Author's Notes: Firstly, I would like to say I big thank you to RavenclawGenius for your kind words and reviews! It means a lot that you would take the time to let me know what you think of my work. Secondly, this is going to be what they call a slow burn fic. They will be together, but I love character development and angst along with fluff. There will be a little bit of everything if I have my way, so buckle up for the ride folks! :D
In a matter of minutes, Aubrey's emotions had done a complete one eighty. She went from stressed beyond belief due to the other Bella's lack of energy and effort, to admitting her flaws and handing the reigns over the girl who she swore would never have any actual input. The moment when Beca grabbed the chair and walked away felt like it lasted hours when in reality it was only a couple of seconds. The blonde attempted to act as if she was unphased by the younger girl's speech, but as the seconds passed, her resistance began to waver.
Chloe's glare sent daggers into her head which only reminded the blonde about the fight the best friends had shared the moment Aubrey stepped into the apartment they shared when they arrived back on campus from spring break. The two have been best friends since they were six, and no one in the world could read Aubrey Posen better than the ginger. While everyone else thought the blonde hated Beca or at the very least strongly disliked her, Chloe knew that the blonde was only threatened by the things the freshman made her best friend feel. Posens were taught to never feel anything that could ruin their composure which left very little room for love or even the occasional measly crush. In the four years they had spent in college, Aubrey has never once engaged in the slightest amount of flirting. The blonde was always focused on studying, the Bellas, or pleasing her father's unrealistic expectations, that she never even noticed someone that she would consider attractive. That is until Chloe pointed out Beca, and from that moment on, the feelings the other girl has stirred within Aubrey has made the girl extremely uncomfortable and lash out more than usual. Needless to say, after Semi's the ginger was at her wit's end with her best friend and called her fellow captain out on her shit.
Add to that the blonde's still conflicting reasons about the last talk she had shared with the alt girl, and she had no idea what to do. Her father's voice was telling her to let the betrayer walk away; they were much better without the constant distraction anyway. Her heart on the other hand was practically screaming for her to call Beca back. She wanted to know why the other girl cared so much about winning for her, she wanted to know why she couldn't just show compassion in a appropriate way, and a small part of her wanted to know what it would be like to lose control. The screeching of the chair being dragged against the floor did not even register to her due to the war she was fighting with her emotions. She went to open her mouth and say a smart ass remark of her never being Bella's material, but promptly shut it. Her face contorted into confusion until she was finally able to call the girl back and hand over the pitch pipe.
This then led to an amazing performance where Aubrey very consciously chose the song Just The Way You Are in hopes that the brunette understood the message she was attempting to send. All year long the blonde had been trying to change the younger Bella; to get her to conform to an image that spoke high class and success. Yet, after days of overthinking and not so subtle hints from her best friend, Aubrey realized that if Beca were to change to that image, if she were to conform, she would not be the girl that drove the senior absolutely crazy, and that bothered her more than she was willing to admit. So, instead of voicing feelings she did not even know what to do with, she chose a song. A song that spoke of how she truly saw the annoying, unnerving, and extremely talented freshman who was single handedly flipping her world upside down.
Now, they were all walking away except for the two girls in question. When Chloe saw her best friend hang back to talk to the DJ, she couldn't help but smile and subtly lead the rest of the girls ahead with talks of pizza and root beer floats. Aubrey moved her hair out of her face while taking in a deep breath. The duo followed slowly, but both were clearly lost in their own thoughts. The blonde thinking about how to say anything that sounded even remotely close to what she felt, and Beca thinking about how beautiful the senior looks when she finally allows herself to relax.
Finally, Aubrey gathered up the courage to speak, but the moment she did, so did the slightly awkward brunette beside her. "I just wanted you.."
"So, I.."
They both laughed slightly at the situation before Beca motioned with her hand for Aubrey to continue. The blonde nodded in thanks before taking another breath. "I just wanted you to know that I care about you as well." The words were spoken shyly due to the fact that this was uncharted territory for the senior. The last time she had even remotely felt this way was in high school, and that had not ended particularly well. "I didn't want you thinking otherwise since I just let you leave the other day. You just… you have this unrivaled ability to drive me absolutely insane, Beca."
The brunette couldn't help but laugh lightly at Aubrey's words. "You're not too bad at driving me crazy either, Posen." The worlds were accompanied with an actual smile instead of the smirk that the older Bella was so used to seeing which only made Beca more beautiful. It was obvious to the brunette that this was meant to be a heartfelt moment, which only made her slightly more awkward. She was never good at feelings. For longer than she could remember, she just pushed people away because it was easier than the alternative. The idea of relying on someone was terrifying, but she meant it when she said that having girl friends for the first time actually felt nice. "So, does this make us friends now?"
If it wasn't for the fact that Beca was clearly trying so hard even though the situation was completely foreign to her, Aubrey would have laughed. The question was one she hadn't heard since her days in middle school which only made the alt girl more endearing. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said with a light chuckle. "I believe it is safe to say that I no longer have the overwhelming urge to yank you aside by those horrible things in your ears." To show her just how much she was joking, the blonde lightly bumped her hip with the DJ's which caused her to receive a scowl in return.
"Oh no, don't tell me that you're like Chloe," she said with a groan. "What part of no touchy do you guys not get?"
The phase sounded incredibly familiar, and after a few moments she knew exactly where she had heard it from. "Excuse me, but does the badass," Aubrey actually put air quotes around the term while speaking, "DJ watch Disney movies?" When the freshman realized the connection that the older Bella had made, her eyes widened comically and her step faltered a bit. If it wasn't for it being dark out, Aubrey would have also noticed the light blush that was making it's way to Beca's cheeks. "I believe I am going to enjoy actually getting to know you. I have a nagging suspicion that you are really just a big softie on the inside."
While the other girl's laughter was a sound that Beca thought should be heard more often, she was too busy mumbling under her breath for her to mention anything about it. Anyway, what would she say? She doubted that 'hey, your laugh is really nice when you don't have the pitch pipe wedged up your ass.' would go over well. Yeah, it shouldn't be a secret that the freshman was not a poet with words. However, one thing did catch her attention. The promise of getting to know her was the biggest form of an apology she could have received. It showed that the blonde knew she misjudged the DJ and was going to try to rectify that. Given everything the brunette heard that day about her father, she figured that true apologies were not a simple feat for the Posens. Their pride would not allow it. So, Beca would take what she could get, because hey, the brunette had her own crosses to bear too. "All you're gonna find out is that I am a badass, and you're not going to know how you survived so many years without my bright presence in your life."
And the sarcasm was back, but this time it didn't trigger bile to rise up in her throat. Instead Aubrey just rolled her eyes, linked her arms with the shorter girl, and ignored her (weak) attempts at pulling away. "We shall see, Beca. We'll see."