Chloe wouldnât exactly say her walk nowadays was a strut. But she definitely walked through campus with her head held high. Being a student in her thirties was a whole heap different to being a student in her twenties.
In her twenties she was confident in a âbubbly, bursting into song in public, crashing into peopleâs personal space with no invite and forcing them to like her thanks to her dazzling smile and bright blue eyesâ kind of way. Now in her thirties, her confidence was a completely different ballpark. She was still dazzling people with her smile and bright blue eyes, that was for sure. But her bubbly nature was now toned-down to an open optimism that people were drawn to. Peopleâs personal spaces were no longer driven into by Chloe Beale. Now they came to her thanks to even the tiniest of compliments that fell from her mouth. She was like a siren to many - young students in their early twenties besotted by her maturity and natural beauty. And this kind of attention only added to Chloeâs confidence.
Now, at 7pm on a Monday night, the redhead was filled to the brim with confidence, looking hot in a tight black dress, her cleavage teasing over the top. She was keeping an eye out for âone night stand number sevenâ. But perhaps she needed to drink more than the couple of homemade cocktails Darnell had offered her (and sheâd enthusiastically consumed) an hour ago.
âIâll meet you outside afterwards, Darnell?â said a young man, striding past Chloe and her college pal as they entered the music venue on campus. Chloe furrowed her brow as her friend agreed with a loud chuckle.
âWhatâre you doing after the show??â she asked, swiping the manâs arm to gain his attention. Seeing new artists perform was their thing. It was the thing they had most in common. And usually they went out partying afterwards. Evidently Darnell had already made plans..
The young man chuckled again, nudging her with his elbow, âIâm walking home with Tom because someone is out to pull her seventh one night stand in a row.âÂ
His teasing tone matched the movement of his eyes that snapped down to her chest accusingly, a broad grin on his face. A loud cackle leapt out of Chloeâs mouth, swiping his arm again while she ignored the obvious attention she was getting from young men and young women alike, as they sauntered through the busy music venue towards the performance area.
âBelieve me, Tom is aaaaall yours!â she replied in an amused tone, delighting in the brief bashful expression Darnell had on his face while he picked his way around other Davis students. It was no secret that Tom Green was far from Chloeâs âtypeâ. And it was no secret that Darnell had a huge crush on their fellow Vet student.
He always whistfully spoke to Chloe about how perfect it was that his surname was Grey and Tomâs surname was Green and that as they both had colours for surnames they were destined to be together. That right there had been something âtwenty-something Chloeâ wouldâve found magical and perfect and wouldâve encouraged whole-heartedly. But it was exactly what had thirty year old Chloe scrunching her nose up and feeling a bit sick.
Love didnât happen like that. People werenât âmeant to beâ just because one had something that complimented the other and vice versa. She used to think that when sheâd been in her twenties and she realised she had a bug tattoo and Beca had a bug tattoo and that they were just destined to be together. Love didnât work that way. Life didnât work that way..
âOop, thereâs a short brunette there.â Darnell teased, slinging an arm around Chloeâs shoulders to pull her to a halt and pointed very obviously at a girl who looked admittedly a lot like the girl Chloeâd had a one night stand with the night before. Chloe dug her elbow into his ribs with a tut, and a smirk, nodding at the girl (who checked her out with a surprised smile), then walked away towards the stage. To âtheir spotâ that they always stood at during music performances.
âSo are you gonna tell me who weâre seeing here?â she asked Darnell once he arrived by her side.
âNope!â he teased with a grin, and Chloe let out a joking growl of frustration.
âCome onnn!â she urged, jabbing his side so he flinched away with a laugh, âIâll walk home with you tonight if you do? No one night stand with a random girl.â
She held her hand out for him to shake as a deal but Darnell slapped it away.
âNo way. Iâm having a romantic walk home with Tom thank you very much.â
Chloe let out a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes while she looked at the empty stage. It was already a busy venue. Whoever they were about to see was obviously very popular.
âWell are you going to buy the drinks then?â Chloe conceded, and she saw him roll his eyes.
âI bet thereâs plenty of people by the bar who would trip over themselves to buy you drinks, Chloe.â he replied in an amused voice, spinning the redhead around to face the bar. Chloe chuckled. Because he was absolutely right, they probably would. Both of them were pretty penniless, using Chloeâs charm and good looks to buy them drinks after drinks while out in the evening.
âIâll be right back.â she announced in defeat, a broad smile on her face.
And so Chloe wormed her way from her friend and âtheir spotâ, heading for the bar at the back of the cavernous performance room. Working her way to the front of the queue that gathered chaotically, all waiting to be served. Their eyes were all on the busy bar tenders, waiting to catch their eye. But Chloeâs attention was on a girl to her left. A short brunette with a button nose and deep brown eyes. She looked a far cry from Beca, but Chloe thought it wouldnât hurt to test the waters, see if this girl would be interested in her.
âI like your necklace.â Chloe spoke into her ear, smiling kindly when she leant back to see the girl looking at her in awe, eyes wide as the brunette glanced briefly down at her cleavage.
Chloe put her down as twenty one. Maybe even twenty two. They were always young, the ones she picked up on campus. Her next move was to look back at the bar tenders and wait. Just wait for the inevitable follow-up from whoever she was âhitting onâ.
But just as the young woman opened her mouth to add something more, Chloe saw one of the bar tenderâs stride over and place two beautiful looking cocktails in tall glasses down on the bar before Chloe. The redheadâs mouth dropped, looking from them, up to the man behind the bar. He was smiling at her.
âChloe?â he asked, and Chloe just nodded slowly in disbelief, âThese are on the house. Bossâs orders.â
Chloe looked at the people around her. âBossâs ordersâ? What did that even mean? Who did that even mean?
âWow! Youâve excelled yourself this time, Red!â Darnell burst, an impressed smile on his face as he received the cocktail that Chloe held out to him. But Chloe didnât smile. She was still confused. Who had instructed the bar tenders to give her free drinks??
Suddenly the lights in the venue went down and a spotlight lit a section centre-stage. A lone glass of alcohol stood in the middle. And Chloe turned to look just as the place erupted with screams and clapping and cheering.
Her heart leapt into her throat, her mouth hung open in shock as she watched a familiar figure wander onto the stage, mic in hand. Beca.
ButâŠnot the Beca she remembered. This Beca was skinny. Not slim. Skinny. She had heaps more makeup on than Chloe ever recalled the woman wearing in the past. And while Becaâs clothes fitted her tiny body perfectly and her long brown hair was styled to perfection and a broad smile was on her face, Chloe knew instantly that Beca was miserable. Exhausted. Forced happiness to please fans that Chloe knew Beca wouldnât really care about.
âHowâs everybody doing tonight?â she heard Beca ask while the brunette looked at the responding crowd with a smile, âAwesome.â
Chloe watched, stunned, as her estranged best friend stooped down to pick up a glass of what she suspected was whiskey, and she felt sick at the way Beca took a massive gulp of the alcohol. The superstar seemed nonplussed at the âburnâ that usually came with it. And it had Chloe suspecting that this might be Becaâs vice..
Chloe heard her name echo around her via the speakers, and her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were locked with Becaâs while the brunette froze, evidently stunned to see Chloe as much as Chloe was to see Beca. Then it occurred to the redhead that out of all these people in this thickly crowded venue, Beca had seen her. Had recognised her almost instantaneously.
And that realisation brought a tiny smile to the corner of Chloeâs mouth as she slowly raised her hand and gave Beca a tiny wave. A tiny wave that seemed to draw Becaâs own smile from a forced one to a calmer relaxed one..
