A knock at Allison's door.

Allison undressed and got ready for bed, her mind full of the games they'd played that night. It was odd, she'd entirely expected to be the odd one out, but somehow they'd all gotten to know each other so quickly that she couldn't feel like an outsider. Perhaps it was because they all had something about them that made them different. Jo's line about them being a "regular United Nations" had kind of put her at ease. She was one of six minorities in the Dykesbeck House, no more, no less.

Still the bit with having to switch rooms as soon as she got unpacked kind of bugged her - though she could see why the twins would want to room together. And there was something to be said for having a single, especially since the conversation and the wine had combined to make her unaccountably horny.

She lay nude back into her bed and eased her legs apart, stroking softly at her clit to arouse herself. An image of a random cute guy she'd known in high school swam into her mind, and she smiled as she imagined his hand touching her instead of her own.

But it was hard to maintain the focus, and her mind drifted back to the circle of girls in the living room, trading sexual secrets, kissing and touching each other. For a moment Allison steered her mind firmly back to more familiar fantasies of men and cocks, but the other girls kept popping into her mind. The way Cathy's body had felt against her when she'd carried the poor drunken lush up the stairs... Allison remembered when Jo had touched the blonde girl's breasts, and how her own nipples had tingled at the sight. And then Erica kissing Jo, holding her close and pressing their bodies together...

A soft knock at the door disturbed Allison out of her reverie. "Who's there?" she whispered peevishly, bothered not only by the interruption but at the direction her own imagination had taken. Thoughts of girls touching girls, touching her, had made her embarrassingly wet.

"It's Jo," whispered the voice back. "If this is a bad time..."

"No, it's fine," Allison replied. Of all the girls in the house, Jo was the one that she somehow couldn't imagine feeling mad at.

The door opened and Jo slipped into the room. In the brief moment of light from the hall, Allison saw that Jo had changed into a white nightie and had removed her sunglasses. For just a moment, Allison felt self-conscious about her nudity, but of course Jo couldn't see that. Then the door closed, and the room was plunged into darkness.

"Do you want me to get the light?" Jo asked.

"No, it's fine. I'm already in bed."

"If you're sleepy, I can come back later. It's not a big deal."

"Don't worry about it. What did you want?"

Jo crossed the room and felt for the bed, sitting down next to Allison. "What do you look like?" she asked without preamble.

"Oh!" Allison said. "Well, let's see here... I have dark brown eyes, long black curly hair, deep brown complexion -"

"I don't know what brown looks like," Jo said simply.

"Hm. True. Well then, I have full lips, a slim neck, and high cheekbones. I'm about as tall as you are. My breasts are about a C-cup, my waist is fairly narrow, and I have a nice booty." Allison chuckled when she said the last part.

Jo laughed along with her. "Allison, is it okay if I touch your face?"

Allison though for a moment. "Okay," she said. "If I can see your eyes."

'They just stare straight ahead. It's a little disconcerting to most people."

"I can handle it." Allison went to turn on the light, then changed her mind, and groped for the candle she'd seen by her bedside instead. She struck a match and lit the wick, then brought it close to Jo's face.

Jo's eyes were pale blue, and though the pupils reacted to the light of the candle flame, the eyes never moved and she didn't blink the way a sighted person would. There was a slight mask of paler skin around them, which Allison took to be from wearing sunglasses all the time.

"They're beautiful," Allison whispered. "Your eyes are beautiful, Jo."

As Allison said the words, she saw Jo's eyes brim up with tears. "Thanks," Jo said simply.

Allison blew out the candle, placed it back on the nightstand, and reached for Jo's hands. "Here," she said, gently lifting them to her face.

Jo's touch was feather-light. She traced Allison's forehead along the hairline, then down the center until she felt Allison's closed eyelids. Then they moved over her cheeks, down the jawline, and over Allison's lips, where they lingered for a moment.

"I've never felt lips like yours," Jo said quietly. "They're lovely."

Allison didn't trust herself to speak. From the moment Jo had touched her, she'd been barely able to breathe.