AN: In this AU story, Stacie and Aubrey are the same age and in the same year of college.

Aubrey hated taking online classes. She liked being face to face with the teacher. She liked raising her hand and being called on. She liked learning material and online classes seemed like a joke. Random assignments to discuss things with her peers on an online message board wasn't really her thing.

But she needed to take this required course and the only one available was in direct conflict with another class. She had to opt for the online version. Part of the requirements of the course was to post once a week about your views on a controversial topic. You were also required every week to respond to at least three of the posts made by other students in the class.

Aubrey was appalled by the level of writing on some of these posts. Weren't these people supposed to be college students? She's pretty sure you shouldn't be using "lol" and no punctuation for something that is to be graded. Or just out there in general. Once she got past the grammatical errors and lack of punctuation, she was also disappointed in the content. People were either playing it way too safe (she didn't think saying you were pro "making the environment a better place" was exactly controversial) or were being completely ignorant.

One post on the first week really pissed her off though. Some person wrote that while he doesn't exactly mind gay people, he doesn't think they should be able to get married. Marriage is a sacred entity between a man and a woman. Aubrey shook her head while reading, she couldn't believe people thought this way. While Aubrey was straight, her very best friend was bi and had been dating a girl for months now. Aubrey could never imagine her not being able to marry someone she loves.

She was about to click the post and try to think of some educated and witty way to reply when a notification popped below saying there was one new reply. It was quite lengthy which Aubrey was surprised about because the original post had not even been up for 20 minutes yet. Aubrey read over the reply and found herself smiling. The reply was biting. It was factual and smart but also in a very clever way, calling the poster out on being a moron without actually saying it.

Aubrey went to the top of the post to see who had written it. Stacie Conrad.

Aubrey found herself typing a reply as well, geared more towards Stacie's post than the original. She agreed with her points and added her own personal comments. Stacie seemed passionate about the issue and Aubrey wondered if she was a lesbian. It didn't matter to her, though. Maybe Stacie would see her post and wonder if she was a lesbian too.

Aubrey wrote that week about being pro-choice. She knew it was a really heated issue for her first post but she was never really shy about her opinions or views. When she checked the post a while later, someone had written back disagreeing with her. It didn't bother Aubrey to have someone disagree with her but she'd appreciate it if they could back up their belief with anything substantial. This person didn't.

She chose not to respond right away so that other people had an opportunity. When she checked again, she saw that Stacie had written back on her post. She felt her nerves spike just slightly while she wondered which side of the issue she was on. She felt a little dumb about it but she and Stacie had already agreed on one issue and Aubrey liked that. This girl seemed smart and she didn't want to be secretly judged by her even if she didn't know her.

Stacie did agree with her, though. Not only that, but she took a few things the first person who commented said and threw it back in her face as completely unsubstantiated nonsense. Aubrey didn't know how Stacie managed to be so professionally biting in her responses when Aubrey just felt like replying, 'you shouldn't be allowed to speak because you're an idiot.'

This went on for a few weeks. Aubrey found that she would seek out Stacie's responses and also reply to those topics. It seemed that Stacie was always replying to topics she had as well. Aubrey didn't know if it was a coincidence or not but she liked it.

In the message board, there's an ability to private message (PM) someone. Aubrey hadn't paid attention to it before but when she logged sometime during the last week of class, she noticed she had a notification. She checked her inbox and her stomach did a little flip when she saw it was from Stacie. She's not sure why her stomach did that, she just knew that this girl was the only other person in the class who seemed educated and that was nice.

PM from Stacie Conrad:

God, the people in this class are so dumb. I feel like I actually lost brain cells just taking part in some of these conversations. Thanks for being the only intelligent person here. I might have gone insane if I had to take on some of these battles on my own.

xo Stacie

Aubrey smiled a little to herself. She was glad she wasn't the only one to feel like that. She wrote a quick message back to her and was surprised when a few short minutes later, there was another message in her inbox. They exchanged a few messages that day. Aubrey really debated asking her if she wanted to get coffee some time but she didn't want Stacie to think it was weird. Or to think Aubrey was asking her out.

The class was frustratingly stupid but Aubrey was kind of sad when it ended. She looked forward to reading Stacie's posts and replies. Maybe if she ever got up the nerve, she could look Stacie up on the student directory and contact her. Yeah, because that wouldn't be creepy, Aubrey thought to herself.

Aubrey always loved the first week of classes. It was a little overwhelming to get into the swing of things and she always had a mini panic attack when she read the syllabi for her classes but it was still exciting. She loved her organized book bag with brand new folders and notebooks and pens. She loved the idea of a fresh start and that's exactly what this spring semester was.

She got to her first class of the week a little early to choose the perfect spot. She was happy that now that her prerequisite courses were done, she would not have to endure any more lecture halls with 200+ students.

She walked into the room and was surprised to see that someone was already there. She was sitting in the back, to the side. Based on her profile, she was stunningly beautiful - so beautiful that Aubrey could only name the feeling in her stomach as slight jealousy of how effortlessly flawless she looked. The girl was engrossed in a book she was reading and didn't notice Aubrey enter.

Aubrey made her way more towards the front of the room. She wouldn't sit in the front few rows but she liked being in the middle. The girl looked up as Aubrey walked by and gave her a smile. Aubrey returned the smile without even thinking about it because the other girl's smile was infectious.

Aubrey settled in and got out her notebook and the syllabus for the class to review it, even though she knew the teacher would go over it with them when class started. Other students trickled in until there wasn't really any empty desk in the room. Finally, the professor walked in and to the front of the room. She was middle aged and had a stern look about her but Aubrey liked that because it usually meant they were no-nonsense and that's how Aubrey liked to treat her academics.

"Welcome, welcome. I trust you're all here for Statistics 5511." A short pause followed to give space for anyone who found themselves in the wrong class to leave. "My name is Professor Mitchell. I hope no one had trouble purchasing the course materials. If you looked over the syllabus, you can see that a portion of your grade is based on your attendance. A fundamental aspect of this course is participation, and to participate you have to show up. So please bear with me as I call out attendance. I apologize in advance if I mispronounce your name."

Aubrey began doodling on the side of her paper as the professor started calling out names. She was paying just enough attention so she didn't miss her own name but was surprised when another familiar name was called out.

"Stacie Conrad." Aubrey's head shot up and she look around the room until she heard "here." Aubrey turned her head towards the voice, her pulse had picked up. She froze for a second when she realized it was the girl she saw right when she entered the room. The amazingly gorgeous brunette was Stacie - the girl she spent all last semester indirectly communicating with. Stacie caught her eye and smiled at her and Aubrey realized she was staring so she turned her head quickly.

She was mad Stacie was behind her because she couldn't look to see if Stacie recognized her name as it was being called out. She found herself slightly distracted for the rest of the class period, trying to decide if there was a way for her to approach Stacie without seeming weird.

She was packing up her things to leave a little slowly so she wouldn't have to walk by the brunette on her way out the door. She was leaning over to put something in her bag.

"Aubrey." The blonde looked up and Stacie was there, smiling that smile that made Aubrey's mouth turn up. "This is so crazy."

"I know! What a random coincidence."

"Are you doing anything right now?"

Aubrey was a little surprised at the question. She shook her head. "This is my only class today."

"Mine too. Do you want to get coffee or something?"

"Sure, yeah. That sounds good." Aubrey smiled, relieved that Stacie had been the one to ask to hang out.

There was a cafe right around the corner from where they were on campus so it only took a couple minutes to get there. They both ordered and found a table.

"I'm actually really glad this happened. I kind of wanted to ask you to get coffee last semester," Stacie said, smiling. "But I didn't know if it would be too creepy."

Aubrey laughed. "Me too!"

Thus began their weekly coffee dates, though neither would have called it a date to the other's face. Sometimes they worked on their assignments or reading from their classes, but mostly they talked. They talked about everything it seemed. They never talked about relationships though. Aubrey still didn't know if Stacie was straight or not, and she had no idea if she was in a relationship. Not that it mattered, of course.

They texted a lot too but they never hung out besides their coffee date. Maybe it never occurred to them.

On one coffee date late in the semester, each girl was feeling the impact of the semester drawing to a close. They liked their coffee dates and each wondered on their own what was going to happen when the semester ended and they no longer had a class together.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" Stacie asked nonchalantly over her textbook.

Aubrey looked up. She thought for a second and shook her head.

"So, this might be weird and don't feel bad saying no if it is but my family has a lake house and they're forcing me along this weekend and I might die if I have to go alone. I was wondering if you wanted to get away this weekend? School is stressing you out, I can tell."

Aubrey's stomach tightened while her mind went frantic. "That sounds really fun, I'll definitely go," Aubrey blurted before she had a chance to overthink it.

"Yay! This will be so much better with you there." Stacie smiled and Aubrey's stomach filled with butterflies.

It took Aubrey way too long to pack. It was a 3 day weekend but she wanted several outfits for every day. She had to force herself to limit it. She had the hardest time choosing what swimsuits to bring. She ended up throwing several different ones in and decided she'd pick once she saw what Stacie was wearing.

Aubrey was really confused about her feelings for Stacie. She always thought of herself as straight. She knew finding Stacie attractive didn't mean she had those kind of feelings for her but there were other signs she couldn't ignore. She thought about Stacie all the time. She got sort of nervous around her and her stomach did weird things. One of the biggest red flags to her was that she really wanted Stacie to like her, not just as a friend. She wanted Stacie to want her – but she wasn't the type of girl who usually needed the attention of someone just to have it. She must want it for a reason.

She still had absolutely no idea if Stacie was even into girls at all. Nothing she has said so far has indicated anything either way.

Aubrey grabbed her bag and went down to where Stacie's car was waiting to drive them to the lake. Stacie hopped out of the car and Aubrey was surprised when she gave her a hug. Stacie was in short shorts and a tank top. Her hair was down and messy gorgeous. Her sunglasses finished off her look.

The lake was about 2 hours away and they spent that time talking and listening to music. Stacie mostly talked about her family and what Aubrey could expect over the weekend. Aubrey was a bit nervous to be around so many new people. Especially people that she wanted to like her.

As they settled into the drive, Stacie turned up the music and began singing along. Aubrey smiled listening to her voice. She was a really good singer. Aubrey was content with just listening to her but Stacie poked her in the side and told her to start singing. Aubrey laughed and joined in.

When Stacie said they were going to a lake house, Aubrey imagined a tiny shack by a lake. She's not sure why, she's never been to a lake house before. The house was beautiful. It was small and perfectly cozy. The majority of the back of the house was all windows that overlooked the lake. Aubrey looked out and saw a boat tied to their dock and a few jet skis. Aubrey got excited. She's always wanted to use a jet ski.

Aubrey was briefly introduced to Stacie's parents and her aunt before Stacie grabbed her arm and led her away. She brought them into a room.

"This is where we're staying," Stacie said. Aubrey looked at the one bed in the room and her stomach knotted. "I hope you don't mind sleeping with me." Stacie winked.

Aubrey forced out a little laugh.

"Want to go on the boat?" Stacie asked.

Aubrey nodded. Stacie stripped off her shirt to reveal that she was already wearing her swimsuit. Aubrey's face flushed as she took in all the exposed skin she had never seen of Stacie's before. Yeah, she admitted to herself, this is going to be a problem.

Aubrey decided to wear her most revealing swimsuit because she knew she looked good in it and if Stacie was into girls at all, hopefully she wouldn't be able to resist her. When she walked back into the room after changing, she saw Stacie's jaw drop slightly. Aubrey pretended innocence as she quirked an eyebrow at her.

"That swimsuit is just, um, it's super cute. Where did you get it?" Aubrey smirked to herself at Stacie's obvious attempt to cover up that she was checking her out.

Aubrey answered while putting her coverup on over the swimsuit. They made their way down to the boat and got in. Aubrey was surprised with the ease and comfort Stacie had operating the boat. She picked up speed and circled them around the lake.

Aubrey closed her eyes and felt the wind in her hair and the light mist of the water on her face. When she opened her eyes again, Stacie was staring at her. "What?" Aubrey asked.

"You just look more relaxed than I've ever seen you. I like it."

Aubrey blushed. "I love being by water."

"Me too." Stacie grinned.

She stopped the boat in the middle of the lake and let them float there for a bit. They both leaned back in their chairs and looked up at the sky. They started calling out things they could see in the shapes of the clouds, which ended up with them laughing so hard.

That evening Aubrey sat nervously around a dinner table with Stacie's family, including a few cousins she hadn't met. One of her cousins, a guy a few years older than them, kept staring at her and it made her uncomfortable. She was glad Stacie stayed by her.

"So, Aubrey, how long have you and Stacie been friends?" Stacie's mom asked, smiling politely. Aubrey wasn't sure if she was hearing things but she could swear she put a weird emphasis on the word friends.

"Well, we spoke a lot over our online course last semester but it wasn't until this semester that we really became friends."

Her mother went on to ask questions about what Aubrey was pursuing in college and even threw in some questions about Aubrey's family. Aubrey couldn't help but feel like she was being tested in some weird way.

As Stacie's parents got up to clear the table, Stacie leaned over. "Don't mind her, she's super nosy." Aubrey just laughed it off. She still felt the whole interaction was slightly weird but it didn't matter.

They spent the rest of the night hanging around outside by a bonfire that Stacie's dad had built. Aubrey noticed that Stacie's dad was a man of few words but he seemed nice. And Stacie seemed like a daddy's girl.

Stacie and Aubrey got ready for bed and Aubrey noticed that Stacie wore a tank top and short athletic shorts. Aubrey wore something similar but her shorts were more loose and longer.

They crawled into the full size bed which was just barely big enough for them to lay without touching. It took a few minutes for Aubrey's eyes to adjust to the dark. They could hear music from outside as a few of her cousins were staying up later.

Stacie turned to face Aubrey at the same time Aubrey turned to face her. They were close enough that Aubrey could smell the mint from Stacie's toothpaste.

"Did you have fun today?" Stacie asked.

"Lots of fun. I love it here."

Stacie grinned. "Me too. And I love having you here."

Aubrey felt her stomach do a little flip.

"I have a question," Stacie said, her voice low.

"Okay." Aubrey took a deep breath, unsure of anywhere this was heading.

"Have you ever kissed a girl before?"

Aubrey's eyes widened a little in surprise. It took her a few seconds to get over the initial shock of the question but she finally shook her head slowly. "No." And in a smaller voice, "Have you?"

"No." Stacie's eyes flickered for the briefest of seconds to Aubrey's lips. "But I've always wanted to."

"Oh?" It was all Aubrey managed to get out. Her mouth became dry and her stomach was tense.

"Would you ever?" Stacie was staring at her in such a way that it made it hard for Aubrey to look away.

"If I found myself liking a girl, I imagine I'd want to kiss them." It was kind of a non-answer.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Aubrey nodded and Stacie inched a little closer. "I've been wondering for awhile what it would be like to kiss you."

Aubrey slowly let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Really?"

Stacie leaned her head in a little closer. "Can I?" she whispered.

Aubrey slowly nodded. Stacie closed the small distance between them and place her lips lightly on Aubrey's. Aubrey wondered if Stacie could feel her lip quivering.

She closed her eyes and melted into the kiss. Her desire must have overcome the rational side of her brain because before she could think about anything, her tongue was gliding over Stacie's bottom lip.

It seemed that Stacie took that as a green flag because she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, her tongue exploring Aubrey's mouth.

When they separated, they were both flushed and breathing a little heavier than before. They remained close. Aubrey's eyes slowly opened as Stacie's did and she saw a small smile playing at her lips.

Aubrey was ready to throw caution to the wind. The damage, if that's what it was, was done already.

"Can we do that again?" She barely had a chance to get the question out before Stacie's lips were on hers once more.