Day 2 – Bedsharing – Car Trouble

Stacie coasted her car over to the side of the road. "Dammit!" she exclaimed. Her clunker of a car had been on borrowed time for a while. She tried to start it again, but it wouldn't work. She knew she'd taken a chance driving it for a visit home for the weekend, but she had really wanted to be there to see her younger sister go to her senior prom. She had managed to scrape together enough money to pay for gas to get home and back, feeling fortunate that she only had about an hour drive. Unfortunately, her car chose the middle of a severe thunderstorm to quit on her. She pulled out her cell to call for help, but there was no reception. She couldn't believe her rotten luck. She looked around, hoping to find a place of business where she could maybe ask to use their phone. Surely, nobody would turn away a poor college student in need of help for wanting to use the phone. The only thing she could see, thanks to the rain that was almost going sideways, was a sign pointing to The Lodge of Fallen Leaves. It's a lodge, so they must have a phone or something, she thought.

She grabbed her umbrella, knowing it would only help a little due to the wind and rain, and her duffle bag and followed the path. Her shoes were immediately soaked, so she hoped she wouldn't be waiting long for someone to rescue her. She walked up the path to the main office of the lodge. It was dark, but she thought she saw someone sitting in the office. She cautiously knocked on the door. She froze for a second when she saw a gorgeous blonde woman in a khaki shirt with a red bandana around her neck answer the door. She was holding a flashlight, and she greeted her with a big smile and said, "Welcome to The Lodge of Fallen Leaves, where Fortune 500 companies send their employees to build teamwork skills."

Stacie blinked for a second before remembering she was supposed to talk. She swallowed hard. "Hi. My car broke down, and there's no cell reception here. Is there a phone I could use to call for some help?"

"There's a phone, but the storm has knocked out the phone lines," said the blonde. "Why don't you stay here for a while? You're soaked. You might as well stay here while you wait out the storm."

"Thanks," said Stacie. "I'm Stacie, by the way." She reached out to shake the blonde's hand.

"Aubrey," she said. "What brings you to this stretch of highway?"

"I was headed back to Barden University. My sister's prom was this past weekend, and I went home to see her."

"I'm a Barden alum. It's a great school. So, what's your major?"

"Psychology," she said. "What was yours?"

"Business administration," she replied. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"I'd love some water," said Stacie. Her mouth had gone a bit dry since meeting Aubrey. That woman was gorgeous. With Stacie's luck, though, she was probably straight. It seemed like nothing else had gone her way that night.

Aubrey handed her a bottle of water. "This storm sure is crazy. I think this is the first time I've ever had a storm knock out both the power and the phone lines."

"Yeah," said Stacie. "So...when did you graduate from Barden?"

"Four years ago. What year are you in?"

"I'm a senior," said Stacie.

"I had some of the best times at Barden. Do you like it there?"

"Oh, yeah. I live at the Bella house, and it's a great group of girls."

"You're a Bella? I was a Bella."

"Aren't you still a Bella? You're a Bella for life, you know."

"Well, yes. I lost touch after graduation, though. I started working here right after graduation, and it took up so much time. Now, I run the place, and that takes up even more time."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"I'm glad, though. I really like the work I do here. I think we really do help our clients."

"That's great. I'm hoping to become a psychologist. I am good at listening to people's problems, and I really want to help."

Aubrey walked over to the window. "Doesn't look like this storm is stopping anytime soon. My shift ends in an hour. I live in an apartment upstairs. It isn't much, but it's dry. You can sleep in my bed, and I'll take the couch. I'm sure everything will be back up and running in the morning. We can get you some help then."

"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble," said Stacie. "If you take credit cards, I'll just pay for a guest room." She began to rummage through her purse, hoping the fee for one night wouldn't be too steep.

"There are no guest rooms at the lodge."

"Why not?"

"As part of our team-building exercises, the teams all have to put up a tent and sleep in it for the entire length of their stay."

"Oh, well, then I can just try and sleep in my car." Stacie picked up her bag and headed toward the door.

"I'll hear none of that. I was raised by a good southern woman, and my mama would have my head if I didn't have you stay with me," she said, her southern drawl starting to increase.

"Where are you from?"

"Aiken, South Carolina. You?"

"I was born in Pennsylvania, but my family moved to Savannah, Georgia when I was in elementary school. I was seven and my sister was three."

Aubrey rummaged in her pocket. "Here's the key. Why don't you head upstairs and get into some dry clothes? You can take a shower if you want. There are extra towels piled up next to the bathroom. Use whatever you'd like."

"But-"

"No 'buts' about it. Make yourself comfortable. Once my relief gets here, I'll come up and make us some food. You're soaked. I promise I'll be upstairs before you know it." Aubrey reached under her desk. "Take this lantern. You'll need some light."

Stacie opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it when she saw Aubrey's expression. She knew the woman wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. Besides, the woman was beautiful. It wouldn't suck to spend some time with her. Stacie was thankful she'd brought home some extra laundry on her visit. Otherwise, she'd have to put on something dirty or see if she could fit something of Aubrey's, assuming she'd be willing to loan her anything. Stacie had a good four inches on Aubrey in height, and she wasn't sure if southern hospitality extended to loaning your clothing to a stranger.

She walked upstairs and opened the door to what was a small studio apartment. It had a toilet and stand-up shower in the corner, a double bed and nightstand in another corner, a kitchenette and small refrigerator along another wall, and a loveseat near the bed. Stacie saw how short the love seat was, and couldn't imagine either of them sleeping on it. She thought maybe she'd just ask for a blanket and pillow and take the floor. She really didn't want to take Aubrey's bed. Southern hospitality or not, she thought even that was taking things too far.

She decided she'd take Aubrey up on her offer to use her shower. She felt pretty gross after getting drenched in the storm. Sure enough, there was a pile of clean towels next to the bathroom area. She took a nice, warm shower, changed into pajamas, and had just finished toweling off her hair by the time she heard Aubrey softly knocking.

Stacie opened the door. "You don't have to knock. It's your place," she said with a small laugh.

"I know that, but I wanted to give you some privacy if you were in the shower or otherwise undressed."

"Aubrey, I live in a house full of women. I'm used to people walking in on me in various states of undress, and I think I've seen every current Bella's boobs at least once. And I'm almost positive they've all seen mine."

Aubrey chuckled. "I see some things don't change. The Trebles used to take bets on which of us were hooking up."

"That hasn't changed either. We do have a few couples, though. Our co-captains have been together for years now. We have at least two other Bella couples. I think most of the group likes girls, actually."

"Well, that's a change. Nobody was actually hooking up when I was a Bella, much to Bumper's chagrin. He was the captain of the Trebles in our senior year."

"Bumper's still around," said Stacie. "He works security at Barden now, and he's hooking up with Fat Amy. He's part of the Tonehangers now."

"He used to make fun of them. He even started this huge fight with them after regionals in my senior year, and now he's part of the group," Aubrey said, shaking her head. "You have a Bella named Fat Amy?"

"She calls herself Fat Amy so 'twig bitches don't do it behind her back,''" Stacie said, doing air quotes. "It's one of the more normal things she's said since I've known her."

"Crazy."

"Yeah."

"It looks like the power isn't coming back for a while. I'll make us some sandwiches since I can't cook anything without power. You're not allergic to peanuts, are you?"

"Nope. I'm good. Thanks."

Aubrey made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for each of them. "I'm sorry it's not more exciting. I don't want to open the fridge more than necessary. I don't know how long we'll be without power. We're awfully remote, so the power company can take forever to turn us back on."

"It's great. Thank you so much. Are you sure you're okay sleeping on the couch? It's not very big."

"It's one night. I'll be fine."

"I really don't want to put you out of your bed. Why don't you just get me a blanket and a pillow? I'm fine on the floor."

"Stacie, you're my guest and you're a Bella. I can't let you sleep on the floor."

"Well, I can't kick you out of your bed," said Stacie. She added, in a half-teasing tone, "There's room for both of us, you know." She shot Aubrey a wink.

Aubrey's cheeks turned pink. She cleared her throat and said, "I guess we could share. I'm okay with it if you are."

Stacie shrugged. "Yeah, of course," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Aubrey was hot and confident, and she had to have known Stacie was kidding. Stacie told herself she was kidding, but maybe, deep down, she wasn't kidding at all. Maybe this attraction wasn't one-sided. Aubrey had seemed a little flustered at Stacie's wink.

Aubrey went to lift up her shirt, and Stacie turned around. She was surprised that Aubrey was this open, but, then again, she had agreed to share the bed rather quickly. Stacie knew it was going to take some serious self-control to keep her hands to herself.

"You know you didn't have to turn away," said Aubrey.

"I was just trying to be respectful," said Stacie.

"Oh, you're fine," said Aubrey. "I'm just teasing you. Do you have any schoolwork you need to do? The lantern isn't much, but we could share the light if you want. I can read while you work."

"Yeah, I actually do," said Stacie. "Thanks. I'm not sure I'm going to get to my first class tomorrow, but I'd better do the reading anyway."

The two of them climbed onto Aubrey's bed. It was a bit of a tight fit, but it made it that much easier to get close and share the light. Stacie thought she felt Aubrey's gaze on her as she read from her textbook, but Aubrey appeared to be reading her novel every time she glanced over.

Stacie found herself yawning not much later. She looked at her cell phone. It was nearly 10 pm. "Hey Aubrey, do you mind if I go to bed? I'm hoping I can get up early tomorrow and maybe get my car towed to Barden in time for my first class."

"That's fine," said Aubrey. "I need to be up early to work the desk again. Do you need to plug in your phone? I have a battery that can charge four devices."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure my phone will be dead by morning. That's great. Thanks."

Stacie plugged her phone into the charger and she and Aubrey settled into the bed. Stacie tried to give Aubrey as much space as she could, but it was tough because Aubrey's bed was just a full-sized bed. Stacie scooted over so much, she caught herself before she almost fell off.

"Hey, relax. I don't bite. Come on over."

"Okay," said Stacie. "But, how do you know I don't bite?"

"Do you?" Aubrey asked.

"Only if you ask," said Stacie. She heard Aubrey's breath hitch. She decided to take the hint. She brought her lips to Aubrey's and was surprised when Aubrey sighed into the kiss.

After they broke the kiss, Stacie smiled. She pulled Aubrey close to her. She felt lips on her neck and let out a moan. "Want me to stop?" asked Aubrey quietly.

"No," said Stacie.

The two women didn't get much sleep that night.

The next morning, they were up early. Stacie couldn't say she regretted a minute of sleep lost. "Looks like the power's back," said Aubrey. Stacie sat up and yawned.

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks for letting me stay. I really appreciate your brand of southern hospitality."

"You made me feel extra hospitable," Aubrey said.

"So, I guess I should probably call a tow truck," said Stacie.

"You should eat breakfast first," said Aubrey. "I'll make you a hot breakfast since I couldn't cook you a hot dinner."

"You don't have to," said Stacie.

"I insist. Besides, tow trucks take forever, especially around here." She gestured to the landline phone that was mounted to the wall. "Go ahead and call. I'll make you some eggs."

"Thanks." Stacie made the phone call, and sure enough, the auto club said it would take about two hours for the tow truck to get there.

"Go ahead and eat," said Aubrey as she handed Stacie a plate. "You can sit with me at the front desk while you wait for the truck. I could use the company."

"Sure," she said. She took a few bites. "This is great. Thanks so much for everything."

"You're very welcome."

"So...about last night?"

"What about it?"

"Is this...a fling?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"No. Do you?"

Aubrey thought for a minute. "No. I don't know about you, but I felt something. I felt it the minute you walked in the door of the office."

"So did I. I was worried you were straight."

"I knew you weren't. I saw how you looked at me."

"I probably need to work on my poker face."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Last night was awesome."

"So, can I call you sometime?"

"Yeah. I'd love that." She grabbed a paper and pen and wrote down two phone numbers. She handed it to Stacie. "Here's my cell number, but reception's a little spotty here. And this is my landline."

"Thanks," said Stacie.

The two of them headed down to the front desk. They talked the whole time while waiting for the tow truck to arrive. Stacie bid Aubrey goodbye with a kiss that went long enough for the tow truck driver to clear his throat.

"What rotten luck," the driver said when Stacie told him her car had broken down during the previous night's storm.

"Wasn't so rotten to me," she said.

"That your girlfriend?" he asked, nodding toward the lodge.

"I think she is now," said Stacie.