Neither of them were sure how or when it started. There were casual glances and gentle touches but it wasn't expected to evolve into a full blown friends with benefits situation. When the tension got too much and a few of the other Bellas started to notice, Stacie and Aubrey had to confront their feelings for each other.
"Listen, Stace. I know how it feels to be in love with your straight best friend. You should go for it. See if she's into you and if she's not, you always have my shoulder to cry on." Cynthia Rose had pulled Stacie to the side after one of their rehearsals. Everyone could tell the blonde and brunette were into each other. Their eye fucking was extremely obvious.
"Thanks, Cynthia, but I'm not gay." Stacie insisted.
Cynthia threw her hands up in exasperation. "Whatever, dude."
Stacie returned to rehearsal. She didn't seem to notice the way she put an extra swing in her hips or the way her hand subconsciously drifted to her crotch when Aubrey was singing, but Aubrey sure did. The blonde was struggling to keep her voice from cracking as she watched the way Stacie's shorts clung to her toned thighs. The rest of rehearsal flew by. The girls went home and soon only Stacie and Aubrey were left in the room.
"Aubrey, can I talk to you?" Stacie tilted her head. The blonde tried to avoid eye contact.
"Yeah, sure. Make it quick though."
Stacie slowly drew in her breath and decided to just say what was on her mind. She was never good at subtlety. "Aubrey, I can see the way you look at me during rehearsals and I kind of wondered if you maybe had a thing for me?"
Aubrey was speechless for a few seconds. Her mouth tried and failed to form words as her mind computed what Stacie had just suggested.
"No offense, Stacie, but I don't like girls." Aubrey was hoping that was going to be the end of the conversation, but the taller girl had other plans.
"I'm not gay either. But maybe you're the exception to my vagina." The vulgar word somehow seemed endearing coming from Stacie's beautiful mouth.
Aubrey shook her head. "I cannot believe you're implying that I like you."
"Okay, suppose I'm wrong. Are you so repulsed at the thought of fucking me?" Stacie was slightly offended. Every guy she had ever encountered had wanted to sleep with her. She didn't necessarily want to sleep with all of them. She had earned the reputation of being easy, so she felt like she had to go along with it. With Aubrey it was different. She wasn't repulsed by the thought of the blonde sexualizing her. If she was being completely honest with herself, Aubrey's gorgeous face had popped into her head on a few lonely nights.
Stacie was so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the tears streaming down Aubrey's face.
"Stace, we should probably finish this conversation in my dorm."
Stacie had never seen Aubrey cry. She was a born leader and very stubborn. She wouldn't dare let herself cry in front of her friends. Now, here she was sobbing in front of the first girl she ever let herself love.
Stacie sat hesitantly on Aubrey's bed. "Aubrey, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"
Aubrey took a breath to stabilize her shaking voice. "I never allowed myself to act on my thoughts. I've known for a while that I like girls, but I didn't want to. I wanted to be straight so badly. I dated boys to try and convince myself that maybe I just didn't find the right one yet. Then, I figured I just wasn't made for intimacy. I stood for hours in front of the mirror and told myself to just say the words… 'I'm gay'. I couldn't."
Aubrey paused and glanced at Stacie to gauge her reaction. Stacie's face was soft and reassured Aubrey to continue talking.
"Eventually I could say the words out loud, but I never told anyone. People would look at me differently. I didn't want that. I'm still the same person."
After a long pause, Stacie laid down on Aubrey's bed. She patted the mattress in front of her. "Come here."
Aubrey crawled into bed with the brunette. The cramped space allowed for Aubrey to feel every breath Stacie exhaled. Stacie gently laid her hand over Aubrey's waist and took the blonde's hand in her own.
"This doesn't change anything for me. You don't have to tell anyone else if you don't want to. I won't tell either. This can be our secret for now." Stacie squeezed Aubrey's hand.
Aubrey flipped over so she could look Stacie in the eyes. "You know, you were right about me staring at you. How could I not? You're so beautiful." Aubrey reached her hand out and pushed a strand of Stacie's hair behind her ear. She cupped her cheek as her eyes flicked back and forth between Stacie's lips and eyes. She wasn't sure which feature she wanted to focus on more.
"You can kiss me." Stacie whispered. She put her hand over Aubrey's and intertwined their fingers. "I won't bite unless you want me too." Stacie winked.
Aubrey laughed and put her right hand on the back of Stacie's head, pulling her in for a kiss. Aubrey's fingers tangled in Stacie's silky brunette locks and allowed her to pull her impossibly close. Stacie slipped her tongue into Aubrey's mouth and moaned. The tenderness of the kiss wasn't what Stacie was used to, but she was certainly enjoying it.
Aubrey pulled back from the kiss and let out a heavy sigh. "Oh my god. I have been wanting to do that forever."
Stacie smiled as she placed one last short kiss on Aubrey's soft lips. "Don't get too excited yet. I have a lot more to offer."
Aubrey's eyes widened as the current situation sunk into her brain. She was in bed, kissing Stacie Conrad and Stacie was promising her even more. 'Holy shit,' she thought.
Before Aubrey had time to overthink anything, Stacie was guiding her hand to her breast.
"You can touch if you want." Stacie winked. Something about her eyes was soft, submissive almost. Stacie was usually the dominant one in the relationship, but Aubrey brought out a different side of her. They were both exploring and discovering each other.
Aubrey hesitantly allowed herself to touch Stacie's breasts.
Stacie's hands covered the blonde's and she squeezed her fingers lightly. "You're shaking."
"Yeah, sorry." Aubrey blushed.
Stacie put her finger under Aubrey's chin and guided her up to her lips for another kiss. "It's okay. I just want you to be comfortable. I know how scary this is for you. I'm scared too."
The women were learning a lot about each other tonight. Confessions of crushes and relinquishment of control. Stacie was learning about herself too. She expected herself to feel nothing, but she was quite enjoying Aubrey's kisses and touches.
This was going to be a long night for both of them.