Taking a Bite from the Big Apple (Complete)

4

“You don’t have to hang out with me if you don’t want,” Cheryl said as her and Toni walked around the NYU campus.

“You kidding me? Only other person I know going here is Fangs and he’s a junior. It’s practically law that the only contact he can have with us this first week is to ridicule and make fun of us being freshman. Besides, I like hanging around with you,” Toni replied, bumping the redhead’s shoulder playfully.

It was the first day of school and both girls were walking around, getting used to the surroundings, signing up for some classes for the next semester and seeing what kind of clubs were available. Toni knew, that with her shifts at the café and the piano gig, that she had declined to tell anyone about for fear that they’d want to come and see her, she wouldn’t have much time for extra stuff, but Cheryl seemed enthralled with all the options surrounding her, and seeing the redhead happy made Toni happy.

In the month and a half that had gone by since Cheryl had moved into the apartment, their feelings for each other had grown each day, but both were afraid to tell the other, the possibility of rejection looming large in both girls heads, as well as the potential awkwardness of having to live together if and when that rejection occurred. Toni, as well, was adjusting to the depth of the feelings she had for the other girl.

She’d been going out partying since she was sixteen, never having any trouble sneaking past the bouncers, and definitely was not shy about getting up to dance with girls or making out with them in the dark corners of the clubs but she’d never felt an overwhelming urge to be around those girls again, or even any desire to sleep with them, had never wanted them. She just liked having a good time, liked kissing, and that was all she ever felt. That had been enough. Until, of course, Cheryl stepped into her home and into her life and the concept of ‘enough’ had been swiftly redefined to mean ‘want to spend time with, make smile, touch all over and belong completely to: Cheryl’.

“I like hanging out with you, too,” Cheryl replied, smiling shyly. Her face lit up when she spotted a booth a few feet away, “Hey, look!”

She instinctively grabbed Toni’s hand and dragged her over to the small table. The brunette closed her eyes and balled her hand into a fist when Cheryl dropped it, feeling a tingle go straight through her. Not wanting to look suspicious, she composed herself and a broad grin broke out on her face when she saw the rainbow flag covering the table.

“Queer Alliance, huh? You joining?” she asked, smiling at the two guys sitting behind the table.

“I need to learn more about gay culture than what I know from the ongoing battle of Bette and Tina’s relationship,” Cheryl said in all seriousness, eliciting a chuckle from one of the guys.

“Take a leaflet,” he said with a smile, “And come along to some of the meetings. We always need new members.”

“Thanks,” Cheryl replied and grabbed a leaflet, “I will.”

She put the paper in her pocket and nodded her head to indicate they could keep going. They fell into step again and Toni was about to suggest they grab a coffee when she felt herself being lifted in the air and spun around in circles. She heard a group of guy’s chanting ‘freshman’ over and over again, recognising the loudest voice as that of her neighbour’s.

“Fangs, put me down! If you don’t I’ll tell everyone about that Bette Midler poster you have posted on your mirror so you can look in it and pretend that you’re her!”

Fangs swiftly put Tara back on the ground and pouted at her.

“Toni! That’s not cool!”