Chapter 2 - Near You Always
Aubrey made her way to the rehearsal room. She was very early but there was no point in going back home and maybe she could get some reading done for one of her classes. She was pulling out the key to the room when muffled music coming from the other side of the door made her pause. She frowned slightly, her brow furrowing. She was pretty sure no one had this rehearsal hall right before them.
She twisted the knob and found the door locked. She put her key in the lock and quietly opened the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when she peered into the room.
Stacie was sitting at the piano with her back to Aubrey, her fingers playing the keys with an experienced swiftness. The music was gorgeous and as she listened intently, she heard Stacie start humming. Aubrey felt like she was invading a private moment but she couldn't turn away. She was mesmerized by the sound and by Stacie's hands moving along the keys.
Aubrey isn't sure how long she stood there - it could have been a few seconds or several minutes - but eventually the song slowed and ended softly.
"I didn't know you could play," Aubrey said softly into the new silence.
Stacie whipped around, caught by surprise. "Aubrey," she breathed. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long. I'm sorry, I - I didn't mean to intrude. I didn't know you were in here." Stacie just nodded and turned back to the piano to gather her things. "How'd you get in here anyway?"
Stacie turned her head slightly towards the blonde and Aubrey felt a wave of relief when she saw a familiar smirk on her face. "The custodian has a crush," she shrugged and Aubrey let out a laugh.
Aubrey made her way to the piano. "That was really beautiful, you know. What is it?"
Stacie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Aubrey didn't like seeing the normally confident girl be so hesitant. "I haven't named it yet."
Aubrey's eyes widened. "Wait, you created that music?"
Stacie blushed and gave a curt nod.
"Stacie! That's incredible," Aubrey said, the awe evident in her voice. Aubrey can sing, sure, but she's never been musically inclined in the form of instruments. Well, she hasn't exactly tried any instruments but anything that she can't perfect quickly is not for her.
"Thanks," Stacie said sheepishly. They sat for a moment in comfortable silence.
"Hey, do you want to get coffee after rehearsal today?" Aubrey didn't plan the invite, it just sort of fell out of her mouth.
"Well, I usually - um. Actually, yeah. Let's do it, " Stacie said with smile, suddenly returning to the Stacie that Aubrey was used to. Aubrey desperately wanted to ask Stacie to play her another song but wasn't sure the brunette would respond favorably to that request.
"Are you feeling better from last night?" Stacie asked as she moved to her usual pre-rehearsal place in the room.
Aubrey's eyebrows furrowed for a second before she remembered her quick escape from the night before. "Good as new," she said breezily. "Alcohol and I don't mix very well."
"You're drinking the wrong stuff. I'll teach you," Stacie winked and both of them laughed.
"That sounds like trouble."
"Always."
Aubrey stood at the counter in the cafe waiting for their drinks while Stacie went to find them a place to sit. The cafe was always crowded this time of day. Aubrey tapped her finger absentmindedly on the counter. She felt kind of nervous but she didn't know why. Coffee with Stacie.. no big deal. Friends having coffee. Nothing crazy.
Aubrey scanned the room after the drinks were handed to her. She finally spotted Stacie in a corner booth, the brunette giving her an adorable little wave when their eyes met. By the time Aubrey made her way to the table, the younger girl was on the phone and Aubrey just caught the end of the one-sided conversation. "-sorry. Something came up. I'll just see you later, okay?" A short pause as Aubrey sat down, Stacie's eyes shifting towards her and then away. Aubrey felt a small pang of something unidentifiable in her stomach. She wondered who Stacie was talking to and who she was going to see 'later.' Aubrey shook off the feeling. Jesus, you don't own her. Who cares what she does?
"Yeah, same time as always. See you then." Stacie ended the call and put her phone away. "Sorry about that." Stacie grinned at Aubrey and the blonde couldn't help the automatic grin she returned.
Aubrey handed Stacie her coffee and tried not to stare at her lips as she took a drink. Stacie caught her looking and quirked her eyebrow. "Do I have something on my face, Posen?" Stacie stuck out her tongue playfully.
Aubrey blushed and tried to cover it up with a laugh. "No, I was just waiting for you to spill coffee all over yourself, per usual."
"Shut up! That happened one time," Stacie laughed as she rolled her eyes. She paused for a second. "I missed you last night," the brunette said a little more seriously than she intended.
"You saw me last night."
"Yeah, for two seconds before you left me all alone."
Aubrey chuckled. "Don't be dramatic. There was a whole party's worth of people there."
"Yeah but they weren't the ones I wanted to be with." Stacie's eyes twinkled and Aubrey's stomach filled with butterflies.
"Well.." Aubrey hesitated because she originally wasn't going to bring this up during this conversation. "I have an idea on a way we could spend a little more time together."
Stacie raised her eyebrows. "Do tell."
"I was wondering-" Aubrey looked around the cafe, stalling for a second. "-okay, so I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano, a little." Aubrey felt like this was a stupid idea but when Stacie didn't immediately shoot her down, she rushed on. "I know you can play and I was wondering if you, maybe, wanted to show me how. I mean, just the basics, nothing fancy. And there's a good chance I'll quit after about one session, but…"
Stacie laughed. "That is definitely not where I thought you were taking this conversion." Aubrey looked up, her brows furrowed in confusion. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sure, Bree. I'd love to work with you on the piano. I can't say I'm much of a teacher but I think we can muddle through."
Aubrey sat back with a satisfied grin. She stopped herself from evaluating where, exactly, this sudden interest in the piano came from.
Aubrey and Stacie agreed to meet 45 before rehearsals the next day to get started with the piano thing. Stacie wasn't lying when she said she wasn't much of a teacher - she had no idea where to even start in showing Aubrey anything about the piano. She tried to think back on her first lessons but she was practically a toddler and doesn't remember. She wouldn't have ever agreed to this in a million years if anyone else had asked her. What made Aubrey different?
Stacie sat close to Aubrey on the piano bench. "Is there anything you already know?"
Aubrey hit middle C and scaled up, singing 'do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do' as she did. It made Stacie's job easier that Aubrey clearly already knew how to read music and hit the beginning notes. Stacie showed Aubrey a simple melody to play. It was repetitive and annoying but it would help strengthen her fingers.
Aubrey tried it after Stacie and messed it up. Stacie showed her again and, again, Aubrey couldn't follow. Stacie could sense the perfectionist getting frustrated. "Here.." Stacie put her hand lightly on top of Aubrey's and felt the girl tense. Aubrey felt a shiver shoot up her spine. "Like this.." Stacie said softly as her fingers pressed into Aubrey's to make the proper melody.
"O-okay. Will you do it like that a few more times?" Stacie complied and moved her hand with Aubrey's several more times until Aubrey could play it by herself. Stacie gave Aubrey a big grin when she completed it on her own. Stacie made Aubrey do it so many times that Aubrey didn't even have to think about how her fingers were moving.
Both of the girls lost track of time until the door flinging open made Stacie jump up and move quickly away from the piano. Stacie immediately blushed and felt silly. She and Aubrey weren't doing anything wrong in there. Why did she feel like she was being caught out?
Amy, Jessica and Ashley walked in chatting. If they noticed that Stacie and Aubrey had been alone in the room together, sitting very closely, they didn't let on or mention it. Aubrey stood up and started readying her things for rehearsal and Stacie drifted to her normal pre-rehearsal spot.
Aubrey tried her best to act completely normal during rehearsal but she was a little distracted. Chloe kept shooting her a concerned look and Aubrey had to wave her off more than once. For her part, Stacie was acting completely fine - joking with Amy about something sexual that Aubrey was sure she didn't want to hear.
"Hey Chlo, will you lock up after rehearsal? I have to get out of here pretty quickly," Aubrey asked the redhead as nonchalantly as possible, hoping she didn't ask any questions. Aubrey really wanted to know where Stacie goes after rehearsals.
"Oh, yeah, sure," Chloe said, distracted. She was watching Beca work on choreography and Aubrey couldn't help but roll her eyes. As she did, she caught Stacie staring at her. Stacie looked from Aubrey to Chloe, who was still starting at Beca, and smirked. Aubrey chuckled to herself.
As rehearsal came to an end, Aubrey trailed Stacie out of the room but it was harder than she thought it would be. There weren't a lot of people around and she didn't want Stacie to see her so she held back pretty far and ended up almost losing the girl in a series of turns. She caught sight of Stacie just as she was going into a room. Aubrey looked around, failing to notice her surroundings before then as she was so intent on following Stacie. Aubrey noticed she was in the music department and Stacie had entered one door in a series of doors along a long hallway.
Aubrey peered into a similar door closer to where she was and saw a small space, almost no bigger than a janitor's closet. It held a small wall piano and a few music stands but that's all that would fit. Aubrey pulled her eyes away from the room as she heard footsteps approaching from down the hall. Aubrey looked behind her shoulder and saw a lean, muscular guy making his way toward her. He was really good looking, Aubrey noticed.
Aubrey's heart stopped for a beat as the guy turned into the room that Stacie had gone through a few moments before. She heard the guy greet Stacie by saying in a confident, cocky tone: "Hey, hope you're ready for me today."
"When have I ever not been ready for you?" Aubrey could practically hear Stacie wink. "Lock the door - we don't need anyone barging in like last time." Aubrey's stomach clenched. She felt her face get hot and her eyes were threatening to tear up. What is your problem? Aubrey couldn't identify her feelings and she did not appreciate that one bit. She heard a sort of thump sound coming from the room and she turned immediately around and fled out of the building, not wanting to hear any more.
Aubrey paced her room, trying to get a grip on what she was feeling. She remembered the shiver she got when Stacie placed her hand over hers at the piano. She remembered the horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach when she heard Aubrey talking to that guy. And she couldn't even describe what she was feeling at the idea of Stacie hooking up with that guy in that small rehearsal space. Aubrey isn't an illogical person. It took her most of the night but she finally admitted to herself that her feelings towards Stacie weren't exactly platonic. She wasn't willing to admit any more than that.
The next morning, Aubrey still couldn't manage to untie the knots in her stomach from the previous day. She shot Stacie a quick text telling her that she couldn't make it to their piano practice before rehearsal. She didn't trust herself to act normal yet. She needed to give it some time. Aubrey's stomach fluttered when she received a text from Stacie with a sad face.
Aubrey muddled through her day. She couldn't really pay attention in any of her classes even though she tried to throw herself into her work (which usually worked superbly). Aubrey found herself with over an hour to kill before rehearsals and she was going insane. She knew she told Stacie she couldn't meet for piano practice but she thought maybe she could go and practice what Stacie had showed her the day before. It would take up just enough of her concentration so that she couldn't think of other things.
Aubrey felt a moment of déjà vu as she stopped in front of the rehearsal room door and, again, heard music coming from the other side. She froze for a minute. She knew it had to be Stacie on the other side and she didn't know how to proceed. Aubrey's curiosity got the better of her, though, and she opened the door as quietly as possible, hoping to listen to a little of the music and leave without Stacie being any of the wiser.
Stacie could feel the moment Aubrey walked into the room. She didn't turn and her hands didn't falter on the keys; she didn't want the older girl to know that she knew she was there. Stacie didn't know why Aubrey canceled their practice just to show up on her own but she didn't really care. This gave Stacie an opportunity to do something she would normally be too scared to do: play for Aubrey. For some reason, Stacie felt less vulnerable singing her song to Aubrey when she knew Aubrey thought she was spying unnoticed.
Stacie smoothly transitioned the music she was playing to the music of her newest song. She softly, but strongly, started singing.
Please don't say I love you
Those words touch me much too deeply
And they make my core tremble
Aubrey's breath hitched as she heard Stacie's voice fill the room. It was soft and sweet and so much different than it was in Bella rehearsals. Aubrey concentrated on the words, knowing instinctively that this was a song Stacie probably wrote herself.
Don't think you realize the effect you have over me
Please don't look at me like that
It just makes me want to make you near me always
Stacie tried to hide the slight tremor in her voice, she wasn't used to any sort of act of vulnerability. She's never sung her own songs for anyone before, let alone to the person they were about. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the music.
Please don't kiss me so sweet
It makes me crave a thousand kisses to follow
And please don't touch me like that
It makes every other embrace seem pale and shallow
Aubrey's stomach had plummeted slightly. If Stacie wrote this song recently, or was singing it now with reason, she must have someone in her life that warrants those words. Her mind flashed to an image of the guy she saw yesterday.
And please don't come so close
It just makes me want to make you near me always
The song kept going and Aubrey felt more and more sick to her stomach. She eyes welled with tears and she chastised herself for being so stupid. How could she possibly think that a girl like Stacie didn't already have feelings for someone. Of course she did. And Aubrey knew she wasn't the only one with feelings for the brunette either.
And it makes me want to make you near me always
I want to be near you always
I want to be near you always
Stacie softly played the ending notes of the song and took a deep breathe. She turned to face Aubrey, a million thoughts going through her head and a million butterflies flying around her stomach.
But Aubrey was gone.
A/N: Although Stacie writes songs for the purposes of this story, *I* do not. The song featured in this chapter (and the title of the story) was written by Jewel. It's a beautiful song, if you're interested. Also, for the purposes of this story, the songs will likely be accompanied by a piano - even though most of the songs chosen so far are actually accompanied by a guitar.