There was a storm approaching the city that day, but Aubrey couldn't think why it should suspend her plans, after all, it was just water.
She planned this for weeks - months, if she could be very honest with herself - scheduled on her agenda and postponed appointments and everything, like anything in her life. Watching from inside her car the suburban street at the hour when the families get back home from school or work on that Thursday, she asked herself again why she was there. Aubrey looked up at the cloudy sky but the clouds didn't had an answer, they just remembered her of the color of her room's walls and it irritated her enough to look away.
Across the street was the number 56. A very modest house: two-stories, painted in blue with white windows, a small balcony at the front, an empty driveway and unkempt garden where she saw some forgotten toys. The lights were all out despite it being dark enough to some light be needed. Knowing that no one was home, Aubrey stood waiting. She reserved the evening for this, and it's not like there was a caring and worried husband waiting for her to back home if she was late. She looked at her left hand free of the pair of rings that lived there for years.
After a thirty minute wait, Aubrey saw a car slowing down and entering the number 56's driveway. The woman's heart raced and she put a hand to her chest, trying unsuccessfully to contain it. The image of a redheaded woman getting out of the car did not help. Aubrey bit her lower lip as she watched the woman helping a smaller redhead out of the back seat, carrying her own purse and a Dora The Explorer small backpack. Chloe looked at the sky and Aubrey knew she was also examining the possible storm before following the little girl's trail - who was speaking enthusiastically to the older woman about something Aubrey couldn't listen - to the porch, opening the front door and disappearing into the house that now began to emit light from its windows.
Aubrey desperately wanted to get out of the car and run to the door, knock and see Chloe closely, this was why she had spent months looking for information about her best friend from college. The blonde had to admit, the internet was definitely helpful in the task. Finding Chloe Beale's page on Facebook - social network that Aubrey refused to participate when she was in college - she discovered an absurd amount of stuff. Chloe worked as a teacher in an elementary school, lived in the suburbs of the city, had a daughter named Emma - who was a miniature of herself and the most adorable kid in the entire world as Chloe descibred in a caption of a picture of herself with her daughter - and she was single. Even knowing all this, Aubrey couldn't send a friend request, deciding to go to Chloe's house personally and try not to look like a stalker. So she waited another twenty minutes after Chloe's arrival to get out of the car and move toward the front door.
Aubrey looked at the sky almost nightly stamped with the charged gray clouds, but paid more attention in the movement of her legs, because she wasn't so sure she could trust her inferior members. She put a hand on the black overcoat's pocket that hid her work clothes and the other nervously clutched the strap of her purse. Practicing the answers to the questions that Chloe would possibly ask, she climbed the porch steps, careful to not step on a block built with a dozen Legos that did not make any sense to her. Stopping by the front of the door, her heart seemed like it could be heard miles away. She hoped that Chloe did not hear it or it would be humiliating. It's just Chloe, she tried to tell herself. But was this very thought made her heart squeeze a surprisingly painful way. Deciding to not think anymore, her hand came out of the overcoat's pocket and politely knocked three times on the wooden door painted in white.
She heard a sound of running feet on the floor, a voice saying something indistinct to her and finally feet approaching the door. If there has been some time since Junior Year she thought her stomach could betray her again, that was the moment. The door opened and she waited Chloe's eyes to meet hers, which did not take long.
"Bree! Oh my God, it's been so long!" Chloe's blue eyes revealed pure pleasure and the smile on her face was the most precious one combined with the way the nickname that only her was allowed to use rolled in her tongue, made Aubrey's blood boil under her skin.
The redhead threw herself into the tallest blonde's arms, and Aubrey would find it very unexpected if wasn't in Chloe Beale's door that she had appeared after six years of separation. Aubrey tightened her arms around Chloe and the redhead did no differently. She tilted her head then her nose was buried in the red locks, and in that moment, the blonde pretended that there was no separation and that she just got back to their dorm after a long day and exhausting classes. And at that moment, she could only think of how it was like coming home after a long journey.
When they split, Aubrey smiled shyly, wishing so much to say something but at the same time too lost in the sight of Chloe before her. She was still beautiful, and Aubrey did not know why she was surprised by that. She was more mature but the years have been kind. She was still dressed in the clothes Aubrey saw her arriving earlier but without her shoes. Chloe tilted her head, smiling, and that was when Aubrey realized she was staring.
"Sorry." She smiled nervously. "It's been so long."
"Indeed. We have so much to talk! What have you been doing all this time?" Chloe smiled moving away from the door to let her old friend in. "Please." Chloe said and Aubrey obeyed and followed her by the house. The redheaded helped her take off her coat and hang her purse, and the blonde couldn't help but blush when Chloe praised her choice of clothing.
It was a cozy little home. The walls were painted in light colors and the furniture pieces didn't matched. There were photos on the shelfs with books and some toys, and also on the fireplace console. The sofa was huge and seemed to be accommodating the entire cast of Toy Story, with politely seated stuffed animals and dolls. The TV in the living room was tuned on a cartoon and that's when Aubrey noticed the little red-haired figure in the middle of the room.
"Oh, I have someone to introduce to you." Chloe told Aubrey. "Emma, baby," She called the little girl, who stopped organizing the tea party on the coffee table and looked at the visitor beside her mother "This is Aubrey, a great friend of mommy. Why don't you say hi to her?"
Aubrey kept Emma's glance and realized the little Beale's eyes were in a green tone, very different from her mother's blue one.
"Hi, Miss Aubrey!" Emma greeted before returning to the tea party.
Aubrey tried to look surprised that Chloe had a daughter, but he saw the redhead did not expect that from her and just smiled at her old dear friend. Of course, Chloe having a daughter was a particularly big change, but she found herself not really minding it.
"She's lovely." Aubrey said to Chloe, who nodded watching her daughter petting a stuffed monkey.
Chloe smiled back at Aubrey and seemed to have an idea.
"Bree, you're staying for dinner." It was not a question but a statement. "We have so much to talk, I want to know everything about you, I missed you so much!" Chloe went wandering into the kitchen, pulling Aubrey awkwardly by her hand.
Me too, Aubrey wanted to say, but she couldn't.
"C'mon! Tell me everything!" Chloe asked, beginning to cut the carrots into slices.
Aubrey opened her mouth but closed it. What did Chloe wanted to know? What did she wanted to tell Chloe? What could she say without start crying right there in the middle of Chloe's messed and cozy kitchen with Emma's drawings watching from the refrigerator's door?
"Do you want me to help with that?" Aubrey asked, indicating the task that Chloe was doing. The redhead nodded and Aubrey took off her blazer, hanging it carefully in a desk chair, knowing that Chloe wouldn't mind. She rolled up her white shirt's sleeves and washed her hands before starting to slice the carrots. Chloe was already on the other side of the kitchen, on the stove, working on something that Aubrey could not see. The blonde thought perhaps that had distracted Chloe from her life.
"I'm still waiting for your news." Chloe said in a teasing tone.
"Well, I went to law school after Barden," Aubrey began after a sigh "I graduated, I started working in my father's company. Got married meanwhile, but we recently splited up." Chloe gave her a sympathetic smile over shoulder and the blonde paused for a few seconds, knowing there was nothing more to be said. "And now I'm here visiting you."
Chloe was working on cooking pasta and was now running down the water used to boil it.
"And you?" She asked Chloe after she decided there wasn't anything more she wanted or should share – by now.
"Well, I am an elementary school teacher now." Chloe said and Aubrey smiled with the pride in her voice. "I also got married. But it also didn't work." She added, picking the carrots cut by Aubrey and keeping cooking dinner. "Although my marriage gave me Emma, who is everything to me."
Aubrey smiled approaching Chloe. She studied Chloe's profile as she finished dinner, feeling the tranquility. Suddenly it was as if there wasn't a world outside that house, there wasn't a storm coming, or an empty house in the other side of the town, or a divorce or her career. At that moment it was just like it was six years ago and she was risking being caught staring at her best friend.
"Emma, dear," Chloe called, setting the table with Aubrey's help. "Go wash your hands, dinner's ready."
Aubrey heard Emma's hurried footsteps on the stairs and smiled when she thought Chloe wasn't seeing.
"So, no children?" Chloe asked, putting the last dish on the dining table. Aubrey just shook her head and Chloe, PhD in Aubrey Posen, knew that she should not push that matter.
(Aubrey never really thought children were a possibility in her marriage. It takes a real home to raise a kid.)
They sat down and soon Emma joined them. Dinner was quiet and full of conversation. Aubrey heard Chloe tell about how she still maintained contact with Beca and Jesse, and with the other Bellas (Aubrey regretted not maintaining contact with them almost as much she regretted not doing it with Chloe) and about her job.
Aubrey also learned many things about the smaller redhead's life: Emma was four; she loved bears; her favorite color was yellow; she already had chosen what she wanted for Christmas that year; and she could sing all the songs from Frozen. Chloe watched the interaction between her blond friend and her daughter with an amused smile.
After dinner, Emma was dispensed to resume her tea party in the living room while the two women took care of the dishes. Now that all the trivial part of their separation had been cleared, a heavy silence just like the clouds that still was hanging over the city had felt between them. Aubrey wanted to say she was sorry she had abandoned their friendship but also wanted to blame Chloe for not making an effort to try to reconnect, but gave up knowing that both alternatives would sound stupid out loud.
After the last dish being put on its place, Chloe turned to Aubrey, who had just dried her hands, and for the first time on that evening they were looking into each other's eyes and recognizing the gulf that existed between them. And Aubrey thought it was just an impression, but in that exchange of glances seemed that Chloe knew exactly what was going on in the blonde's life and every word she had saved for the redhead. I'm sorry, these years have been a huge void without you. Aubrey was sure it was not just an impression when Chloe came over and hugged Aubrey's torso, putting her head under the taller woman's chin, who immediately wrapped her arms around the redhead.
"I'm sorry, Bree." Chloe lifted her head to kiss Aubrey's chin and laid her head back on the another woman's shoulder. Aubrey kissed the crown covered in red hair and closed her eyes, feeling every fiber of her body vibrate in an emotion that she did not felt in a long time.
"Miss Aubrey!" Emma called from the kitchen door and Aubrey looked up, not splitting from Chloe, who also had made no effort to get away from the blonde. "You are invited to my tea party at - Mom, what time is it?"
The two women laughed at the little girl's adorableness. Chloe looked at the watch on her wrist.
"Seven and forty two, honey." Chloe smiled maternally at the girl and Aubrey thought it was the purest thing she'd ever seen in her entire life.
"Okay! Miss Aubrey you are invited to my tea party at seven forty-two!" Emma said and ran into the living room, but returned to pull Aubrey's hand. "What happens to be now!"
Aubrey took a last look at Chloe who was chuckling when she disappeared from the kitchen.
The tea party at seven forty-two ended at eight, when Chloe asked Aubrey to wait in the living room as she tucked Emma to sleep. The blonde checked her cell phone but nothing was waiting for her. Maybe it was a silly thought, but the silence in Chloe's house was more tolerable than the silence at her home.
A few minutes later, Chloe came downstairs.
"She asked me to invite you to another tea party with her." Chloe said. "And that time, with real muffins! She really liked you, Miss Aubrey!" Aubrey smiled openly. Chloe's daughter was adorable.
She sat next to Aubrey on the couch, still occupied by some forgotten stuffed animals. She threw her legs over Aubrey's lap and the lawyer put an arm between Chloe's back and the couch, summing up the traditional position they used to be when they were together on a couch. So many years later, so many things were different now, but it was still the same. That thought made Aubrey turn her head to look at Chloe, who was already looking at her.
"I'm so glad you came back." Chloe said softly above a whisper, but with the closeness that she was from Aubrey, she knew that the blonde had heard her words. Chloe seemed hesitant before asking, "How did you find me?"
"Facebook." They both laughed and Chloe wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck.
They were in a comfortable silence. A hand of Chloe traced random patterns in Aubrey's ear and the other was linked to one of the blonde's in Chloe's lap.
"I don't want to miss it." Aubrey said quietly. "Again."
Chloe pulled Aubrey's face so she could look into the blonde's eyes.
"We will take care so this won't happen." Chloe said and the phrase was so true that Aubrey felt it go through all the pores of her skin.
Aubrey smiled. Not the polite smile. Or the timid. Or the uncertain. That rare smile that showed white and straight teeth.
The evening stretched and Aubrey had to go. She picked up the blazer in the kitchen and Chloe helped to wear her overcoat in the lobby. The redhead insisted on taking her to the car and the two walked side by side to Aubrey's SUV. When they reached the vehicle, a drop of water fell from the sky on Aubrey's cheek and she looked up only to see the clouds from earlier were now fulfilling their promise.
"See you soon?" Chloe asked, not caring about the drops that began to fall and quickly begin to soak her skin.
Aubrey looked at the redhead and could not remember had seen her so uncertain. Chloe Beale could be anything in this world: sensitive, emotional, broken, incoherent, but uncertain was the only thing that did not fit her profile. Perhaps in that moment they have exchanged roles because Aubrey had a lot of certain of what she wanted to do.
Forgetting the past few years, recent disagreements and the last moments before everything went inconsistent, Aubrey stepped forward and pulled Chloe's waist, bringing the woman close and their lips together in a chaste kiss in the beginning of a storm. Chloe put her arms around the blonde's neck, deepening their kiss, ignoring that her clothes were getting soaked.
"Soon." Aubrey murmured against Chloe's lips that smiled before leaning in for another kiss.
Reluctantly, Aubrey broke the hug and got into the car, watching Chloe run through the rain to the security of her home.
Soon was good. Soon was a promise. Soon was the end of a time that should never had existed.
She could not wait for that soon.