his lecture once more, but the only thing she could focus on was the taste of Carly on her lips.
Eventually, after what felt like forever, the class was dismissed. Deanna tried to escape out of the door first, but her teacher motioned for her to come over to his desk. Biting her lip, Deanna prepared herself for the worst. Eventually, all of her other classmates filed out of the room and she was the only one left.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you Deanna?" her teacher chuckled and placed her painting on the desk in front of him, studying it closely. "You've gone with a different medium for the first time, and I have to say, I'm impressed."
"Wow... I, uh, thank you," Deanna laughed softly to herself, flattered by his compliment.
"I can't say I'm surprised anymore, though," Mr. Robertson pulled her sketches out from last week and laid them next to her painting. "After seeing your interaction with your visitor today, that is."
Deanna bit her lip, wondering if she was in trouble.
"Looks like you've found yourself a muse, Miss Wong," he chuckled and nodded to the artwork on the table.
"A what?" Deanna asked, tilting her head to the side.
"A muse," he pointed to the silhouette of the girl in the painting. "Someone who you use as inspiration for your art. She looks familiar, does she not?" he asked, nodding for Deanna to look at where he was pointing. Deanna's cheeks grew red.It was Carlyle image.
"I... I-I..."
"Pablo Picasso had many muses, out of his many romantic interests," he continued, ignoring how flustered his student had grown. "Manet found his muse in a stranger on the street, and has over eight paintings of her."
"I didn't mean for her to interrupt y—,"
"Does she make you happy?"
Deanna swallowed hard. "Yeah," she said softly.
"Then all is forgiven," her teacher smiled and stacked her sketches back into her folder. "I don't say this often Deanna, but you have potential. You just needed someone to bring it out of you, just like that Girl earlier, I can see that she really makes you happy."
Deanna looked down to the ground to try and hide her smile. Carly seemed to be helping her in every aspect of life. "Thank you," she said softly, looking back up and running a hand through her hair.
"You're dismissed," he nodded towards the door. "Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, again, thank you," Deanna adjusted her bag on her shoulder and glanced at the clock, realizing she had to be at her next class soon. She exited the classroom without another word and quickly hurried to her Art History class.
Time dragged on and eventually Deanna found herself tossing her bag into the backseat of her car and heading back to the apartment. When she was about halfway there, she made a rush decision and quickly pulled off onto a different road. Ten minutes later, she ended up at the shopping mall and made it inside just as it started to rain.
About twenty minutes later, she sprinted back to her car with a few shopping bags in her hands. It was pouring down rain, and as she pulled out of the parking lot, a loud clap of thunder startled her. Seconds later, lightning flashed across the sky.
It took Deanna a bit longer to get home than usual because of the storm. Eventually, she made it back to the apartment parking lot and pulled her hood over her head to try and protect her from the rain. It didn't help much, though, because it was pouring down so hard that she was soaking wet by the time she made it inside the elevator.
She heard thunder rumbling in the distance as she was walking down the hallway to her apartment. Immediately afterwards, she heard someone cry out, someone who sounded exactly like Carly. She quickly ran to their door and fumbled with her keys. When she finally got the door unlocked, she burst inside and scanned the apartment.
"Deanna, thank god," Riri sighed in relief. Deanna turned to look in the corner of the apartment, feeling her heart drop when she saw Carly curled up in the corner with her head in her knees. "She started freaking out when the storm started," Riri explained, standing up from where she'd been sitting next to Carly.
Deanna nodded, dropping her bag on the floor and jogging over to Carly.
"Car, Car it's me," she said softly as she knelt down next to the shaking girl. Carly lifted her head slowly.
"Didi?" she murmured, reaching up and placing a hand on the girl's cheek, as if she was making sure she was real. Deanna could tell how scared the smaller girl was by the way she was shaking, and it broke her heart.
"Yeah, I'm here," Deanna whispered, scooting next to Carly and pulling her into her arms. "You don't like storms?" she asked carefully, biting her lip. Carly nodded slowly and didn't hesitate to bury her head in Deanna's neck.
"Neither do I, but I've got you, we're safe here, okay?" Deanna rubbed small circles in Carly's back, trying to soothe her. "I promise, nothing's gonna hurt you," she whispered, resting her chin on the smaller girl's head and watching the rain pour down outside.
Another clap of thunder sent Carly's hands scrambling to ball themselves in Deanna's shirt, clinging onto her for dear life. Riri sent Deanna a sympathetic look, which Deanna returned. She sighed and continued to run circles in Carly's back.
"Do you want me to sing?" Deanna asked, biting her lip and looking down at Carly. The small girl didn't look at her, but she nodded with her head tucked in Deanna's shoulder. "Only for you," Deanna sighed.
🎶If you'll be my star
I'll be your sky
You can hide underneath me and come out at night
When I turn jet black
And you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine
But you can skyrocket away from me
And never come back if you find another galaxy
Far from here with more room to fly
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by
If you'll be my boat
I'll be your sea
A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity
Ebbing and flowing
And pushed by a breeze
I live to make you free
I live to make you free
But you can set sail to the west if you want to
And pass the horizon, 'til I can't even see you
Far from here
Where the beaches are wide
Just leave me your wake to remember you by
If you'll be my star
I'll be your sky
You can hide underneath me and come out at night
When I turn jet black
And you show off your light
I live to let you shine
I live to let you shine
But you can skyrocket away from me
And never come back if you find another galaxy
Far from here with more room to fly
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by. 🎶🎶
Deanna finished singing and took a deep breath. Riri had slipped away upstairs to give the girls some privacy. Carly looked up at her slowly just as another clap of thunder startled both of the girls. The smaller girl immediately hid her face once more.
"More," Carly mumbled into Deanna's hoodie. The older girl sighed softly and began to sing again.
An hour, and a lot of songs later, Carly fell asleep in Deanna's arms just as the thunderstorm was dying down. Riri came downstairs a few minutes later and giggled excitedly at the sight of the two girls.
Deanna glared at her playfully before slowly rising to her feet, keeping Carly in her arms and walking over to the couch. Riri turned on an episode of Friends, which all the roommates had now become addicted to thanks to Carly. Halfway through their second episode, the door swung open to reveal Eya and Ivy.
"How are my little lovebirds?" Eya cooed, walking over to Deanna with a wide grin on her face. Deanna rolled her eyes and nodded to the sleeping girl in her lap, glaring at Eya to signify not to wake her.
"She was scared of the storm and Deanna sang to her the entire time until she fell asleep," Riri swooned from her spot on the couch, causing Ivy and Eya to both clap their hands happily. Deanna felt her cheeks turn red and she quickly looked down.
"Y'all are adorable," Riri laughed. The other two roommates nodded in agreement.
"We bought stuff for dinner," Ivy added, holding up a shopping bag. "We've gotta shower cause' we just kicked ass in hip hop class, but then we can eat and watch a movie or something to kick off the weekend." Eya fist bumped the other girl in agreement.
"Well then hurry up because you know when Carly wakes up she's gonna be starving," Riri motioned towards Deanna, who nodded in agreement. They all had quickly grown aware of Carly's never ending appetite.
Ivy and Eya disappeared upstairs, and another episode of Friends later, all five roommates headed into the kitchen where Eya had spread out all of the ingredients she'd bought to make sandwiches.
"Didi, look!" Carly beamed, holding up her sandwich. Deanna narrowed her eyes and burst into laughter.
"Carly, you only put bananas in there," Eya laughed from across the counter. Carly tilted her head to the side in question, unsure what the problem was. Deanna laughed, turning around and grabbing a jar of peanut butter from the panty and unscrewing the lid.
"Let's at least add something besides bananas," Deanna took the top slice of bread from Carly's sandwich and spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the underside before placing it back on her sandwich. "There, try it, you'll like it," she giggled.
Carly looked at the sandwich in her hands for a few moments, studying it before taking a bite. She immediately smiled widely and shot her fist out in Deanna's direction. The older girl laughed and bumped her fist, which made Carly giggle happily with a mouthful of food.
***TO BE CONTINUED****