Chapter 9
"Do you think it's too soon?"
"Well, I mean you've only just sorted things out between you, maybe. I dunno." Stacie was stretching as she cooled down from her living room workout, and still feeling quite giddy from the news. They all loved Chloe and Beca and Stacie had literally jumped on the redhead when she saw her come in the room. She was secretly proud that Beca had listened to her and got in touch with Chloe straight away. Of course Chloe had texted both Stacie and Jessica the instant she'd got out of class –Jess kind of knew already of course, due to the Hurricane incident, but she was eager to spread the word as soon as she could.
Chloe was perched on the edge of the sofa, fidgety and giddy, wanting, needing to talk. She was going to go talk to Jessica, who'd turned out to be an excellent confidante, but apart from Stacie the house was empty when she walked in the door, and turns out, Stacie was really good at this sort of thing.
The brunette took a long drink from her water bottle and screwed the cap back on, taking a moment to readjust her breasts in her tight workout top.
"Ugh! Stacie! I need help!"
"I swear Chloe, you're like a love-struck teenager!" She smiled warmly. "I dunno, this advice guru thing, it's really hard work. "Make us a sandwich while I go shower and we'll talk."
Chloe sprang up and fairly skipped into the kitchen, Stacie smiling to herself as she headed up the stairs to the bathroom.
"Ok, you could suggest going out tonight – I know Beca's not the one to get all stressed out about what to wear and stuff..."
Chloe got out her phone and started to type a text
"What are you doing?"
"I'm texting Beca"
"Eager much?" The tall brunette shook her head with a smile. "Just don't appear too eager Chlo, you've only just reconnected… think about what you're going to say and how you're going to say it. Bring it up slowly after a 'Hey, how's it going?' perhaps"
Chloe nodded like an eager student, taking a bite out of her sandwich, "Yeah, you're right." She shook her head and smiled. "I AM a love struck teenager. How did this happen to me Stace?" Looking back down at her phone, she deleted what she'd started to type and composed a new message:
Hey Becs how's your day?
She put the phone down and started drumming her fingers on the table, willing it to beep. She frowned at it and picked the device back up, checking it had signal.
Stacie laughed at her. "We don't all have our phones in a quick release holster you know?" As if on demand, Stacie's phone rang and she snatched it up, "Hey babe." She had the decency to look embarrassed and offered a cheesy grin to the redhead, who chuckled to herself. "Yeah, yeah I heard, I know. So cool." She nodded a couple times, as if the person on the other end could see… "so, yeah, I got Chloe here right now. OK. I'll see you tonight – 'bye baby." She hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. "Sorry."
Chloe laughed softly. "Anna?"
"Yeah." The brunette sighed wistfully.
"Beca told me about you two – wow."
"I know, right? Anyway – we were talking about you and Beca…"
… "And the fact that we don't all have hair-trigger reflexes when it comes to answering our phones?" Chloe asked teasingly.
"Yeah, that." Stacie nodded. "Perhaps she's in class, or has it on silent?"
"Right, yes, OK. No reason to panic." The redhead sat at the table, meshing her fingers together and starting to spin her thumbs.
"Look, you said she was cool and everything with you and that it was her that suggested you take her out right? So she's cool. How about we think about where you're going to take her?"
Chloe relaxed. "You know Stacie, you're really good at this."
"I know," the brunette said, nodding and getting up from her stool at the island, "I'm not just great legs and big tits. I got da smarts too." She winked and then kissed the top of Chloe's head. "I'm getting a soda – you want a soda?"
"Sure Stace, thanks. So maybe I was thinking about taking her up to the hills and having a picnic while the sun sets?"
"Well, that would be a great idea if you were trying to scare her away again," the brunette stated as she put the bottles on the table in front of them. "Maybe save the great romantic gestures until perhaps date four or five? How about you do something fun together? Maybe take her bowling? Oh now there's an idea, we haven't been bowling for ages. We'll have to have another Bella bowling night. But not this one. Take her bowling, have a few beers, mabe some fast food and have a laugh together?"
"I like it. Oh Stacie – you're the best. I have to go and get an outfit ready!" The perky redhead jumped up from the table and ran up to her room, leaving her phone on the table.
"…Eight, nine, ten, eleven…"
Chloe ran back in, panting. "Forgot my phone." She flashed a cheesy grin.
"Yep. You don't even know if you're going out tonight or not yet."
"I know. But it pays to be prepared. Come help me choose." She dragged the grinning brunette out of the kitchen and up into her room.
Beca 15:25 Sorry Chlo, been in class.
Beca 15.25 That's not a joke, really. I have. Today could have been better.
Beca 15.25 But it could have also been an awful lot worse ;) you?
Stacie looked up at the repeated beeps. "Beca?"
Chloe grinned as she typed a response to the texts, hoping she was reading right into what Beca had meant by it could have been an awful lot worse..
Pretty good. I'm actually looking like I might have passed that test!
As soon as she'd sent it she realised Beca might have taken that the wrong way and Stacie saw the look of apprehension on her face, but that soon disappeared as the next text came in.
Beca 15.27 That's cool. I knew you had it in you ;)
Stacie sat on Chloe's bed watching her friend with a look of amusement as she watched the redhead's features flow and change like the tides of an ocean from mild panic to playful amusement. Things were obviously more than cool between them and she picked up her own phone to idly scroll around waiting for Chloe's attention to return back to the matter of suitable outfits.
So I was wondering – would you like to go out tonight?
With me J
The redhead bit her lip as she waited for the response.
"I take it that's the cute redhead that's drawing your attention from my most charming and charismatic company?" Jesse joked as he looked across the table at the distracted brunette playing with her phone.
"Huh, what?"
"I said, I take it that's the cute redhead that's drawing your attention from my most charming and charismatic company?"
"Mmm, yeah." Beca looked up from her phone, where she'd been tapping out a response to a text. "Sorry what?"
"Beca Mitchell, you are impossible." Jesse smiled warmly, his hand reaching across the table to give his best friend's hand a squeeze. "I take it that after what you've told me you're quite comfortable with the idea of Chloe wanting to take it to the next level?"
"Well, yeah. I think so…"
"Beca, the way your face splits into that happy little smirk every time she texts you, I'd say it was more than think.."
Chloe 15.29 So I was wondering – would you like to go out tonight?
"I swear, this is worse than having coffee with a teenager!"
"When did you turn into an old man? It's not that long ago we were teenagers!" Beca smiled as she re-read the message and sighed.
Eager much?
Sorry. Yeah tonight would be cool. Where are you taking me?
Chloe 15.31 What would you say to bowling?
I'd say, I'm going to kick your ass, Beale
Chloe 15.31 You wish ;) Pick you up at 7?
Pick me up? I'm like in the room right above you!
Chloe 15.31 You know what I mean ;) 7?
Sure, 7 is good.
Beca smiled – the banter was back. She felt OK about it. It was good. Kinda scary, but good.
"Oh, you're back. Hello Beca."
"Oh save the sarcasm Swanson." Beca smiled through the retaliation. She was lucky he still wanted to be her friend, lucky he wasn't the kind to storm off knowing he was being ignored in favor of another. He had known Chloe was infatuated with her fellow Bella for a long time, and that was part of the reason he'd split with Beca, but he'd never told her that, and so he was less than surprised when his friend had finally shared with him the reason for her less than normal behavior the last few days.
"So care to share the reason for the crazy happy face?"
"What?"
"You have this massive smile on your face." He sighed ruefully. "And your eyes have this way of sparkling when you're happy…so…"
"We're going out tonight," Beca said. She's taking me bowling."
"Chloe?"
"Well which other of my friends would I want to be romantically involved with?"
"Stacie?" Jesse wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, failing to dodge the cushion Beca had just swatted at him. "Ouch. Mitchell, you're such a bully." He failed to pull off the puppy dog pout. "Hey, you just said 'romantically involved'
Beca looked at him, a smirk appearing on her face, "Yeah, yeah I guess I did…"
A/N So - were you disappointed the date didn't happen just yet, or are you happy to keep it on slow burn as the relationship develops and Beca gets more comfortable with the idea?
