A/N: I own nothing...as usual! The title for this comes from the band Iron & Wine.
This fic is for the lovely Jack E. Peace, who never tells me anything is a bad idea and is pretty much the best cheerleader a fic writer can have. I thought you could use some cheering up and I hope that you like it.
Love and Some Verses
It had rained for three straight weekends and Aubrey was tired of being cooped up in the tiny apartment that she shared with her girlfriend and their new kitten, Muffins. They had only been in the city for a little over a month and with her job at the law firm and Chloe's at the school, most of their free time came on the weekends. They had plans to discover and explore the city, written down on napkins in coffee shops and in between clues on crossword puzzles, and it was getting infuriating to be sat indoors while the city moved below them like the rain was simply nothing. And yeah, they could have huddled together beneath an umbrella and soaked their shoes while walking through the park and sightseeing, but what fun was that? The city would still be there when the weather changed, but that didn't make the wait any more bearable.
But when Aubrey awoke to the sound of static blaring through the clock radio next to her bed bright and early on a Sunday morning, she couldn't help but think that this day was going to be a little different than all of the rest. She could sense it in her bones as she slammed her hand down on the snooze button and pushed Muffins away from the back of her head, where the tiny kitten had somehow managed to crawl behind during the night and curl into a tight little ball to keep warm. Aubrey had no idea how the rascal had even managed to get onto the bed while they both were asleep, but she wasn't about to think about it as she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. Chloe had picked her out and it wouldn't be all that surprising if the cat had super powers or odd quirks. It would just seem…predictable considering the source of her adoption.
And so, with her girlfriend and cat snoozing happily in the bed, she walked over to the window and peered out at the city below. While both of their salaries combined were enough to pay the bills and house them, it wasn't nearly enough to afford them the views that New York was famous for and so she stood facing the apartment building that was practically on top of their own. It was red brick and looming and any traces of sun were pretty much blocked out by its size, but she could still see the street below and that was enough. She looked down at the alley that was more like a crawlspace and couldn't help but smile when she didn't see a puddle on the concrete. There were no raindrops falling or mist rising in the air and she knew that today was going to be their day.
A day for exploring.
When Chloe awoke to the smell of fresh coffee wafting into the bedroom, she knew that something was up. She had always been in charge of making coffee in the mornings while Aubrey sat at the table and worked on her crossword puzzle. It had been a tradition that they had started way back at Barden and had brought with them to New York. But this morning was different and she wasn't hating the rich smell of roasted coffee beans as it slid underneath the door and into her nose.
She sat up in bed and picked Muffins off of Aubrey's pillow before putting on her bathrobe and walking out to the kitchen with the kitten perched safely in her arms. And when she got to the kitchen she was surprised to see that Aubrey was already dressed and fiddling with the Keurig as she shoved an insulated travel mug underneath the spout. She usually liked to lounge for a bit before climbing into the shower with Chloe and committing to an outfit for the day, but clearly she had some kind of plan and Chloe knew that there was no getting in her way.
"I didn't think you were ever going to wake up!" Aubrey exclaimed while hitting the button to brew the k-cup and stepping towards her. "Go and get a shower. It's not raining today and I thought that we could just go and have breakfast in the park."
"Are you serious?" Chloe asked while leaning against the tiny table and trying not to smile. Aubrey was definitely not a picnic person and the very image of her sitting on a blanket and frowning at earthworms and ants was making it impossible not to smirk. She had asked her a thousand times to join her for lunch in the park when they lived in Georgia, but the answer had always been a resounding 'no'. And while she couldn't quite put her finger on what had caused this change of attitude in her girlfriend, she wasn't about to tell her no.
That would have been insanity.
"You're asking me to go on a picnic?! How could I say no to that?"
"I'm not asking you on a picnic; picnics are reserved for lunches and it's way too early for lunch", Aubrey clarified while taking the mug from underneath the coffee maker and popping the lid back on top. "We're going to drink our coffee and look at the flowers and all of the idiots that finally made their way out of their apartments just like us. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even see a duck or two at the pond and maybe some kids racing boats on the water. But um…only if you're up for it, of course…"
The way that Aubrey was smiling at her and how she had trailed off at the end of her sentence, almost daring her to say no, nearly sent Chloe barreling across the room to pull her in for a giant bear hug. She had been waiting for this moment since they pulled in front of the building and lugged all of their boxes up a million steps to move into their new place. Aubrey had been hesitant and scared to move all the way to the city, but from what Chloe had seen over the past month, she was handling it like a trooper. She didn't complain about the crowds or the commute on the subway to work and was content to simply grab her hand as they moved through their new world. And while she knew that everything probably wasn't okay with her girlfriend, the effort was lovely and she was just happy to have Aubrey here with her. She would never admit to it, but she was just as scared as Aubrey had been and she was still a little frightened by how much was still unknown to them. There was only one way to start becoming familiar though and Aubrey was extending her a landline that she never knew that she needed.
She would go anywhere with her.
"Of course I want to go with you!" Chloe exclaimed while taking two steps across the tiny kitchen and holding Muffins out to Aubrey. "Take the baby and I'll get a shower. Give me ten minutes and then we can go exploring!"
When she returned from their bedroom and walked into the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile when she saw Aubrey putting together a basket full of breakfast items for them to eat while they people watched. While she had been showering, Aubrey had stopped down at the little bakery a few blocks away and picked up fresh donuts and croissants for them to enjoy. She had even picked up a dozen of her favorite kind of cookie to enjoy later and she couldn't stop herself from stepping forward and giving her a huge hug from behind. Aubrey was the best girlfriend to her all the time, but these moments when she made the extra effort were her favorite.
"You went to Rhoda's for me?"
"Well, we couldn't go to the park and just drink coffee, right?" Aubrey asked while pulling back from her embrace and kissing the top of her head. "I suppose I could have made toast and popped it inside the basket, but I figured that you would appreciate the effort. Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it!" Chloe exclaimed while motioning towards the basket and the mugs of coffee and the perfectly wrapped box of cookies that sat on the counter for their return. "You went out at eight in the morning for cookies and also apparently snuck this basket into the apartment when I wasn't around too. Is there anything that you can't do?"
"No, I'm super-girlfriend. Wait until you see my cape!" Aubrey quipped while closing the wicker basket and pulling her jacket on over her t-shirt. While it was still technically fall, the temperature had dropped enough during the mornings to make a coat necessary. And honestly, what outfit wasn't made better by the perfect cute jacket? "Now, are you finally ready to go? Someone told me ten minutes and when I last checked it's been…thirty."
"Hey, you're taking me on a date and I want to look nice! I'm ready to be wooed though, so by all means lead the way."
She held out her hand and Aubrey just smiled as she took it and grabbed the basket with the other. Chloe squeezed it back firmly as they walked over to the door and simply smiled when Aubrey frowned at Muffins, who was perched on the top shelf of the bookshelf between Aubrey's law books and her set of Harry Potter novels, and told the tiny kitten that they would be back in a bit. She knew that Aubrey wasn't fond of the cat that so often had a way of invading her space, but it was adorable that she said goodbye to the kitten and as Aubrey closed the door behind her, she couldn't stop the words from slipping from her mouth.
"I just love you sometimes."
"What's an eight letter word for love?" She asked as she peered down at the crossword puzzle perched on her knees. They had been sitting on the bench for an hour now and while Chloe wasn't the best help with this sort of thing, they had somehow managed to get through nearly all of the tricky puzzle that had been her favorite thing to do in the morning outside of kissing Chloe.
"Insanity?" Chloe answered while tucking her bottom lip between her teeth and trying not to burst out laughing. Aubrey looked ridiculous with the puzzle resting on her knees with the coffee mug placed precariously underneath it, but there was no way that she would ever tell her that. She looked adorable with her hair falling in her face and the pen between her teeth and she wanted to savor this moment forever. "Does that fit?"
Aubrey rolled her eyes and leaned forward, pressing her lips against her girlfriend's and tasting the powdered sugar and chocolate that lingered from their simple breakfast. It was surprising how empty the park was during the morning and it was actually kind of worrisome considering how bright the sky looked. It had been days since the weather was actually nice enough to go outside in and she couldn't understand why the whole city wasn't out and celebrating with them. There were no kids playing in the fountain or boats on the lake and while Chloe had found a cute little duck to feed pieces of her croissant to, it wasn't nearly as bustling and vibrant as she had imagined it would be.
"You're so funny sometimes, Chlo. So funny that I think I forgot to laugh, silly me!"
"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed as she grabbed the puzzle from Aubrey's hands and tucked it safely under her arm. As Aubrey jolted forward to grab it back, Chloe stood up from the bench and started to run towards the gardens that were tucked in a quiet corner of the park. "I resent that comment, Ms. Posen! You better catch me if you want your precious puzzle to live."
And so, Aubrey grabbed her coffee in one hand and the basket in the other and chased her twenty-five year old girlfriend through the park like a child. And to her complete and utter surprise, she wasn't embarrassed at all when she caught her and tackled her to the ground, laughing loudly and holding back her arms as her coffee spilt on the grass and the basket lay in shambles beneath them. They wrestled and playfully fought and finally, in between bushes of lilies and roses, their lips met and Aubrey finally felt at home.
"Why did you buy the basket?" Chloe whispered as she tugged Aubrey a little closer to her and they meandered around the garden. "I thought that you hated picnics."
"I do", Aubrey replied as they stopped in front of a beautiful bunch of pink aster flowers. "I hate ants and bees and sitting on grass while I eat, but I love you and it's something that you wanted to do. I know that this doesn't technically count as a picnic, but I thought that it would be a nice little surprise for you."
"Then…" Chloe trailed off while blinking back the tears that had suddenly settled in her eyes. Aubrey was never particularly romantic, but she always had a way of making her feel loved and right now it was settling right in her chest and filling her up with warmth. "Why did you do this for me? You don't like crowds or cold benches and I know for a fact that you hate doing the puzzle with me. Why did you take me here?"
"Because I know that you're scared too. You've been so good to me during this whole move and you never let on that you're frightened of anything going wrong. Of…you're job becoming something that you hate or the paint chipping on the walls or Muffins finally deciding that I'm impossible to live with and finding a new family. You just keep going and keep holding my hand and I want you to know that it's okay if you're afraid. This is a big city and we made this huge move and I'm scared too." She squeezed Chloe's hand as a single tear slipped down her cheeks and kissed it away while pulling her a little closer. "I'm scared, but I'm not leaving. I'm kind of fond of you and even if this place smells in the summer and our neighbors fight all the time, I wouldn't change a thing."
"I love you", Chloe whispered before pressing her lips against Aubrey's and kissing her with as much passion as she could muster through her tears. She had no idea how Aubrey knew just how scared she was of this place, but knowing that she knew and was here for her regardless of that was exhilarating. She wanted to wrap her up in a blanket and cuddle with her all morning, their limbs tangling and lips meeting as cuddles turned into whimpers and finally into love. She wanted all of her, but she had to settle on just her lips and in the dew of the morning, that was enough.
She was always enough for her.
And as they stood and kissed each other in the gardens of Central Park, the heavens broke open above them and drenched them in a pounding rainstorm. The rain came down in buckets and it was so sudden that they couldn't run for cover before they were drenched. Aubrey squealed as the rain soaked through her jacket and made her clothing stick to her skin and ran towards a gazebo that was conveniently just a few feet away from them.
She stood under the wooden shelter and shuffled back and forth on her feet as the cold from the rain sunk in and chilled her down to her bones. She was soaked and freezing and suddenly she understood just why the park was seemingly their own that morning. The rest of the city had the good sense to actually check the weather report and she had been so caught up in her desire to simply please Chloe that she…forgot to be sensible.
But all of that didn't seem to matter as she looked up from her flooded shoes and saw Chloe simply standing amongst the flowers and laughing. She was soaked and staring up at the clouds and laughing at their misfortune and the awful weather and all of her fears that she had packed into her head and kept to herself. And in that moment, she had never been more beautiful to Aubrey.
Over the course of their relationship, Aubrey had fallen in love with Chloe slowly. It hadn't hit her all at once, but in the little moments that made her smile and her heart feel like it was going to explode. She fell in love with the way that she buttered her bread and ignored her health as she slathered it in the fat before shoving it in her mouth. She loved the way that she hogged the blankets in their bed and mumbled in her sleep whenever she was sick. How she would control their queue on Netflix and refused to watch the horror movies that she made no secret of loving. When she came home one day with a tawny kitten with a ridiculous name and a sob story for how they couldn't take her back to the shelter.
She had loved her from the very first moment that she laid eyes on her, but it wasn't until this very moment that she realized that maybe that had all been a form of lust. That the way she looked right now was so perfect and innocent that all of the moments before looked a little paler in comparison. That she finally knew that this was what she wanted every day for the rest of her life and she never wanted it to change. She wanted her in rainstorms and sick days and in crowds of people. She wanted to hold her and kiss her and make love to her and to never, ever wake up without those eyes staring back into hers.
Most of all though, she wanted to join her in the rain and as she slipped off her shoes and ran across the grass to hold her under the pounding storm, she realized that this was what love was. And suddenly, she wasn't afraid.