The Bellas got back to their cabin and Amy was on the phone ordering pizza almost as soon as they walked through the door. When she was done, she grabbed Lilly and told the others that they were off in search of alcohol. Aubrey fought to not roll her eyes. She had promised them she would try to be a little more relaxed on this trip if she could manage it. She would just have to save her lecture about how horrible alcohol is for your vocal cords for when they got back to Barden.
Stacie had gone to change and Aubrey was heading in that direction when Chloe popped her head out of her bedroom door.
"Aubrey, a word," Chloe said, motioning for the blonde to go in the room.
Aubrey arched an eyebrow at Chloe's weird tone. Her stomach dropped and she was suddenly nervous in that way you get when anyone says something similar to 'we need to talk' and you have no idea what it's about but it can only be bad. She slowly went into the room.
The room was essentially the same as Aubrey's room with Stacie but Aubrey thinks hers might be a little bigger.
Chloe turned to face Aubrey. "What's going on with you and Stacie?" she asked, right to the point. The redhead doesn't beat around the bush when it involves information like this.
"W-what?" Aubrey faltered. "What are you talking about?" she quickly recovered.
Chloe rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath. "One: you sat by each other on the bus to the airport. Two: you sat by each other waiting for the plane. Three: you sat by each other on the plane even though you asked me to sit by you. Four-"
"I get it! Sheesh," Aubrey interrupted.
"Wait, one more, the most important one: I saw you holding hands alone in your room."
Aubrey's eyes widened. "That wasn't anything! It was nothing." Aubrey pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes for a moment. "You're mistaken."
"Really? Because when I looked out the window at that view, the only person I wanted to hold hands with was Beca." Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. "And it didn't look like nothing."
Aubrey let out a slow breathe. She didn't know why she was fighting this, she normally tells Chloe everything (mostly because the redhead won't have it any other way). She shook her head. "I don't know what's going. That's the honest truth. And apart from what you saw, nothing has happened."
Chloe gave Aubrey a skeptical look before quickly dropping it when she examined Aubrey's face. "How do you feel about her?"
Aubrey looked down at the ground, shrugging her shoulders a little. Chloe reached out and touched Aubrey's arm. The blonde looked back up. "I don't know. Can't that be enough?"
Chloe slowly nodded. "Of course that's enough."
The redhead expected the conversation to be over but Aubrey didn't turn to leave.
"I like being with her. She makes me laugh," the blonde mused quietly, "she makes me feel things that I can't quite name yet - things no one else makes me feel." She looked down at her hands and twirled her ring around her finger. "But, she's Stacie, you know?"
Chloe's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Aubrey rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, sighing. "She's Stacie. She's gorgeous, she's smart - I've watched guys literally crawl over each other to get to her - and besides that, all signs point to her being straight."
Chloe clicked her tongue lightly. "You're Aubrey, okay?" Aubrey huffed out a breath and Chloe had to grab her wrist to keep her from moving. "You're amazing, beautiful, smart, determined - and besides all that, all signs point to you being straight too." Aubrey let out a small laugh. "I've been watching her, Bree. She's into you."
Aubrey's face tinted red slightly. She wasn't necessarily buying what Chloe was saying but it was ridiculously sweet anyway.
Aubrey finished eating and pulled out her phone. She wanted to see what the weather was going to look like for the rest of their stay. She was still sitting at the table with a few of the Bellas who were in a lively debate about the Bachelor or some other nonsense. Stacie had disappeared a bit ago but Aubrey was trying her best not to think about the brunette at all. Compartmentalizing is something she does well - or, that's what she used to think.
She lifted her eyes from the screen when she heard a loud catcall whistle from the other side of the room. Her phone clattered loudly on the table when Stacie walked into her view clad in a tiny black and neon pink bikini. Aubrey must have temporarily forgotten how to breathe because she found herself sucking in a gulp of air, lungs strained.
"Hot tub time!" Stacie called excitedly. The few Bellas who remained in the dining room hopped up and dispersed to go change, leaving Stacie and Aubrey alone.
Aubrey picked up her fallen phone and began to look at the screen like she was completely engrossed. She felt, more than heard, Stacie approach her. The brunette circled around the table and came to Aubrey's side.
She leaned in over Aubrey's shoulder, her mouth close to Aubrey's ear. "Aren't you going to come into the hot tub?" Aubrey shivered as she felt Stacie's breath tickle her ear.
The blonde swallowed. "Yeah, yes, sure," Aubrey responded nervously. Stacie chuckled deep her in throat.
"Well, go change. I can't wait to see your swimsuit."
Aubrey's face flushed as she got up to go change. She passed Jessica and Ashley on her way to her room - they were already in their suits and headed downstairs.
Aubrey pulled out her swimsuit options. There was a more conservative blue two-piece and a more risqué small, black bikini. Aubrey thought back to Stacie's suit and knew she needed to choose the black one.
Aubrey changed and threw her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head. She carefully wrapped a towel around herself and headed down to the back deck.
All the Bellas were in the hot tub by the time Aubrey stepped outside. The hot tub was big but with 9 girls already in it, there was hardly any space left. Stacie watched Aubrey close the sliding glass door behind herself and immediately wrap her arms around her body. The hot tub was outside and it was very cold.
Aubrey looked around and Stacie saw the moment she realized the only empty space was next to her. She gave her a bright grin when they made eye contact.
"Get in here, it's freezing," Stacie called over, drawing the attention of the other girls.
Aubrey got closer and dropped her towel when she knew Stacie was watching. The brunette's mouth opened. Her eyes widened and trailed down Aubrey's body, from her exposed neck to her tight abs to her long and muscular legs. Stacie wanted to reach out and feel if her skin was as soft as it looked.
"Dude, you are literally drooling," Beca said, low enough for no one else to hear. Stacie snapped her mouth closed but didn't look away from Aubrey as she climbed into the hot tub on her right and slid into the empty space beside her.
Aubrey groaned contentedly as she sat down and leaned back, feeling the hot water ease her muscles. The sound made Stacie's stomach flip. The blonde closed her eyes and tried to ignore the loud commotion of too many conversations happening at the same time.
Stacie's voice was suddenly speaking low in her ear with no warning, causing her eyes to shoot open in surprise. "I love your swimsuit," the brunette murmured before straightening her body and leaning back slightly. Before Aubrey could react, Stacie was already turned the other way and saying something to Beca.
Her eyes drifted and settled on Chloe, who was already looking at her. The redhead gave her a knowing look with a smug smile. Aubrey rolled her eyes.
Fat Amy had half the group engrossed in some sort of lively story. Aubrey started listening, trying to catch up to speed, when she felt a hand on her left thigh. She whipped her head towards Stacie but the brunette had her head turned away and was laughing at something Chloe had just said.
Aubrey felt Stacie's index finger start to trace circles on her leg. Heat rushed through her and she thought she might be at serious risk of having some sort of heat stroke. Her pulse was racing - and when Stacie began lazily running her hand up and down her thigh, she had to close her eyes and take in a shaky breath.
When she opened her eyes, she was met with a look of concern on Chloe's face.
"Bree, are you okay?"
Stacie turned her head towards Aubrey, a look of innocent amusement on her face.
"Aubrey?" Chloe's voice went up in pitch.
"I'm - I'm - It's really hot in here." Aubrey took a deep breath.
"Yeah… It's a hot tub," Beca said.
Aubrey recovered enough to narrow her eyes. "Your commentary is helpful, as always, Beca." Chloe giggled softly as she wrapped her arms around the tiny brunette, placing a kiss on her temple. Aubrey felt a brief pang of jealousy before Stacie's hand resumed its motion and distracted her.
And then it was gone so fast it left Aubrey wondering if she hadn't just imagined the whole thing.
Any attempts to to focus or join in on the conversation for the rest of evening were fruitless. Aubrey thought about the amused look on Stacie's face, like the brunette knew exactly what she was doing, and for the first time wondered if Chloe had been right when she said Stacie was into her.
When the girls got out of the hot tub, Amy started asking everyone what they wanted to drink. Stacie told them she was feeling pretty tired and was just going to go to sleep. Cynthia Rose did her best to pressure Stacie into staying up later but the brunette wasn't having it.
Aubrey decided she was feeling pretty tired as well but she didn't announce her plans to end the night to the group - she didn't want to draw any attention. She followed Stacie to their room and changed quickly while the brunette was using the bathroom.
When Stacie emerged, she was already in her pajamas - shorts and a tank top. She flopped on the bed and immediately winced.
"I'm so sore," she groaned.
"You did fall about a thousand times," Aubrey chuckled.
"It was worth it - at least I won the bet." Stacie grinned. "Speaking of which, I think it's about time you paid up." She rolled over so she was laying on her stomach. "If you expect me to sit up, you've got another thing coming."
Stacie thought Aubrey would protest, or at least hesitate. She didn't expect to feel the blonde instantly straddling her, hands over the clothed part of her lower back. She didn't have time to focus on it though because suddenly those hands were kneading into her and she couldn't quite suppress the moan that escaped.
Aubrey stilled for a fraction of second when she heard Stacie. She wondered if Stacie noticed the small tremor in her hand or the sudden temperature increase in her body. It's not her fault - Stacie had given her the ammunition to imagine what other sounds her hands can get the brunette to make.
Aubrey placed her hands on the waistband of Stacie's shorts and slid them up her back under the shirt. She felt the sharp intake of breath from the body beneath her and it stirred something within her; it made her confidence grow.
"You know," Aubrey purred, leaning in close to Stacie's ear, "this would be a lot easier if your shirt wasn't in the way." She smirked when she heard the tiniest, softest groan.
"Take it off then," Stacie said, and it sounded to Aubrey like a challenge. There was nothing Aubrey Posen liked more than a challenge.
She wasted no time pushing the shirt up and off, Stacie helping by slightly lifting her body off the bed. Stacie hadn't been wearing anything under her shirt and Aubrey took a moment to look at her bare back, to notice her shoulder blades, her spine, the small birthmark on her upper right shoulder. Stacie fidgeted, a small and impatient gesture.
Aubrey placed her fingertips lightly at the base of Stacie's neck and let them trace small swooping patterns down her back. She felt a shiver run through Stacie beneath her. Aubrey felt a sudden desire to press herself against the brunette's back, to place small kisses on the back of her neck - but her confidence wasn't quite that high.
When she got to the bottom of Stacie's back, she pressed her palms flat and returned them to the top with hard pressure. She released the pressure at the top and, again, lightly traced her fingertips down Stacie's back. She kept doing this for awhile, the combination of light touches down and hard pressure up was mesmerizing - for both girls.
Finally, Aubrey started focusing on specific parts of Stacie's back, massaging out the knots as she found them.
"How," Stacie started but gasped when Aubrey started kneading a sensitive spot, "are you so good at this?"
Aubrey chuckled, a low and seductive sound that shot heat immediately through Stacie. The blonde chose not to answer and just kept messaging. After probably an hour or so of doing this, Aubrey's hands slowed.
She leaned in, again, to Stacie's ear. "I think I've fulfilled the terms of our bet."
"Nooo," Stacie immediately whined, "don't stop."
"Hmm," Aubrey hummed, "I guess you'll just have to win another bet." She swiped her hands down Stacie's back one last time before she rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom.
When she came back out, she was disappointed to see that Stacie had already put her shirt back on. It must have been apparent on her face because suddenly the brunette gave her a look. "What?" she asked, but the light smirk on her face told Aubrey she already knew.
Aubrey went around the bed and got into her side, quickly pulling the covers up. Stacie reached over and turned the bedside lamp off and they were plunged into darkness. The both lay there on their backs silently for awhile.
When Stacie shifted and rolled to her side, her back facing Aubrey, the blonde couldn't help but reach out and touch her bare shoulder. Stacie tensed for a second, not expecting it, and then froze to see what Aubrey was going to do.
Aubrey traced small, light circles around the same spot for awhile - finally whispering, "Do you know you have a birthmark right here?" The moonlight was shining into the room and Aubrey could just make it out.
"Mm," Stacie mumbled, sleepily. Aubrey knew Stacie was on the brink of falling asleep. She kept lightly touching her until her own eyelids felt too heavy to continue. She could hear Stacie's even breathing and the sound lulled her to sleep quickly.
A/N: See, I told you I'm a liar - it's not a two-shot after all. Hope you don't mind. And remember - reviews make me write faster. That's just science.