ILLICIT AFFAIRS | WLW

Out Of The Woods

Over the past week or so, Blair had found herself in Catherine's office more than usual, the two talking about everything and nothing altogether. Whenever she had free periods, it was a new sanctuary she found herself wanting to relax in. Catherine didn't seem to mind, she rather enjoyed the simple silence of Blair's company at times. It was always a natural, comfortable atmosphere between them, one as if it had always been there between them.

Even late at night, Blair found herself reaching out to Catherine. It had become a part of her routine, as if she couldn't slip into a peaceful slumber without the exchange of messages between her and Catherine. Yet, the two still hadn't been intimate. Well, in a physical way.

And now, on this Thursday afternoon, Blair found herself behind the counter at the diner she worked at, her hands absently wiping down the counter in front of her as she stared into the distance. The bright light of the afternoon sun filtered through the large front windows. Yet warmth of the light didn't reach her, though; it was like her body was here, in this small, quiet restaurant, but her mind was elsewhere, lost in a labyrinth of thoughts and feelings that she hadn't yet figured out to fully untangle. The soft hum of conversation floated around her, blending into the usual background noise of clattering dishes and the hiss of the diner's coffee machine. It had been a quiet afternoon – too quiet, really – and it gave Blair too much time to think

Her thoughts, as usual, had wandered back to Catherine Kingsley; her professor, her tutor, her...what, exactly? It was a question Blair kept coming back to, almost impossible not to think about. She wasn't sure how to define what was between them, if it could even be defined. But what she did know was that Catherine had a way of embedding herself in Blair's mind, of becoming the centre of her thoughts without even trying.

Every glance they shared, every word they exchanged felt loaded with unspoken meaning, with tension that was both thrilling and terrifying. She wanted Catherine, and not just in the way she'd wanted Thomas or any of the other fleeting encounters in her life. This was different. Kingsley stirred something in her that was deeper, more complicated, more dangerous. Yet exhilarating.

But Blair hadn't told Catherine yet what she truly wanted, hadn't laid all her cards on the table, and a part of her liked it that way. Maybe it was the small, wicked part of her that enjoyed watching Catherine squirm, watching the composed, elegant professor struggle to maintain her usual calm when Blair teased her, when Blair *didn't* give her the answer she was so clearly waiting for. She liked keeping Catherine waiting, making her sweat just a little. After all, Catherine was always so composed, so in control—Blair found a strange satisfaction in knowing that she could unsettle her, even if just for a moment, even if it was a game Blair knew couldn't last forever. The longing was becoming harder and harder to ignore. It gnawed at her, a constant, simmering heat in the back of her mind. She was playing a dangerous game, and she knew it.

Yet it was getting harder to maintain the façade. The temptation was always there, a constant pressure in her chest whenever they were alone. Their private tutoring sessions were filled with an electric charge, and Blair had always felt the urge to say something, to lean across the desk and close the space between them.

Or when they spoke on the phone late at night, sometimes for hours. Blair often found herself lying in bed, the phone pressed against her ear, her heart racing as Catherine's voice filled the quiet darkness of her room. Sometimes, her fingers would brush against the pillow as if Catherine were lying beside her. It was in the moments, when the world had faded away and it was just the two of them, that Blair came closest to blurting it all out, to confessing how much she wanted Catherine.

But there was another piece to this puzzle, another player in this game: Grace.

Grace Evans, Catherine's ex-fling. Grace was a problem, a wild card that Blair had to manage carefully. The possessiveness Grace still held over Catherine was clear, and her unpredictable behaviour had Blair on edge. Catherine had confided in her about how bad things had gotten with Grace, about the stalking, the obsession. It had been enough to make Catherine cut ties, but Grace wasn't the kind of person to just walk away quietly. She was volatile, and Blair knew that if Grace found out about her and Catherine—about the growing, electric connection between them—it could all spiral out of control. Blair knew she had to be careful.