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"How many days do we have left in this semester?"
"Forty-six, including weekends," Lydia answers after looking at the calendar hanging above her desk. When she glances back over her shoulder, she's met with the same sight that has greeted her for the entire afternoon. Allison is lying on her narrow bed, feet nearly hanging off the mattress, laptop sitting in front of her. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun and aside from cherry lip balm that Lydia can smell from across the small room, she isn't wearing a stitch of makeup. Her lips are curved into a slight frown and she's tapping her fingers against her computer, like she's waiting for something.
"Another problem with that group project?" Lydia guesses, spinning around in her chair. Allison nods and sighs. Lydia hasn't seen her like this very often in the months that have passed since they moved into their shared dorm room. Usually Allison oozes confidence and determination, fearlessly stares down tasks, all with a giant smile on her face. But now, she just looks tired and frustrated, and Lydia kind of wants to pull her into a tight hug (or maybe hunt down the other members of Allison's group and tell them to pull their own weight).
"It's due in two days and Donovan still hasn't sent me his part," she says. "And he's not answering any of our texts."
"Have you tried threatening him?" Allison smiles and even though it's small, it seems to light up her entire face.
"Not yet. I was deciding between that and blackmail, actually."
"Both good choices. I'm sure Stiles and Danny could dig up something to use against him," Lydia says, turning back around just long enough to put her laptop to sleep. It takes her four steps to cross the room and sit down beside Allison, boosting herself up onto the raised bed.
"I have an idea," she says. "Something to help you relax for a few minutes."
"Is it what I think it is?" Allison asks, glancing back over her shoulder with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Maybe," Lydia says, unable to stop herself from smiling. Allison mirrors her expression as she flips the lid of her laptop down and leans over to place it on the floor. Once she sits back up, she releases her hair from her bun, letting it cascade down to her shoulders in slightly tangled waves. Once she's shaken it out a little, she lies down with her head squarely in Lydia's lap, legs curled towards her chest so that her ankles aren't hanging over the edge.
"Comfy?" Lydia asks once Allison has gone still.
"Definitely," Allison says, turning her head and kissing Lydia's thigh, underneath where the hem of her dress sits. Lydia leans down to kiss Allison's cheek before she drops her fingers to Allison's mussed-up hair. She lets her hands twist through it at random, sometimes working through a knot, sometimes gently letting the strands slip between her fingers. She's thankful that she's managed to mostly avoid group projects this semester, but she's still been working on reports and essays for most of the last week, with no end in sight. Being able to take a moment to just ground herself with Allison makes the stress simply roll off her shoulders. Allison sighs contently and rests her hand on Lydia's knee.
"You're the best roommate ever," she says, closing her eyes and sinking further into Lydia's lap, the absolute picture of relaxation.
"I like to think I'm a little more than your roommate," Lydia teases.
"Maybe a little more," Allison replies, leaning back into Lydia's fingers. "Whatever you are, you're the best."
"You aren't so bad yourself," Lydia murmurs in response, gently scratching her nails against the nape of Allison's neck before going back to twisting her hair together into a loose braid.