Finishing off the night

Soon the two of you arrive at the dorms. As you climb out of the car, you stretch a bit. The heat has helped dry out the clothes somewhat, but they’re still quite damp and clingy. Grace helps you gather the rest of the wet clothes. Then, after rolling down the windows to let the car air out, the two of you walk arm and arm to your room. The tightness of your clothes and your tender embrace as you walk draws both lustful, suggestive leers and flirtatious, cute comments. Grace smiles sweetly, waving happily as people stare. She even blows a kiss at a group from one of the local campus ministries. You chuckle as the two of you finally arrive at your room.

Immediately you close the door and move all the chairs in the room in front of the window. Grace opens the window to the brisk autumn air. The two of you undress, draping your wet clothes over the chairs so they can dry out. Then you put on your robes, grab two towels, soap, and shampoo, and go to the bathroom for a nice, warm shower.

After the shower the two of you walk tiredly back to the room. Your robes fall to the floor as you both craw under the covers and snuggle together. Sleep rapidly claims both of you.

A warm beam of sunlight wakes you. You look down to see Grace’s face buried in your breast and hair, hiding from the light as she snores lightly. Smiling, you kiss her forehead. The touch stirs her partially from her slumber. “Too early ta be up,” the redhead mumbles. “Wha time’s it?”

You glance at the clock. “11:30,” you chuckle.

“Too early. Need five more minutes,” she grumbles, her body and mind still trying to wake up. You squirm out from under Grace and the covers, much to her dismay. “Quit shakin’ da bed. Tryin’ ta sleep!” she barks before collapsing back on to the pillow. Picking up your hairbrush, you give her rump a good swat. Then you brush your hair nonchalantly as you look for some clothes to slip on.

Grace leaps up from the swat, her eyes wide with panic and pain. “What was that? What happened?”

Smiling sweetly, you turn to Grace. “You dared challenge your mistress when I tried to wake you up.”

Grace cowers a bit and lowers her head. “Sorry, Mistress,” she moans.

You toss her hairbrush to her, an evil gleam in your eyes. “Do not let it happen again.”

“Yes, Mistress Jane,” she nods in subjugation.

“Good. Now get up and get dressed. I’m hungry.” With that you slip on a pair of loose jeans, a sports bra, and dark blue t-shirt. You put up your hair in a simple French braid as Grace quickly brushes her hair and dresses in a grey t-shirt, bra, and jeans. The two of you slip on your shoes and light jackets before walking to the cafeteria.

The warm sun and crisp autumn air dance around you as Grace walks one step behind you, as is fitting her position. She seems uncharacteristically quiet and pensive. You stop and turn to her. “Grace? Is there something wrong?”

“No, Mistress. Well, maybe…I don’t know. Can I have a moment to collect my thoughts?” she asks in earnest, with no hint of malice or sarcasm.

Surprised both by her question and her sincere request for your approval, you nod and turn slowly. The two of you walk the rest of the way to the cafeteria in silence.

The cafeteria has a few other late risers, but is otherwise empty. The breakfast group has long since gone, the lunch and church people have yet to arrive, and the late sleepers and partiers won’t be here for a least a couple more hours. You opt for a light soup, salad, and some croutons, while Grace gets an omelet and toast. The two of you sit down in the far corner. Grace quietly pours some hot sauce over her omelet as you add some croutons to your soup. She chews her lip thoughtfully as she plays with her food.

The entire time you watch her, not wanting to break her thoughts but still wondering what has her so pensive. Finally she drops her fork and speaks. “Mistress, these last few days have been a whirlwind, and I don’t know when I’ve ever been as happy as I am with you…”

You silently take a breath and wait. Grace pauses, holding the thought for several minutes. “It’s okay, pet. Tell me,” you try to encourage her as you rest your hand on top of hers.

She looks up at you and it all just sort of falls out of her. “My dance instructor is needing a part-time employee to answer the phones and keep up with his records and such. I wanna apply for the job. I know you’ll take care of me and all, but I want to have my own money, to be able to do things and get things for myself so I don’t have to burden you or rely on you for everything. Besides, we’ll need the extra income to get our own place and…”

You stop her immediately. “You want to get our own place? Together?”

Grace deflates a bit, her eyes pleading. “I love you, Mistress. And I would love for us to have a place that’s ours, that we can go to get away from everything and everyone’s prying eyes and just be who we are. But it’s not just for us.” She stops, her eyes meeting yours. You nod for her to continue. “It’s for Katie. She turns 18 in a couple of months and she’ll be graduating from high school this spring. I mean, I love my parents, but after what happened yesterday, I’m afraid they’re going to overreact and be even more restrictive and protective of her.” Grace’s eyes moisten just a bit around the edges. “When we first met, you sparked something inside me. And it made me happy. It made me feel complete, like I’d discovered part of myself that was missing. My parents are good people, but they are very set in their ways and could never understand. And I don’t want Katie to be like I was before I met you – sullen and cowed and afraid to love or have fun. In the short time we’ve been together you’ve helped bring me out of myself. And I want Katie to have that same chance. If we have our own place, then she can come visit when she needs to get away. And if she decides to go to school here, then she can move in with us and help pay for the rent.” Grace closes her eyes, squeezing out a small tear as she sighs.

You lightly squeeze her hands, waiting until she opens her eyes to speak.