Chloe comes through to the kitchen of their new home, curious as to why the noise of unpacking has stopped suddenly. Aubrey's not one to half ass a task, so finding the majority of the crockery still boxed is puzzling to say the least. The back door is open, so Chloe heads in that direction, finding Aubrey sitting on the top step of their porch.
Their porch. They've lived together before. They were roommates at Barden and they've shared a couple of rented apartments since then, but this is the first home that's theirs. Thanks to the money Aubrey earned from the sale of The Lodge at Fallen Leaves, they are comfortably off enough to afford to buy a real house. It's not big or flashy, but it suits them just fine, and Chloe has so many plans to make memories here.
"Hey you," she murmurs, dragging a hand over Aubrey's shoulder as she passes her, going down the steps to stand in front of her girlfriend. "Slacking off already?"
Aubrey looks up at her wearing Chloe's favourite smile; the one that's completely and utterly genuine and prompted by something that actually makes her happy. Aubrey has an arsenal of smiles at her disposal, polite and practised smiles for every occasion. But this one is spontaneous and warm and beautiful and Chloe loves to see it. She quickly take her phone out and snaps a picture before Aubrey can complain about being sweaty or dirty.
"I'm just..." Aubrey shakes her head, laughing softly as Chloe shoves her phone back into her pocket. "I don't know. Overwhelmed?" She frowns and rushes to continue. "No, that sounds like it's a bad thing. Whatever it is, it's not a bad thing."
Chloe gets on her knees, leaning forward between Aubrey's legs, so close their noses are brushing against each other. "Do you think this thing you're feeling could be...happiness? Maybe?" Chloe's voice is teasing, but not unkind.
She sees the muscles in Aubrey's cheeks twitch as she smiles, and then their lips are touching. It's barely a kiss, more of a promise of one.
"That doesn't feel like it's a big enough word," Aubrey whispers against her mouth. Chloe knows exactly what she means. Aubrey's arms gently encircle her waist, her face dropping to Chloe's shoulder. Chloe wraps her own arms around Aubrey's shoulders, holding her tightly. She knows that Aubrey's choice of the word 'overwhelmed' probably wasn't the wrong one. She knows that strong emotions of any kind can throw Aubrey off kilter and leave her unsure of what to do or how to express herself. She rubs her hand up and down Aubrey's back.
"I know," she whispers in return, turning to press a kiss against Aubrey's ear. "It's a big day. But it's us. It's just us."
Aubrey nods, keeping her face pressed to Chloe's shoulder. Her hands slide under Chloe's t-shirt, splaying over the bare skin of her back, making her shiver. "For always."
Chloe's heart speeds up when she hears those words, her mind immediately going to the ring that's currently being kept safe at Beca and Jesse's apartment. There was no way that they'd have been able to move house without Aubrey stumbling across it; she's way too thorough. She'll let the dust settle on their relocation and then she'll ask the question she's wanted to ask for years.
"Yeah," she agrees, tightening her hold on Aubrey. "For always."