Aubrey blinked her eyes a few times against the sunlight when she woke the next morning. She looked at the empty spot next to her and furrowed her eyebrows. Before she had a chance to wonder where Stacie was, though, the brunette came jumping on the bed, making Aubrey's body bounce.
"Aubrey, wake up! Come look outside." Stacie grabbed Aubrey's hand and tugged. The blonde struggled to sit up as she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes before she heard an exasperated sigh. "Get up!"
Stacie bounced on the bed again and yanked Aubrey's arm until the blonde came tumbling after her. She pulled her to the window. Aubrey had to shield her eyes for a second because it was impossibly bright outside.
When her eyes finally got over being initially blinded, she was able to see what Stacie had dragged her out of bed for. It was snowing - not just a little, a lot - and it was amazingly beautiful. Stacie didn't drop her hand when they got to the window so they stood there side by side, mesmerized by all the little, white flakes.
They didn't talk at all, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Each girl was reluctant to let the moment end. The only movement was Stacie shifting her hand to lace their fingers together. She gave Aubrey's hand a light squeeze and Aubrey squeezed back, like some sort of unspoken communication.
They couldn't stand there all day though and when Amy shouted something up the stairs about breakfast being ready, they reluctantly broke apart to join the others.
Amy had prepared a feast - eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage. There was so much food.
"Does anyone want to make their drink more interesting?" Amy said, already pouring some vodka in her orange juice.
"Amy! It's 9 am!" Chloe admonished.
Amy shrugged. "It's 5 o'clock somewhere. Cheers!"
Chloe shook her head. "I don't think it is."
"Actually," Stacie interjected, "it's 5 o'clock in Zürich. And Amsterdam. And Milan. And Berlin. And..." Stacie had been busy preparing her plate of food as she spoke but looked up when no one said anything. Everyone was staring at her. Her eyes flicked over the group, landing on Aubrey. "Um, and a lot of other places," she finished.
"Well," Amy broke the silence, "that calls for more alcohol!" She grabbed the bottle and poured more in her cup.
When the girls finished eating and cleaning up, they all went to go get ready to return to the slopes. Aubrey finished what she was doing in the bathroom and returned to the main part of the bedroom, finding Stacie standing in the middle of the room with several hats in her hands.
"I noticed your head was not properly covered yesterday. Do you not have a hat? You can use one of mine." She held out her hats to show the blonde.
"I am not wearing one of those," Aubrey said with a laugh. Each of the hats had some sort of pointed animal ears or face on them. "Don't get me wrong, you are completely adorable in them. I just don't think I would be able to pull it off."
"You need to wear a hat, though. You saw how hard it's snowing and it's colder today than yesterday." Aubrey thought it was really cute how Stacie was worried.
"I'll be fine!" Aubrey went to move around Stacie but the girl blocked her.
"Okay, but here's the thing. You can't get sick - because I don't want to get sick," she said, leaning in closer to Aubrey. "And I have a feeling if you get sick, I will definitely get sick."
Aubrey's stomach flipped at Stacie's closeness. She watched Stacie's eyes flit to her lips briefly before the brunette pulled away.
"So, pick a hat," Stacie said.
Aubrey rolled her eyes. "I saw hats for sale at the base of the slopes. I'll buy one."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
It didn't take long for Aubrey to find a simple black hat at the store when the girls arrived. Stacie had scrunched her nose at it and called it boring but boring suited Aubrey just fine. Aubrey was a little happy that Stacie made her buy a hat, actually, because it was still snowing super hard.
Aubrey paid for the hat and took off the tag. She put it on her head and looked up to find Stacie staring at her.
"What?" Aubrey asked, adjusting the hat.
"Oh," Stacie cleared her throat, "that hat, it's not as boring as I thought."
Aubrey frowned. "Does it look bad?"
"No," Stacie said, shaking her head. "It looks really, really good."
Aubrey was going to have Stacie expand on that but Chloe and Beca approached them at that moment.
"Do you guys want to go sledding with us?" Chloe asked.
"Oh! Yes, I want to," Aubrey said excitedly, "and Stacie could probably use a break from falling." She stuck her tongue out Stacie.
"Hey," Stacie pouted. "At least I won."
"Won what?" Beca asked.
"The bet. She bet me I couldn't get down the hill without falling and I won," Stacie said smugly.
"First of all, I did not bet you. You bet me. Secondly-"
"What did you bet?" Chloe interrupted.
"A back rub," Stacie grinned.
"Oh, really?" Chloe gave Aubrey a pointed look, raising her eyebrows, and Beca smirked. Aubrey's face tinted.
"So, sledding, can we do that now, please?" Aubrey said impatiently.
Chloe decided to give Aubrey a pass for the time being but if she didn't start seeing some progress with those two soon, she would have to take matters into her own hands. Maybe. Aubrey would really hate that.
The girls made their way towards a shuttle that would take them to the sledding hills. Stacie and Aubrey were walking behind Beca and Chloe. Aubrey watched Beca's hand casually reach out and before it even made it halfway to Chloe, Chloe's hand was doing the same - like they were so used to holding hands, it was just a natural state they were both striving to maintain. It sort of made Aubrey ache inside - and long to be able to reach out her own hand.
Aubrey took a quick look at Stacie. She seemed to be looking at Beca and Chloe's joined hands as well. Without breaking her forward stare, Stacie took her next step to move closer to Aubrey so that their arms were now touching. Aubrey warmed a little at the thought that maybe that was Stacie's way of reaching out, of being close to her without the bold move of grabbing her hand. Aubrey pressed the side of her arm into Stacie's, hoping the brunette knew that was Aubrey's way of reaching out too.
The shuttle was really crowded by the time they reached it and there were only two spots left. The driver told them that the next shuttle wouldn't come for another hour though so they should just pile in. Chloe shrugged her shoulders and went in, pulling Beca onto her lap. Stacie went in next and grinned at Aubrey. Aubrey hesitated briefly before going in and sitting on top of Stacie.
"This cannot be safe," Aubrey said. "Is this even legal?" she called up to the driver.
"Don't worry, Bree. It's a short drive," Chloe said.
"Yeah and look, I can be your seatbelt." Stacie wrapped her arms tight around Aubrey's waist.
Aubrey's stomach flipped as she felt the pressure of Stacie's arms around her through her winter coat. She glanced nervously outside the shuttle window - the snow was still coming down heavily. Stacie stretched her body up and placed her chin on Aubrey's shoulder.
"We'll be there before you know it," Stacie murmured in Aubrey's ear, sensing her anxiety. And she was right - they were there before Aubrey's thoughts even had a chance to drift away from how impossibly sweet Stacie was for paying attention.
"Holy…" - "Whoa, dude." Chloe and Beca spoke at the same time when they got out of the shuttle.
These weren't any ordinary sledding hills. They were huge and steep - so much so that after you went down the big hill, you had to go up another to slow you down enough before the ground leveled out. One of the best parts was the pulley system that pulled you up to the top on your sled so you didn't have to walk up.
They made their way to the sleds, where their options were either a single or a double. Stacie reached for the double without hesitating.
"You wanna ride with me, right?" she asked Aubrey as an afterthought. Aubrey nodded, smiling a little to herself.
They let themselves be pulled to the top of the hill.
"I bet we can get to the bottom faster than you guys," Stacie said to Beca and Chloe.
"Do you have a gambling problem? Or have you just been hanging out with Cynthia Rose too much?" Aubrey questioned, only half kidding.
Stacie stuck out her tongue at her. "At least you can be on the winning side this time."
Aubrey gave her a playful smack.
"Hey, no fair!" Stacie yelled after Beca and Chloe who had already started going down the hill when she was distracted by Aubrey. "Those cheaters!" Aubrey laughed at Stacie's sincere annoyance.
Stacie sat at the back end of the sled and patted in front of her. Aubrey sat, back pressed to Stacie. Stacie wrapped her arms around Aubrey's waist and the blonde leaned into her.
"Are you ready?" Stacie asked.
"Ready!"
Stacie had to let go of Aubrey for a second to push them over edge of the hill. Her arms immediately returned to Aubrey's waist and the blonde crossed her arms over Stacie's and gripped her coat.
They both squealed excitedly as their sled picked up speed. They reached the bottom of the hill disappointingly fast and their sled climbed the second hill, keeping their speed most of the way up. By the time the ground leveled out, they had finally started to slow.
Suddenly, they went over a big bump, knocking their sled off kilter. Both Aubrey and Stacie tried to keep it upright but they lost control, toppling over. They both fell out to the side, a tangled mess of arms and legs as they rolled. Stacie landed on top of Aubrey with a "oof" - their faces suddenly close.
They both laid there for a moment, slightly dazed.
"Are you okay?" Stacie murmured after a second, not yet getting off of Aubrey. Her eyes went to Aubrey's lips for the briefest of moments.
"Yeah, I-" Aubrey started but was cut off by Stacie's lips on hers. The kiss was short, barely more than peck, but it made Aubrey's heart feel like it was leaping out of her chest.
Stacie pulled back and looked at Aubrey, wide eyed - almost as if the kiss was just as much of a surprise to her as it had been to Aubrey. Neither girl said anything in the seconds after, and then the sound of approaching footsteps made the moment pass completely.
"Are you guys okay?" Chloe said, out of breath from rushing to them.
Stacie groaned and rolled off of Aubrey onto her back and laid there. "We're fine, I think." She turned her head to Aubrey. "We're fine, right?" Her eyes held a plea and Aubrey knew she wasn't asking about their physical well-being.
"Yeah, yes," Aubrey said. "We're fine. Where is Beca?"
"Oh, she was laughing too hard to run over here."
Aubrey looked over in the distance and found Beca's tiny figure making her way over to them, amusement obvious in her face. She rolled her eyes. They were never going to hear the end of this.
Aubrey sat quietly on the couch in the cabin, replaying the events of earlier in the day. They had had so much fun that she was able to almost forget about the fact that Stacie had kissed her. Almost.
That's actually a complete lie. You don't just forget when someone like Stacie Conrad kisses you, not even almost. The kiss was so short but her lips burned like they were on fire for hours after. The kiss left her with a hollow ache in the pit of her stomach and the desire for more.
She had caught herself staring at Stacie's lips several times while the brunette was talking to others during dinner. She didn't mean to be quiet for the evening but her mind was already racing with private thoughts; she didn't have it in her to join in any conversation.
She hadn't missed Stacie's glances at her. She remembered her wide eyes after their lips met and wondered if Stacie had even meant to kiss her - and whether she regretted that it happened.
Stacie was better at masking her preoccupation. Instead of staying in her head, she became overly vocal - sometimes joining three different conversations at once.
Stacie and Aubrey sat by each other at dinner and while playing games in the living room with the girls, but it wasn't until the very end of the night that they even spoke to each other. And even that was only to confirm that it was time to go to the room for the night - as if there was some sort of rule that they had to go at the same time.
Aubrey's nerves spiked as she sat on the bed waiting for Stacie to come out of the bathroom. She had already changed and she scanned her belongings for something to grab that would make her look like she wasn't just sitting there waiting for Stacie to emerge. She wasn't able to find anything before the brunette joined her.
Stacie bounced on the bed. "Look at this," she said, pushing the bottom of her shorts up slightly to show Aubrey an impressively large bruise on the outside of her upper thigh.
"Oh my god," Aubrey gasped. "Does it hurt?"
"It's a little sore but so is my entire body," Stacie said with a little laugh. "Are you sore?"
"Yes, but that's not exactly surprising. It's the second day in a row that you took me down with you." Aubrey stuck her tongue out.
"That wasn't my fault today!"
"You certainly didn't help the situation," Aubrey laughed.
"Neither did you!" Stacie huffed. "But that reminds me," her tone shifted from joking to more serious, "I do still owe you a back rub."
Aubrey's stomach flipped. "Yes, you do," she murmured.
Stacie leaned in closer. "Lay down then."
Aubrey released a breath she didn't know she was holding and slowly laid in the middle of the bed on her stomach.
Stacie straddled Aubrey and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I have a feeling you have a lot of knots."
"Oh?" Aubrey was trying to get a handle on the butterflies in her stomach.
Stacie hummed while she applied pressure. "You're a very tense person," she said. The brunette leaned down, her mouth by Aubrey's ear. "I'd like to get you to relax-" Stacie whispered, "-eventually."
Heat spread through Aubrey. She had to bite back a whimper as Stacie kneaded out a knot. Stacie watched Aubrey's profile - watched as the blonde closed her eyes and bit her lip. Stacie swallowed, suddenly a bit nervous. It didn't happen often, especially not in these situations, but Aubrey was a close friend and what she wanted to do was definitely crossing a line.
It could be argued that the line was crossed long ago, even before she kissed the blonde earlier, but those things and that kiss could probably be forgotten. Anything she does now, in this setting, couldn't be ignored. She was sure Aubrey felt something for her but the blonde was hard to read.
Stacie's hands had slowed slightly while she was thinking but then resumed their motion with more vigor. Almost as suddenly as it started, her doubts were gone and her confidence returned full force.
Stacie ran her hands over Aubrey's bare shoulders, massaging as she went. She slipped her hands underneath Aubrey's tank top, applying pressure at times and at other times lightly running her fingers over her spine.
Aubrey felt Stacie shift above her slightly. She thought Stacie was going to lean in and say something to her again. She wasn't prepared to feel lips graze the crook of her neck. Aubrey inhaled sharply. The lips pressed down in the same spot again, this time with more pressure.
Stacie began placing open mouth kisses along Aubrey's neck and shoulder. Aubrey felt like she couldn't breathe. Stacie felt the blonde's back rising and falling quickly. She was having her own trouble breathing.
A shiver ran up Aubrey's spine. She was biting her lip so hard, she was sure she'd draw blood soon. She felt the pressure of Stacie's body ease up and realized the brunette had straightened and put her weight on her knees.
Stacie's hand gently nudged Aubrey's shoulder, urging the blonde the turn over. Aubrey's stomach flipped as she moved to lay on her back. She looked up at Stacie over her. The brunette was biting her lip and it struck Aubrey that she can't recall ever being so turned on before - and they hadn't even kissed yet.
Stacie fell forward, transferring some of her weight to her hands which she placed on either side of Aubrey's head. Stacie's eyes scanned Aubrey's face, pausing the longest on her lips before meeting her eyes. They looked at the blonde's and seemed to be asking some sort of question - and when Aubrey's eyes flicked to her lips, she got her her answer.
She leaned in and her lips met Aubrey's. It was light and short, like the kiss they shared earlier. Stacie only pulled back a fraction, eyes searching Aubrey's again. Aubrey closed the distance this time, kissing the brunette with more pressure.
Aubrey's hand snaked into Stacie's hair and pulled her head down without breaking contact. Stacie's tongue ran along Aubrey's bottom lip and Aubrey opened her mouth with a light moan. Stacie quickly deepened the kiss and suddenly their tongues were fighting for dominance.
Stacie broke away first - they were both panting and trying to catch their breath. She leaned in grazed her mouth along Aubrey's jawline, lightly nipping every a few times.
When Stacie moved off of Aubrey and laid on her side, the blonde whimpered at the loss of contact. Stacie put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss before bringing her mouth to Aubrey's ear.
"I can't control myself when I'm on top of you."
"You don't have to-" Aubrey kissed Stacie's neck, "-control yourself."
Stacie groaned and shifted, trying to quell her desire. "Oh, but I do." She traced a finger along Aubrey's neck and over her collarbone. She kissed the blonde passionately once more before slowing the kiss and pulling her lips away.
Stacie rested her head on her pillow and laid on her side facing Aubrey. Her finger lightly traced a looping pattern on the inside of Aubrey's wrist while their heartbeats were given an opportunity to slow. When Stacie saw Aubrey's eyelids getting heavy, she reached over and turned off the lamp. She covered them both with the comforter and snuggled closer to Aubrey, wrapping her arm around the blonde. Sleep was able to quickly pull her under.
A/N: Lol I suck at one-shots, clearly. Should I go on with this? If so, reviews make me write faster (science). Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorited, etc - I really, really appreciate it! You guys are awesome!