If I Woke Up Next To--Omigod!! [Ella]

[Chloe Singleton]

Chloe woke up to two very contradictory feelings. One was a rather strong headache that throbbed at the base of her skull and the other was a sort of pleasant fuzzy, tingly feeling in her chest and limbs. She was curled on her side in bed, her face half buried in the pillow, as she slowly began to come around. She recognized the headache and the dryness in her mouth as an aftereffect of the drinking she had done last night, which also led her to remember several parts of the night. (Mostly the early stuff, like Ella in that dress and the man that had been touching her all over.)

After that things got fuzzy and Chloe finally blinked open her eyes. The first thing she realized was that she wasn't in her own bedroom and immediately panic flooded through her. Oh god, where was she? Did she end up going home with a stranger last night? Whose bed was this? She was so not ready for a walk of shame, definitely not looking forward to Ella's reaction once she went back home and--oh... Ohhhhh.

It was then that Chloe peeked over her shoulder to see a familiar mop of gorgeous brown hair fallen over the face of her roommate, who was sleeping peacefully with her arm around Chloe's waist. The next thing the blonde realized, despairingly, was that she was wearing nothing under the sheets. She was naked, a quick shift informed her that Ella was also naked, and suddenly Chloe felt awful. That was not supposed to happen.

Embarrassed, nervous, and wanting nothing more than to apologize profusely to her friend, Chloe grabbed the woman's wrist and gently removed it from her waist. She slid away from Ella and sat up, holding the sheets to her chest as she looked at the floor hoping to find her clothes. Unfortunately, a wave of nausea decided to hit her then, and she made an uneasy noise, covering her mouth with her hand as she waited for her stomach to settle.

Chloe decided that she was never going to drink again.

[Ella Tate]

Ella surprisingly remembered everything. Every. Single. Thing.

From the kiss, to going home, and the trail of clothes they left behind in the living room and quite possibly the most mind blowing sex she had ever had with a woman before. It had lasted practically the whole night and Ella was pretty sure she passed out from one of her climaxes. Or maybe she hit her head on the headboard.

Might explain the soreness on top of her head.

Unlike Chloe, Ella didn't feel the aftereffects of last night's debauchery. She didn't even feel guilty about breaking her own roommate code. It was just sex. They were adults, they could get over it. Couldn't they?

As she woke up from Chloe's movements, Ella realised it might probably not be the case for Chloe.

She pushed the hair that had fallen in her face as she breathed in the morning air...and something else entirely. She gave the blond a lazy smile as the comforter fell off her body. "Morning," she croaked sexily. Morning raspiness, couldn't get any sexier than that.

[Chloe Singleton]

Sex wasn't just sex in Chloe's books. Sex was something intimate and personal and should only be shared with those that you cared deeply about. Chloe did not have one night stands. Or at least she thought she didn't... this was a situation that she was completely unfamiliar with.

Chloe froze when she heard Ella's voice, pulling the covers tighter to herself, and blurting out "Omigod Ella I'm SO sorry!" She turned back to the brunette - big mistake - to see the covers having slid down to reveal intimate areas. Blushing a vibrant red, Chloe switched her focus to the wall. It was much safer to look at. (Not better, because as uncomfortable as the blonde felt, there was no denying that she found Ella very nice to look at.)

It also didn't help matters that Chloe had been harboring a bit of a crush on her roomie and now they'd had sex and she honestly had no idea what to do about that.

"I was just... just going... to... leave." She looked to the door, her only escape, but woefully she had nothing to cover herself with to make the trip from bed to door. She didn't seem to realize that Ella had already seen all of her. The nausea and the headache from earlier seemed to be forgotten in her panic. What would Ella think of her now that this had happened?

[Ella Tate]

Surely, Ella thought nothing less of Chloe and if she knew Chloe thought she did, Ella's guilt would be pretty overwhelming. Technically, Ella had more right to think Chloe thought less of her now, but if the glance the blond gave her was any indication, that was probably not the case.

Ella leaned back in surprise when Chloe started sputtering an apology. "Whoa...hey uh...why...uh...you shouldn't..." Yeah, smooth Ella. Chloe's announcement of leaving did not sit well with the recruiter so she climbed out of bed, completely forgetting her nudity to stop Chloe from leaving.

Looking down at her feet, Ella was instantly very aware of her situation and she gulped. "Um...need a towel?" She chuckled nervously, pulling the sheets off the bed and covering the top half of her body.

[Chloe Singleton]

Chloe paused when Ella tried to stop her, confused. "But I..." She trailed off, not sure how to put into words how she felt. She briefly remembered how Ella had struggled to stand, wondering just how much the other woman had to drink, then sheepishly croaked out, "Took advantage of you."

When Ella slid out of bed, Chloe stared for a brief moment before quickly turning her head to look down at the floor. "Yes... please?" The teacher kept her arms wrapped tightly around her body, still holding one sheet to herself as the brunette took the other. This was like a bad scene in a movie and Chloe's life had been nothing if not plain for as long as she could remember. Things like this didn't happen to her, but then again normally she was responsible one when friends went out drinking. She was nearly always the designated driver.

As much as Chloe would have loved to wiggle her way back into her girly pajamas and disappear under the covers of her bed and pretend this never happened, she felt that would be a cheap way out. They had to talk about this, they had to smooth it out, because else it would just be like a wall between them that would never just go away. "I really am sorry, Ella."

[Ella Tate]

Ella could have laughed right then and there if Chloe's face hadn't been so...pitiful. The girl actually thought she had taken advantage of Ella. And all the while, all Ella was thinking about was how much she was enjoying not worrying about Chloe being too emotionally attached to people.

As it were...

Ella pulled on a robe from her bathroom before handing over a towel to Chloe. Chloe's apology had Ella putting up a hand to stop her. "Chloe, don't. Um...you...you didn't," Ella paused, trying hard not to crack up over the word. Not because of Chloe, mind you. The words just seemed an odd choice when it came to Ella. "You didn't take advantage of me." She finally said. "Unless you tell me you didn't enjoy it, I'd have to say I was the one taking advantage of you. And for that, I'm willing to apologise." Ella tightened the robe around her and pulled Chloe down to sit on the bed.

"You have any regrets about last night?"

[Chloe Singleton]

Chloe was grateful for the towel, which she wrapped around her chest with relief. She was finally able to stand up from the bed, biting on her lip as she started to make her way towards the door. Ella's words were enough to stop her for the moment, and she turned to look at her friend, confused. "But... you were drunk... and I was drunk and when I drink I get... like that. And I shouldn't have."

She let Ella pull her back, sitting down on the edge of the mattress and fiddling with her hands. "I... uh... don't really remember." She admitted sheepishly. There were flashes here and there, mostly sounds and feelings, but the more that she tried to remember, the harder it was. "I only regret messing up our friendship." She peeked at Ella out of the corner of her eye, then heaved a defeated sigh.

"Umm... what would you like for breakfast?" Chloe wanted some shred of normalcy to hold onto, she also didn't want to think about how what they'd done would affect their relationship. "I'll be right back, I'm going to get dressed." She said quietly, getting up from the bed again and retreating into her own bedroom to put some proper clothes on. Once dressed in a cozy pair of pajamas, she made her way back into the kitchen, leaning on the counter and rubbing at her eyes.

[Ella Tate]

Ella sighed at Chloe's words. She was making too big a deal out of this and Ella was kind of sorry she had let it go so far. "Chloe...you didn't take advantage of me. I wouldn't be talking to you right now if you had taken advantage of me." And a huge part of Ella was now thinking, she was the one who took advantage of Chloe. Damn second guessing.

When she mentioned messing up their friendship, Ella shook her head. "No! Of course not! Don't even go there!" She exclaimed, shaking one hand alongside her head shake. There was no way in hell Ella would ever dream of sex messing up their friendship. Not in a million years. She's sort of still friends with Jake...right? And they started out just having sex...it was the same thing right?

Ella sighed once again when Chloe tried to grasp at normality and finally the recruiter gave her that satisfaction. "I'll have whatever you're having." She said before letting Chloe leave. Once the blond was gone, Ella changed to a tank top and shorts before gathering all the clothes from her room and dumping them in the dirty laundry.

She made quick work of brushing her teeth and walked out to find Chloe looking a little haggard. She moved behind Chloe, wrapping her arms around the blonde's waist. "Chlo," Ella said, resting her chin on the shorter woman's shoulder. "Everything's fine...don't worry, okay?"

[Chloe Singleton]

Chloe leaned into Ella's embrace, heaving a large sigh. Despite what had happened, she felt comfortable in Ella's arms. It made her stop thinking for a while that she had messed everything up. "You mean it? I don't want to lose you." Her voice was low and sad sounding, turning in the brunette's hold to wrap her arms around Ella as well, burying her face into the taller woman's neck.

She felt better knowing that Ella didn't seem to blame her and somewhere she knew that she was probably overreacting, but she was just so worried that Ella would think less of her, or that Ella wouldn't like her anymore now that they'd slept together. Chloe sniffled, leaning back to look her friend in the face. "Because I really like you, Ella." She admitted softly, looking a little shy while doing so.

Swiping at her eyes, the blonde took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder. "How about biscuits and gravy for breakfast?" She unwound her arms from around Ella and cupped her cheeks, offering up a more normal looking smile. "And I think there's bacon in the freezer, I can make that too."

[Ella Tate]

When Chloe pulled into her, Ella instinctively wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck, one hand resting on top of her head while the other dangled behind her. She placed a soft kiss on top of Chloe's head. "You won't lose me. I wouldn't dream of going anywhere else." A part of her was pretty aware that it was a lie. She wasn't built for a long lasting relationship. She may have before but now, now she just couldn't keep up with gross feelings.

Chloe's confession, in addition to the shy expression on the younger blonde's face did not register at all in Ella. "Chloe, I like you too honey." Ella said in between laughter, running her fingers through Chloe's thick blond hair. Damn it was soft.

Ella let Chloe move away from her and smiled when her cheeks were cupped. "That sounds good. Let me help." And for a moment, everything went back to normal. Like yesterday didn't happen. It was only when breakfast was finished and they were on the couch, Ella's arms around Chloe, her hand resting against the blonde's stomach, that Ella felt strange. Like she was supposed to say or do something.

"We're...we're cool, right Chlo?" Ella asked, her hand rubbing Chloe's stomach gently.

[Chloe Singleton]

Things started to feel almost normal again and Chloe was thankful for that. Having Ella there, smiling and cooking breakfast with her, Chloe felt like everything was going to be okay. In her over-reactive mind, she started to realize that mistakes happen. She couldn't blame herself or Ella for ending up in bed together, because she'd only drive herself crazy with guilt.

Cuddling with Ella on the couch settled her even further. Her head was resting against the brunette's shoulders, eyes nearly closed, when she heard her friend's voice pipe up. "Yeah. Yeah, I think we are." She laid her hand over Ella's own, slipping her fingers between her friend's. "I'm sorry for freaking out this morning."

"I just-- Nothing like that's ever happened before and I know I get a little bit... pushy when I drink." She sighed, tilting her head up to look at Ella face. "I was just scared. You... you mean a lot to me and I thought I messed everything up."

[Ella Tate]

Ella moved her leg so Chloe rested snugly in between them as she spoke. A soft smile appeared on the dark haired recruiter's lips as she heard Chloe apologising again. "Don't fret, bird." Her hand moved to Chloe's chin before tilting it upwards so they were face to face. "You weren't born to mess things up, baby."

She wasn't sure if it was the biscuits and gravy settling nicely or just the morning high Ella was feeling but her head was spinning with words that wanted to be blurted out but just wasn't her. Shaking her head, she nosed Chloe's before pressing her lips against the blonde's. "You couldn't mess things up even if you tried." Ella mumbled against their locked lips.

She pulled Chloe up on her lap, deepening the kiss. Her fingers ran through Chloe's hair as she decided to test the water. "You mean a lot to me too," she sighed in between kisses.

[Chloe Singleton]

Chloe smiled, leaning into the touch of Ella's hand on her face, then rolled over onto her stomach. She was comfortably resting between the recruiter's legs and curled her arms up around Ella's neck. "You're too sweet." She said with a soft giggle, her fingers gently running over the back of the brunette's neck.

She most certainly was not expecting what happened next, although as much as she didn't want to admit it (because it would make things so much more complicated), she found herself enjoying the kiss. Her eyes slid closed while she reciprocated tentatively. It was an awkward angle, but Ella's coaxing fixed that. Chloe slid herself upwards and braced one hand against the arm of the couch for stability.

Chloe felt warmth bloom in her chest at Ella's words, but was worried she was getting her hopes up too quickly. She pulled back from the kiss, looking down at Ella with the question written plainly over her face. "Ella? You... you really mean that?"

[Ella Tate]

Ella was enjoying the kiss as well. Then again, it was a kiss. With a pretty smokin' girl. She couldn't go wrong there. Her hands slipped under Chloe's top, her skin warm under Ella's touch. And then it ended way too fast with a heavily loaded question.

Which Ella answered nonchalantly. "Of course." She smiled and pushed Chloe's hair over her shoulder, placing a kiss on the exposed skin.

"You're all I think about." Ella admitted freely. No use lying. She was going to know eventually. "Yesterday was sort of an accident but...it doesn't change how I feel about you." This was getting easier and easier. "I like you, Chloe." The dark haired recruiter placed a soft kiss on Chloe's neck, moving up to her cheeks.

It could have been the natural high she was getting from making out with a beautiful blond, very willing girl. But the words that came next sounded foreign to her ears and yet, so fluid from her tongue. "I want to be with you." Ella looked into Chloe's eyes and grinned before pulling the blond girl's face closer.

[Chloe Singleton]

Everywhere that Ella's lips touched started to tingle and Chloe was fairly certain she'd forgotten how to breathe. Everything that Ella said only fed the smile that started to form on her face, so big that even her cheeks began to hurt. Her heart fluttered excitedly in her chest and she lifted her other hand to gently trace the contours of Ella's face.

"Really?" Chloe's face lit up like that of a child's on Christmas morning, a girlish giggle bubbling out of her. "Ella!" She squeaked, pulling the brunette up into a tight hug, burying her face in her shoulder.

It was a bit like a dream come true and for a moment, Chloe debated pinching herself, but Ella's warmth and her voice and the scent of her skin were all too real. "I want to be with you too!" Her giddiness came across in her voice, then pulled back to press little kisses all over Ella's face. "I was too scared to tell you sooner." She looked down and fidgeted a little, but it didn't last. The beaming smile was back and Chloe cupped Ella's cheeks, leaning in for another kiss.

"We can go on proper dates now!" Wiggling happily in Ella's laps, the blonde looked as happy as she possibly could. It had been a while since Chloe had been in a relationship, it would be an understatement to say that she's excited.