Popcorn Love

by KL Hughes

  Of course. Elena grinned unconsciously yet again. It would be no problem.

  Ten minutes later, Elena and Vivian were walking out of Elena’s front door and toward their respective vehicles. Elena carried Allison’s heavy backpack in one hand and her clutch and keys in the other. They stopped in the middle and hugged one another, planting a kiss on each other’s cheeks.

  “Have fun with the college girls,” Vivian teased as she poked Elena’s ribs. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  “So, basically everything is fair game?”

  “Exactly.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Vivian grinned all the way to her car. She had a feeling they were on the brink of a breakthrough.

  * * *

  As she walked up to the large building that was Allison’s dormitory hall, Elena texted to let her know she had arrived, because each building required key-card entry. She was thankful that it was spring, so it was a fairly warm night. She would not want to have to wait in the cold for Allison to come collect her, not to mention the fact that it had taken her some time to find parking and it hadn’t been terribly close. A freezing walk back to her car would not have been fun.

  It was only about three minutes before Allison came bolting out the front door of the building with a lopsided smile on her face. Elena’s eyes traced down Allison’s body—her messy ponytail, baggy gray V-neck, and her black leggings, which perfectly accented her toned thighs and calves. Laughter bloomed in her chest as she realized that Allison’s feet were protected by only bright orange fuzzy socks and slip-on house shoes.

  Allison whistled as she reached Elena, checking out the woman’s black dress and red pumps. “You know, it’s just a dorm,” she teased, reaching out to take her backpack. “You didn’t have to get all dressed up.”

  Elena looked down at herself, blushing slightly. “Oh, right. I went to see a show earlier with Vivian and my mother.”

  “Ah, makes sense then.” Scratching at the back of her neck, Allison glanced toward the ground. “You look really nice.”

  “Thank you, dear. You look quite comfy.”

  Allison followed Elena’s gaze down to her feet and laughed as she wriggled her toes around inside her socks. “Oh yeah, they’re my faves. My feet get really cold.”

  “Mine too.”

  “Well, you need some fuzzy socks then.”

  Elena smiled. “Perhaps I do.”

  “So, uh, thanks a lot for doing this,” Allison said as she held up her backpack. “I really appreciate you driving all the way over here to bring me this; that was really nice of you.”

  Elena just nodded, smile still firmly in place, as she tucked her clutch under arm and tangled her fingers together in front of her, resting her hands against her abdomen. “It was no trouble at all.”

  “Cool.” A long silence fell between them as they stood together in the warm night air, nothing but the sounds of traffic echoing around them. The moment dragged until it was almost awkward, both of them just shuffling in place, until Allison looked up at the exact same time that Elena did, and their eyes locked together. Stomach flipping, she quickly cleared her throat.

  “Um, well, do you wanna come up?”

  Elena’s eyes widened slightly. “Up to your dorm room?”

  “Yeah. I mean, we could just hang or whatever for a while if you want. The roomie and I have a lot of movies. Unless you have other plans. That’s cool, too. It’s no bi—”

  “No, no. I have no plans. I…all right, yes, I suppose it would be nice to have a companion for the evening.”

  Allison laughed. “All right then, companion.”

  When Elena only rolled her eyes, Allison slung her backpack over her shoulder and began walking backwards toward the front door of the building. “Come on,” she said, motioning for Elena to follow her.

  Elena didn’t hesitate, her heels clicking against the concrete as she hurried to catch up.

  Chapter Nine

  “So, this is it,” Allison said as she opened the door to her dorm and waited for Elena to pass. “Sorry about the year-long wait to check you in downstairs. They’re really strict about that here.”

  Elena waved a dismissive hand and took slow steps into the dorm, as if she wasn’t quite sure what she was doing there to begin with. Three feet into the room, she stopped to stare at everything. She wasn’t positive, but she felt fairly safe in assuming that the left side of the small room was Allison’s.

  Stacks of books lined a small shelf beside the left twin-sized bed and also at the end of it. The walls were bare but for a small dream catcher that hung just over the pillow. The blankets on the bed were all green, including the sheets and pillowcase, and Elena could see what looked like the end of a guitar case poking out from under the bed.

  The other side of the room was much darker—lots of crimson and black. Music and movie posters and magazine cut-outs covered the walls surrounding that twin-sized bed. The blankets were red and black as well, and there were various stacks of CDs, DVDs, and a few books sitting about.

  A large dry-erase board was pinned to the wall between the two beds, hanging just above a small flat-screen television propped up on a short and rickety-looking old wooden dresser. Elena chuckled as she read the message scribbled across the dry-erase board.

  “Hey,” Allison said, “I know the room’s small, but you don’t have to laugh at it.”

  “No, I was laughing at the message,” she said, a little concerned that Allison had actually misinterpreted her laughter and taken offense, despite the smile firmly planted on Allison’s face. She pointed at the dry-erase board, and Allison glanced over at it.

  “Oh, right.” She laughed. “Yup, that’s my roommate.”

  Smirking, Elena read the girl’s name on the message. “Well, Macy seems to believe that there is a high probability of you committing inappropriate acts in her bed. Had this problem before, have you?”

  Allison’s cheeks flushed pink as she cleared her throat and stammered a little. “No, no, of course not. No, she’s just kidding. I don’t really…I mean, it’s not something that I—”

  “Allison. Relax. I was only teasing.”

  A slightly choked laugh left her lips as she scratched at the back of her neck again. “Right, I mean, duh. Of course you were.”

  Another awkward silence ensued. Allison smacked and popped her lips, while Elena continued to observe her surroundings. “So,” Allison said. “It’s probably safe to move more than three feet from the door.”

  Elena stood stiffly as she looked at Allison, unsure of what exactly she was expecting of her. There was obviously nowhere to sit except the bed, and Elena didn’t want to assume that she was welcome to do so. She was entirely in Allison’s element now, and it made her feel like someone had come along, peeled off her skin, and applied one that simply didn’t fit; at least, not yet.

  “Where would you like me to go?”

  “Oh, right.” Allison laughed. “I guess there’s nowhere else to go, huh? I just meant that you could sit down if you want. Make yourself comfortable.”

  “On your bed?” Elena asked, just to be sure.

  Allison felt a strange tickle in her stomach. She nodded. “Yeah.”

  It only took five steps to cross the room, and Elena sat gingerly on the very edge of Allison’s bed, her posture rigid. She rested her clutch on her lap with her hands atop it. When she looked back over to Allison, the blonde was grinning at her.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just, how did you know which bed was mine?”

  “The day we met, you told me that you loved books.” The various teetering stacks of books surrounding Allison’s bed drew her gaze.

  “Oh yeah, I did.” Allison walked over to a small black mini fridge at the foot of her roommate’s bed. She extracted a silver can and held it up. “You want a beer?”

  Before Elena could respond, Allison scoffed at her own words. “What am I even talking about? You are so not the type of woman who drink
s beer. There’s some soda in here too, and I think that we’ve got some juice and some water in the common fridge out in the suite kitchen.”

  “What will you be having?”

  “I’m gonna drink this beer. There’s like two six-packs in here, so I might as well.”

  “Very well then. I will have the same.”

  She was determined to try to fit into these particular surroundings. At the moment, she felt rather uncomfortable, but hoped that would pass if she made an effort to be more at ease, be more like the woman that actually lived here. She could be more than a privileged rich girl.

  Allison’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? You like beer?”

  “Not at all.” They both laughed. “However, I will make an exception.”

  Another can of beer was opened and passed her way, and Elena sipped delicately at it Her lips pinched tightly together at the first few sips, but she grew accustomed to the taste. Allison smiled the entire time she watched her. “You’re just full of surprises,” she said.

  “So, where’s Lucas? Is he having some sweet Saturday night toddler rave at your house right now? Anyone not in pull-ups gets kicked out of the party, and that’s how you ended up here, right?”

  “How ever did you guess?” Elena asked with mirth in her eyes. “He is spending the night with my parents.”

  “Ah, cool.” Allison stepped around Elena’s knees and dropped down onto the mattress beside her. House shoes dropping to the floor with two soft thuds, she pulled one socked foot up under her as she sipped at her beer. “You pretty close with your parents?”

  “I am, yes.”

  “That’s cool.” Allison’s gaze traveled down the exposed flesh of Elena’s legs, down to her feet, still arched inside the bright red pumps. Bottom lip tucked between her teeth, she leaned over to put her beer on her bedside table before hopping off the mattress and dropping to her knees in front of her guest.

  “I always wondered what that would be like,” she murmured as she avoided Elena’s eyes and reached out, delicately wrapping one hand around Elena’s left ankle.

  Eyes narrowing, Elena tilted her head slightly to the side as she watched, but said nothing.

  “These can’t be comfortable,” Allison muttered as she grasped one ankle and pulled a shoe off, her fingertips just barely brushing over the smooth skin of Elena’s foot. The limb jerked in her hand and Elena felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

  “I’m a bit ticklish.” She saw a wide grin spread across Allison’s face at the admission as she immediately reached for the other foot, but Elena was quick to throw out a hand to stop her. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Allison cracked up but froze, her hands wrapped around Elena’s shoe. “That’s a pretty serious threat for someone who is only a ‘bit’ ticklish.”

  Elena rolled her eyes. “Perhaps I am a bit more than a bit.”

  “Like pee-your-pants ticklish or just squeal-and-squirm ticklish?” That mischievous little grin remained on her face.

  “The latter,” Elena said. “However, I warn you to consider your next move quite carefully, Ms. Sawyer.”

  “Oh, should I?”

  Elena nodded seriously.

  “And why is that?”

  Cheeks growing warm, Elena glanced down to her lap. “When I was sixteen, I accidentally kicked my father in the face when he tickled my feet, and it knocked one of his front teeth out. He has a fake tooth now.”

  Allison tried not to laugh but it burst out of her. “Oh my God, that is hilarious!”

  “It was quite horrifying when it happened, actually. There was a lot of blood.”

  “I bet.” The remaining shoe was pulled free, and Allison put it next to the other. “I’ll try to resist the urge then. I can’t afford a new tooth.”

  “Wise decision, dear.” Elena stretched her feet down, curling her toes and letting out a small sigh of contentment. It was nice to finally be freed from the confines of those shoes. “Thank you.”

  The bed bounced a bit as Allison plopped back down. “So, you wanna watch a movie or something?”

  Elena, still poised on the very edge of the mattress, glanced to the small television and then back to Allison. “I suppose that would be fine.”

  “Cool. Let’s get you out of that dress then.”

  Elena’s eyes widened as her gaze locked onto Allison’s. “I’m sorry?”

  “Uh, wow, that sounded better in my head.” Allison smacked a hand against her forehead. “I just meant that you probably won’t be comfortable sitting through a whole movie in that dress. You can borrow some of my clothes. I mean, if you want?”

  “Oh.” The word came out in a rush of breath. “Oh, right, I see. Well, I suppose—”

  “You know you don’t always have to ‘suppose’ everything.” Allison leaned over to nudge Elena with her elbow. “You could just say ‘yes’.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  Allison threw her hands up and Elena, realizing what she’d said, reached over and swatted her arm. “Excuse me.” She rolled her eyes. “I meant to say ‘yes’.”

  “That’s more like it.” Hopping off the bed, Allison pulled out another pair of leggings and a random old, ratty red T-shirt from a small dresser. She handed the items to Elena and took the woman’s beer and clutch. “These should fit you. The bathroom is just through that door over there. You get changed and I’ll pick us out a movie.”

  Elena rose from the bed, Allison’s clothes clutched in her hands, and crossed to the bathroom. Before she could fully close the door behind her, she heard Allison let out a groan.

  “Let’s get you out of that dress then?” Allison said. “Way to sound like a friggin’ perv, Al.”

  Elena smiled and clicked the door softly closed.

  * * *

  The mirror in the bathroom showed Elena her own wide-eyed reflection, Allison’s clothes still bundled between her hands. She was immensely uncomfortable, not only because she was about to don someone else’s clothes, but also because she felt so completely and utterly at a disadvantage. She had never been this type of person—this carefree, hang-out-in-your-lazy-clothes, movie-marathon, beer-in-a-can type of girl. She never even had any friends the likes of Allison Sawyer.

  She didn’t know how to be that type of girl, not that she felt like she needed to be. She had no intentions of trying to be something she wasn’t. It was more that she didn’t want this experience to be an awkward one for either of them.

  The fact that Allison made her feel somewhat more at ease at least gave her comfort. When the silences set in or when there was a moment of miscommunication, things became strange, but never to the point that Elena wanted to cut and run. As long as Allison was talking, joking and teasing and being herself, it helped Elena to relax.

  Setting Allison’s clothes on the sink counter, Elena angled her arms back so that she could latch onto the zipper of her dress. When she managed to lower it enough to ease her body out, Elena’s eyes fell to her chest. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably as she was reminded that she was most definitely not wearing a bra.

  “Shit.” She had been wearing a crimson-colored bra when she had first dressed for the show, but when she had decided to wear this particular dress, she had divested herself of the garment.

  She glanced to the door then down to her naked chest, over to the red baggy T-shirt on the sink, then back to her naked chest. The rather dim lighting in the dorm room was a plus, she thought. Allison had the room lit by only a single lamp, which might or might not be extinguished during whatever movie they were about to watch. If the room was dark, then surely the fact that she would be braless would go unnoticed.

  Wait—was it cold in the other room? Elena glanced down at her breasts again.

  “Well, it is apparently cold in here,” she murmured.

  She couldn’t remain in the bathroom for an hour, she reminded herself; so she grabbed the two items of clothing from the sink, slipped the red T-shirt over her head,
and nearly purred at how comfortable the material was. It was a rather thick material as well, which helped conceal her obvious chill; not much, but it was better than nothing. She then pulled on the leggings that Allison had given her, moving her hips from side to side as she yanked the tight, stretchy material up her thighs and over her crimson-colored thong.

  Grabbing her dress, Elena held it in front of her chest as she took a deep breath and exited the bathroom.

  * * *

  The lamp was off when she returned, and the room was quite dark but for the glow of the television. Elena let out an easy breath as she carried her dress over to Macy’s bed and laid it out so that it would not wrinkle.

  Allison, whose back had been turned to the bathroom while she loaded a DVD into the player beneath the television, turned at the sound of Elena shuffling around behind her. Her eyes instantly shot down the length of Elena’s body in her clothes and then back up. Lips parted, she shook her head quickly and asked, “So, they fit, yeah?”

  “Quite well, actually.” Elena ran her hands a little self-consciously over the clothing, unable to recall a single time in her entire life when she had worn anything of the sort, at least, not in front of anyone outside her family. “Thank you.”

  “No problem. Make yourself comfortable.”

  Like before, Elena settled herself gingerly on the edge of the bed, and Allison took one look at her and rolled her eyes.

  “Oh yeah. You look hella comfortable. Must be that rigid posture and the way your ass is hanging halfway off the bed.” She crawled onto the bed, scooting all the way back until her back touched the wall, which she cushioned with a couple of pillows. “The bed’s not going to swallow you, I promise. Loosen up a bit.”

  Elena inched slowly back until she was settled against the pillows next to Allison, who reached out and squeezed Elena’s forearm. “Hey,” she said softly. Green eyes glinted in the television glow.