[A/N: I need to practice my dynamic between these three before I start a full length version of an idea I've been boucning around with. So Technically this is practice. A lot of practice.]
The office was stuffy and almost unbearable, a constant side-effect of a mom and pop coffee shop in the middle of a college campus. It was hot, a small desk fan blowing even hotter air into the gingers face as a thin line of sweat moved across her brow.
Chloe Beale tapped the blunt edge of her pen against the computer paper that she stared down at with ease, biting the inside of her lip. She hated this part of opening and hated this part of closing even more- the damn money. She hated the way the bills curled under the heat, the way the old paper smelled, and the metal coins weighed the bank bag down.
She leaned back in her chair, raising both hands to her hair as she ran them through the fire-filled mess. Her eyes were closed- heart pounding against her wrist. This was the first quiet moment she's had in the last 18 hours, still seething over the half-paid employee who had called out last minute, making her pull a double.
"Boss," A three toned knock sounded at the door, electing a rough moan from Chloe's throat.
"You're one too," She stated, not turning to face Beca, she pointed the edge of the pen everywhere "The cash cabinet is open."
"Right, because I need to steal about 500 from that giant stack of money you have over there."
This edged a deep glare as Beca shut the door behind her, she was the only other person in the shop at the moment, having been cleaning the damned cappuccino machine in her usual meticulous way. "Listen, we have a customer."
"Beca!" Chloe yelped, spinning in her chair.
"Relax, I told her that I needed to get more half-and-half." She waved her hand wildly in front of her face with a slacked expression. "It is her, you know."
This made Chloe still, her face dropping softly. Of course, it was her, the two women standing in the crowded office had seen the same blonde haired woman every single day at least twice a day. Once in the morning, once when they were switching shifts, and once at night. It was usually staggered- neither getting a chance to talk to her for more than five minutes. Both pining hard for the young woman.
"Right, and how exactly do we do this?" Chloe cocked an eyebrow, biting the inside of her lip.
"Normally," Beca shrugged.
"Okay, yeah" The redhead nodded hastily "hi, stranger, my name is Chloe and this is my girlfriend Beca. We both want to fuck you, isn't this nice weather we're having?"
Beca rolled her eyes with great conviction, pressing her back against the door as she tucked her hands behind her. She was nervous too, not lashing out from lack of sleep, but very nervous nonetheless.
"Point taken," She balanced her bottom lip between her teeth. "How about we start with asking her why she's always here, you know? The girl must not sleep."
"How about we start with half-and-half?" Chloe chuckled, staring adoringly at her girlfriend. Her very fidgety girlfriend who had first brought up the idea of the woman a few weeks earlier, fully expecting Chloe to shoot her down; she didn't- instead she welcomed the offer, finding herself with a weird feeling every time the blonde entered the room.
"Shit," She breathed in, clumsily reaching for the door as she whipped it open, taking in the cool air that suddenly hit her "I would fire myself at this point." She mumbled as Chloe barked out a laugh behind her.
Aubrey Posen was leaning heavily against the counter, a look of stress creasing those gorgeous Irish eyes of hers- even if they were downcast by the smooth iPhone in her hands. Her nose scrunched up in a way that seemed adorable. Everything about her was tense, and she had deep circles under her eyes; but still, she plastered an award-winning smile on her face as soon as the two girls walked into view.
"Hi!" Beca smirked, "Sorry about that,"
"No worries," The woman clicked the edge of her device before shoving it into her back pocket, giving the two women all of her attention. "Did you find what you needed?"
"I uh-"The tiny brunette stumbled over her words, realizing her hands were empty, and in fact didn't' contain the creamer that she had promised to rummage for. Instead she heard the muffled response from her girlfriend who had her head shoved in the fridge behind them.
"Oh!" Chloe spoke, "Would you look at that, hey Becs, there was half-and-half in here all along."
"huh," She laughed slightly, not taking her intense stare away from the woman who stood in front of them, clearly in some type of rift. She recognized the odd shift in pressure in the room. "Wow, I'm forever oblivious. I'll have that coffee up right away."
"The usual, right?" Chloe asked, leaning heavily against the counter next to the smaller woman. She knit her eyebrows together her fingers close to meeting Beca's. The girl was filled to the brink with anxiety about the situation. "You can sit if you want,"
Aubrey drew in a slight breath, she glanced at the door nervously, her jaw clenched. There were two gorgeous women in front of her- two women who she had seen more than once every single day. Every single day for the last semester she had pined over the brunette, her midnight eyes and broody personality were just light the dusky shift that she worked every day. She was pretty sure she had fallen for the younger woman. Well, she was until she saw Chloe.
Chloe who was bright like the morning sunshine, and bubbly like the little foam that collected on top of those white mugs. The woman had snuck a little bit of cinnamon onto every drink when Aubrey made an off-handed comment about how she missed being abroad where her father was stationed one year.
Both women made the blood rise to her cheeks and burn against her core- but she ignored it. Ignored it all because she simply didn't have the time. But now? Now in this empty coffee shop mere minutes before closing, she was offered a seat at the counter. A seat that she desperately needed to take; because damn did her legs ache, and her mind hiss.
"What brings you here so late?" Chloe asked, making Beca scoff and roll her eyes. The girl was always here this late- technically the two were supposed to close the doors at nine. They did, but Beca would always keep a look out for the blonde who wandered in a little past 9:30 PM.
"I have a late class," Aubrey said, blowing out a breath as Chloe busied herself with the woman's usual drink- Beca going silently back to wiping down the large metal machine that buzzed in the stark silence. "Law is not an easy major."
"Is that why you don't sleep?" Beca quickly regretted it as it left her mouth, turning around slightly to give a wide-eyed gaze to the girl. "I mean, not that you look like you don't sleep, I just-"
"It's fine," She laughed, holding up her hands as Chloe glowered through her bloodied hair. "I don't necessarily scream well rested, with the bags under my eyes and all."
Beca let out that long breath that she had collected in her chest like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. "So you don't sleep, then?"
"I get a few hours every night," She swallowed, nodding towards Chloe as she slid the mug against the counter- making the usual to-go drink for a longer stay. "Thank you."
"Sure," Chloe nodded, she started to round the corner, flicking off one of the main lights- it made the overhead ones staggered- the eerie calm before a final closing as Beca shut off the main machines, leaving them in stark silence other than the taller woman grabbed a few muffins from the bottom shelf.
Aubrey knit her eyebrows together as she tossed one to the blonde, who caught it with ease. She knit her eyebrows together. Staring down at the food that was in her hands with curiosity. She didn't give much pause as Chloe slid into the bar stool next to hers.
"It's on the house," She explained, digging into her own pastry. It was filled with chocolate chips- edged to the brink with sweetness. "So why don't you sleep? Other than the copious amounts of caffeine rushing through your body."
"Is this an intervention?"
"What?" Beca laughed nervously. Awkwardly. "No, nope."
Chloe shook her head in disbelief at her girlfriend's antics. She buried her face in her muffin, words becoming muffled and slight as she swallowed mouthfuls of sweet pastry. "I'm going to shut up now."
"Wait, is it?" She widened those bold forest eyes, darting them between the two girls. "Oh my god, it is. I barely know you two and this is an MTV style intervention."
She let out a thick sigh as she pressed both of her hands to her hairline, staring down at the untouched food in front of her- strands of rough hair clouding her stare. Chloe went right into mother-mode, wrapping one arm around the girl as she rubbed little circles on her back with comfort. Beca gritted her teeth- clearly craving that level of touch from both women.
"Oh, sweetie, we didn't mean to-"
"No, no I'm glad you said something," She said, looking up with a brink of tears in her eyes. "I mean, if you guys notice it, then maybe it's time that I start? I've just been… so busy that I've been going through the motions of life and- God, living off your coffee." She widened her eyes, turning towards Chloe "which is really good by the way."
She looked towards Beca "And yours too!" She drew in a sharp breath, "Everything is so damn hectic, with LSAT's coming up I've just been struggling so much. Now the two smoking hot girls from the coffee shop notice I need more sleep before I do-"
Beca used a tactic she usually did with Chloe when the girl spiraled. It was simple and clean, her fingers wrapping around the woman's, squeezing a certain pressure point until she stalled in her speech- staring up at those damned midnight eyes. "Hey," She said, "It's alright, take your time."
She took a steadying breath. "I haven't slept in almost two months. Not completely." She spoke, gauging the caring stares that she felt between the two. "And you guys, are… you're just really great. That's the reason I keep coming back here, I mean, I could make my own coffee but I don't' want to, because…"
Chloe cocked her head to the side, as the girl continued.
"It's stupid, I know it's stupid. But I don't really like coffee, I like hot chocolate, but it takes you guys longer to make the coffee so I always order it."
Chloe used her other hand to slowly push the untouched mug away from the girl- gently like slowly taking away a touch of food from a starving animal. She drew in a careful breath.
"Which is really dumb because you two are together." She finally finished, flashing her gaze between the stranger that held her and the one that hugged her close. "I can see the way you look at each other. I'm just some random person who orders way too much coffee. And is technically a zombie."
Beca smiled sweetly at that, pushing out a breath. "Have you noticed the way we look at you?"
"You're not just some random girl," Chloe spoke softly "You don't think we question every customer like this on their drinking habits, do you?"
"But you're-"
"We like you," Beca interjected, "That's all that matters."
"You?" The words came out in a whisper as she noticed how close Chloe was, the scent of her strawberry shampoo, and mint gum that she had devoured a few minutes earlier. It was cooling and soft altogether.
The way that Beca ran her thumb lovingly over her hand with a few worried glances that were peppered with emotion and lust all at once- the whispered heat that continued to press against he cheeks.
Chloe closed the distance between them, pressing her touch so tenderly against the woman. She tasted of coffee, and dear god, Aubrey melted so easily into the embrace, tightening her touch against the brunette in a way that could only be described as greedy- but right.
The blonde let out a groan, one that wasn't caring, but a hot and fierce, passionate one. It made Beca ache, ache for that very same touch that she had just witnessed between her girlfriend the stranger that had part of her heart in a little box already.
Aubrey must have noticed that because her stare flicked towards Beca, having pulled apart as Chloe panted, her forehead still balancing against the blondes. She lifted her chin slightly- a nod of approval or something more- but it didn't take long for the older woman to pull Beca closer.
Beca was slow and soft with her movements, stomach pressing against the edge of the counter as her ribs began to fall sore. She didn't care though, because the world fell away at the instant touch, the moment their lips met and she could taste Chloe- but feel Aubrey, it was everything.
Aubrey let out yet another gasp as the forcefulness behind it all- used to initiating the touch in the first place- but she crumbled so firmly under both girls pull. She craved more; more than just this, but perfectly content.
"Whoa," She whispered, gravelly as she kept her eyes closed, Beca relaxing her touch away from the woman's jaw as she pulled back- happy with the dazed look she had provoked in Aubrey's stare. "That was…"
"Sorry if we're a bit forward." Chloe went back to her muffin, like nothing had happened- a lazy grin on her face. "You are just really captivating."
"And really tired." Beca started, the woman in front of them still blinking. "You should get some sleep, Aubrey."
"I don't," She trailed off, "I don't think I can sleep after that."