Chapter 4
"I… So… That's how you passed my brother's shovel talk?" Aubrey gaped at her.
"He asked me why I was here. I told him I wasn't really sure, but I wanted to get to know you. Then he said, because you're in love with her right? Then I said maybe… I guess CeCe took it as confirmation." Beca pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Is it true? Could you… I mean. Do you…?" Aubrey stuttered.
"I don't know Bree. I mean. I do know, but… I don't know how you…Am I the only one that feels like this? Did I miss-interpret things?" Beca finally made eye contact with her. Aubrey was staring at her wide-eyed.
"I… No. You aren't the only one that feels this thing. That's between us. I was scared you would run away if I tried to bring it up. You ran that night Regionals." Aubrey.
"That was a mistake. I admit that. I should have stayed, and argued with you. Instead of running away to Jesse. I was scared of a lot of things. I hate to admit I followed my father's methods in that situation. I didn't run again after that though. Did I? I stayed through all the arguments, and screaming matches we put each other through. I was trying to change, and be someone you could count on. I just didn't know why at the time. Then Jesse, and I broke up. Chloe brought some things to my attention. I was so happy to see you at that training camp. You don't even know." Beca admitted.
"Beca…" Aubrey gasped.
"If this is too weird for you. I can… We can go back to avoiding each other for the holidays. I can get my dad to buy me a plane ticket back." Beca finished.
"Beca! I don't want you to go. Don't start running away again, now. Please stay." Aubrey whispered the last part gripping Beca's hand. Beca's grip on her hand tightened.
"How do you… Do you.." Beca trailed off.
"I don't know Beca. I mean. I never really thought about it until Chloe brought it up either, but I know there is something changing between us. I'm willing to try, and figure out what it is if you are willing to stay." Aubrey admitted. Beca looked at her caught by surprise.
"You want to try this?" Beca asked her hopefully.
"I would be lying if I said I hadn't noticed something shifting between us for a while. I called it tension. Remember? I'd like to see where this goes, but it isn't going to be easy. Especially not with my family. My dad. God. My dad is not going to respond to this well." Aubrey laughed.
"Nothing involving us ever is." Beca pointed out.
"Just promise me you won't run for the hills every-time we start fighting." Aubrey pleaded.
"I know. I'm sorry. You just terrify me. In a good way, but still…" Beca looked at her openly.
"You just admitted I was right about something." Aubrey stared with wide eyes. Beca rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. Don't get used to it." Beca wiped at her eyes.
"Thank you. For talking to me about this, and not running away. I know neither of us are very good at the sharing of feelings stuff." Aubrey wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's shoulders. Beca leaned into her tiredly.
"I hate feelings." Beca groaned. Aubrey laughed, and backed away to wipe off the other side of Beca's face with her thumb.
"It wasn't so bad. Was it?" Aubrey. Beca trapped Aubrey's arm in her grip lightly running her thumb over the blonde's wrist.
"Not with you." Beca admitted.
"That's good. Cause you know I actually really like talking…" Aubrey.
"Aubrey… Shut up." Beca leaned in, and closed the distance between them. Taking Aubrey's lower lip between her own. Aubrey squeaked, but slid her hands to grip Beca's t-shirt loosely in the hopes of not letting the shorter girl back away. Beca was struggling to find a safe place to move her hands. She decided on placing one on the back of Aubrey's chair, and the other on the edge of the table. Not trusting herself to keep them in first kiss safe zones. Aubrey smiled against her lips, and she knew she was in trouble.
"Wow." Aubrey licked her lips.
"Yeah." Beca closed her eyes while she leaned her forehead against Aubrey's brushing their noses together.
"We could have been doing that this whole time instead of yelling at each other." Aubrey bit her lip. Beca used her thumb to release Aubrey's lip from her teeth. Then trapped it between her own lips again bringing them into a second kiss. Beca ran her thumb over the dimple on Aubrey's chin. They both sprang back when they heard a camera shutter going off. Beca turned to see Jim standing in the doorway again with his phone aimed in their direction.
"Jim!" Aubrey threw a banana at him.
"Chloe wasn't going to believe me. If I didn't have proof." Jim defended himself.
"Jim. I am begging you not to do that." Beca reached out to his phone, but she heard the swoosh of the message being sent already. She was too late. Then both her, and Aubrey's phones pinged with messages. Beca grunted, and leaned her forehead on Aubrey's shoulder. Aubrey laughed at the voice message she had already gotten from Chloe.
"I'm going to go run damage control. You should go hang out with everyone in the living room." Aubrey kissed her chastely before she pulled away from the brunette who held onto her hand helplessly.
"Go. Socialize. Or do you want to be the one to call Chloe?" Aubrey rose an eyebrow.
"Okay. Geeze. Just tell her not to tell CR yet. She'd rub it in my face. She called it before we left." Beca explained.
"She's probably already sent it to the Bella's group chat." Aubrey laughed when Beca's phone vibrated off the table.
"I'll tell them no social media. I doubt you want your father to find out this way." Beca grabbed her phone.
"I would rather tell him face to face." Aubrey confirmed.
"I'm along for the ride. Just let me know what your plans are." Beca promised with a squeeze to her hand.
"Come on we can step outside for a minute before we join the others in the living room. We were about to have a Star Wars Marathon." Jim led Beca out to the back porch, so she could call the Bella's. While Aubrey called Chloe from the kitchen.
Once Beca had hung up she let out a grateful sigh.
"Don't like being the center of attention?" Jim laughed.
"Not unless I have to be." Beca admitted.
"I didn't expect you to tell her this soon." Jim sat down beside her on the front porch steps lighting a cigarette. Beca eyed him curiously until he offered her one. She smiled, and accepted it along with his lighter.
"Aubrey will be pissed at you." Jim smirked.
"Aubrey's always pissed at me. She's hot when she's mad." Beca smirked back.
"Gross. Will you tell me how the two of you met now that the children are out of ear shot?" Jim rolled his eyes.
"She called me an alt girl, and a bitch in the same meeting. Chloe convinced me to try out for the Bella's anyway. Even though Bree was giving me the cold shoulder. That was where I auditioned with The Cup Song. The second time we officially met. There was a lot of yelling during the first few weeks of us knowing each other." Beca smiled.
"That sounds like Aubrey." Jim laughed.
"On a scale of one to ten how mad do you think she'll be about this?" Beca held up the cigarette.
"Gross. Stop. Please." Jim groaned while Beca laughed. They finished the cigarettes, and walked back into the house. Beca spotted Aubrey sitting in the floor with Phillip, and CeCe. Pam was leaning back against a sofa. Alice was already curled up in a recliner watching all of them.
"Hey. We were just about to start the movie." Pam pulled Jim onto the floor next to her. Beca sat beside Aubrey helping Phillip with the puzzle he was trying to put together. Aubrey smiled at her nudging Beca with her knee.
"Damage Control?" Beca whispered.
"I told Chloe no social media yet. Everything is good. She gave us a two-week deadline." Aubrey laughed.
"I told the Bella's the same thing." Beca assured her. By the end of the movie Aubrey had curled into Beca's side while Phillip, and CeCe were curled up on the other. Even though she was still enraptured by the movie she had an arm around Aubrey's waist, and the other around Phillip and CeCe. Jim took another photo without Beca noticing. He sent it to Chloe who sent back an angry emoji, and told him she was pissed that she wasn't there to see all the cute. He sent the photo to Henry, and Bruce too who sent him back a thumbs-up emoji.
Beca woke up later in the evening to the children being lifted off of her by Pam. Jim was passed out on the sofa with his arms crossed over his chest, and a blanket tossed over him. Alice was curled up in the recliner. She still had an arm around Aubrey who was fast asleep with her face pressed into Beca's neck.
"Do you need help?" Beca whispered.
"I think you have your own hands full." Pam smiled. Aubrey fisted her hand in Beca's shirt.
"Oh no. It's okay. Babe. I'm gonna go help Pam." Beca kissed Aubrey's forehead.
"K. Come back." Aubrey grumbled.
"I will." Beca squeezed her hip. Aubrey curled up on the floor beside the sofa her brother was passed out on. Beca tossed a blanket over her. Pam laughed quietly at the two siblings.
"Come on. I'll take CeCe." Beca picked up the little girl while Pam carried Phillip up the stairs.
"Thanks." Pam made sure the two kids were tucked in before she followed Beca back down the stairs.
"No problem. They are great kids." Beca told her.
"You are great with them. You're an only child?" Pam asked her out of curiosity.
"I was the only child from my father's first marriage. He had kids with his second wife. They are around Phillip, and CeCe's age." Beca explained.
"Well. Thanks again. We should get some sleep. Jim said something about wanting to show us around town tomorrow with Bree. Alice offered to watch over the kids." Pam informed her.
"That sounds like fun. I'm down." Beca pulled Aubrey up, and into the other recliner with her. Covering the two of them with a blanket. Aubrey curled back into Beca's side burying her face back in Beca's neck. Beca smiled wrapping her arms around the blonde carefully. Pam set the baby monitor on the coffee table, and curled into the spot in front of Jim on the sofa. Jim automatically wrapped his arms around her in his sleep. Beca held Aubrey a little tighter. Feeling content for the first time since the camping trip even though she was terrified of what was going to happen when Aubrey's father made it home.
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