It was the day before the riff-offs. Beca had managed to keep Chloe from telling Aubrey what Stacie was planning. They had met a couple of times so Stacie could prepare a wide range of songs, using Chloe's experience from previous years and Beca's extensive musical knowledge. Aside from the clear message in all of the songs, being prepared for this, Chloe argued, could only increase their chances of winning, making Aubrey more receptive to any proposition she might receive afterwards.
The last couple of rehearsals the girls had been working on harmonizing, which was what they had been doing for the best part of the past two hours. Aubrey could see most of the girls weren't really trying anymore so she decided to end the rehearsal early to everyone's delight.
Stacie moved to gather her things. She was grateful for the weather that still allowed her to wear short shorts and a deep cut shirt when it was almost October. Still, she decided to put on a light jacket for her walk back to her dorm. She looked around and saw Chloe talking to Aubrey, Beca standing next to them with an annoyed face. She didn't think she could be around Aubrey by herself considering what she was planning for next day so she decided to pass on her usual post-rehearsal hang out.
She walked over, intending to tell her she had homework when Chloe turned and grabbed her by the wrists. "Stace, you have to come watch Love Actually with us. Beca lost a bet and she's never watched it and it's my favorite."
She hesitated. Hanging out with Aubrey was exactly the opposite of what she was planning for tonight.
The blonde noticed her hesitation and stepped in. "Please don't leave me alone with these two."
Stacie smiled. "Okay"
When they got to the apartment Aubrey and Chloe went into the kitchen to prepare snacks and drinks leaving Stacie and Beca in the living room. Beca took a seat on her favorite armchair and Stacie flopped down on the loveseat in front of the TV.
Beca grabbed a cushion and tossed it at the other girl. "You ready for tomorrow?"
"I guess. I'm gonna need you to help me gauge her reaction to the songs and tell me if I need to reconsider." She threw the cushion back at Beca.
"I'm sure you'll be good."
They heard the older girls walking back from the kitchen and they stopped talking. Chloe set a tray with wine glasses on the coffee table and sat on Beca's lap, legs hanging from the side of the chair. Aubrey handed her a bowl of popcorn and then stared down at Stacie. "Where am I supposed to sit?"
Stacie smiled and sat up, pulling her feet back to clear the other side of the couch. She waited for Aubrey to get settled and asked for the popcorn bowl scooting back down and draping her legs over the blonde with the popcorn bowl resting on her own stomach. Aubrey raised her eyebrow at her but didn't protest.
Fifteen minutes into the movie, Beca started to get bored which led to her playing with Chloe's hair, which led to her making out with Chloe, which led to Aubrey complaining about having to hear them which led to them retiring to Chloe's room, leaving her and Stacie on their own.
After finishing the popcorn, Stacie set the bowl on the floor, scooting closer to the older girl and turning to face the TV. Aubrey absentmindedly placed her hand on her thigh close to her knee. It was good Stacie had seen this movie multiple times because all she could focus right now was the warm feeling of Aubrey's hand on her leg. She tried not to move lest it made the blonde remove her hand. After a couple of minutes, the older girl started moving her thumb idly along the back of her knee causing the younger girl's breath to hitch. She looked at the TV and calculated there were at least 15 minutes left in the movie. Everything would be fine if she didn't move.
It was proving really hard to control herself. She was trying with all of her might to focus on what Hugh Grant was saying but the hand on her thigh still drawing lazy patterns on her skin was making it incredibly difficult.
Stacie sighed as the credits started. She had made it. Except Aubrey wasn't moving so they were just there watching the credits roll, the blonde's hand still planted on her thigh. After what felt like a long time, she felt the blonde take a deep breath. "Stace."
Stacie turned onto her back to look at the other girl, making the hand on her thigh move, ending up on her knee. The brunette didn't say anything, she waited for the blonde to say something but she seemed to be studying her hand.
When Stacie was almost sure the older girl wasn't going to break the silence, she seemed to make up her mind and turned to look at her. "Would you like to go out with me? Like on a date?"
Stacie's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. She wasn't really thinking about what this meant, she was more focused on how her whole plan was ruined now that Aubrey had asked her out first. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What?" Whatever Aubrey was expecting her to say, that certainly wasn't one of the options.
Stacie sat up. "Shit, I'm sorry. It's just that I was going to ask you out tomorrow after the riff-offs. I had this whole thing planned out."
Aubrey looked at her as if considering if she was telling the truth, after a moment she crossed her arms. "Well I'm sorry if I ruined your plan."
Stacie jumped up and straddled the blonde, placing her hands on her shoulders. "No, Bree, come on, I'm sorry. Ask me again."
She looked at the older girl until she sighed and uncrossed her arms, moving her arms to rest around the brunette's waist. She looked up at her shyly. "Stacie, would you go on a date with me?"
She had barely finished her question when the brunette was already answering. "Yes!"
Stacie looked down at the blonde with a goofy smile. She looked happy and it made Stacie feel like there was a whole rabble of butterflies in her stomach. She bit her lip and ran her fingers down the other girl's jaw, feeling the arms around her waist tighten which brought attention to her position on top of Aubrey.
She looked down, blushing, and made a move to get off Aubrey but she felt a hand on her hip stopping her. The blonde's other hand reached up and tilted her face towards her. The older girl leaned closer to her, sneaking glances at her lips.
Stacie held her breath and leaned down slightly, tilting her head to the side. Their kiss was brief, barely more than a peck. It was nothing like any other kiss Stacie had received. It was tentative, almost like a question, but it was also filled with promise, with all the other kisses that would come after it. It was the perfect first kiss and Stacie took a moment to savor it.
When she opened her eyes, Aubrey was looking up at her questioningly. She smiled in response and felt the blonde relax under her. Taking a blonde lock of hair and twirling it gently, she thought about what she had wanted to say when she had planned to ask Aubrey out.
She felt Aubrey squeeze her hip and she looked up at her. "Hey, what's going on in that genius, pretty head of yours?"
Stacie smiled. "I just wanted you to know that I want to do this right. I haven't dated anyone in a while but I want to be your girlfriend. This isn't about just sex for me."
"This isn't about just sex for me either. Maybe we should take it slow on the physical front." Stacie frowned which made Aubrey chuckle. "I'm not saying we should wait a long time but maybe we shouldn't jump into bed right away."
"I don't know if I can control myself, the hunter's had his eye on you for a while." She smirked and leaned down to kiss Aubrey.
A series of quick kisses turned into a longer kiss. Stacie played with the hairs on the other girl's nape. She didn't deepen the kiss, letting the older girl take the lead. She felt the blonde's tongue graze her lower lip cautiously, her hands moving up and down her back. Her lips parted, allowing the blonde to explore her mouth.
She started to pull back, nipping at Aubrey's lower lip and tugging at it slightly before giving her a quick peck and sitting back. "I'm good with waiting."
She climbed down from Aubrey's lap and snuggled to her side, hugging her waist and resting her head on her shoulder. The blonde wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulder and laid her cheek on Stacie's head. She played with the younger girl's hair, grazing her shoulder lightly. They sat like this for a while, enjoying the feel of each other.
Stacie turned her head and nuzzled Aubrey's neck, leaving little kisses along the way. "What are we going to tell people?"
Aubrey pulled back and studied the younger girl. "We have to tell Chloe and the midget but we don't have to tell the others yet if you don't want to."
Stacie shook her head. "It's not that I don't want to tell people about us, but maybe it can be just us for a while? I'm not used to being someone's girlfriend; I want to enjoy it for a bit."
Aubrey laughed. "I'm not used to being someone's girlfriend either, but yeah, I'm fine with it being just us for a while."
"And Chloe and Beca."
Aubrey tightened her grip on the younger girl's shoulders and smiled. "And Chloe and Beca."
Stacie pulled back from Aubrey. "I should go, it's late." She stood up and stood in between the blonde's legs, holding her hands and intertwining their fingers. "I'll see you at the riff-offs tomorrow."
Aubrey nodded and pulled her down for a couple of kisses. "Give me a few days to plan our date; I want it to be special."
"Okay." She pulled back and pulled the blonde to her feet. They walked to the door together, their hands still entwined. Aubrey opened the door and Stacie gave her one last kiss, this time taking control and pinning the shorter girl to the door behind her. When she finally pulled back, Aubrey was slightly dazed, leaning on the door for support.
"Bye." Stacie smirked at the blonde and walked away. She looked back when she was a few feet away, smirking when she saw Aubrey still leaning on the door watching her. "Yup, still got it."