Wendy slowly blinked her eyes open, immediately squinting against the light pouring in her room.  She groaned pitifully as a pounding ache exploded inside her skull. She tried to sit up, but that just made her head pound even harder, forcing her to flop back down on the bed. With a pathetic groan, she covered her eyes.

"Owwww... Why did I drink so much yesterday? Note to self, never doing that again!" she mumbled, regretting how much she had drank last night.

 Rubbing her throbbing temples, she attempted to sit up against the headboard and get her bearings.

As her blurry vision started to clear, she realized with a jolt that this wasn't her dorm room at all. The decor and layout were completely foreign. Her heart kicked up in mild panic as hazy flashes of the previous night flickered through her aching mind...drinks...the club...dancing with Irene...

Oh god, had something happened between them? Panicking, she quickly glanced down and was relieved to find that she was still in her clothes that she wore the night before. 

Swallowing hard, Wendy forced herself to look around the unfamiliar room. That's when she noticed the glass of water and small bottle of pain medication on the nightstand, along with a neatly folded piece of paper. 

Desperate to get rid of her pain, she quickly took the pills and only then did she turn her attention to the note.  

Unfolding it, her breath caught in as she immediately recognized Irene's handwriting. 

Morning Wendy-ah,

I figured you'd be feeling pretty rough after your first taste of the Red Velvet way of life last night. Take these and get some more rest - trust me, you'll need it. 

Don't worry, nothing too scandalous happened despite your best efforts. Though I did have to get us out of that club before you could regret anything that happened last night ;)

Sorry for not being there when you woke up. I had to go work on my project. I tried to stay as long as I could but you weren't waking up and I didn't want to wake you.

If you're hungry, there should be some food in the fridge. Take whatever your want.

xoxo Irene

Wendy read and re-read the note, her mind spinning almost as badly as it was from her apparent hangover. Little by little, bits and pieces of the previous night started flooding back. Flashes of making a fool of herself when they were walking to the club, clinging onto Irene, dancing rather provocatively against both Irene and Joy in a way that made Wendy's cheeks flush hotly. She remembered the feeling of Irene's hands roaming over her body and the way their hips grinded together. But after they went to get more drinks, she couldn't remember anything else that had happened.

Panic and embarrassment washed over Wendy as she realized how shameless she had acted.  Oh god, what if she had done something utterly mortifying that she couldn't recall? The thought made her stomach twist queasily. 

She flipped the note over to see if Irene had written anything else, both dreading and desperately needing to know exactly what had happened between them after she had gotten sloppy drunk, but there was nothing more written. Mortified, Wendy flopped back down on Irene's bed and pulled the covers up to her face.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying and failing to remember anything after they had gotten more drinks. Dancing shamelessly with her friends, the feeling of hands over her body...it all came in vivid flashes. But then there was just...nothing. A blank void where Wendy could only imagine what she must have stumbled into.

Judging by Irene's careful phrasing about having to "get them out of the club," Wendy must have acted an absolute fool in her drunken state. The thought made her want to sink through the mattress and disappear. How was she ever going to be able to look Irene in the eye again after this?

Groaning, Wendy tugged the covers down enough to glance at the time. She needed to get out of here before Irene returned and witnessed her hungover, mortified mess firsthand. As much as she wanted - no, needed - to get the full story from Irene, she couldn't handle that conversation quite yet. Not until she could get her blushing under control and stop feeling quite so pathetic.

Irene opened her apartment door as quietly as she could while juggling her laptop bad and takeout container of food she bought from the cafe near her apartment. She'd unexpectedly found a break in her day and decided to come home for a proper lunch, hoping to share it with Wendy.

Toeing off her shoes, Irene entered her apartment trying not to make too much noise. The living room was empty, and she couldn't hear any sounds coming from her bedroom, so she figured that Wendy was still sleeping.

She set her laptop bag down gently on the couch and walked to her kitchen to set the takeout container before heading to her bedroom to check in on Wendy. 

"Wendy?" she called out. "You still here?"

Silence answered her, and Irene felt slightly disappointed as she made her way to her room.  Sure enough, it was empty. Her bed was neatly made, the covers tucked in, and Wendy was nowhere to be found.

A small frown tugged at Irene's lips as she scanned the room, noting the empty glass and discarded note on the nightstand. Wendy had left, likely too embarrassed to face Irene after her drunken antics the previous night.

Irene sighed softly, but she understood. It wasn't surprising that Wendy had slipped out before she returned but a part of her still hoped that she would be waiting until she returned. Last night had revealed a side of Wendy that Irene never could have anticipated when they first met a few days ago in their calculus class.

Back then, Irene had assumed Wendy would be more loud, outgoing and outspoken based on her bubbly first impression. But she quickly learned that despite her bright smiles and warm personality, Wendy was actually quite shy and easily flustered, especially when it came to anything remotely intimate and compromising.

It was equal parts endearing and maddening for Irene, who loved to tease and push Wendy's boundaries, if only to watch her cheeks flush. Though she never could have predicted just how far Wendy's shyness would melt away once she had a few drinks in her.

Irene felt a smirk tugging at her lips as she recalled the previous night's events. Shy, flustered Wendy had been nowhere in sight once they hit the club. Instead, an entirely new, bolder persona had taken over - shamelessly grinding against her, hands roaming freely, and letting Irene kiss her in any way she wanted. 

And if Irene was being completely honest with herself, she had found Wendy's drunken boldness more captivating than anything else. But she also loved the soft, shy version of Wendy just as much. As exciting as it was to see Wendy's new side at the club, Irene knew she was just as drawn to her usual sweet shyness. She wanted Wendy any way she could have her - shy or bold, it didn't really matter. She simply craved all of her.

Shaking her head slightly, Irene picked up the discarded note, running her fingers over Wendy's handwriting with a fond smile. She could practically picture the embarrassed flush on Wendy's cheeks as she hastily scribbled the note and made her escape. The thought was endearing, even if Irene wished Wendy didn't feel the need to be so embarrassed about it.

Tucking the note in her pocket, Irene went back to her kitching to have her lunch. As she was walking back, she fished her phone out of her back pocket, quickly typing out a text to Wendy.

Hey, sorry for disappearing on you this morning. I got a call from my internship that they needed some codes done asap, so I had to rush out. Are you're doing okay? Have you eaten lunch? Do you want me to bring something over?

..........

....

..

Irene stared at the lines of code on her desktop screen. She was mindlessly typing, trying to fix the code as much as she can before the end of the day but her eyes kept drifting back to her phone. It had been over four hours since she sent that text and she had received no response from Wendy. 

Grabbing her phone, she checked again on impulse. Still no reply. Irene blew out a frustrated sigh and set the phone back down. She needed a break. Pushing away from her desk, she stood up and stretched her arms over her head. Maybe some fresh air would help clear her head. 

Making her way up to the up to the rooftop of the office building, she opened the door and stepping outside. The fresh air was a refreshing contrast to the stuffiness indoors. Stepping out onto the open space, a cool breeze immediately hit her face, feeling refreshing and already doing wonders for her cluttered mind. She walked over to the railing and leaned against it, closing her eyes and took a deep breath. 

As she exhaled slowly, Irene felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders. She had been working nonstop for hours, and the lack of response from Wendy had only added to her mounting stress. But now, she could almost convince herself that everything was alright.

Almost.

Because try as she might, Irene couldn't quite shake the nagging worry that had taken over her. Wendy running away from her place while she was gone, leaving only a small note and not even a text, coupled with her continued silence, was uncharacteristic – and it was starting to unsettle her more than she cared to admit.

She pulled her phone out once more, unable to resist the urge to check for any new messages. Still nothing. Irene bit her lip, her thumb hovering over Wendy's contact information as she debated whether to try calling or sending another text. 

She ended up calling her, hoping that Wendy would pick up. She wanted to hear her voice, to make her worries go away, to make sure that Wendy was okay, and to see if they were alright. She lifted the phone to her ear as it began to ring.

Back at the dorms, Wendy was pacing her room, phone gripped tightly in her hand. She had read Irene's text several times now and she had tried typing back a reply, but she couldn't send it. She was too embarrassed to reply just in case Irene texted back. 

The previous night was a drunken blur and she vaguely remembered downing one too many drinks with Irene and her friends at the club. When she had woken up in Irene's room this morning, with no recollection of how she had gotten there or what might have happened, she had to get out of there.

She just wasn't ready to talk with Irene. Her mind raced with worries over what kind of fool she may have made of herself. Did she do something unforgivable while drunk? Did they...Wendy shook her head, not wanting to finish that thought. 

How could she not be embarrassed? The things she'd said... the way she'd acted... it made her cringe just thinking about it.

But Irene seemed not to mind. In fact, she almost seemed too... nonchalant about it. Wendy frowned, chewing her lip as she started to type out a reply for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Hey, sorry for leaving without waiting for you to come back. I'm okay, just a little..." She immediately deleted it and started over.

"Thanks for checking in. I'm alright, just..."

No, that didn't sound right either. She groaned out loud in frustration, falling back to sit on the edge of her bed. She didn't know how to put her jumbled feelings into words - the embarrassment she's feeling, the confusion over Irene's reaction, the swirling thoughts of whether she'd just ruined everything before it even really started.

Taking a deep breath, Wendy willed herself to at least try typing out a response again. Anything was better than leaving Irene on read all day. Just then, her phone started ringing, Irene's name flashing on the screen. Wendy felt her heart lurch into as she stared at the incoming call.

 The shrill ringing made her jump, and she fumbled with the phone clumsily, nearly dropping it before managing to catch it at the last second.

With shaky hands, Wendy swiped across the screen to accept the call and lifted the phone to her ear. "H-hello?" 

There was a beat of silence on the other end before Irene's familiar voice responded. "Wendy? Hey, it's me. I'm glad I caught you."

"Y-yeah, sorry..." Wendy stammered out, feeling her cheeks heating up. "Sorry I didn't get back to your text. I, uh, I wasn't sure what to say."

Another pause, then Irene's response. "It's okay, I understand. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I guess we made you drink too much last night and well..." She heard a sigh from Irene and then, "Sorry. I just wanted to check if you are ok?... If we are ok?"

Wendy squeezed her eyes shut, her free hand in the bed covers as the wave of embarrassment crashed over her again. "I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what got into me. The things I said and did..." She trailed off, mortified. 

"Don't... Stop," Irene said firmly. "Everything's ok. We all got a little carried away last night. Trust me, you should have seen some of the stupid things Joy was doing last night too."

Wendy suddenly felt self-conscious all over again. Is that how Irene had seen her last night too? Just stupid and out of control? She tightened her grip around her phone unconsciously, biting her lower lip. Had she done something even worse after the second round of drinks? 

"Wendy?" Irene's voice broke through her thoughts. "Hey, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. You weren't stupid at all last night. You were letting yourself go last night. It was nice to see you so free."

Wendy felt herself relax a little. "Still...I acted so unlike myself. I'm just really.... really embarrassed right now."

"I know, but you don't need to be," Irene reassured her. "I didn't see anything last night that made me think less of you. If anything, I felt like I got to know an even more fun side of you."

Wendy couldn't help but let out a surprised little laugh at that. "Fun? I made such a fool of myself at the club..."

There was a brief pause, and Wendy could hear Irene's breaths grow slightly heavier on the other end. "... I wouldn't call that making a fool of yourself,"  she finally heard Irene say but with a much more strained voice.

Was it just her imagination, or did Irene sound...

"What...what would you call it then?" Wendy found herself asking tentatively, her curiosity getting the better of her.

There was another weighted pause before Irene answered, her voice unmistakably lower. "ummm... Incredibly y."

A shiver ran down Wendy's spine at the blunt admission. She suddenly felt very warm. "Irene..." 

"I'm serious, Wendy," Irene continued. "Seeing you let go like that, feeling your body move against mine..." She trailed off with a shaky exhale. "God, you drove me crazy. In the best possible way."

Wendy was stunned into silence, her heart thundering in her ears as Irene's words washed over her. She had never imagined Irene saw her drunken antics as anything more than foolishness. But y? Driving her crazy?

"You...you really felt that way?" she managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're not just saying that are you?

"Of course," Irene murmured, the huskiness in her tone making it hard for Wendy to listen. "Why else would I have been all over you like that?"

Images of their bodies pressed together, Irene's hands roaming shamelessly over her curves, suddenly flashed through Wendy's mind. She felt her cheeks burning. Wendy opened to respond to Irene, but the words caught in as more flashes of memory from the previous night suddenly came flooding back to her.

A shiver raced down her spine as she remembered looping her arms around Irene's neck without any hesitation, boldly pressing her body against Irene's as they danced together. How she was grinding shamelessly against Irene on the dance floor, the pulsing music and thrumming bass egging her on. The feeling of Irene's thigh sliding between her own legs, drawing out a needy whine.

"Oh my god..." Wendy breathed out. She could vividly picture Irene spinning her around, plastering her back against her front as hands skimmed up her torso, pushing aside her blouse to caress her bare skin.

Wendy swallowed hard, feeling a rush of heat across her skin as the memories kept coming. Irene's lips trailing kisses along her neck, her husky voice as she told her how crazy she was driving her. The hunger in Irene's touch as they lost themselves in the thrumming bass.

"Wendy?" Irene's concerned voice filtered back through her dazed recollections. "You still there?"

"I...y-yes, I'm here," Wendy managed to force out, her voice sounding strained even to her own ears. "I think...I just remembered more of what happened last night."

"Oh? Did you remember...." Wendy heard Irene's voice trail off, followed by a pause as if she was carefully considering her next words. Then Irene spoke up again, her voice taking on a slightly hesitant tone. "What do you remember?"

Wendy furrowed her brow, suddenly very aware of the tension seeming to build from Irene through the phone. It was almost as if Irene was nervous about what specific memories Wendy might be recalling. The implication made Wendy's heart rate pick up involuntarily as she wondered what could have possibly happened that would make her this cautious. 

 "I...I mostly just remember us dancing really...um close. And you...touching me a bit." She trailed off, a flush rising to her cheeks.

Wendy heard a sigh on the other end, but it almost sounded disappointed. "That's it? You don't remember anything else?" 

"Should I? Is...is there something more I'm forgetting?" Wendy said suddenly flustered. What she had already recalled was already too much for her. Could she have done something even more shameless.  She couldn't shake the feeling that she was forgetting something important. But she really couldn't think of anything else that had happened last night.

"No, no, it's...nothing," Irene replied quickly. "I was just wondering if maybe you'd remembered, well...never mind. The dancing and stuff is pretty muchall what happened last night."

But Wendy wasn't convinced. "Irene, did something else happen that night? Something you were hoping I'd recall?"

"No nothing. You remembered everything," Irene said softly over the phone. "I wanted to be there when you woke up this morning to see if you were ok. To see that if we are still ok. Things got pretty heated between us at the club. If I crossed any lines or made you uncomfortable at all, I am so sorry."

"No, Irene, you didn't cross any lines. I...I was right there with you, getting caught up in the moment too." She exhaled slowly. "To be honest, I'm still a little shaken by how I acted. I would have never expected to act that way. It's not really like me at all. But you didn't do anything wrong."

There was an audible sigh of relief from Irene's end. "I'm so glad to hear you say that. I got worried when you didn't respond to my text. That maybe you regretted everything and didn't want to be friends anymore. With me or the rest of the group."

Wendy shook her head vehemently, even though Irene couldn't see it. "No, no, that's not it at all! I was just...embarrassed, I guess. And I really couldn't remember anything after we went for a second round of drinks at the club and so I was worried if I acted even more worse...." She chuckled wryly, still feeling embarrassed but also glad Irene had called her.  "I was just a little mortified by the thought of it and I couldn't find myself to return your text just yet... But I would have at some point!"

"Well, I hope you know that there is nothing to be embarrassed about," Irene said. "If you couldn't remember yet, I really, really enjoyed getting to see that bold side come out and play for a little while."

Wendy felt her cheeks flush at Irene's admission. There was no mistaking the undercurrent of desire, maybe even interest, in Irene's tone.

Clearing , she managed to reply. "I...yeah, I could kind of tell you didn't exactly hate it. You didn't exactly push me away." She let out a breathless chuckle as she couldn't help the images from last night flash through her mind again - Irene's hands roaming shamelessly over her body, pulling their hips flush together as they moved provocatively to the pulsing music.

Wendy felt warmth spreading through her at the vivid images. She had been so bold, so uninhibited in a way she never imagined herself capable of. And Irene hadn't just accepted that side of her - she had clearly been incredibly by it, if her words now were any indication.

"No, I definitely didn't want to push you away," Irene softly said. Her voice came through the phone again, slightly regretful this time. "But listen, as much as I want to continue talking with you, I actually need to head back to work."

"O-oh, of course," Wendy managed, snapping out of her daze. 

"I was getting worried and went outside for a break, but I should be heading back. I'm just really glad I caught you and that we're okay."

"Thanks for calling, Irene. I really would have been stuck all day trying to send you a text back."

Irene laughed lightly at that.  "Anytime. I'll save you a seat in Calc tomorrow?"

"You better! I'll see you tomorrow. And, good luck getting the rest of your work done."

"Mmmm see you tomorrow Wendy."  Irene paused for a moment, and Wendy could almost picture the warm smile spreading across her face. "And Wendy? Don't be a stranger, okay? I mean it - I like every side of you. So no more avoiding me."

Wendy felt her cheeks heat up, but she couldn't fight the matching grin tugging at her own lips. "I wasn't avoiding you! But I'll keep that in mind. Though no promises I won't still get a little flustered around you from time to time."

"Good, I think a flustered Wendy is pretty cute," Irene teased. There was a shuffling sound as if she was getting ready to head back inside. "Anyway, I really should get going. But I'm glad we talked. I'll see you soon."

"Y-yeah, see you," she managed, flustered again at Irene calling her cute. 

"Bye!"

The line went dead, leaving Wendy staring at her phone with a slightly dazed expression. Well, that phone call had certainly taken an unexpected turn. She flopped back against her bed, letting out a long exhale. 

She finally remembered what had happened last night and her cheeks still burned as she recalled them. She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to get so carried away in the club. That was exactly what she had been dreading and why she was mortified to face Irene about. 

Pressing a hand to her cheeks, she tried to cool herself off. She felt almost delirious after that loaded phone call, her mind taking her to a state of arousal. Part of her wanted to lose herself to her memories and relive those moments again, to indulge in the unbridled desire she had experienced.

But even the idea of entertaining those provocative recollections while alone felt deeply embarrassing and unfamiliar to Wendy. Releasing a shuddering breath, Wendy forced those thoughts away. She didn't want to feel like a flustered, stammering mess when she saw Irene in class tomorrow.

Part of her hoped that she would be able to pull it off and act her normal self. She'd been put under pressure before and she had pulled through. But Wendy couldn't help but scoff at that. If anything, seeing Irene tomorrow was more likely to make her full of nerves. 

Groaning softly, Wendy pinched herself, as if that could wipe away her building desperation. There's nothing she could do anyways. All she can hope for is that she could handle herself tomorrow. She will act somewhat like her usual self, at least on the surface. 

Now, she just needs to get ready for bed and feel refreshed for classes tomorrow. No need to think about Irene or the club. That would only leave her in a exhausted, frazzled mess come morning. She will unpack and and inevitably agonize over them again later.

Wendy slipped into her calc class, her stomach immediately twisting into anxious knots when she spotted Irene already sitting at one of the seats in the auditorium. The other girl was bent over