Following Her Dream Ch. 03

A cascade of light washed over the bed, warming the exposed leg of Rachel. The rest of her body lay tangled beneath the sheets. She focused on her breathing, her face compressed against her soft pillow.

Finally she opened her left eye, glad that the sun was no longer positioned to blind her. She took note of the time on her clock. 10:13 a.m. She tried to recall how many times she smashed the snooze button before she reluctantly turned the alarm off completely. The answer eluded her. While she often favored more of a routine, she figured one Saturday sleeping in would be fine.

With a sigh, she closed her eye again and threw the sheet off her body, the warmth of the sun feeling better as it kissed more of her skin. She tried to sit up, grimacing at the soreness that seemed to infuse every muscle in her body. Her arms too strained, she opted instead to roll out of bed, using the weight of her legs to leverage herself upright.

Seated on the side, Rachel ran a hand through her hair, only managing to move it through a few inches before being impossibly caught in the tangles. With her arm raised, Rachel scrunched her face at the offensive odor that caught her nose. She flopped back on the bed, arms stretched out. The sun once again pelted her in the face, forcing Rachel to cover her eyes. "Fine, I'll get up. Asshole," she said out loud.

Working through the discomfort, Rachel finally managed to get to her feet. She took a few staggering steps before finally removing her hand from her eyes. The door to her bedroom was open. The rest of the dorm was dead silent, the only noise coming from a scarce few birds still singing their muffled song through the window. She grunted as she noticed she left the light on in the bathroom overnight.

Rachel stopped in the doorway, staring at the toothbrush left on the mat. Her mind was carried back to the night before. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the torrent of pleasure that she experienced just hours ago. Her hand absently began to rub at her pussy before she caught herself.

She carefully leaned down, using the sink counter to support as much weight as her arm could bear. Picking up the toothbrush, Rachel tossed it into the trash next to the toilet. She continued to stare at it in the bin. 'Perhaps...' she thought. She reached down. Opening her drawer, she pulled out a package containing a new toothbrush. The package was quickly removed, joining the old toothbrush in a flurry of motion. A large glob of toothpaste was hastily squeezed onto the bristles. Rachel brought the toothbrush up to her mouth, the bristles making contact with her incisors, and-

Nothing.

Sighing, Rachel dropped the toothbrush into the sink. She licked the toothpaste that remained on her teeth and spit what she could down the drain. 'Can't blame myself for trying, I guess.' She turned around and pulled her shower curtain to the side, reached in, and turned the shower on. With her hand held under the water, waiting for the right temperature, Rachel contemplated reaching over to close the door exposing her to the hallway. Janet usually left to visit her parents on Saturdays, and likely wouldn't be home until late. The house should be empty. She left the door as is.

Rachel hooked her thumbs through the waist of her underwear and slid them down her legs. With a blind fling, they soared across the room, through the doorway and towards her bed, landing on the floor. The girl at last stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind her.

Rachel relished the feeling of the water as it soaked her hair and warmed her skin. She began working at her unkempt hair. After finally eliminating the major tangles with her fingers, assisted by the shampoo, Rachel grabbed the soap and began washing her body.

As she rinsed the soap off, she let her hands travel across her skin, eyes closing to better focus on the sensations. Her mind once again thought back to the night before.

Lost in the memory, Rachel began playing with her pussy, while her other hand massaged her breasts. What happened last night had been so intense, Rachel didn't think it possible for her memory to ever be capable of accurately comprehending it. Despite this, her hand increased the speed of her ministrations as she chased glory. She could feel the orgasm approaching... approaching... until finally it reached her as she shuddered in... inefficacy, a mere shadow of the previous night's episode.

Her left hand supported her in the shower as she stared down towards the drain, the water flowing around her face and dripping from her nose and mouth. She stood up, quickly washing off what little soap remained, and turned off the shower.

She toweled herself off with little urgency and stepped out of the shower. The toothbrush in the trash once again caught her attention. She looked over to the mat that it had previously laid on, probably still damp from the other night, and then back to the brush in the garbage.

'I'm not that desperate', she thought as she made her way into her bedroom, taking care to avoid the cotton trap on the floor. She made a note to wash the mat later.

She felt slightly more refreshed after the shower, if still a bit sore. She dressed lazily, and left the room to find something to eat.

Rachel twirled the spoon around in the cereal bowl, only occasionally bringing it to her lips to take another bite. She sat carelessly in the chair by the kitchen table, one leg stretched out, her spoon-less arm propping her head up.

Her mind wandered to the events after the incident, but it was largely unclear. She recalled talking to Janet, but couldn't remember much of what the other girl may have said. Some apologies, it seems, as Rachel had a sense that Janet seemed a bit concerned, but everything else was too muddled. She must have shambled her way to her bed at some point, likely collapsing on it in a heap before passing out immediately, still dirty. She made a note to change the sheets too.

She didn't know what to make of it all. She had never felt like this before. Never felt anything like "that" before.

Finally she finished her food and washed the bowl in the sink. Wandering on the topic certainly wasn't getting her anywhere. She resolved to getting the work done she had planned to do yesterday, before Janet happened.

Rachel walked back to her room and looked at the clock. 12:42 PM. "Jesus..." she exclaimed. She sat at her desk and pulled out her textbooks. 'Where do I even start?' She eventually decided on her English paper.

'Okay, Rachel, time to focus. You can do this. Just don't think about last night. All right. What do we got here? Discuss one use of symbolism in The Great Gatsby. Minimum two pages, double spaced. Shouldn't be too hard. Just start typing. Put your hands on the brea... I mean keyboard, and you'll be done in no time.'

Thirty-five minutes later, and Rachel had only managed to write down two sentences: 'The use of the advertisement with the disembodied eyes takes on different meanings in each chapter. In chapter 2, the eyes are supposed to represent a toothbrush.' She must have reread the sentence a dozen times before realization hit her.

'Okay, maybe English isn't the best idea right now,' she thought, deleting the document and tossing the book aside. 'How about... physics?' Pulling out her pen, Rachel looked at the first problem. 'So, if you have one liter of water at 45 degrees Celsius, how many liters of 140 degrees Fahrenheit water do you need to add to bring the final solution to 50 degrees Celsius. Assume no loss of energy. Okay, not so bad... just convert 140 Fahrenheit to... 60 Celsius... plug in the variables to the equation... solve for x... and~ there! Easy!'

Rachel checked her answer. 0.5 Orgasms. "Fuck... do I have white-out?! Shit!"

She threw the paper and books to the side. Her brow creased in frustration. She pulled open her drawer, digging through the contents in desperation. Her hand gripped the shaft, pulling a vibrator out. She tossed herself onto her bed, positioning herself onto her back. Her hand thrust the toy under her pants, relieved that she chose to wear sweats. She flipped the switch.

Over the next few hours, Rachel tried to occupy her time as best she could. She did whatever chores there were to do, but after nearly every task, she found herself right back on the bad, bringing herself to an orgasm that could at best be described as ordinary. She wasn't sure when she discarded her clothes. In the end, she just lay there, staring up at the ceiling. The vibrator was still inside, but Rachel was now numb to the sensations.

While trying to work through the cause of her situation, she heard the front door unlock. Her eyes sprang open. She quickly tossed the vibrator under the bed as she hastily made her way into the hallway. She caught Janet entering the dorm, her back to Rachel as she closed the door.

Janet turned around and began taking off her shoes when she noticed her roommate standing in the living room. She gasped as she noticed the girl's nudity, eyes unintentionally trailing over her body. Their gazes met. Rachel was the first to speak.

"We have to talk."

***

Soft music filled the room as Janet reached for her phone. Fumbling around for it on the night stand, she finally managed to bring it to her face and turn the alarm off. Her eyes were hooded with restlessness as she stared at the time, 8:00 am.

The image of last night was still fresh in Janet's mind: Rachel howling in the bathroom like a banshee, Rachel standing in her doorway, looking almost inhuman in the dark, Rachel being almost incoherent as Janet tried to talk to her. Janet was surprised at how strongly Rachel reacted to the suggestion she gave. She wasn't sure why it happened, but she blamed herself. She needed time to think.

Janet sent out a quick text, and then rushed her shower; she didn't want to wake her roommate. She kept telling herself it was because that was the courteous thing to do.

Within minutes she was dressed and fed. She made her way towards the front door, but stopped as she passed the kitchen counter. She stood unmoving, mouth open, lost in consideration. With a sudden about-face, Janet returned to the hallway. She lingered in Rachel's doorway, her right hand daintily touching the frame.

She watched as Rachel slept, looking peaceful despite her irregular positioning among the chaotic sheets. She wondered if she should say something now, make sure Rachel was okay. She opened her mouth to speak.

Without a word, Janet left the dorm, guilty at her cowardice.

If she had taken her time with her morning routine, she wouldn't have had to wait so long for her parents to pick her up. The 50 minute drive was one they assured her they didn't mind taking every Saturday, and after much discussion, Janet acquiesced. She just hoped they didn't question why she was waiting outside this time. At least the weather was nice enough for her to use as an excuse.

Janet did her best to keep her mind on the present. By the time they had arrived to the park for the cookout, it didn't prove too difficult. Her boisterous father had a knack for entertaining, even while grilling. And then there was her precocious niece, who could manage to cover herself in dirt even in a hospital. Janet did her best to watch out for her so her sister had a chance to eat. The highlight of her day was when Koda managed to leap up on the table and make off with an entire steak for himself, Janet's father chasing the dog down while cursing, the entire family laughing.

By the time dinner had passed, all these distractions faded. Her mom drove her back to the dorm. She assured her she was fine, blaming her restrained conversation on some important school deadlines that were coming up. The subject wasn't mentioned again, to Janet's relief.

And so she found herself outside her own dorm, too reluctant to enter. What was she going to say to her? What was Rachel going to say? Janet didn't know what to do.

Her contemplation was broken as a group of students turned the corner and proceeded down the hallway in Janet's direction. Their jovial mood seemed to radiate outward, as if to mock Janet's current turmoil. Not wanting to draw attention to herself by standing before a door alone, Janet worked up her courage and entered her home.

***

"We have to talk."

Silence fell upon the room as Janet stared awkwardly at Rachel. Why was she naked? It must have been worse than Janet thought. She should have faked being sick to avoid meeting her parents.

Janet didn't know if there would be any side affects from the program. It was irresponsible of her to leave Rachel alone. Now whatever problems Janet saw last night might be worse. Janet could only wonder what she was like now, her nudity a clear indication that it couldn't be good. She felt so selfish, leaving Rachel alone all day. She had to do something.

The two spoke at the same time, with Janet saying, "I'm sorry," while Rachel said, "Put me under."

Janet saw the look of conviction on Rachel as confusion ran through her. Then she understood. Rachel wanted her to fix this, so she had to put her under to do so. It was so obvious. Filled with hope, Janet agreed. "Yes, of course. I'm so sorry, Rachel. I can fix this. We'll work this out, I promise. For now, I'll just put you under and make you forget all about last night. All you have to do is 'drop for-"

"NO!" Rachel shouted, her arm jutting forward, surprising even herself. "No, I... that's not what I want..." she said more calmly, her eyes pleading. Her outstretched hand moved to cover the back of her neck as she looked to the side, her cheeks turning a slight shade of rose.

"I don't understand," Janet said with incredulity. "How... how else can I fix my mistake if I don't make you forget about what happened?"

"What mistake? I don't want to forget about last night! It was so amazing! I don't even know how to describe it... it was just..." her voice trailed off as she lifted her head and closed her eyes. Her fingers began to twitch. A grin formed on her mouth while she bit her lower lip.

"Bu... but... you were acting so strangely last night... after." Janet watched Rachel's body quiver ever so slightly. She wasn't sure how to react.

Rachel looked back at Janet and with a teasing tone said, "You'd be a mess too if you had felt what I had." Her eyes flashed a hint of mischievousness.

"So... it was so good you decided to become a nudist?" Janet still didn't know what to make of any of this. She never should have used Rachel as a guinea pig. There was something wrong with her program. She didn't intend for things to turn out this way, to turn so extreme.

Rachel looked down at her nudity, chuckling nervously. "Uh yeah... sorry about that. I was just uh..." she began, not sure of how to explain her current state of non-attire. "You know what, maybe I should just start at the beginning."

"Can you... maybe... put some clothes on first?" Janet said, blushing. She did her best to look anywhere but Rachel's body, now that it was the focus of conversation.

Rachel agreed, and a few minutes later the two met on the couch.

Rachel began going over the events since last night, not giving Janet a single moment to interrupt. She explained her splotchy memories leading up to her sleeping. She went over her events in the shower with less detail, and her attempts to do school work and chores. She reluctantly even explained why she was naked when Janet came home. "I even tried finding your tablet so I can try using it on myself, but you keep the damn thing locked. Though, at least your password isn't 'password.'"

Once Rachel had finished, Janet finally spoke up. "This isn't normal, Rachel! All you just told me about, how could..." her eyes pleaded with Rachel to understand reason. "The program must have done something, there has to be something wrong. What you felt last night, it wasn't supposed to happen like that!"

"Okay, so tell me," Rachel interrupted, "what exactly did you say to me last night? 'Cuz you certainly didn't let me remember."

Janet looked down, her mind trying to recall her exact words. "I just said that tonight you will feel incredible pleasure when you go to brush your teeth. That's it. So clearly, given your reaction, something is-" Janet was silenced as Rachel covered her mouth with a finger.

"Huh... guess I'm glad I didn't try using the toothbrush in the trash this morning," Rachel said, more to herself than to Janet. "Okay, so... what if it's not about the program being broken or the intensity of the orgasm which, again, fucking amazing." She paused, cheeks flushing. "Maybe it's because I... liked the control you had over me."

Janet was dumbfounded. That made no sense at all. As long as she knew Rachel, she had never shown signs of being... no, this still didn't add up. "Well what about today? That doesn't explain how you said you acted today."

"I don't know, I think it does. First of all, try functioning normally a day after experiencing what I did. Good luck. Secondly... I think I just realized it's not the same when I try to... you know... by myself. Like I've been eating frozen pizza for years, and you offer me a gourmet one fresh from the oven. I'm sure if you had been there to order me..." she placed a hand on Janet's shoulder.

"Wh...what about how you acted the first time I did something to you... you were..." Janet was squirming at Rachel's touch, still choosing not to believe in her. There's no way the Rachel she knew would be like this. It had to be the program. She was so sure of it.

Rachel scoffed. "Sure, I was mad at you for a time, but only because I was scared, and also because you lied to me about it. I got over it, now you need to as well."

"You're only over it because of me! I told you to not be bothered by the changes I made to you! This is all my fault, just let me undo it!" Janet exclaimed, raising her voice. Tears began to form in her eyes. She didn't want to force Rachel under again, but if the girl refused to listen to-

The first thing Janet noticed was the ringing in her left ear. Slowly, a burning pain spread across her cheek. She brought her hand up to cover the skin, her jaw opening and closing as she turned back to Rachel, more tears in her eyes.

"Will you cut this guilty conscious crap out already? I know what you told me that day, because you didn't tell me to forget. Or did you use the program on yourself to make you forget? You talked a bit, but your only actual command was that I 'wouldn't be bothered or concerned by what you had done,'" Rachel ranted, with a mocking tone at the end. "And guess what? I know myself, and I don't think I would have been bothered by it. Not if you didn't lie to me about it." She sighed. "You said, back then, you just wanted me to understand why you did what you did. So now I'm asking you to understand what I'm telling you. You owe me that much."

Janet didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if she could trust her friend. How could she tell which part of Rachel was her, and which was a result of Janet's meddling? She tried to think back on what she said at the time. If Rachel is right, and that's the only command she gave...

"Okay... I believe you Rachel..." Janet said, uncertainty still in her voice.

"About damn time. I was afraid I was going to have to slap you again." Janet flinched. "Kidding! I'm kidding. And also sorry for that. Come here." Rachel held out her hands, gesturing to Janet to come closer. The two shared a warm embrace, Janet's face nestling Rachel's neck, her tears staining Rachel's shirt.

After a short time, Janet pulled away, looking Rachel in the eyes. "You said this was about you wanting me to control you.. I didn't know you were a lesbian."

Rachel laughed, "I'm sorry, I don't recall you being in the room while I fucked my hand with a toothbrush in my mouth. That doesn't make me a lesbian. But hey, if being a lesbian meant I could feel that good again, I don't think I'd care."