A/N: Something I wrote while waiting to meet someone at a BBQ joint. This ends up being more of a friendship thing, although it could be seen as a date as there is food involved. It doesn't really go anywhere. I'm just trying to get back into writing fanfic again.
"Oh my god! You've been in the south for how long and you've never had barbecue?"
They'd been sitting in the grass in the quad studying. Beca had been reluctant at first and had only agreed when Chloe suggested she bring her laptop. The laptop had been placed aside soon after they'd settled on the grass and Beca had found out Chloe's version of studying included people watching, talking and very little actual studying.
"Well, to be fair I've only been here for like 6 months and it wasn't exactly high up on my list of things to do." The look of shock on Chloe's face was enough to make Beca crack a smile.
"Next you'll be telling me that you've never had sweet tea or grits either!"
"I plead the fifth."
"Well then it's settled, you need a southern food education! and I'll be your teacher."
"Whatever you say, Ms. Beale."
Chloe grabbed Beca by the hand and dragged her up from the spot on the grass where'd they had been working.
"Well I say we're starting right now."
"Can I at least pack my stuff up?"
Chloe relinquished her hold on Beca with a slightly disappointed pout.
"I guess." Chloe let out a dramatic sigh. "But then I'm taking you out to get some real southern food."
After Beca and Chloe's belongings were safely stashed in her dorm room, Chloe drove the two of them to a run down shack a couple of miles off campus.
"This place has the best ribs. Mmm I love how you can just smell it."
Beca looked hesitantly at the shack. "This place looks sketchy as hell."
"Well so do you but you don't see me judging you based on that."
Upon enter the restaurant, Beca and Chloe were greeted by a woman with an extremely pronounced southern accent. "Now is it just the two of y'all?"
"Yes ma'am. " Chloe responded smiling at the lady. "It's my friend's first time eating barbecue."
The older woman gave Beca a once over. "Well bless your heart. You ain't from around here are you?"
"No. I'm from Maine." Beca replied.
"Ain't that where all them lobsters come from?" The women asked as she showed them to a table covered in a plastic, red and white gingham tablecloth.
"Ummm. Yeah I guess." Beca slid onto the bench seat across from Chloe who looked thoroughly amused by the conversation.
"Well we don't have none of that here. But we've got the best pork ribs this side of Georgia." The women handed them their menus. "And we've got fresh homemade peach cobbler for dessert too so you'd best save some room."
With that, the women took their drink orders, Chloe ordering them both sweet tea and left them to look at the menus.
"I've never seen so much pork on one menu in my life." Beca said looking at the numerous options on the menu.
"Just order the ribs. Trust me you won't regret it." Chloe smiled at Beca from across the table as the waitress returned with their sweet teas.
"Cute." Beca smirked. The sweet tea had been served to them in mason jars.
"Southern." Chloe replied taking a sip of her drink. She nearly burst out laughing however, when she saw Beca's face after taking a sip of her own drink.
"God, that is way too sweet." Beca had scrunched her face up and pushed the mason jar away from her.
"You would've thought the name implied that." Chloe chuckled at Beca's glare.
"Well yeah, but I was expecting something more along the lines of normal tea with one or two sugars added it to it. Not something that tastes more like syrup." Beca replied as their food arrived. "That is a lot of meat."
Beca had ordered a whole rack of ribs, not quite understanding what that had meant. Now that the plate of food had arrived, along with a basket of corn bread, she wasn't sure how she was actually suppose to eat it. She started to pick up a fork and knife to saw off chunks of the meet when Chloe stopped her.
"No, no ,no." Chloe chided. "Haven't you ever even seen anyone eat ribs? Surely if not in real life than in the movies?"
"I don't watch movies. And I was unaware that there was a right and a wrong way to eat something." She let go of the fork and knife and gestured to her plate. "By all mean Ms. Beale, educate me."
Chloe did not let the sarcasm in Beca's voice deter her. He reached across the table and cut one of the ribs off the rack. Clearing her throat she put on her best scholarly voice.
"Now as you can see, the proper way to remove a rib is to cut between the bones. Not to saw chunks of the meat off while they are all connected." She gave Beca a pointed look. "Then you take the separated rib by the ends, note how the bone makes an excellent handle, and you just dig in."
Chloe proceeded to do just that while Beca rolled her eyes. Never the less, Beca followed Chloe's instructions and was chewing on her first rib in no time.
"Gods, Chloe this is really good." Beca nearly moan in between bites.
"I'm glad you like it." Chloe smiled. She started to lean across the table and Beca froze. "Hold still."
"Wha?" Beca stopped mid-bite. Chloe raised her hand and ran her thumb across Beca's cheek. Beca could feel her cheeks grow warm as Chloe sat back down across from her and licked her thumb. Beca swallowed.
"You had a smear of sauce." Chloe replied returning to her own food.
"Oh." Beca said quietly as the waitress from earlier returned.
"Did y'all save room for dessert?" She asked.