Back in the Dorm

Previous: Coffee and a Show

Troy led Winter back into his dorm building, upstairs, into his room. He was lucky enough to have the room to himself, his roommate had bailed out under pressure earlier in the year and they hadn't replaced him. That meant he could be alone with her last night. And now.

“You've seen the other two I did. When you left, I couldn't get to sleep because… Well. Let me show you.” He picked up his sketchbook and showed her the third drawing he'd done of her. From memory. Well, not entirely, it was more from imagination than memory.

He had a vivid imagination. He was inspired by her.

Again her fingers closed over his as she peered at his drawing. Her. No pants. Oh my. Gorgeous. That look in her eyes as she stared out from the paper over her shoulder. This was how he imagined her?

“Troy it's beautiful.” She whispered, lifting her eyes up to meet his. “How can you draw me and make me feel how you see me? How do you do it? I could go look…” She took his hand, pulled him to the bathroom. Mirror.

“Okay. I see….a face that's too round. Upper arms, too soft. Waist, too thick. Large legs with cellulite. An arse that could knock people over if I'm not careful.” She looked at the drawing still in her hands. “But I look at this…” She breathed. “Beauty. Love. She looks like a bloody goddess. But I know it's just me. How?”

He pulled his hand out of hers and inserted his sketchbook in its place, wrapping his fingers around hers to make sure she was holding it. “Let me show you.” He moved behind her, where she could see him in the mirror.

His hands started an odyssey across her body. He started where she did, placing his fingers on her cheeks. “I feel… Warmth.” Hands gripping her arms. “Strength.” Dragged over her shoulders then down to her waist. “Curves.” He squatted down, pulling back the bottom of her dress and placing his hands against her thighs without cloth between. “Power.” His hands started to slip up inside the dress, then he pulled them away, placing them outside, on her ass. “Softness.”

He stood up behind her, wrapping his arms over her shoulders. “I feel. That's how I see.” He tentatively placed his hand over her heart, well aware of how his skin was on the bare skin of her breast. “This is what I draw.”

She held the sketchbook, looking in the mirror as he moved behind her. His hands on her cheeks, pale skin turning pink under his fingers. His fingers around her arms felt….bracing. Like he was lending her his strength.

Always protect your Queen… wait what…

And then his hands slipped down along her waist and Winter felt a surge of…affirmation. Beautiful. Sunny. His hands were on her thighs. Winter had never been kissed let alone…thighs….hands….her breath caught briefly. Her ass. He liked that too.

“You've…been watching a while then…you don't draw some random girl on the quad with that sort of…feeling in the art….without already feeling it…”

Way to fuck up words, Winter.

He leaned over her shoulder to place a light kiss against her cheek, risking her ire. “I've observed you around, watched you, noticed you in some of my classes. You always seem happy, but there's something I see, behind those eyes…”

He wasn't going to move from where he was holding her, even with his hand on her breast. “The quad was my first time seeing you. I had to draw you. Last night gave me an excuse to study you more. To see if you liked me. I'm aware every straight girl here wants to fuck me. You didn't.”

He used her reflection in the mirror to look into her eyes, his hair slipping over her shoulder as his head shifted. “You don't just want a one night stand.”

“I'm well aware of my sister's reputation despite all the good she does for the city and its people. She's hot. She can get away with it. I can't, and it's not my nature anyways. So I smile. Even when I'm screaming inside. Sometimes…the bigger I smile, the louder I'm screaming.” She admitted, then met his eyes in the mirror.

“You're right. I don't ever want to fuck you.” Her hand laid over his. “I want to make love with you.”

“I…” He struggled to find words. That's why he drew. It was easier for him. “I have something to show you.” He didn't want to move, he was enjoying their closeness. But he lifted his hand from her heart and turned it over, awkwardly taking her hand and bringing it down to her side and leading her to the 'studio' he'd created in the spare space.

There was a canvas set up on an easel, a stool in front of it, and watercolours pots laying everywhere. “This is my first watercolour. It's a bit messy.”

Her fingers easily threaded through his and she went with him into the small space he'd made into his own studio corner. She turned her head to look….and her jaw dropped.

“Oh my god…Troy…is that…that's me….isn't it. When…when did you paint this ohmygoditsbeautiful.”
She couldn't stop staring. He…saw her. Like this.

“Remember I said I had someone running through my head? I had to get this out before I could sleep. I just managed to drop off when you texted me, which is why I'm so damn tired.” He yawned as if to prove his point.

“Be my muse. You inspire me, Winter.”

“Oh God! Why didn't you say so? I would have let you sleep!” Uh oh. Winter was in nurture mode. She took his hand and drew him over to his bed and playfully pushed him back down on it.

“I'll go get you some food for when you wake up. I can't believe you spent all night painting that. It's beautiful.” She added softly. “I hope…I hope you always find me so inspiring, Troy.”

“I just did say so? I wasn't going to say no to getting to see you.” He followed her to his bed and let her push him down on it, flopping down heavily.

“Believe it.” His lids were heavy, but should he really give in? He was still fully clothed but he was fighting the approach of sleep. The coffee gave him enough to be relatively awake, enough to continue the conversation with her, but now he was lying down? “Zzzzzsnrk.” He snorted himself awake again. “I'll be fizzzzzz.”

So much for his classes later, he'd need to catch up.

Winter didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to stay? Go? She paced his dorm a bit, a bit of a panic. If she left he might think she….goddamnit. She wandered over to the couch and laid down. A little nap before Bio Lab wouldn't hurt. She let her eyes close.

He woke up a couple of times, tossing and turning, not used to sleeping in his clothes. It was more like a bunch of naps strung together with a few seconds of wakefulness between. Enough to get him over being tired, but not enough to push it away completely.

He got a couple of hours in before waking up and not dropping back off. He blinked sleepily, wondering how he ended up in bed, then sat up facing the couch, hair a mess, clothes wrinkled, groggily trying to figure out what he saw in front of him.

Winter was passed out on the couch, her face peaceful. One arm was tucked under her head, the other resting along the curve of her body, her hair half covering her face. Her lips were slightly parted, every so often a soft huff of breath would sound, and she had tried to use her dress to cover up with.

Troy finally figured out Winter had stayed with him and grabbed the top blanket from the bed. The one he was lying on, so it would smell of him. He pulled it over her body, covering her where she was trying to use her dress.

What a pair they were.

Blanket. Her eyes shot open and she stared for a moment, still half asleep. She wasn't used to being tended to. “Time izzit?” She mumbled, catching his hand. Well kind of. Her fingers brushed against his arm. She didn't care what time it was.

“C'mere.” Came a quiet request.

“Uhh.” He went to look at his watch in the fraction of a second before she caught his arm and asked him to come closer. At least, that's how he took it. He sat down on the edge of the couch, perching as carefully as he could, but it meant his hip was pressed against her stomach. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Sure,” was his quiet response.

Winter just…hugged him. Slipped her arms around his waist and hugged, then let go. “I have to go get ready for class. I can't miss another Bio Lab.” She said as she slowly got up. “I just didn't want to leave while you were sleeping. Didn't seem right.” She added. She folded up the blanket he'd put on her, then started to look for her sandals.

“Hnnnng… I’m too tired to go. Can I have your notes at the end?” He might be able to manage if someone kept poking him in the ribs to keep him awake. Or he might just fall asleep on their shoulder. “I hate missing class. I might have some kerosene in the fridge.”

He opened the fridge door, checking bottles for caffeine content. Ugh, Monster, that stuff tastes like… Pop Gulp “BLECH”

“Sure, you can–” her voice trailed off as he fetched a Monster from the fridge. She watched, wide-eyed as he took a gulp and grimaced. Shit was nasty. “It's no trouble…I feel bad for keeping you up. Get some sleep and I'll come over with the notes after class.”

“Yeah, well… I'm not touching another drop of that right now… Guess it's gonna be sleep.”

He walked back over to her and wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. Too forward? Too soon? He didn't think about that, he was too tired. “I'll look forward to seeing you later, then. There's a key on the hook by the door, you can let yourself in.”

He didn't wait for her to leave before he shrugged out of his shirt, jeans, and trainers, leaving him only in pale blue boxers and white socks. He grabbed a brightly coloured scrunchie to pull his scruffy hair back and got under the sheets, settling down to sleep.

She smiled as he kissed her forehead, and as he began to strip, she turned red and gathered up her things. “Sleep well.” She said softly as she let herself out.

She didn't have time to go to her dorm and so she hurried across the quad when she tripped over someone's leg. Amanda Sachs, retail heiress, stared down at her. “Thought I felt an earthquake…” She sneered at Winter.

“Leave her alone, Sachs.” Said one of the Alpha Phi girls. Amanda shook her head. “No. This fat cow thinks she can live it up with the rest of u–” Amanda hadn't seen the way the students on the quad parted, revealing a stone-faced Summer Caldwell stalking across the Columbia quad. She hadn't seen Summer's hand reach out….and snatch her by the hair.

She simply….was yanked down to the ground. “Listen here you bloody cuntstain, and listen well. I spoke to the editor at Page Six and I know all about the full page ad you took out to make it look like they were slandering My fucking sister. I also know that you happen to have applied for an internship at Hayden. Consider your application denied. One more misstep from you and I will drive your little trust fund into ruin, are we bloody clear?” She bit out. She turned to Giles. “Giles, take Winter back to the penthouse and make sure she eats dinner.”

“But Summer I have to take notes for Troy…” Winter protested. Summer scowled. “I guess I'm sitting in a Bio Lab tonight.” Winter shot off a text to Troy. Summer will be bringing your notes…I'm so sorry in advance.<3

Troy had almost gotten off to sleep when his phone BLEEP went off. Fuuuuck… When am I gonna catch a break? He reached over to his bedside table where he always left it when he went to bed. Feel. Reach. Stretch No phone. Where the… Damnit, still in his jeans…

He threw back the covers and stood BLEEP to shuffle over to his jeans, grabbing his phone from the belt holster where he kept it. He stared at it bleary eyed for a moment before BLEEP poking the unlock sequence into it. He saw the message. He read the message. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something connected, but his conscious mind just saw the same thing Winter had told him.

This time he put the phone, face down, on the side table, so it would be there when he needed it. It wouldn't bleep from messages, so it shouldn't bother him, but at least it would be there.

He got back into bed and pulled the sheets over him, trying to get some rest, and went straight to sleep this time. So many stimuli keeping him awake today meant he just went zonk.

Next: Change in Season