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It was a Friday night and the dorm was just about empty, excluding Bela who had opted to stay in, feeling it was the right thing to do after the day she had had. She broke up with her boyfriend, Arvind, earlier that day and for what might’ve been the first time ever, she decided to stay in instead of going out to a party with her roommates. She wasn’t necessarily sad about the breakup, it was a long time coming, but still wasn’t really in the mood to party.
She was watching a movie alone in the common room of her suite and found a container of cookie dough in the fridge while looking for snacks and figured that now, since the dorm was practically empty, it would be the perfect time to make some cookies. It was around 10pm as she walked down the hallway to the community kitchen. Just as she took the lid off the cookie dough container, she heard the unmistakable British accent of her favorite freshman. “Oh, this is just sad, Bela.” Taylor said, leaning against the doorframe. “Making cookies alone on a Friday night?”
Taylor’s teasing tone made Bela pause, the lid to the cookie dough container still in her hand. She turned awkwardly to Taylor with a raised eyebrow, her expression halfway between amusement and mild annoyance.
“Well, someone has to carry the sad, lonely energy in this dorm,” Bela shot back. “Besides, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out on some kind of hot, gay sexcapade by now?”
Taylor smirked and stepped fully into the kitchen, crossing her arms. “Maybe I already did that and decided to come back and have an early night. Didn’t expect to find you here, though, in this sad lonely baking moment.”
Bela rolled her eyes dramatically. “It’s called self-care, Taylor. Cookies are therapeutic. And for the record, I was totally planning on sharing these…eventually.”
“Uh-huh,” Taylor said, grabbing a spoon from the counter and digging it into the raw cookie dough without waiting for permission. “Sharing, huh? Because this is definitely how people share.”
“Hey!” Bela protested, trying to grab the spoon back. “At least pretend to have some manners.”
Taylor grinned, easily dodging Bela’s attempt to grab back the spoon. “Manners are overrated. But, since I’m already here… I’ll keep you company so this doesn’t look as sad as it actually is.” Taylor gave the excuse but she couldn’t deny that might’ve just wanted to spend some time with the girl.
Bela feigned offense. “Oh, thank you, Saint Taylor, for saving me from my pathetic life. Truly, I’m blessed.”
Taylor just laughed and pulled up a chair. “You’re welcome. But, what’s the real reason you’re in here alone on a Friday night?” She pushed.
“I broke up with Arvind today.” Bela admitted hesitantly.
Taylor’s teasing grin faltered, her expression softening as she leaned forward on the counter where she had sat. “Oh,” she said gently, setting down the spoon she’d been using to scoop cookie dough. “Are you okay?”
Bela shrugged, her tone light but her eyes betraying her feelings. “Yeah, I mean…it’s not a big deal. It wasn’t going anywhere anyway, right? Just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Taylor studied her for a moment, letting the silence hang in the air. “Sure,” she said, her voice calm and steady, “but just because it was the right thing doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck.”
Bela busied herself with arranging the cookie dough on the baking sheet, avoiding Taylor’s gaze. “It’s fine,” she said, a little too quickly. “He’s fine, I’m fine, everything’s fine. Plus, now I have way more time to focus on…you know, my comedy empire or whatever.” Bela shook her head with a small smile brushing off the topic of her and Arvind. Any more of this and she would have to admit that the actual reason she broke up with the guy was because she all too often found herself wishing she was with the blonde in front of her instead of him. “Fine, you can stay, but you’re on cookie duty. And if you burn them, I’m not above holding a grudge.” She teased.
“Deal,” Taylor said, letting Bela change the subject, already rolling dough into uneven balls. Arvind was the last thing she wanted to talk about anyway. “But just so you know, I expect at least one Instagram-worthy photo of this bonding moment.”
Bela groaned. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet, you love me,” Taylor quipped, with a wink.
Bela rolled her eyes again but didn’t disagree.
They kept the silence as Taylor rolled the cookie dough balls and put them into the oven, setting a timer on her phone for the time that she read off of the plastic container. “How about a movie night?” The blonde suggested.
“You, Taylor, want to watch a bunch of dumb rom-coms with me?” Bela asked with amusement and a soft smirk.
“Don’t take anything I say to heart. I’m tired so I’m like a whole different person right now.” Taylor explained with a smile, refusing to admit that maybe she didn’t hate the idea of sitting on a couch with Bela for the night. Even if it included store bought cookie dough and a dumb movie.
“Hey don’t take it back,” Bela smiled. “You want to spend time with me,” she teased.
“Whatever,” Taylor brushed off with a laugh and an undeniable light pink tint on her cheeks. “Do you want to or not?”
“That sounds great.” Bela answered softly and they made their way back to Bela’s room where there was already a movie paused on the tv and various blankets strewn across the couch.
“Seems like you started without me.” Taylor joked.
“Yeah, you may be a few movies behind,” Bela smiled. Before plopping herself down on the couch. Taylor followed in suit, sitting a lot closer to Bela than expected. Not that Bela minded in the slightest. “Any suggestions?” Bela asked.
“I like American movies.” Taylor admitted. “I watched quite a few before coming to the States.”
Bela hummed quietly and scrolled through Netflix before coming across Legally Blonde. “Oh this one is perfect!” She smiled, getting a similar one back from Taylor. You’re gonna love this.”
“It looks very… pink,” Taylor noted.
“It’s good, I promise.” Bela reassured before pressing play.
They watched the movie quietly except for a few of Taylor’s comments trying to guess the plot and getting a “Just watch it!” From Bela in return.
Bela might’ve been imagining it, but she could’ve sworn that Taylor kept inching closer to her. Her suspicions were confirmed when she realized that the British girl’s body was pressed against her own. It was cute. Taylor would never admit it but she was a physical touch person above anything else. She wasn’t good at voicing her feelings so she resorted to using her body language.
With a random surge of bravery Bela spoke up, “Are you like… cuddling with me right now?” Bela gave Taylor a smirk and Taylor immediately tried to move away with wide eyes. She didn’t appreciate getting called out. “No, stay.” Bela reassured with a hand on Taylor’s thigh over their shared blanket.
Taylor froze, her eyes darting to Bela’s hand resting lightly on her thigh. Her usual quick-wittedness seemed to abandon her, leaving her momentarily speechless. “I—I wasn’t cuddling,” she stammered, though her voice lacked its usual confidence. “I was just cold.”
Bela raised an eyebrow, her smirk and confidence growing at Taylor’s nervousness. “Oh, right. Cold. That explains why you’ve been practically glued to me for the past ten minutes.”
Taylor groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. “Okay, fine! Maybe I’m a little touchy. Happy now?”
“Very,” Bela said, her tone playful but her gaze soft. “It’s kind of adorable, actually. Who knew the queen of mean had a secret soft side?”
Taylor huffed, crossing her arms defensively but staying put under the blanket. “If you tell anyone, I will deny it with my last breath.”
Bela laughed, her hand still resting on Taylor’s thigh. “Your secret’s safe with me. But seriously, you can stay. I don’t mind. I actually kind of like it.” She admitted.
Taylor rolled her eyes but let herself relax against Bela’s side, her head resting lightly on Bela’s shoulder. “This doesn’t mean I like you or anything,” she muttered, trying to sound casual.
“Hey, I never said anything about you liking me.” Bela smiled. Maybe she didn’t break up with Arvind for nothing.
Taylor’s smile softened as her eyes lingered on Bela’s face and felt her cheeks heat up, her typical teasing attitude fading into something quieter and more vulnerable. “You’re so full of yourself,” she murmured, though the words lacked their usual bite.
Bela raised an eyebrow, her lips quirking into a playful grin. “And yet, you keep coming back for more. Interesting.”
Taylor huffed with feigned annoyance while rolling her eyes. “You’re impossible.”
“Impossible, but irresistible,” Bela quipped, leaning just slightly closer, testing the waters.
Taylor’s breath hitched with nerves she would never admit to having. She wasn’t normally the nervous type but Bela had some kind of weird hold over her and it was intoxicating. Taylor’s gaze flickered to Bela’s lips before snapping back to her eyes. She hesitated, “You really don’t know when to quit, do you?”
Bela’s voice softened, her tone carrying a rare note of sincerity. “Do you really want me too?”
The words hung in the air as Taylor shook her head softly. The weight of them pulling Taylor closer without either of them realizing it. Their faces were only a few inches apart now and the warmth of Taylor’s breath brushed against Bela’s skin.
Taylor’s hand shifted under the blanket, her fingers brushing lightly against Bela’s. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “If I kiss you, will you stop talking?”
Bela smirked, her heart racing. She faked confidence on the outside despite her internal panic at Taylor’s question. “Only one way to find out.”
That was all the encouragement Taylor needed. She closed the gap between them, her lips pressing against Bela’s in a kiss that was soft at first, tentative, but quickly deepened as Bela leaned into it, her hand instinctively moving to Taylor’s thigh.
When they finally pulled away, Taylor’s cheeks were flushed, and she avoided Bela’s gaze, a sheepish smile playing on her lips. “Okay,” she said quietly, trying to sound casual, “maybe you’re a little more irresistible than I’d like to admit.”
Bela grinned, her confidence glowing. “Told you so.”
Bela pulled Taylor into another kiss, pulling the blonde onto her lap and her hands instinctively moving down to her ass. Taylor’s hands softly moved to the side of Bela’s face, attempting to pull her impossibly closer and deepening the kiss while letting Bela remain in control. She had to admit it was nice having someone else take the lead for once and Bela’s confidence was magnetic.
Their kisses grew hungrier, the initial hesitancy melting away as Bela's confidence took over. She shifted slightly to balance Taylor on her lap, her hands roaming from Taylor's waist to the curve of her hips, pulling her even closer.
Taylor responded eagerly, tilting her head to deepen the kiss as her fingers tangled in Bela's hair. The tension between them was electric, with each kiss being more urgent than the last. Taylor let out a soft, involuntary noise against Bela's lips, which only seemed to encourage Bela further. She trailed kisses down Taylor's jawline and toward her neck where she intentionally sucked to leaving a deep red mark, her lips brushing just below Taylor's ear, drawing a shiver from the blonde.
"You're good at this for a straight girl," Taylor murmured, her voice was breathless and slightly teasing, though it was clear she was already losing herself in the moment.
Bela smirked against her skin, her lips hovering near Taylor's ear. "You think this is good? I'm just getting started. And I figured this would be enough to let you know I’m not fully straight."
Taylor laughed softly, the sound quickly swallowed by another heated kiss as Bela's hands gripped her hips firmly, keeping her grounded. Taylor's own hands moved from Bela's face to her shoulders, clutching the fabric of her shirt as if she was afraid to let go.
Just as the intensity threatened to tip into something even more reckless, the sound of a door swinging open broke the moment.
“What the fuck?” Whitney yelled as her, Kimberly, and Kacey drunkenly stumbled into the room.
Both girls froze, their heads snapping toward the door to see the three girls, jaws dropped and eyes wide.
"We-uh-didn't mean to interrupt," Kimberly stammered, as the girls quickly retreated to their rooms stifling laughs.
"Carry on, girls!" Kacey called out before closing the door to her and Bela’s bedroom.
Taylor groaned, burying her face in Bela's shoulder as her cheeks burned. "Of course," she muttered. "This would happen."
Bela, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh, her newfound confidence unfazed. "Well," she said, her voice still breathy, "at least now we don’t have to awkwardly tell everyone later?" Bela tried.
Taylor glared at her and rolled her eyes before dropping the act and biting her lip through a smile. “You’re so…”
“Hot? Sexy?” Bela suggested with a smirk.
“Impossible.” Taylor finished with an embarrassingly huge smile plastered on her face.
“And you love it.” Bela shot back as she leaned in for another kiss, this time slower and more tender, silently daring the universe to send them any more interruptions. But, just as fate would have it, less than a minute later, Taylor’s phone went off with the cookie timer.
Bela tried to ignore it, not pulling away from the kiss. “I think—“ Taylor said in between kisses before being pulled back into another one. “That’s the cookies.” She said, pushing back on Bela’s shoulders to break the kiss, earning a look of disapproval from Bela. “I wouldn’t mind this happening again and you’re the one who said you would ‘hold a grudge’ if the cookies burned.” Taylor said with a smirk, adding in air quotes when mentioning Bela’s threat from earlier in the night.
“Whatever.” Bela groaned, placing one last quick kiss on Taylor’s lips and letting out a sigh as Taylor stood up and began walking out the door.
“You’re not going to make me go alone, are you?” Taylor joked as she opened the door, turning back to look at the other girl.
Bela let out a sigh and stood up. “No.” She said, “But this isn’t over,” she joked, giving Taylor a smirk before happily following her to the kitchen.
This was a good thing they had started and exactly what she wanted. She was sure of it. Maybe she would have to stay in on Friday nights more often.