The two Mitchell siblings rested on the couch together for a while, with Beca drifting in and out of a marijuana-induced slumber and Jaiden fighting the urge to nap as well. Chloe had crept out of their bedroom after about half an hour; a little put off by the lack of voices. The redhead had observed the two sisters with a relieved smile and then moved into the kitchen. Now that Jaiden was back, she figured that she might be able to convince Beca to eat something.
"Beca? Is it okay if I go visit Stacie for a little bit?" Jaiden shifted underneath her sister, hoping that the older girl was still awake. Beca lifted her head in response and nodded somewhat reluctantly. The two brunettes untangled themselves and Beca practically had to force herself to release her hold on Jaiden's sweatshirt as the younger girl stood. Chloe watched from the kitchen as Jaiden walked around the couch and towards the door.
"Be back in time for dinner," The redhead called gently. Jaiden turned towards her in surprise, but nodded before leaving the apartment. Breaking her gaze away from the door, Chloe noticed Beca still staring at it with an air of anxiety about her. "You okay?" The older girl asked. She left the kitchen and went to sit beside Beca on the couch.
"She'll come back, right?" Chloe sighed at her girlfriend's insecurity and laid down on the couch, pulling Beca with her. The brunette settled into a similar position to her previous one and nuzzled against Chloe's neck; too baked to fight her need to be comforted.
"Yes, she will." Chloe assured her. "But can we talk about you for a second?" Beca nodded while trying to fight the heaviness in her eyelids and waited. She could feel the steady up and down of Chloe's chest and temporarily became fixed on trying to syncopate their breathing. The redhead was warm and smelled good and Beca finally found herself calming down for the first time in the past two days.
"How come you never told me about your anxiety?" Chloe's question brought Beca out of her thoughts and the brunette tensed a bit at the inquiry.
"Because that's not something anyone needs to know." She grunted defensively. Beca felt the redhead sigh beneath her and hooked her leg over Chloe's. "Don't be mad at me for that."
"I'm not mad. I'm just concerned. It's been really hard to see you like this and I didn't know what to do to help. It was like you were shutting down." Chloe told her. Her voice rose in pitch and Beca could hear the threat of tears coming.
"I'm sorry then. I guess I probably was." She admitted.
"Do you have medication you can take, or-"
"Can we please just not talk for a while? I just…I just want to lie here with you." Beca interrupted her and Chloe fell silent. She had grown accustomed to realizing just how far she could push with the younger girl before it was time to back off, and she had now reached that point.
"Okay," Chloe agreed. With that, the two of them fell silent and Beca eventually dozed off.
Jaiden decided to walk over to campus; not wanting to see the interior of her car for a while. She took her time getting there and spent the minutes figuring out exactly what she wanted to say to Stacie when she got there. Her stomach managed to twist herself into a knot the closer she got to the dorms. By the time she got to the building, Jaiden's palms were sweating and she was struggling to even remember the small speech she had prepared. The only thing that got her feet to step through the entrance was the looming fact that Stacie was probably in her room waiting, and the older girl didn't deserve to have to wait even longer.
Jogging up the stairs, Jaiden all but sprinted down the second floor hallway until she came to Stacie's closed door. Her hand hesitated for only a second before she knocked and then took a step back, waiting. The door handle turned seconds later and Jaiden sucked in a deep breath as she came face to face with Stacie. The older girl's expression was unreadable and Jaiden could feel her pulse starting to race as they stared at each other. Finally, Stacie broke out of it and threw her arms around her. Jaiden hugged her back tightly and felt the bundle of nerves in her abdomen unravel. The taller brunette pulled back enough just so she could tilt Jaiden's chin upwards and kiss her. Jaiden practically melted into her as they stumbled into Stacie's apartment and barely managed to shut the door behind them.
"Please?" Stacie questioned desperately. Jaiden had in fact kept up her chivalrous act since the two had started dating, and to everyone's initial shock, the two hadn't slept together as a couple yet. The shorter brunette nodded and broke off the kiss for a short second in order to strip off her shirt. Stacie ran her eyes up and down the 18 year old's body adoringly before pulling off her own top. She grabbed Jaiden's hands and pulled her over to the bed. The two collapsed onto it and Stacie flipped them over so that she could hover over her girlfriend. She attacked the younger brunette's lips hungrily and nearly purred as she felt Jaiden run her hands down her sides.
"God, I love you." Jaiden murmured against the 20 year old's lips. She felt Stacie smile against her before her hands began to tug at her jeans. Jaiden lifted her hips up enough so that Stacie could yank the denim off of her and then sat up to meet her in another passionate kiss. The taller girl straddled her dominantly and wound her fingers through Jaiden's hair. Their hips ground together and Stacie struggled to suppress a moan at the pressure. Her fingers fumbled to pull Stacie's shorts off and she relished in the feeling of the older girl's skin against her's. Stacie's legs were smooth and soft and Jaiden ran her hands down them appreciatively. Her breath hitched in her throat as Stacie's lips left her's and reattached themselves to her neck. And suddenly the 18 year old found herself regretting waiting so long to do this again.
45 blissful minutes later, the two brunettes collapsed beside each other breathlessly. Jaiden took a second to slow her heart rate back down before rolling over and kissing Stacie again. She felt the older girl's lips curl into a smile and stroked her check affectionately before laying back.
"You're cute." Stacie grinned. She propped herself up onto her elbow and stared down at the younger girl warmly.
"You're not too bad yourself, Conrad." Jaiden smirked. She could tell what Stacie was going to say next before the words even left her mouth.
"Spend the night with me," The older girl requested. Her lover sighed and stared up at her apologetically.
"I promised Chloe I'd be home for dinner. But trust me; if I wasn't afraid of Beca having another meltdown, I would." Jaiden replied regretfully. To her relief, Stacie nodded in understanding and leaned in to kiss her again.
"Go spend time with her." She encouraged her kindly. Jaiden forced herself out of the warm bed and began putting on her discarded clothes, feeling Stacie's eyes on her the entire time. "You know she really cares about you, right? Like that's why she freaked out." The older girl spoke up. Jaiden turned halfway around as she pulled her hoodie on and rolled her eyes at the reminder. Her slight discomfort at the statement was clearly evident to the other brunette and she rolled out of bed. Jaiden watched as she draped her sheets around her body and made eye contact with her a bit abashedly.
"What?" Jaiden asked defensively. Stacie stared down at her and shook her head before placing a light kiss on her forehead. The shorter girl blushed and then resumed buttoning her jeans, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Please don't act like that's not true." Stacie requested. Jaiden glanced up at her for a second, a bit apologetic, and sighed.
"I'm sorry. This is just, you know, kind of new." She admitted. Stacie nodded in understanding and then kissed her on the lips.
"I understand. I love you." Jaiden blushed, still not quite used to the statement, and tried to hide a small smile by biting her bottom lip. The action did not go unnoticed by her girlfriend and Stacie reluctantly watched her leave the apartment with a quiet "I love you too".
Beca jolted awake from her position at the kitchen table as she heard the sound of the door handle turning and perked up immediately. Her mind had been buzzing with the possibility of Jaiden slipping away again and she had flitted around the apartment nervously since she left; too distracted to actually help Chloe with dinner, but too worked up to veg out on the couch again.
Chloe looked up from the three plates she had been fixing as Jaiden stepped into the apartment and kicked her shoes off. The 18 year old met her gaze for a few seconds, silently questioning Beca's condition, and Chloe replied with a confident nod. She tipped her head over towards the small brunette, who was watching her attentively.
"Hey, how'd things go?" Chloe asked, breaking the silence. Jaiden offered a small smile and joined them in the kitchen. It was clear that she was still a little held back, but the freshman forced herself to sit in the chair beside Beca.
"They went really well. She was, um, really excited." Jaiden replied. Chloe smirked knowingly as she walked over to them and set a plate in front of each sister. The redhead returned a few moments later with her own dinner and sat down in the third chair. She reached across the table and took Beca's hand tightly.
"Will you stay in tonight?" Beca said suddenly. Jaiden turned to her in surprise, but nodded. She had never actually seen this side of the older girl, truthfully. The only reason she had even known about her anxiety disorder was her mother, who had been arguing with Dr. Mitchell over where she developed it during one of their many phone arguments.
"Of course." She replied. Beca searched her features for any sign of insincerity for a few seconds before turning her attention to the food in front of her. She had barely had a bite to eat since Jaiden had went missing, and realized now just how empty her stomach was. Chloe watched her finally begin to eat and immediately felt more at ease. She had been slowly watching the brunette come back to herself all day, and now that the threat of Jaiden not coming back again was gone, Beca seemed more…Beca. Or at least the version of her that Chloe had become accustomed to.
"Your friend Aubrey…she's pretty forceful." Jaiden noted, glancing up from her plate and smirking at Chloe. The redhead chuckled and nodded in agreement before taking a bite of her food.
"You should have seen her when we were captains. Way worse." Chloe assured her. "So what exactly did she say to you?"
"Well, I tried to get away from her first, but she basically threatened to follow me wherever I went and call both of you, so I let her come to dinner with me. We were kind of bantering for a while until you called, and then, you know, I got worried. I mean, I was worried before and everything, but I was just trying to block it out." Jaiden explained. "But that phone call just…I couldn't ignore it anymore. I had to come back. And again, I'm just really sorry-"
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize again." The redhead assured her. Jaiden paused for a moment before nodding in understanding. She was beginning to understand why she was so good with Beca. Chloe was comforting, encouraging, and immensely easy to be around. And as much as Beca always insisted that those types of people were delusional and aggravating beyond belief to be around, Chloe apparently had inserted herself right into brunette's life and latched on.
"We're just really glad that you're back." Chloe added softly. Jaiden felt her cheeks redden and nodded in acknowledgment before turning her attention back to her plate. Uncomfortable with complete silence, Beca decided to speak up.
"I'm sorry I never told you about my anxiety." Chloe's eyes widened in surprise at the statement; a bit shocked at the fact she had brought it up at all. Not to mention the fact that she had done it in front of Jaiden. "And no, I don't have medication for it anymore. That's kind of why I smoke." She admitted.
"Beca," Jaiden frowned. "That's actually terrible. Obviously it doesn't help that much, considering the way you sounded on the phone last night."
"She's right, babe. Maybe you should try going back on it?" Chloe suggested. She had been even more caught off guard when Jaiden had piped up.
"Wow, didn't realize this was a tag team. I shouldn't have even said anything." Beca huffed. She glared at the two of them irritably and resumed stabbing at her food.
"Look; I've been a really shitty sister for the last few years, and I'd be even shittier if I didn't make you take care of yourself. You looked really rough today and I'm sure Chloe hates seeing you like this just as much as I do. What are you on? Zoloft, Xanax, what?" Jaiden deadpanned. Chloe blinked a few times, obviously taken aback, and waited for her girlfriend's reply a little nervously. "Beca, the hospital made me do therapy for a long time after what happened. I know how this works. I've been there." The younger of the three added. Beca glanced up from her food and put her fork down, realizing the weight of her admission. Jaiden didn't share things very much and Beca knew she would feel bad if she shut down on the younger girl after she had been honest with her.
"Zoloft…" She mumbled in response. "Two tablets a day."
"Will you start taking it again? Please? And lay off the pot." Jaiden asked seriously. Her sister hesitated for only a few seconds before nodding in agreement. Chloe was staring at the 18 year old appreciatively and Jaiden made eye contact with her for one brief second. The redhead mouthed the words "thank you" before yawning tiredly. A few moments later, Beca did the same and Jaiden looked between the two of them in subtle amusement.
"Well, on that note, I think we could all use a good night's sleep." Chloe stood up from the table with her dishes and stepped into the kitchen. Jaiden got up as well and grabbed Beca's plate along with her own, using the opportunity to follow the redhead into a more private area.
"Thank you so much for taking care of that." Chloe turned around from the counter as Jaiden walked into the room. The 18 year old shrugged before scraping the remnants of food off of the dishes she was carrying and sliding them into the sink with a hopeful smile. Chloe rolled her eyes, but started washing them as well. Jaiden hopped up onto the counter beside her, ready with a dish towel.
"It's no problem. Listen, Chloe, I know I need to step up my game. With everyone." Jaiden toyed with the fabric in her hands as she spoke. "But I swear, I'm going to work on it. I really, really love Stacie. I mean I'm in love with her. And I just…I'm not great with expressing affection or emotions, but I'm trying. I'm trying with all of you, but I need some time to get comfortable."
"I understand. And I'm completely here for you if you're ever feeling overwhelmed or need some help with anything." Chloe replied. She handed Jaiden a few plates and watched as she dried them off silently. She spun around on the counter and stacked them in the cabinet before hopping down and yawning.
"Go to bed." Chloe prompted. The younger girl nodded in agreement and turned to go. "Jaiden," She stopped her just before she left. "Come here." Chloe held her arms out and Jaiden forced herself to hug her tightly. She had promised herself while she was lying on the couch with Beca that she was going to be more open with both of them, and this was obviously a test to her own word.
"I'm really happy you're back." Chloe murmured. She squeezed her once and then released the younger girl with a warm smile. Jaiden rubbed the back of her neck and nodded once before hurrying out of the kitchen. Beca still sat at the table, still looking a little dazed, and Jaiden sighed before walking over to her.
"Wanna have a sleepover?" She asked awkwardly. Her older sister looked up at her in surprise, and maybe a bit of confusion. "You know, that way you're not wondering if I'm going to sneak away again." Jaiden elaborated with a small smirk. Catching on to the fact that Jaiden was trying to help, Beca stood up and followed her into her bedroom.
"We're not going to talk about our feelings," Jaiden announced as she turned the lights off. Beca crawled into the queen sized bed and slid under the blankets, only to be joined by her sister a few seconds later. "Just sleeping. Goodnight." She finished.
"Goodnight. I love you." Beca replied quietly. The older girl rolled over and curled up against Jaiden's side before drifting off into, finally, a peaceful sleep.
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