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Team-bonding.
That’s what Aubrey is calling it. Beca thinks “team-bonding” is a phrase you use when you have a group of people who don’t know, or want to know, how to get along. She thinks it’s a dumb idea and a waste of time and that $20 is a lot for a college student. There’s so much else she could be doing with $20, like buying pizza. Beca almost backs out of it. She says, she doesn’t really like the idea of Secret Santa.
(She almost says she doesn’t really like the idea of Christmas in general, but the word “Santa” sets Chloe off like a star on top of a tree and Beca refuses to be the one to sit her down and tell her that the jolly man in the red suit is really just a myth. She’s sure Chloe knows, actually, but the way those blue, Disney-princess eyes widen with excitement, Beca isn’t taking any chances.)
Once everyone sees Chloe’s excitement, not one really has the heart to say no. So they scribble their names down on scraps of paper and toss them into the Santa hat Chloe conveniently has in her backpack, and Beca prays.
Not in the conventional way, but she prays she gets someone easy. Someone like Amy, would love just about anything with half-naked boys in it. Or Stacie, who would love just a half-naked boy.
The hat is passed to her and she roots around for a slip of paper, holding her breath as she picks one out and unfolds it. Chloe smiles encouragingly at her.
Aubrey.
The Spirits of Christmas have always had a sense of humor Beca never found that funny.
*
Aubrey is beginning to regret this whole “get into the Christmas spirit” idea she let Chloe talk her into. There were a new pair of shoes she’d had her eye on, waiting patiently until they were going to go on sale, but instead, she’ll be spending the money on Stacie’s present. She squeezes the Santa-shaped stress ball in her hand – an early gift from Chloe – and leans back in her desk chair.
“Can I get her a box of condoms?” she wonders aloud.
Chloe gasps, feigning disbelief. “Aubrey, that’s terrible.” Her eyes brighten with amusement, though.
“It’s practical,” Aubrey argues.
“Christmas gifts aren’t supposed to be practical. They’re supposed to frivolous. Something you know someone wants but they won’t buy for themselves.” Chloe taps her fingers on her desk. “There’s go to be something you can get her that’s not completely offensive.”
Aubrey rolls her eyes. “It’s not offensive. It’s me giving her a present she’ll make use of.” Chloe groans and Aubrey glares at her. “Aca-cuse me, Mrs. Claus, but not everyone is amazing at gift-giving. Some of us give practical gifts. What are you getting your Secret Santa anyway?”
Chloe gives her a tight-lipped smirk. “Not telling. And don’t even ask who it is.”
“I told you, though.”
Chloe shrugs, her eyes sparkling. “I didn’t ask.” Her phone beeps and she turns from Aubrey as she checks it. Aubrey frowns. That’s been happening a lot lately. Secrey. Leaving at night and sneaking back in before morning. Maybe she’s seeing someone new, Aubrey thinks. Maybe she isn’t saying anything because she doesn’t want to jinx it. Chloe stands up quickly, breaking Aubrey from her thoughts.
“Gotta go. Be back later,” she says, winding her scarf around her throat. Aubrey watches her, eyes lingering on Chloe. That reminders her that they need to talk more about the nodes thing. “Don’t wait up.”
Aubrey will, but she smiles tightly anyway and focuses on her problem as the door closes.
Condoms. They’ll be her back-up plan.
Right now, they’re her only plan.
*
So Cynthia Rose is practically her best friend and picking her name should have made this easy, but Stacie is still completely stumped. Her go-to gift – a pack of condoms, because it’s funny and safe – won’t work this time, so she’s screwed.
Metaphorically only. She hasn’t had sex in 56 hours and she’s practically dying.
She stands in front of the mirror in her underwear, holding a dress up in front of herself. Tilting her head, she tries to catch Cynthia Rose’s eye in the mirror. “What do you think? This one or the blue one?”
Cynthia Rose blinks. “Sorry, what?”
Stacie smiles just a little. “These panties are cute, right?”
“Huh?” Cynthia Roses asks quickly. “What’re you talking about?”
The door opens and Chloe pops her head around the corner. “Hey, Cynthia Rose, I think Beca was looking for you? Heard she wanted to cut her hair and was thinking about something like yours.” Chloe shrugs and smiles.
Cynthia Rose frowns but gets up anyway and leaves the room, casting one last longing look at Stacie’s legs. Stacie pulls on a long t-shirt and curls up on her bed.
“Thanks for stopping by,” she says gratefully. “I know I’ve been texting you a lot and-”
Chloe waves her off. “Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s just that we only have, like, three weeks, and-”
Chloe smiles. “Seriously, don’t worry. I don’t mind. Do you have any ideas yet?”
Stacie sighs and picks at her bedspread. “I have absolutely no ideas. That’s why I called you.”
“Okay,” Chloe nods. “So, plan of attack. Figure out what she likes, get it, and give it to her.” When Stacie doesn’t look amused, Chloe tries again. “What does she like?”
Stacie shrugs. “I think she likes underwear? She’s always staring at mine. Maybe I could get her some?”
Chloe makes a face. “Maybe not that. But I did hear from Denise that she’s had her eye on the new plaid collection at Target.” She leans forward, grinning. “And I hear they’re on sale this week.”
Stacie sits up, interested. “She does really like plaid…” She chews her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Do you think they make plaid underwear?”
Chloe tips her head to the side as she thinks. “Maybe?”
Stacie grins. “That’s perfect! You’re the best.” Chloe shrugs and says it was no problem and reaches for the doorknob. “Hey, did Beca really want to cut her hair?”
“Nope,” Chloe says, grinning evilly. “Let’s hope I can get over there before Cynthia Rose shaves it all off.”
Stacie laughs until she realizes that Cynthia Rose just might do it.
*
Cynthia Rose sighs. She has absolutely no idea what to get Amy for this Secret Santa business. There were so many other “team-bonding” ideas pitched that Aubrey never even listened to. Cynthia Rose hadn’t see what was so wrong with her idea; strip clubs aren’t just for men.
Rehearsal is over and Aubrey has reminded them, for the tenth time this week, that their Secret Santa gift-giving rehearsal is only two and a half weeks away. Cynthia Rose knows. She also knows she’s not anywhere closer to figuring out a gift than she was when she picked Amy’s name from the hat.
Chloe lingers in the doorway, looking back at her. “Hey, you coming?”
Cynthia Rose shrugs. “I’m thinking.” She hesitates a second before asking, “hey, have you gotten a gift for your Secret Santa yet?”
Chloe’s face flushes a little. “I’m still working on coming up with a good idea. What about you?”
Cynthia Rose sighs again. “No.” She leans in closer, as if someone will come back and hear her. “I have Amy and I’ve got no ideas.”
“Oh,” Chloe says with a knowing look. “It’s weird, huh? How we’re all not too sure what to get each other?”
“I know,” Cynthia Rose agrees. “It’s like we don’t know each other at all.” She lets the thought sink in and then she shakes her head. “She likes to dance, right?”
Chloe smiles faintly. “Define dance?”
Cynthia Rose grins. “The Multicultural Committee is putting on a salsa workshop…”
Chloe mirrors her grin. “I think that’s a great idea! Isn’t Christmas just the best?” She bounds out of the room without waiting for an answer while Cynthia Rose shakes her head.
The dance lessons are a good idea. They’re a great idea.
She just wishes she had remembered that before she gambles all her money away later that night.
*
Amy knew what she would get Lilly the minute she pulled the other girl’s name out of the Santa hat.
She’s scrolling through Amazon on her phone during rehearsal and leans over, tapping Chloe on the shoulder.
“Think Lilly would like pink or blue?”
Chloe looks confused for a second. “Amy,” she scolds after a minute. “You can’t get her that.” She looks scandalized.
Amy shrugs. “It might make her… louder,” is her only defense.
Chloe shakes her head, her face growing redder. “Pick… Find something else,” she says, turning back and giving Aubrey her attention.
Amy rolls her eyes and sinks back into her chair. Maybe she’ll get Lilly the megaphone instead.
Though for the record, her idea is the best.
*
Lilly finds Chloe in the corner of the library, staring into space. After a moment, the redhead looks up, surprised to see her. Lilly gets that reaction a lot.
“Hey, sorry. What’s up?” She motions at the empty seat across from her. “There’s a week left for Secret Santa. Have you gotten your person something?”
Lilly sits down and shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not sure what you want,” she mutters so quietly that Chloe has to ask her to repeat herself twice.
“Oh,” Chloe says, surprised. “You have me?”
Lilly nods.
“And you’re not sure what to get me?”
Lilly nods again.
“Uh, well.” Chloe gives Lilly a small smile and shrugs one shoulder. “Surprise me?”
Lilly isn’t too impressed with the idea and she thinks that Chloe can tell. She sighs and stands back up.
She’ll just get Chloe a stuffed animal, or something.
Maybe that ladybug one she saw at the store last week.
*
Chloe taps her foot distractedly against the floor at the end of the hallway and checks her watch. Rehearsal should be over by now but Beca is nowhere to be seen. This was a terrible idea and having to hide in the stairwell of a dorm hall is only proving her right.
She’s about to give up and call it off when she hears familiar humming in the distance. Fumbling for her cellphone, Chloe dials Beca’s number and grins when she hears the other girl’s phone go off, “Bulletproof” echoing down the hall.
“Well, hey, skipper,” Beca says into her phone. Chloe smiles to herself. “You missed rehearsal. On Secret Santa day. Are you dying or something?”
Chloe laughs into the phone. “Is that what Aubrey said?”
Down the hall, Chloe sees Beca trying to work her keys out of her bag. “No, I’m guessing. Because you missed Secret Santa day and everyone knows it was all your idea anyway. So I figured you must be dying. Or you caught leprosy and you’re afraid of being contagious. Either way, you owe me a present.”
“Oh, do I?” Chloe steps out of the stairway as Beca’s door closes behind her. She leans up against the wall.
“Yeah. You’re my Secret Santa, aren’t you? I was the only one who didn’t get a gift.”
If someone asked, Chloe would say that Beca sounds almost put off.
“I am,” she admits. She pauses a moment. “So, what did everyone else get?”
Beca laughs in her ear. “Well, Aubrey got Stacie a pack of condoms and Stacie wanted the receipt because Aubrey bought the wrong kind. Uh… Cynthia Rose gave Amy a card and an IOU, but no one is really sure why. Stacie gave Cynthia Rose a lot of plaid underwear, which was creepy.” She pauses like she’s thinking. “Right, Lilly had one of those pillow characters for you and she gave it to Aubrey. Amy gave Lilly a megaphone but forgot the batteries so no one could hear her talking into it anyway. Denise, Ashley, and Jessica all just gave each other the same gift card.”
Chloe grins. “What did you get Aubrey?”
Beca hesitates like she’s afraid to answer. “I got her some stupid pitch whistle cover or something,” she says quickly, rushing the words together.
Chloe laughs this time. “She text me a picture. You monogrammed a pitch whistle case for her.”
She can just imagine Beca rolling her eyes and ducking her head. “Yeah, well, whatever,” she says dismissively. There’s a minute of comfortable silence as Chloe finally pushes off the wall.
“Want to know another secret?” She gets closer to Beca’s door, chewing on her thumbnail nervously. “I wasn’t sure what to get you.”
“Is that why you didn’t show up?” Beca asks.
Chloe comes to a stop in front of Beca’s door. “Mostly.” She keeps the phone pressed against her ear and raises a hand to knock. It takes her a few moments before she steels her nerves and brings her knuckles down against the wood. “I mean, I just got stuck.”
“Hold on,” Beca sighs into the phone. “There’s someone at the-”
Chloe smiles nervously. “Surprise,” she says weakly.
Beca, her hand still on the doorknob, frowns at her. “I’m on the phone with you.”
“I know.” Chloe presses the end button on her phone and reaches for the phone in Beca’s hand, closing it. “Hi.”
Beca starts to smile. “Hi. Did you figure out what to get me?”
Chloe nods jerkily. “I think so.” She steps into the room and closes the door gently behind her. Beca hasn’t moved away yet and Chloe leans in, kissing her hello softly. They’ve been doing this for a little while – and Chloe is sure that Aubrey has figured out something, but she needs to remember to talk to her soon – and each time they kiss, Chloe feels her stomach flip. Beca’s hands find her waist and Chloe has to pull away before she forgets the reason she came over in the first place.
“So, for Secret Santa,” she starts out. “I got you… Well…”
Beca smirks at her. “Spit it out, would you?” she teases.
Chloe takes a deep breath and plasters on a hopeful smile. “Well, I got you me.”
Beca’s smirk fades into confusion. “You got me you?”
“If you want me,” Chloe adds, the back of her neck starting to sweat. Beca stares at her for a moment, long enough that Chloe starts to pull out of Beca’s hold, her eyes burning a little.
“I hate Christmas,” Beca says, her grip tightening. “It’s never been a thing in our house and I’m just not a fan.”
Chloe is confused but she tries to hide it, remaining absolutely still.
“But you sound like the best Christmas present ever,” Beca breathes out.
A dam breaks inside Chloe’s chest and she heaves a sigh of relief that turns into a laugh.
“I know,” Beca says over her laughter, her cheeks coloring. “That was really cheesy. Go ahead, laugh at me. I won’t laugh at you, the girl who offered herself up for Christmas.”
Chloe pulls Beca close, leaning down until she can ghost her lips across the brunette’s. “I told you Secret Santa was the best idea,” she whispers.
Beca rolls her eyes. “I’m still not convinced you didn’t rig the whole thing so you got me and I got stuck with Aubrey.”
Chloe grins and slides her arms around Beca’s waist, tracing the notches in her spine up to her shoulder blades. “Guess you’ll never know.”
She cuts off Beca’s retort with a kiss and nudges Beca back towards her day bed.
Maybe if she tries hard enough, she can get Beca to sit through her ‘Super Christmas Movie Collection,’ but she doesn’t want to push her luck just yet.