Thanks for all the lovely reviews. I apologise for the wait. My muse decided to pack up and go away for awhile but she arrived today in the form of this chapter so I hope you enjoy.
Reliposh, ME TOO. There should be more PP2 related Chaubrey. XD
AcapellaObsessor, right back at ya! Thanks for reading.
They had three days until Aubrey was due back to work. Time that could be filled up by staying in bed. That was Chloe's opinion but Aubey had other plans. Ones that included camping… again. Which is why they were hiking out five miles from the retreat. The woods were gorgeous and the trail was clear.
Chloe looked down at the path littered with old leaves, pine needles and small rocks that jutted out of the ground. They scraped against the bottom of her tennis shoes and made it impossible to look ahead on the trail. It was frustrating, affixing her eyes to the ground and missing everything around them but tripping was worse.
"How much farther?" Chloe asked for third time since they had started.
Ahead of her, Aubrey stopped and turned. Her brows creased with an one higher than the other. It was Bellas practice all over again. Chloe liked the work and the sweat but she was always looking eagerly toward the end or the next thing because that was exciting. Setting up camp and enjoying each other's company was more gratifying than the five mile hike but Aubrey didn't complain. She'd been taught not to as she had explained to Chloe once.
She llocked Chloe in a bemused gaze."Just another mile until we get to the ridge," she answered.
Years ago such a question might have brought a different attitude. Starting over came with new approaches to life and maybe these alterations in them both would allow a connection forged from deeper roots between them. Settling down always lay so far ahead in the future during college that getting there seemed like a horizon that kept moving away as Chloe got closer.
It wasn't bad. That's what her early twenties were for. Now, not so far in the distance she could see it. Not like before when it was really blurry. Aubrey was there and they were happy. They still argued but it was okay because the kind of love they had transcended momentary conflict. It was real love. The kind she witnessed between her mother and father. What she was always afraid she would never find because of the transient nature of her attention.
"Okay," she smiled back.
That second of silence contained all that, exchanged in a steady look and wordless communication. That little slip of time disappeared in the hours of hiking and Chloe managed to only ask if they were close to their destination one more time before they got there. A victory, in her own estimation.
The woods remained the same, beautiful and alive, until they were on the last mile when they became denser. The canopy blocked most of the sun, leaving intermittent rays to break through to the forest floor. The litter of leaves and pine needles on the ground became thicker, obscuring the path and the smell of damp leaves pervaded Chloe's nose.
It was eerie but comforting in a way. There was no one out here to bother them. No one looking or expecting and certainly no one to judge their feelings. Aubrey was the only person in the world she would go out into the woods alone with. No one else made her feel safe.
The trail narrowed and became nothing more than a deer run and she looked up from it to find Aubrey waiting for her, both hands hanging in the straps of her pack. A sudden breeze cut through the trees, making the end of her blonde ponytail sway. The wavy curl, perfectly placed by nature swept back against her neck. The brisk air made Aubrey's green eyes alive with energy.
Her answering smile grew until she was sure she looked like a fool grinning in the middle of the woods looking at this woman. With a steady hand she reached out and grasped Aubrey's arm, sliding her hand down until their fingers were entwined. "Is this where we're camping?"
About a hundred yards off there was a clearing with a ring of stones in the middle and dark brittle wood that had been burned in the last few weeks. The trees that circled the site formed a natural barrier from the rest of the forest. There was a flat area for their tent and she could hear water flowing nearby, a creek maybe by the sound of the slow trickle.
"Yep," Aubrey replied. The tent was secured to her pack and she let go of Chloe's hand to shift it down and off her back, bending over to unbuckle the straps. "You're going to have to help me put this up so it's quicker."
"Yes ma'am," she chirped. Aubrey looked up instantly, eyebrow raised. "What? I'm happy to help." She could hardly keep the smile from her lips.
"You're making fun of me again, Chloe." Aubrey let loose of the pack straps and turned slowly, still crouched. "You know what the punishment for that is."
"No!" Chloe's eyes went wide as she stepped backwards one time and then another. Running was useless but half the fun. "I swear I didn't mean anything." She held her hands up in front of her, palms as far from her body as possible.
"Swearing when you don't mean it is even worse," Aubrey replied with a singsong tenor to her voice.
Chloe took off, turning as she ran and scooted around a tree, putting it between her body and Aubrey's approach. She darted to the left and made it around a fallen log, jogging carefullywith the uneven ground in mind. Another tree, with a broad trunk and no low branches, presented itself as cover and by then she had just about given up because Aubrey was right on her tail.
"Just wait till I catch you."
The evil smile that punctuated the words sent shivers down her spine. Playful Aubrey was rare. It was to be cherished and so she feigned right and let herself fall into the circle of arms whose fingers immediately found all her sensitive places. "No! Aubrey stop." She wriggled to and fro to no avail. The tickling fingers followed her movements and breathing was about to become her number one concern.
They fell to the forest floor, Aubrey on top, but she stopped moving her hands. Not pressing her advantage, she instead let the leaves settle around them and looked down. The faint smell of forest decay soothed Chloe. The hardness of the ground was cushioned by all the leaves and pine needles and she was glad for her vantage point. The sun streaked in from above Aubrey's head, giving her a glow. She seemed too good for this earth, a higher being.
Chloe reached up, both hands grasping and pushing back the hair that gravity had forced forward. She sat up, turning Aubrey's smile to a kiss. Her hands slipped from Aubrey's face and instead slid around to her back.
It was sweet fire as they battled, each attacking and withdrawing in a game of kissing cat and mouse. Aubrey nibbled Chloe's lower lip and nudged her nose, using the distraction to deepen the kiss. The quiet around them evolved with their sounds, taking on the vibrations they produced.
They rolled back, Chloe flipping Aubrey to the side and pulling back. "Is this going to be how we do this for the first time in… forever?" She dodged Aubrey's lips again and kept herself well away, lengthening the aching pleasure of anticipation.
"Is that a problem?"
With a chuckle, Chloe shrugged, "No, I'm just making sure."
Deep amusement and love painted her mind. The years had passed but kissing Aubrey. It felt like they'd never stopped but never started. She flipped them, taking pleasure in knowing that she was about to get the always clean Aubrey Posen covered in leaves and dirt. "You're hot when you forget to be OCD."
In another second, Chloe was on her back again. "I'm always hot," Aubrey replied. She pressed their lips together again in a hard kiss. "Now, shut up and take my clothes off."
"Yes ma'am."
"Chloe…."