A/N: Since it's my first time writing for the nerds living in the Bechloe dumpster, I asked for the help of this awesome nerd (dumbacapellapotatoes) and this is what came out. I'm sorry. The idea came from a post on tumblr. Hope you like it!
Sunday Candy –
No way in hell was she agreeing to this. Her friends have officially gone insane. Beca's plan for the summer was simple: go outside only when absolutely necessary and spend her precious time off mixing. No part of that included getting a job at some lame candy shop.
No. Freaking. Way.
Just because Stacie knew the owner and had offered to help and unknowingly, and unwillingly, involved her and Amy didn't mean she had to go along with it.
"You did what?" the tiny brunette hissed when one of her best friends showed her the application, "Stacie!"
"Sorry?" the tall, leggy brunette didn't sound too apologetic, "Come on, it'll be fun! Emily is hilarious. It's like she's on a perpetual sugar high. And Mrs. Junk is so awesome!She's like some kind of music buff."
"Dude, I don't care," it sounded like she would be stuck with nerds all summer, like she wasn't around them enough already, "Take my name off that. I'm not going."
"Shortstack, don't be so grumpy," Amy said from her spot on Stacie's bed, where she was flipping through a magazine, "We're going to get free candy!"
"Actually," Beca knew Stacie would deny the free candy offer and it made her even more upset, which is probably why her friend's statement changed to, "Yeah, lots of free candy. All you can eat candy!"
None of that was enough for Beca. She didn't want early mornings and late nights on her summer break. She wanted late mornings and even later nights where she could just work on her music without a care in the world! Why her alleged best friends didn't get that was beyond her.
"I don't wanna go," Beca crossed her arms against her chest, puffing herself with a scowl on her face, "That is not how I'll be spending my summer."
Stacie just stared down at her tiny friend, sighing heavily before crossing her arms too and lifting up an eyebrow, making the DJ brace herself for the next argument, knowing her best friend was aiming for the kill, "I bet we can talk the owner into playing your mixes on the store's sound system."
Damn, the girl played dirty.
############
Okay, Beca had to admit it wasn't so bad. It was a small store, it didn't look like a unicorn had thrown up on it – it actually had a very nice vintage touch to it – and Stacie was right, Mrs. Junk – the owner – really was awesome. She said it would be no problem for Beca to play her mixes in the shop. She encouraged it even.
And Emily, the owner's daughter, did look like she was on a perpetual sugar high. It was sort of endearing, actually. And she had taken an instant liking to Beca listening to what the brunette was saying like an eager, attention craving puppy.
The owner decided the best thing to do was to divide and conquer – they were separated in teams of two where one of them would come in early in the morning, work off the rush, and the other team would be in the back taking care of inventory, making sure nothing went missing – "Especially Sour Patches and Atomic Fireballs. You don't wanna know how that went down" – and after lunch they'd just switch.
It was in everyone's best interest if Beca teamed up with Emily because clearly if the younger girl got teamed up with either Stacie or Amy, nothing good would come of it. Emily was too much of a sweet, innocent child to spend days listening to Amy's crazy, albeit funny, stories or in the presence of Stacie's flirting. Amy and Stacie were used to each other, so Emily was stuck with Beca's grumpiness.
That's why Beca found herself standing at the cashier of the candy shop at 8PM on a Thursday night trying to suck up some of Emily's energy to keep her from yawning while there were still a few customers in the shop. It was almost closing time and the younger brunette was happily humming. The tiny DJ wondered where the hell all that energy came from. Seriously, freakin' puppy.
"Dude," she drawled looking up at the girl with a slight scowl, "Are you humming Sunday Candy?"
Emily smiled brightly, nodding, "I got a future so I'm singing for my grandma, you singing too, but your grandma ain't my grandma," the girl rapped badly, but it was so endearing it made the scowl on Beca's face turn into a smirk, "mine's is handmade, pan fried, sun dried, Southside, and beat the devil by a landslide, praying with her hands tied, president of my fan club, saying to her, something told me I should bring my butt to church…"
With those expectant puppy eyes looking down at her, the brunette couldn't help but join in, "You gotta move slowly, taking in my body like it's holy, I've been waiting for you for the whole week, I've been waiting for you, you're my Sunday candy."
The girls giggled – something Beca would forever denied if caught – and then the DJ accepted handful of Jolly Ranchers the other girl was offering.
"I'll take strawberry and pass on the green apple, please," she said, prompting another giggle from the taller girl. She was still tired but there was no way she could stay bad mood working with Emily.
She was even attempting to smile when a customer, a beautiful redhead that looked just as tired as she felt, handed her a couple of Almond Joys and a couple of bills.
"$4.50 is your change," she said, handing the candy back to the woman in the store's bag.
"Thanks, love you."
Blue eyes opened wide, realizing what had just been said, and then smirked when she saw the woman's cheeks get just as red as her hair.
"I think I should buy your candy before you start saying that," she couldn't help the unfiltered sarcastic commentary that came out of her mouth.
The other woman offered an embarrassed laugh in response.
"Oh, my God, it's so late and I'm so tired! That was really cute of you, though," the woman smiled, making Beca blush and smile in bashfulness herself.
Both of them just stood there, smiling at each other until somebody cleared their throat behind Beca, breaking them out of their staring contest.
"Yo, shortstack, you done? It's closing time," of course Amy would break the moment with her uncanny timing.
Clearing her throat, Beca looked at the woman again, who just smiled bigger and waved goodbye, "Yeah, I'm done."
After she was done closing the cashier and counting the money, she went back to Mrs. Junk's office where she found the three girls looking at her with amused expressions on their faces.
"What?" the tiny DJ asked, eyeing them back suspiciously. Nothing good could ever came out of them looking at her like that.
"What's the deal with you and that red chick?"
"What?" Beca asked, "There is no deal."
"Oh, come on, Beca!" Stacie exclaimed, "You were staring at each other like two idiots! She was gorgeous, I'll give you that, but you're way smoother than that…"
"Beca went to give her the change and she just blurted 'love you' and then Beca said something back and they started staring at each other…" Emily said, smiling excitedly, "It was so cute!"
"Dude, no," the DJ looked at the girl sternly, "I don't do cute. I'm badass."
"Yeah B, whatever," Amy rolled her eyes, "20 says she comes back tomorrow to ask the hobbit out."
Before she could protest, the other girls shook Amy's hand and sealed the deal.
################
Rush hour the next day was ruthless. They had run out of Sour Patches earlier and Beca hated to admit it, but Emily was right – she wished she had never gotten to find out exactly how passionate some people were about their candy.
They were so packed she didn't even registered a certain redheaded customer showing up until she heard a melodic voice greet her. She looked up to find the same clear, blue eyes that left her so mesmerized the night before.
"Hey," she couldn't help but smile. "Sorry, we're…"
"Busy, I see," the woman smiled easily, "Don't worry."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the woman go and grab a chocolate covered pretzel, which made her smirk. She never would have pegged the woman for the chocolate covered pretzel kind of girl.
Maybe York Peppermint Patties.
She acted quickly when the redhead reached the register. She put on what she considered her most charming smile — smirk — and winked as she bagged up the girl's selection, "On the house." She leaned in to conspiratorially whisper, "But don't tell my boss. I just stared, I'd rather not get fired on my second day."
What she wasn't prepared for was how much the woman's laughter would affect her.
A bubbly laugh burst forth, so carefree it made her insides do a weird dance and her breath falter. Her smirk became this soft smile, which made Emily do a happy dancing that hopefully went unnoticed. She was watching everything from her place near the bowl of Atomic Fireballs – to avoid another crisis, was what she had said to Beca.
But Beca knew it was her vantage point to observe the store's entrance and the cash register easily.
"Oh man, I really do love you," the woman's smile was infectious, "When do you get off?"
In her surprise at the woman's bold response Beca choked on her own saliva and lost whatever 'cool points' she'd managed to amass with the pretty girl for sure. "What?!" the DJ coughed, flushed and teary eyed.
It just made the other woman smile harder, "I asked what time you get off, so I could ask you out. You know, for drinks or something," her blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "My name is Chloe, by the way."
"Beca," she finally answered, "I get off at 9."
"Cool," Chloe opened her purse and took a piece of paper and a pen out, "Call me so we can meet," she said writing, Beca assumed, her number on the paper.
She looked down to see the woman's number scribbled there, in a pretty, flowing, script. She startled when Amy cried from the back room:
"I WIN. FORTY SAYS SHORTSTACK GETS LAID TONIGHT."