DAY 12 - WHAT'S COOKIN', GOOD LOOKIN'?
Prompt from FanFiction User malexfaith: Beca needs cooking lessons...AU or not.
"Tell me again why you think I need to go to these cooking classes with you?" Stacie asked, glaring at her best friend.
"Because it will be boring if I have to do it by myself," Beca said.
"Why are you even doing it?" Stacie asked. "You can barely boil water, and all you're going to do is get frustrated and quit before you even get started. It's your M.O."
"Not this time," Beca said. "This time I have a really good reason to see it through to the end."
Stacie waited, but Beca just looked at her. Finally, throwing out an exasperated sigh, Stacie asked, "What's your good reason for taking cooking classes?"
"Jesse Swanson," Beca said in a breathy whisper.
"Seriously?" Stacie asked. "The guy from the radio station who will only allow you play your mixes once a week? The guy who hasn't shown any interest in you outside the station whatsoever?"
"Yes, that guy," Beca said. "I heard him tell one of the other guys that he was looking for someone to settle down with. That coming home to the woman he loves making him a nice home-cooked meal was his dream. That and also scoring moves because he loves movies."
"What?" Stacie squealed. "You hate movies."
"But he's so cute," Beca whined. "I know if I can win him over by learning to cook, he'll fall so in love with me that he won't care that I don't share his love of movies."
"You are delusional," Stacie said. She looked at her best friend and sighed. "Fine, I'll take the lessons with you."
"Great," Beca said and hugged Stacie. "I'm lucky to find one that is teaching how to cook Italian dishes. I want to learn how to make lasagna because that's Jesse's favorite dish. And, I need to learn it by Valentine's Day."
"Valentine's Day?" Stacie asked. "Are you planning to ask him out for Valentine's Day?"
"Yeah," Beca said. "I think it would be romantic to ask him over for dinner on Valentine's Day and make his favorite meal."
"I hope you know what you're doing," Stacie said.
"I do," Beca said. "And, our first class is on Thursday night."
"You already signed us up?" Stacie asked.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to say no to me," Beca said.
~~2019 BeChloe Valentines - Day 12~~
Thursday night came, and Beca all but dragged Stacie to the local High School where the cooking classes were being held. Beca was grumbling because the class was set to start in ten minutes and they still had to find the room.
Beca hurried Stacie along as they entered the school.
"God, this brings back some memories," Stacie said looking around.
"Me, too," Beca said. "None good. Come on; it's this way."
"Unlike you, I have very fond memories of this place," Stacie said with a gleam in her eye.
"Please do not point out all the places you had sex," Beca said with a shiver. "I still have nightmares about walking in on you in the music room doing it with Tom and Jessica."
"What?" Stacie said. "He wanted a three-way, and they both wanted me. Win-win. Win."
Stacie laughed, and Beca let out a groan.
"That is just so wrong, dude."
Beca quickened her pace as she led Stacie in the direction of the Home Ec room. They stopped in the doorway and looked around a bit.
"Wow," Stacie said. "This place hasn't changed at all."
"Ugh, the only table left is in the front," Beca said and started over to it.
Stacie followed Beca, and they both got situated. Beca looked around the room and saw there was four cooking stations setup including the one she and Stacie were currently seated.
"It's a small class," Beca said checking her watch. "That's good. Where's the instructor? We should be starting."
Stacie looked around the room as well. She nodded a greeting to those who caught her eye.
They had been there for about ten minutes, and everyone kept checking their watches.
"How long do we wait before we call it?" One guy asked as he looked around at everyone.
Just then two women came rushing into the room. Beca looked up, and her breath hitched, and she suddenly forgot how to blink.
Stacie leaned into Beca and whispered, "Two super hot women teachers. I'm in heaven."
Beca couldn't say anything because her mouth was suddenly dry. The redhead was breathtaking. She had red hair and the bluest eyes Beca had ever seen. It hadn't been that long since Beca came out as being bisexual and this is the first time she's ever seen a woman that piqued her interest. She's not shallow so she'd definitely want to take the redhead out and get to know more about her.
"Oh, my God," Beca thought. "I'm already thinking about dating this woman and all I've done is look at her."
Beca realized she was staring and looked down at the table to hide her blush.
"I'm so sorry we're late," the pretty redhead said as she dropped her things on the desk in front of the room. "I'm, uh, Chloe Beale and I will be teaching this class. And, this is Aubrey Posen, who will be assisting with some parts of the class. I beg your indulgence for five minutes while we get situated and then we'll start."
Chloe started pulling folders out of her bag, while Aubrey grabbed a pile of papers and started handing them out.
"Thank you," Stacie said and winked at Aubrey as she took the papers for their table.
"Stacie," Beca whispered. "Don't."
Aubrey smiled with a slight blushed on her cheeks as she moved to the next table. Chloe set the last bag on the floor and glanced quickly around the room.
"She is so hot," Stacie mumbled as she watched Aubrey walk away.
"Yeah, she is," Beca said softly not having taken her eyes off Chloe.
"Okay, everyone, may I have your attention, please," Chloe said getting everyone's attention. "The papers Aubrey just handed out has a schedule of what we will be doing each week. The class is scheduled for 12 sessions and will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from seven pm to nine pm. Our last session will be on Saturday, February 9 and will be 'date night.' The schedule has all the information as well as everything we will be talking about or cooking between now and then. Tonight is going to be mostly introductory. Any questions so far?"
One guy raised his hand. "What do you mean by 'date night'?"
"You are each to invite someone to dinner as your date," Chloe said. "You could invite a friend, a relative, or your significant other. They should arrive around six. We will be starting at three that day, and each couple or pair of you will be responsible for making the meal for you and your date to share. I will taste test each of your dishes and your guests will be asked to fill out a report card for your dish as well. I will look over their notes and ask questions. Then I will do a final critique, and the class will be over. It should be fun."
No one had any other questions and went back to looking at the papers they had been given.
"Look, it says here we'll be making lasagna for 'date night.' Maybe you can ask Jesse to be your 'date' that night," Stacie teased Beca. "At least if he isn't into you, you'll know before Valentine's Day."
"Shut up," Beca said and looked down at the papers in her hand.
"Any other questions?" Chloe asked with a smile. "Okay, good. Now, these papers also include the recipes we will be making. We'll start with something easy and work our way up to the final recipe. The first thing we're going to do is go around the room and introduce ourselves and tell why we're taking this class."
Aubrey moved to stand next to Chloe.
"I'll go first," Chloe said. "I'm Chloe Beale, and I am teaching this class to earn extra money. I am a second-grade teacher and, as you may know, we don't make a lot of money, and we have to buy a lot of our supplies out of pocket. I'm hoping what I make here will help offset some of those out of pocket costs. Aubrey, would you go next?"
"Fine," Aubrey said without much enthusiasm. "My name is Aubrey Posen, and I'm a lawyer. I'm here because my best friend had the bright idea to teach a class to make some extra money and dragged me along."
"Brey," Chloe said and laughed. "I'm sorry about her." She looked around the room and pointed to Beca. "Why don't you go next."
"Um, uh, yeah, my name is Beca Mitchell," Beca said.
"Beca Mitchell? You're that DJ from the KLTK morning show," one guy said. "I love your mixes. Too bad you only get to play them once a week."
"Um, thanks," Beca said and blushed.
"And, why are you here, Miss Mitchell?" Chloe asked.
"I, uh, there's someone I like, and I want to cook for them?" Beca said.
"Are you asking her or telling her?" Stacie said with a laugh.
"Honestly, up until about ten minutes ago I knew exactly why I was taking this class," Beca said looking at Chloe. "Now, I'm not so sure."
"Um, okay," Chloe said and then pointed at Stacie. "And you? Are you Beca's partner? The one she wants to learn to cook for?"
"Not her partner," Stacie said quickly and smiled at Aubrey. "We're both single, and I'm Stacie Conrad. I'm also the best friend she dragged to this, so she didn't have to do it by herself."
Chloe chuckled when she saw both Beca and Aubrey blushing. She thanked Stacie and went on to the next student.
Chloe continued around the rest of the class for introductions. She then had everyone take out a piece of paper and list three of their favorite Italian dishes.
"On our last night together," Chloe said. "I will hand out a cookbook with the recipes we learn here as well as those dishes you list as your favorites. While you're writing, Aubrey and I will be coming around to chat so we can get to know each other a little better."
Chloe and Aubrey started their walk around the room; their first stop was at Beca and Stacie's table.
"So, Miss Mitchell," Chloe said. "I'm also a big fan of your radio show. I listen to it on my way to school every morning. I have to agree with Donald. Your mixes are awesome, and I wish you could play them more often."
"Tell that to the producer of her show," Stacie said. "She has to play what he tells her. I think he's jealous because he's a big movie nerd and wants to hear movies scores and not the mixes that the listeners want to hear."
"Stacie," Beca said glaring at her. "I'm sure they don't care about that stuff."
"I find it fascinating," Chloe said. "I thought as the DJ you could play whatever you wanted as long as you threw in some commercials along the way."
Beca laughed. "I wish it were that simple."
"Chloe, we should move on to the other tables," Aubrey said.
"Oh, right," Chloe said. "I should go. But, I'd like to hear more about your show and your music some time."
"I'd like that," Beca said and smiled.
Chloe smiled back at her and finally left the table when Aubrey pulled her away.
"Looks like somebody has a crush," Stacie whispered.
"I do not," Beca said.
"I wasn't talking about you," Stacie said as she glanced at Chloe who was looking at Beca.
Beca gave a side glance and saw Chloe looking at her; she couldn't hide the smile on her face.
~~2019 BeChloe Valentines - Day 12~~
A week later, at their third class, Beca and Stacie were cooking spaghetti with meat sauce. Beca was chopping the onions for the sauce when Chloe came by to show her the proper technique so she wouldn't cut her fingers.
"May I?" Chloe asked as she held her hand out for the knife.
Beca nodded as she gave Chloe the knife and stepped aside.
"You hold the knife like this," Chloe said, showing Beca how she was holding the knife. She took her other hand and said, "And curl your fingers, so the knife is touching your knuckles, like this."
Chloe made a few slices and held the knife handle toward Beca. Beca took the knife and stepped in front of the cutting board with the onion. She held the knife in her hand and looked at Chloe.
"Like this?" she asked.
Chloe looked over Beca's shoulder and put her left hand over Beca's. She put her right hand on Beca's hip to balance herself as she leaned slightly to the left. Chloe moved Beca's hand to the correct position and then ran her right hand down Beca's arm to lift her hand into the correct position. She curled Beca's fingers and placed it on top of the onion.
"Your hands are so soft," Beca muttered and then blushed. Stacie put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
Chloe pretended she didn't hear Beca and continued speaking. "There. Now try it."
Beca swallowed because all she could think about was the way Chloe's body was pressing against hers. It felt safe and warm; almost like home.
"Um, yeah," Beca said. She looked down to see Chloe's hands on both hers and proceeded to cut the onion.
"That's it," Chloe said with a breathy laugh that hit Beca's neck. "You got it. I'll check back on you two in a bit."
Chloe moved away, and Beca immediately missed the warmth. She let out a shaky breath.
"That was kinda hot," Stacie whispered.
~~2019 BeChloe Valentines - Day 12~~
The next five weeks went by quickly as Beca found herself arriving early for every class. She'd help Chloe set everything up, and they would talk and get to know each other.
It was on the final Thursday night class, with just two days before the 'date night' session, and the two girls were sitting at one of the tables chatting. Chloe asked Beca who she was bringing for date night.
"I think I'm flying solo," Beca said.
"What happened to that guy you were taking the classes to impress?" Chloe asked.
"I guess I realized that I didn't like him as much as I thought I did," Beca said. "I'm interested in someone else."
"Why don't you invite them?" Chloe suggested. "It would be a nice icebreaker, and there will be others around so you won't have to be uncomfortable."
"Well, um, she'll kind of already be here," Beca said and blushed bright red.
"Oh," Chloe said and looked down at the table. "Does Stacie know you like her?"
"Stacie? What? No, it's not her," Beca said quickly.
Before Beca or Chloe could say anything more, Stacie walked in with Aubrey.
"So, is that a yes to being my date on Saturday for our cooking final?" Stacie asked.
"Why not?" Aubrey said. "I'll be here anyway. It will be fun to see how well Chloe taught all of you to cook."
"See," Beca said to Chloe. "Not Stacie."
"I have to, um, get ready to start the class," Chloe said and walked over to Aubrey. "Hey, Brey, could I talk to you for a minute. Alone."
"Sure, Chlo," Aubrey said. "Excuse us, Stacie."
Chloe led Aubrey out of the classroom as the other students started arriving. Aubrey noticed that Chloe looked upset.
"What's going on, Chlo?" Aubrey asked.
"She likes somebody in the class," Chloe said.
"By she, you mean your DJ?" Aubrey said.
"She's not my DJ, and yes, I'm talking about Beca," Chloe said. "She's been coming early to every class, and we've been talking. I really like her, and I thought that she might like me, too, but she just said she likes someone in the class. I thought it was Stacie, but now I think it's that Emily girl."
"Aren't Emily and Benji here together?" Aubrey asked. "As in a couple?"
"Who else could it be?" Chloe asked and then gasped as a thought came to her. "Oh, my God, she likes you."
"Or," Aubrey said and gasped like she just had an epiphany as she looked at Chloe. "Oh, my God, she likes you."
"What?" Chloe scoffed. "No. You think?"
"Oh, my God, Chloe," Aubrey said. She went to the door of the class and called out, "Stacie, would you mind coming here for a moment?"
"Brey, what are you doing?" Chloe whisper yelled.
Beca looked at Stacie and Stacie looked at Beca. Both shrugged their shoulders and Stacie went to see what Aubrey wanted.
"Oh, God, this is so embarrassing," Chloe muttered with her head in her hands.
"What do you need, Aubrey?" Stacie asked.
"Has Beca said anything to you about liking someone in the class?" Aubrey asked.
Stacie smiled and looked at Chloe. "She has."
"Did she tell you who it was?"
"She did."
"And, would you please tell us who it is?"
"Brey, stop," Chloe said. "Stacie, you don't have to answer that. Let's go back inside and get this class over with."
"Chloe, you're the one she likes," Stacie said and smiled. "Look. Beca has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. She's broody, snarky, and sarcastic, but she also has a heart of gold and would do anything for me or any of her friends. She's the best person I know. She came out as bisexual a few months back, and you're the first girl she's liked in that way. She's scared and still trying to understand her feelings, but I know she likes you, Chloe. Be patient with her. And I promise she'll be the best thing that could ever happen to you."
"Thanks for telling me, Stacie," Chloe said. "I do like her but please don't say anything to her. I need to figure out what I'm going to do."
"I won't say anything," Stacie said. "But I hope you give her a chance." She grabbed Aubrey by the arm and said, "Walk me back to class."
Aubrey laughed and walked Stacie back to the classroom. Chloe took a deep breath and pulled herself together before following them.
~~2019 BeChloe Valentines - Day 12~~
The class was almost over, and Chloe somehow managed to get through everything she needed to get through without staring at Beca too much.
"So, tonight's our last regular night together," Chloe said with a smile. "Don't forget you should be here by three on Saturday and your dates should plan to be here by six. Any questions?"
"Is it okay for us to bring some wine to have with dinner?" Stacie asked.
"That would be fine," Chloe said. "Did anyone's date status change? We're going to have a nice table set for everyone, and I need to make sure we have enough place settings."
Everone's status remained the same. Beca looked at Chloe with a sad smile and then looked down at the table.
"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll see everyone on Saturday."
Everyone started gathering their stuff and leaving. Beca slowly made her way to the door.
"Um, Beca, may I speak with you?" Chloe asked before Beca made it out the door.
"I'll talk to you later," Stacie said and squeezed Beca's arm.
Beca stayed where she was and watched as Stacie and the others left the room. It wasn't long before Beca and Chloe were alone. Beca walked over, so she was standing a short distance away from Chloe.
"What's up?" Beca asked.
Beca waited while it looked as if Chloe was gathering her thoughts before responding.
Chloe was thinking about what to say. She had decided she wanted to ask Beca out, but now that the moment was here, she chickened out. Instead, she had to come up with Plan B.
"I was, uh, wondering if you were doing anything on Valentine's Day?" Chloe asked and quickly continued. "The school where I teach is having a Valentine's Day dance and the DJ we hired just canceled on us. I thought since you play music on the radio you'd be able to play some at the dance. It's an elementary school, so the dance is only from eight to ten."
Beca took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out. She wanted to ask Chloe out and came up with an idea. She looked at Chloe and said, "I currently do not have plans for Valentine's Day, so I'll do it on two conditions."
"Oh, we can pay you," Chloe said.
"I don't care about that," Beca said. "No, my first condition is that you have to be my date for our cooking class date night."
The corners of Chloe's mouth curled slightly. "And the second condition?"
"You also have to have a late dinner with me after the Valentine's Day dance," Beca said and stepped closer to Chloe.
"Hmmm, those are some tough conditions," Chloe said with a toothy grin. "But, I think I can meet them with no problem."
"Great," Beca said and smiled. "It's a date. Or rather two dates."
"You know if you wanted me to go out you, all you had to do was ask," Chloe said.
"Oh, yeah?" Beca asked. "What are you doing right now?"
"I currently have no other plans this evening," Chloe said.
"Would you like to go out for a drink with me?" Beca asked.
"I'd love to," Chloe said with a grin. "See how easy that was."
Beca and Chloe enjoyed their impromptu date, and Beca was brave enough to kiss Chloe goodnight.
~~2019 BeChloe Valentines - Day 12~~
It was "Date Night" for the cooking class, and Beca and Stacie were quite pleased with how their lasagna turned out. Beca was worried that their sauce had too much garlic. She and Stacie didn't think it had enough at first and decided to add more. Thinking back now, Beca wasn't sure that was the best idea.
As they ate, Aubrey and Chloe both commented on how much they enjoyed the food and the company. After the meals were completed, Chloe walked around and tasted every dish and made notes. She handed the report cards to the dates and asked them to complete them and give them to Chloe or Aubrey.
Once all the report cards were turned in, the students and their dates gathered together and drank wine and talked while Chloe and Aubrey went through all the notes.
"Okay," Chloe said getting everyone's attention. "Overall, you all did quite well and the lasagnas were delicious. I do have a few notes, so I'll call your names and give you my comments. First, we have Beca and Stacie, and Benji and Emily. The only notes I have for you four are that you were a little heavy handed on the garlic. You want to be able to taste all the flavor components of a dish. And too much garlic can sometimes overpower the other flavors. They were both delicious; you just need to dial back the garlic a little bit."
Beca and Stacie were happy with their results and were both smiling. Chloe went through the rest of her notes, and everyone was pleased with their results, as well. The students and their guests helped clean up, and everyone was congratulating each other and slowly making their way out of the room.
"I'll see you later, Becs," Stacie said as she and Aubrey left, leaving Beca and Chloe alone.
Chloe hugged Beca. "I'm proud of you. When you first started the class you were a little hesitant about chopping or even following a recipe. But you really shined tonight."
Chloe leaned in to kiss Beca. Beca pulled back, and Chloe looked at her with a furrowed brow.
"What's wrong?"
"You said my lasagna had too much garlic in it. I have garlic breath."
"I don't care. I had your lasagna, too. I had everybody's lasagna."
"But, that means we both have garlic breath."
"So, they cancel each other out."
"That's not how it works."
"I don't care. I really want to kiss you right now."
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"Would you please just shut up and kiss me?"
"Garlic breath and all?"
"I think I changed my mind," Chloe said and started to turn away.
"Wait," Beca said and laughed as she pulled Chloe into a kiss.
"Mmmm," Chloe said as she pulled back from the kiss crinkling her nose. "I think we need to brush our teeth if we want to keep doing that."
"I have an extra toothbrush at my place," Beca said. "You're welcome to come home with me and use it."
"Are you propositioning me, Ms. Mitchell?" Chloe asked teasingly.
"Nope," Beca said with a grin. "I'm saving that for after the Valentine's Day Dance. Tonight, I'm just suggesting we brush our teeth and do some more kissing."
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Chloe asked. "There's a toothbrush at your place with my name on it."
Beca laughed as Chloe grabbed her hand and led her out of the classroom.
~~2019 BeChloe Valentines - Day 12~~
On Valentine's Day, Beca surprised Chloe with flowers delivered to her at school. Chloe was all smiles when Beca showed up at the school gym to set up her DJ equipment. Chloe rushed over and kissed her as soon as she walked in the door.
"Wow," Beca said. "What was that for?"
"It was a thank you for the flowers," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.
"So, where do you want to go for dinner after the dance?" Chloe asked as Beca started to set up.
"I thought we could grab some take out and go back to my place," Beca said not looking at Chloe. "You know, have some dinner and some wine and see where the rest of the night takes us."
Chloe leaned in and whispered in Beca's ear, "I guess it's a good thing I left my toothbrush at your place, isn't it?"