It was early June and school had been out for three weeks. The Bellas had failed to make it to Nationals, which the Trebles won, a sophomore named Alice tried to blame it on Aubrey being out of step due to her now constantly changing center of gravity and demanded that she be kicked out for sabotaging them. The rest of the Bellas ignored her, but it still hurt the blonde to know that one of her sisters hated her so much.
Secretly, the blonde and redhead were relieved that they didn't make it to Finals. They were both already under an immense amount of pressure with school and the impending arrival of their baby that freeing up two hours every weekday and four on Saturdays was undeniably appealing.
The girls used the extra time everyday to study for their quickly approaching exams. It ended up being an immense help in both Aubrey and Chloe getting straight A's.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much time to bask in pride over their accomplishments. There was simply too much to do. Aubrey had to be out of her dorm 12 hours after her last final. As much as the blonde had insisted that she was fine to help with moving her stuff to Chloe's apartment, the redhead would have none of it and would move a load of her girlfriend's stuff while she was in class until everything had been moved.
Finding jobs on a college campus just outside of a big city like Atlanta proved to be rather easy. Aubrey took a job as a fact checker for the politics section for one of the local papers and Chloe took a custodial job through the university and picked up shifts when she could tending bar at one of the local dive bars.
It was a rare day that both girls had the day off. As much as Chloe would have loved to go into Atlanta to go shopping or go to a Braves game, or anything that god them out of the apartment, Aubrey was six months pregnant and not feeling up to much of anything but watching Netflix.
Chloe woke up at her usual time of 7 am. As much as the redhead would have liked to go back to sleep for a few more hours, she knew that it would be pointless and her time would be better spent getting up and starting her day.
As quietly as she could so she didn't wake Aubrey, Chloe changed out of her pajamas and into a pair of running shorts and a tank top before going out for a short run.
The redhead had gone out with the intent of running to the quad and coming back. That plan quickly went out the window when Chloe reached her destination, but her legs kept going. The quiet freedom from someone constantly asking something from her, and the feeling of being completely alone was a refreshing change from what Chloe had been dealing with over the last three weeks and everything she knew would be coming her way in three months.
It wasn't until she reached the outskirts of town, about to enter Caledonia, that Chloe stopped running. I could just keep going, she thought to herself as she looked longingly at the neighboring town.
Just as she was about to start going again, an image of Aubrey giving birth and then raising their baby on her own came into Chloe's mind. The redhead took a deep breath before turning around and making her way back to the apartment.
When she got back, the first thing Chloe did was poke her head into the bedroom to check on Aubrey. The blonde was completely sprawled out in the middle of the bed with one hand under the pillow and the other on her belly.
The sight was so adorable that Chloe couldn't help but smile and take her phone out of her pocket and take a picture before quietly going to the bathroom to tae a shower.
After stripping out of her sweaty running and waiting for the water to heat up, Chloe got under the hot water and sighed as the water soothed her tense muscles. For a moment, the redhead just stayed under the stream for a few minutes with her eyes closed while she just enjoyed the feeling of relief the water provided.
Chloe had just gotten out of the shower and taken her towel off when Aubrey walked into the bathroom. "Oh, there you are," the blonde said when she saw her girlfriend, clear relief in her voice. "I was worried you had abandoned us or something," Aubrey said sadly as she looked down at her own feet and started rubbing her stomach.
"Awe, sweetie, I'm so sorry I worried you," Chloe said sympathetically as she pulled her girlfriend in for a brief hug. "I went for a run and wanted to shower to get the gross sweat off of me before we bunker down for our movie date."
"Oh," Aubrey said, clearly embarrassed by her anxiety. "Just give me a chance to change and we can get started."
Chloe smiled and pulled her towel off of her body and throwing it back over the rack. "Great, me too. What do you want to watch first?"
Aubrey's eyes immediately shot to her girlfriend's now exposed penis, her eyebrows raised and licked her lips at the sudden exposure. Chloe couldn't help but smirk at the reaction she was getting. "Liking what you see, Bree?" The redhead teased.
The blonde pulled herself out of her trance and returned to her usual, composed demeanor. "Yes, I do like what I see. That's kind of how I ended up knocked up with your baby," Aubrey pointed out.
"So does that mean you want to get it on before we start our movie marathon? Or forget it all together?" Chloe asked, genuinely unsure about what her girlfriend was implying.
"Maybe later. As great as that sounds, housing another human is exhausting and I just need a relaxing day, and I won't get that if we have sex."
Chloe nodded. "That makes sense. Well, why don't we get dressed, put in our first movie, and I'll make you some breakfast?"
Aubrey's eyes lit up. "That sounds great. You're the best. You do such a great job taking care of me and the baby." She gushed before giving her girlfriend a quick kiss and heading back to the bedroom to start getting ready.
After watching three movie in a row while cuddling on the couch, the girls decided to take a break to order a pizza and give their eyes a break from staring at a screen. Chloe dutifully went to get the pizza so Aubrey wouldn't have to and could take a relaxing bath instead.
Being a Saturday, the place was busy and Chloe ended up having to sit and wait until it was done. During that time, the redhead let her mind wander to the near future in a calmer mindset than that morning.
Regardless of the different hypotheticals that Chloe's mind came up with, each with varying degrees of successes, the one thing that became glaringly obvious was childcare during the school year. She and Aubrey had intentionally scheduled their classes so at least one of them would be at home with the baby at all times.
While it had seemed like a good idea at the time, the redhead was starting to see that it may have not been as well thought out as she initially thought. College was a full time job, but so is taking care of a baby on top of maintaining a relationship with one's partner. There was no way that they would both be able to put 100 percent effort into school, the baby, their relationship, and the Bellas if they chose to rejoin the group.
The redhead was deep in thought about a more practical solution to the childcare situation when her name was called because the pizza was ready. Chloe pulled herself back to reality, paid for the food with a smile before walking back to the apartment with a sad expression. She knew was she had to do.
Chloe was immediately bombarded with questions and accusations the second she walked into the apartment. It wasn't until Aubrey said, "If you're cheating on me, I have to know," that Chloe cut her off.
"Bree!" The redhead said loudly and sternly. "I am not cheating on you now nor would I ever even think about it and I'm very hurt that you would even think so. The pizza place was a little backed up so I had to wait for a little bit. I'm sorry that I didn't text you or anything because I spaced out, but I don't think that amount of unaccounted time deserves cheating accusations."
Aubrey stopped and looked down at her feet in shame as her left hand instinctively went to her belly. "I'm sorry, I just really hormonal lately so I can't help but automatically go to the worst case scenario which would be you leaving me to raise our baby alone. I realize now that I was being crazy and I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"
The redhead didn't waste any time putting the pizza on the counter, pulled her girlfriend in for a hug and got as close as they could. "Of course I forgive you. I can't even imagine the amount of stress you're feeling as a young mother to be. Just know that me sticking by your side through this is something that you won't have to worry about. Ok?"
"Ok," Aubrey said quietly as she looked up and into her girlfriend's calming eyes.
Chloe smiled and gave the blonde a short kiss. "What do you say we eat the pizza before it gets cold, talk a little, watch a few more movies, and then go into the bedroom so I can show you just how much I love you?"
Aubrey couldn't help but smile at roll her eyes. "I swear, you get more attracted to me the more pregnant I get."
"Well, I did say I have a pregnancy kink," Chloe said as she wiggled her eyebrows and grabbed her girlfriend's ass.
"I don't know what you're going to do in the six weeks post birth that we can't have sex," Aubrey teased.
"Wait, that's an actual, doctor endorsed thing?" The redhead asked in disbelief
Aubrey once again rolled her eyes at her girlfriend, this time in frustration. "Yes Chloe, no sex for six weeks is an actual piece of advice that medical professionals give to people who have just given birth because their bodies have to heal."
Chloe nodded as she considered what she had just been told. "I guess that makes sense. I had never really thought about it because I can't get pregnant, but I had always just assumed that it was an old wives tale or hyperbole about there being no time or energy to have sex when there's an infant to take care of."
The blonde sighed as she brought the pizza box, sat down, and grabbed a slice. "As much as I'm looking forward to meeting and raising our little bundle of joy, I'm not looking forward to basically saying good-bye to sleep for at least the first few months while we balance the baby, school, our relationship, and possibly the Bellas." Aubrey lamented before taking a bite.
After a moment of tense silence, Chloe decided it was as good a time as any to let her girlfriend know her plan. "I actually think I may have come up with a more practical solution," she said nervously, knowing that it was going to be an uphill battle to get the blonde to agree to it.
"I'm all ears," Aubrey said with more than a hint of concern.
Chloe took a deep breath before starting. "Do you promise to hear me out and at least consider it before you say anything?" When Aubrey agreed, the redhead continued. "I want to take a year off of school to raise our baby." Aubrey was about to immediately cut Chloe off, but the redhead kept going before she could get a word in. "I'm already considered a senior based on credits so I would still graduate a year early even with a year off. I'd rather you get good grades because that's what you focus on while I'm the stay-at-home mom with the baby being my primary focus rather than us both trying to half-ass school and tag teaming infant care. I think it'll be better for our mental health and be better for Piper."
Aubrey's eyebrow raised in surprise at the very last part. "Piper? Is that your new first choice for a name now?"
"Did you not hear anything else I just said?" Chloe asked, genuinely unsure of if she had actually said the first part and that was why Aubrey hadn't acknowledged it or if she was just outright ignoring it.
"I did and I'll get it in a minute," Aubrey said. "When I asked you on Thursday if you had any thoughts on the name, you just shrugged and said you'd think about it. I have a hard time believing you went from thinking about it to subconsciously referring to the baby by that name in two days."
"I may have had a name in mind since I found out we're having a girl," Chloe admitted as she looked away, feeling embarrassed for some reason.
"Ok," Aubrey said as she reached out and started soothingly rubbing her hands up and down Chloe's arms. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Up until today you always made it sound like you were impartial to the name and you'd just go along with whatever I picked."
"You're carrying the baby for nine months, I think the least I can do is support you physically and emotionally and just go along with whatever you pick," Chloe said with a shrug as if it was the most obvious thing.
"Chlo," Aubrey good as she grabbed the redhead's hands and pulled her over to the couch where she sat her down and looked her straight in the eye. "This is our baby, not just mine. Yes, I'm the one carrying her, but the fact is, she wouldn't exist without you, which means you get an equal say in the name. So, fess up, what's the attachment to the name Piper? It's clearly a big one if you've been subconsciously calling her that in your head."
"It was my mom's name," Chloe muttered.
"Oh," Aubrey said as guilt washed over her for not having thought of that. "Well that makes sense and it's a nice name. I'll add it to the list. Now what do you say we get back to this idea you had?"
Chloe nodded and let out a small sigh of relief that Aubrey was content to move on. "So what do you think about my plan for next year?"
"Honestly? I think it sounds like you're pissing away your education," Aubrey said and put her hand up to stop the redhead. "No, I didn't interrupt you when you were talking, I expect the same respect from you. Please just hear what I have to say and take the night to sleep on it before you make any drastic decisions, ok?"
The redhead crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, but didn't nod or give any sign of agreement.
The blonde signed as she realized just how much of an uphill battle she would be fighting. "Let me just start off by saying that I understand the logic of your plan and appreciate the sentiment behind it, but I ultimately think it'll hurt you and your job search after you graduate. We worked our schedules to make sure that one of us will be with the baby at all times and left a gap for us to go to Bellas practice so long as they're at the same time as last year. We've thought things over, you don't have to take time off.
Even if we weren't having a baby, I would advise against you taking a year off of school because once you leave, your chances of going back are minimal. Like you said before, you only have a year's worth of credits left. Did you ever consider that might be the better option? Finish school early so you can be home with Piper when she's a toddler while I go to school to complete my junior and senior year?"
"I hadn't," the redhead admitted begrudgingly.
"See?" Aubrey said gently. "I know you only brought it up because you think it'll help, all I ask is that you take a step back and really consider this plan and sleep on it for at least one night. Can you, please, just do that for me?"
Chloe didn't drop her hard look for a full before letting out a heavy sigh and giving a small nod. "Ok, I'll consider it for at least tonight. I clearly haven't thought this all the way through. I don't think it would be the worst thing for me to think about it a little longer."
"Thank you," Aubrey said with relief and an appreciative smile before leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "We can talk about it more tomorrow. Until then, I want to cuddle on the couch with my girlfriend while we watch Breakfast at Tiffany's before she takes me into our bedroom to fuck me senseless."
The redhead's dick twitched in her pants and it took all of her willpower to not skip the movie and jump right to the fucking. "That sounds like a great plan to me," Chloe said in a tight tone as she tried to think of anything that would help keep her calm for the next two hours.
"Good," Aubrey purred as she grabbed her girlfriend's hand and led her back to the couch to cuddle up, Chloe being the big spoon with her hand rubbing the blonde's belly bump while they watched the movie, each getting lost in her own thoughts about the near future. While they both had different specific concerns, the over-arching theme for both of them was that neither of them knew what they should be doing to get ready to be young parents. Even worse, they didn't know how to bring it up to the other.