ILLICIT AFFAIRS | WLW

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Blair felt her phone buzz in her pocket as she walked home from the coffee house, her steps heavy with frustration. She pulled it out, expecting a notification or a message from one of her friends, but it was from her manager at the diner. Her brow furrowed slightly as she read the text; "Hey Blair, we're overstaffed today. If you want, you can take the day off!"

Blair was more than relieved, a content sigh leaving her lips as she quickly typed out a response to confirm her day off. She hadn't hesitated in accepting, knowing that a break from work was exactly what she needed after the exhausting series of encounters she had with Catherine earlier that day.

The tension from this morning's lecture still clung to her, and the brief but heated exchange at the coffee house hadn't helped. The knot in her chest was still there, gnawing at her, and this day off was a blessing. She just needed to clear her mind, step away from the overwhelming energy that Catherine seemed to bring into her life. Every time their paths crossed, Blair found herself trapped between irritation and... something else, something that made her stomach tighten in ways she didn't want to think about.

With her mind now freed from the responsibilities of work, Blair walked the rest of the way to her apartment with a little more pep in her step, feeling as though she could finally put the strange morning behind her.

Once she reached her building, she made her way upstairs and opened the door to her apartment. The cozy familiarity of it was a welcome reprieve. She had noticed her best friend, and roommate, Ann sprawled out on the couch, her attention divided between a book and some reality show on TV. She looked up with a smile as Blair walked in,

"Hey, B! How was your day?"

Blair dropped her bag onto the floor, kicking of her shows as she sank into the armchair across from Ann, groaning softly, "Worst. Day. Ever."

"Oh no," Ann sat up, a brow raised, already sensing drama, "What did Kingsley do this time?"

"She kicked me out of the lecture."

Ann's eyes widened in shock, "Wait, what?"

Blair sighed, brushing a hand through her hair, then launched into the story of the day—how Catherine had called on her in class, how she had refused to answer, and how she had been kicked out of the lecture hall in front of everyone.

"And then," Blair continued, throwing up her hands dramatically, "I bumped into her at the coffee house, and she was just.. ugh. So smug. Like she enjoys trying to make me feel small. And I just – I don't know, I lost it for a second."

Ann blinked at her for a moment before bursting into laughter, "But you stood up to her in front of the whole class? You? That's badass!"

"I don't know. I wasn't trying to make a scene, but it just... happened. I didn't think she'd react like that." Blair shrugged, trying to seem unaffected by it all, though the sting of embarrassment still lingered.

Ann sat up straighter, determination shining in her eyes. "You know what? We're going out."

"Ann, it's a Thursday," Blair frowned, scepticism in her voice, "We have lectures in the morning."

"So? Lectures, shme-lectures," Ann said with a grin, getting up of the couch and heading towards Blair's room, "That's tomorrow. You need to blow off some steam now. There's a party at one of my friend's house tonight."

Blair hesitated. She wasn't sure she had the energy to go out, much less deal with the inevitable awkwardness of being around people when she was still reeling from Catherine, "I don't know. I was kind of thinking abut just chilling here.""