EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IF YOU KEEP ME NEXT TO YOU ➝ BECHLOE.
TAGGING ➝ Chloe Beale, Beca Mitchell.
LOCATION ➝ Apartment.
TIME FRAME ➝ 3/2, afternoon.
WARNINGS ➝ None.
NOTES ➝ Post-Jeca breakup.
BECA MITCHELL
Beca hadn’t intended on taking a half-day. But she’d been planning on finally sitting Jesse down to have the conversation she’d been dreading for weeks now after work. She wasn’t able to focus on her projects that morning, so she decided she better leave work early and get on with it.
As predicted, breaking up with her boyfriend of almost five years was… awful. Heartbreaking. The most difficult emotional conversation she’d ever had, hands down. She wished she’d dropped hints, told him she’d been feeling disconnected for a long time. She wished she didn’t completely blindside him AFTER he’d surprised her by moving across the entire country.
At first he lashed out, then his anger morphed into unbearable sadness.
Beca said all the wrong things, of course. Lines she promised herself she wouldn’t use spewed out anyway because they felt like the truth.
“It’s not you, it’s me. I’m the problem.”
“I love you, but I’m not in love with you the way I should be. You deserve better--someone who can love you the way you should be loved.”
“You’re still my best friend, Jesse. I understand if you need some space but I hope we can still be friends eventually.”
Beca cringed as some of those awful phrases repeated in her head on loop during her brisk walk home. She only hoped he heard the sincerity in her tone and chose to focus on that rather than the words themselves.
By the time she trudged up the stairs and let herself in, she knew she looked pretty damn worn out. Bone-weary exhaustion made her movements sluggish. She was dehydrated from crying, her eyes red-rimmed and cheeks blotchy with dried tears. Beca dropped her bag by the door and struggled with the laces of her boots, sniffling as she felt another tearful wave coming on.
Ugh, not again.
CHLOE BEALE
It was perhaps a little unfair that Chloe found herself so on edge today. It wasn’t like she was breaking up with anybody. It was always difficult for her not to feel Beca’s pain, though, so with the knowledge that Beca was headed to break up with her long-term boyfriend, Chloe was...well, kind of on edge.
Maybe that was why she’d lashed out at Aubrey a little bit—well, that and the fact that Aubrey had apparently known Chloe’s mind before she’d even known it herself, but still, that was really no excuse. Deep down, she was just really worried about Beca, even going so far as to offer to go with her to Jesse’s place, despite knowing what a terrible idea that was and that it likely wouldn’t help at all.
So, after Aubrey left, all Chloe could really do was sit around and wait impatiently to be there for her best friend. Because that’s what Beca was above everything else, despite whatever they may have spoken about over the weekend, she was her best friend, and Chloe figured that was what Beca needed right now.
She also didn’t want to overcrowd her, though, so as she heard the door opening, seated on her side of the bed with her legs tucked beneath her and scrolling through her phone, Chloe didn’t immediately jump up. She simply glanced toward a downtrodden looking Beca, heart aching in response to the sad sounding sniffle. “Hey,” she greeted gently, immediately setting down her phone and beginning to push herself from the bed. “Um, how did it go?” Chloe asked, cautiously making her way across the small stretch of floor and toward the doorway. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as she stretched out a hand to rest against Beca’s shoulder. “Actually, first… Bec, are you okay?”
BECA MITCHELL
Ever since Beca’s emotional breakdown on Sunday, things between her and Chloe… felt pretty normal? Which Beca appreciated more than she could say. Though they definitely needed to pull their confessions out of that locked box to poke at it at some point, right now… Beca just needed normalcy. She craved it more than anything in the moment. “It was awful, but I didn’t expect it to be good or anything.” Puffing out a sigh, she ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. “I just kinda feel like the shittiest human on the planet right now. I guess that’ll pass eventually.” Her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “I know I did the right thing though. He deserves… someone who can love him the right away, you know? The romantic kinda way.”
CHLOE BEALE
Cautiously pulling back her hand when it became clear that Beca wasn’t about to have a whole breakdown right there and then, Chloe quietly watched her as she began to explain, dutifully nodding along in understanding. She had never actually had a serious relationship of her own, she’d never had to break up with anybody, so she didn’t totally get it, but she could still be there for Beca. “You did do the right thing,” she promised with another short nod of her head, arms folding comfortably across her middle. “And I know you feel like a shitty person, but you’re not. People fall out of love, Bec. It just...happens,” Chloe frowned, taking a step back out of Beca’s space. “He didn’t see it coming? Like, at all?” Chloe had seen it coming, apparently Aubrey had, too. Surely Jesse had to have some idea, right?
BECA MITCHELL
She knew she did the right thing, but Chloe’s reassurance definitely helped. “Yeah. It still sucks.” Beca shuffled over to the kitten box to scoop up her Green Goblin, carrying him over to her side of the bed before settling in comfortably. He snuggled atop her chest and she stroked his fur. “You know Jesse. He thinks his life’s a freakin’ movie. If he saw it, he probably ignored it, you know?” Beca frowned. “I should’ve realized it sooner. I kinda wish he gave me a heads up before he moved across the country but… that’s not my fault, right?”
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe watched as Beca scooped up the kitten she’d just gotten fed and settled, though chose not to say anything. If she wanted that comfort right now, who was Chloe to stop her? Green always seemed the happiest when he was with his Beca anyway, so Chloe simply shuffled toward the bed too, neatly seating herself on the foot at Beca’s side. “True,” she shrugged, almost feeling guilty for weighing in on anything Jesse related, as strange as that may have seemed. She knew she hadn’t been the cause of their breakup, that it had likely been a long time coming, but Aubrey had kind of put the idea in her head that she’d played some part in it, so she couldn’t help the way that began to nag.
“Of course it’s not your fault. I don’t really have much experience when it comes to relationships, but I’m pretty sure people are supposed to discuss the big things with each other. And moving across the country is definitely a big thing,” Chloe said with a wrinkle of her nose. She paused then, chewing on the inside of her cheek in thought. “I knew you weren’t super happy about that. I guess I didn’t know you were this unhappy about it, but I mean…” she trailed off with a small shrug. “He should’ve told you. Do you think he would’ve still moved here? You know, if you’d broken up before?”
BECA MITCHELL
“I doubt it. Pretty sure he just assumed I was gonna move in with him as soon as I could, which isn’t cool to you guys too, y’know? But I should’ve definitely figured out my own shit sooner. I honestly didn’t realize I was as unhappy as I’d been until I felt super pressured to change my life around for him.” Beca glanced up at Chloe. “Kinda relieved I don’t need to move out now. Bad news is you’re stuck with me for a while longer.” She managed a weak smile.
CHLOE BEALE
“He was expecting a lot of you,” Chloe nodded—she knew how (not) well Beca coped with change… Jesse should’ve known it too, in fact, but Chloe wasn’t going to comment on that. “Well, I didn’t want you to go. And Green would’ve been super sad, too,” she mirrored Beca’s weak smile, motioning to the kitten curled up on her chest. “That wasn’t the only reason you broke up with him, right? Because he wanted you to move in with him?”
BECA MITCHELL
“Yeah. He always had me cast as his leading lady love interest but life isn’t a damn movie.” Beca sighed, brushing a kiss to Green’s head. She blinked up at Chloe at the question. “It was more of the fact that, like… I should’ve been really excited to move in with him but I didn’t want to. That was kind of the biggest red flag that my feelings weren’t as… intense as they should’ve been for being with someone for that long.” She paused, glancing down to the kitten. “I guess I just started figuring out that the way I love Jesse isn’t that romantic kind he expected. I thought it was for a while, but…” Beca trailed off. “It’s just not.”
CHLOE BEALE
It was difficult not to join in and to tell Beca exactly what she thought, that Jesse really did want too much of her, that maybe he hadn’t even deserved her. He had clearly wanted something that Beca wasn’t, but again, Chloe was not going to say so aloud. Instead, she just continued to quietly nod along. “Well, I’m proud of you, Bec. I know you might not feel good about yourself right now, but you did what you had to do, and I’m proud of you.” She offered her another small smile, though paused as her gaze fell from Beca’s face to instead focus on the kitten. It probably wasn’t the right time to ask, especially because what Beca needed right now was a friend, but Chloe couldn’t stop the nagging in her mind, and her lips pulled inward as she thought over how to word her question. “I know you’ve probably been feeling like this for a while,” she began kind of slowly, “but it didn’t have anything to do with the weekend, right?” Her bottom lip sucked in between her teeth. “What we talked about?”
BECA MITCHELL
“Thanks.” She didn’t feel like she deserved anyone’s pride, but Chloe always had a habit of lifting her spirits even when she didn’t think it possible. Chloe’s question and subtle shift in demeanor sent Beca’s brow crawling toward her hairline. She shook her head. “What? No. I mean--not directly, at least.” She exhaled in a strained sort of chuckle. Beca wished she’d been able to remember Saturday night’s events, but she’d need to take Chloe’s word on what happened. “Me and Jesse breaking up has probably been a long time coming. I feel like shit that I hurt him but I’m also pretty relieved.”
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe responded with an encouraging smile. She knew Beca, she knew she definitely didn’t want praise, but if Chloe thought something, she was going to say it, and she knew that Beca knew that, too. Once she’d asked her question, she brought her gaze back up to Beca’s face, an unfair amount of relief washing over her at the response. “Okay,” she nodded. “Good. I mean, not good... I don’t know, Aubrey just kind of put it in my head.” She paused then, before adding, “I didn’t say anything to her, by the way. I guess she’s just been thinking some things.” Her nose wrinkled. “Maybe they all have.”
BECA MITCHELL
Beca’s head tilted to the side while she continued running her fingertips through Green’s soft fur. “She put what in your head?” Beca frowned. “What did she say to you?” Despite she and Aubrey declaring a truce after their first ICCA victory, Beca’s protective instinct when it came to Aubrey’s controlling nature in her friendship with Chloe remained wholly intact.
CHLOE BEALE
“Blame, I guess?” Chloe shrugged halfheartedly, shuffling over to position herself at her own side of the bed to settle in beside Beca and the kitten with her pillows propped up beside her. “She said…” she paused, mouth twisting as she thought back over their earlier conversation. Admittedly, a lot of it had been kind of blurry. “Something like after what she saw at Output, she doesn’t want me to think I’m to blame. I don’t know what she saw,” she shrugged again, reaching over to gently run her fingers over the top of Green’s head. “But I guess she thinks she saw something.”
BECA MITCHELL
Beca couldn’t help it--her eyes rolled hard. “She needs to mind her own damn business.” Softening a beat later, Beca’s fingers sort of accidentally-on-purpose brushed Chloe’s while she stroked Green Goblin’s head. “Hey. It’s not your fault, okay? I promise. It’s my own fault for… not figuring my own shit out sooner, you know?” Beca’s shoulders lifted slightly and she cast another tight-lipped grin her way. “But it is what it is. And right now…” She blinked. “Holy shit, now I’m like… single?” Beca grimaced as she spoke her new status aloud. “Weird. Okay. Cool. Weird but cool.”
CHLOE BEALE
“I think she means well,” Chloe chuckled softly, eyes down on the way their hands moved over the kitten’s fur. A small smirk tugged at the corners of her lips as Beca’s fingers brushed against her own, with Chloe allowing herself a brief glance upward, before dropping her gaze back to the kitten. “I don’t think you’re at fault either, Bec. You figured things out when you figured them out, you couldn’t have forced yourself to do it sooner,” she shrugged. Her nose wrinkled at the sound of Beca Mitchell and single together… After five years, it was super weird. “You are,” she nodded, letting out another soft chuckle as she glanced toward Beca’s face again. “That’s kind of exciting, right?”
BECA MITCHELL
“Uh. If by exciting you mean low-key terrifying, sure.” She scrunched up her nose in return. “Dating randos sounds torturous and honestly, and I feel like I’m supposed to work on bettering myself or some shit. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do after an intense breakup?”
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe’s heart had no right to tug in the way it did at the idea of Beca dating. Just because they’d drunkenly confessed some things to each other didn’t necessarily mean anything, so Chloe bit back her disappointment. “Something like that,” she agreed, twisting to lean back against her pillows. “I could help you set up Tinder, if you want. Most people on there are super creepy, but it’s fine for if you just want a little fun.”
BECA MITCHELL
Beca pulled another disgusted face. “Definitely not. Appreciate the offer, but I’m good.” Why would she willingly subject herself to creepers? Hard pass. “Anyway, I didn’t mean dating. I meant like--maybe taking some time to figure out my shitty situation at work so I’m less miserable and stressed all the time. Maybe I’ll drink a smoothie with a piece of lettuce in it once in a while. Stuff like that.”
CHLOE BEALE
“You said dating randos,” Chloe pointed out. “Tinder is rando central.” Her brow quirked as Beca continued, and Chloe couldn’t quite bite back her amused smile. “A smoothie with lettuce will definitely solve all of your problems,” she teased, leaning over the side of the bed to check on the kittens where they slept in their box. “Speaking of lettuce, do we have cucumber? Your eyes are super puffy. They look sore, we could cut up cucumber slices and have our own little spa right here.”
BECA MITCHELL
“I said dating randos sounds torturous as in--I have no interest in doing that ever.” When Chloe mentioned her puffy eyes, Beca sighed. “Yeah, romaine calm. There’s a cucumber in the fridge.” She leaned over to set Green back in his box. “Lettuce have a little spa day. Auntie Beca filled her cry quota for the next five years.”
CHLOE BEALE
Satisfied that the kittens were all sleeping comfortably, Chloe began to push herself from the bed. She winced at Beca’s terrible pun—both of them. “Oh, that was painful,” she giggled, rolling up the long sleeves of her sweater as she shuffled toward the fridge. “You’re Mama Beca, by the way. Not Auntie. Do you want anything to drink?”
BECA MITCHELL
“Shhh… you gotta deal with my dad jokes, I’m in relationship mourning.” That was a thing, right? It definitely felt like someone died. “Water would be clutch.” God knew she cried too damn much and needed more hydration. She blinked after a beat, processing Chloe’s words. “What do you mean, Mama Beca?”
CHLOE BEALE
“Fine, you get a free pass just for the rest of today, then I get to complain again,” Chloe teased, grabbing both the water pitcher and the wrapped cucumber half from the fridge. She’d assumed she’d probably have to take care of a defeated Beca today—not that she minded; Chloe always liked to be doing something—but she hadn’t anticipated an at home spa night. She was kind of into it, though, and got to work on slicing up the cucumber. “To the kittens,” she shrugged, setting four slices onto a small plate, before starting on the water. “We’re their foster moms, remember? Not their foster aunts. You’re Mama Beca and I’m Mama Chloe.”
BECA MITCHELL
A weird flutter batted in her stomach when Chloe reminded her of their official cat foster mom titles. “Right, right. Yeah. Cool.” She drummed her fingers on her stomach before noting her bitten down nails, most of the polish chipped off. “What else do we do for spa day? Guess I could repaint my nails…”
CHLOE BEALE
Water poured into two glasses, Chloe balanced the plate on top of one of them as she carried them toward the bed. “I really think I missed my calling as a waitress,” she hummed, handing the other glass over to Beca, before shuffling back to her own side of the bed. “We could paint each other’s nails,” she suggested with brightened eyes. “I also think I have some face masks in the bathroom. But you need the cucumber first,” she frowned, plopping down into her spot again, this time with her legs crossed and her body facing Beca as she held out the plate.
BECA MITCHELL
“I’m not the best at painting nails but I’ll try if you want.” Beca accepted the water with a tight-lipped grin, chugging down a few gulps before setting it on her bedside table. Then she snagged two cucumbers from the plate. “This is gross. Is it gonna feel slimy?” Without waiting for a response, she lay back and rested the slices over her eyes. “Dude that’s cold!” But that was the point, right? To reduce the swelling.
CHLOE BEALE
“That’s okay,” Chloe shrugged, lifting her own glass up to her mouth to take a slow sip. “I’m not really supposed to wear nail polish at work anyway. I’ll be taking it right back off, so you can do your worst. I can paint yours, though.” She leaned over the side of the bed to set her glass down on the floor, then straightened as she watched Beca relaxing back into her pillows. “It’s supposed to be cold,” she giggled, reaching toward the plate to pick up a cucumber slice. “You know, my eyes are fine.” Rather than lean back like Beca had, Chloe instead popped the cucumber into her mouth. “Want me to paint your nails while you lay there?”
BECA MITCHELL
“Oh, uh--sure. If you want to.” Beca motioned to her bedside table. “Mine’s in the drawer there.” A shade of purple nail polish dark enough that it looked black, of course. She’d hardly ever worn any other color. Also inside Beca’s bedside table drawer, Chloe would spot two spare pairs of earbuds, hair ties, and a pile of greeting cards from Chloe and the other Bellas that Beca received over the years for birthdays, holidays, or random occasions.
CHLOE BEALE
“Awes,” Chloe grinned excitedly, pushing the plate and its one lone slice of cucumber aside, then stretched her body to lean across Beca’s middle in pursuit of her bedside drawer. “Do you ever think about wearing a different color?” Chloe hummed as she scrambled through Beca’s belongings to retrieve the small bottle of dark purple nail polish. Her gaze swept over the collection of saved cards, lips tugging upward at the sight. “It’s really sweet that you kept all of these. Oh, this one’s from me!” She sat back again with the nail polish in one hand and a familiar card held in the other, small smile settled on her lips as she scanned over the front. “The grumpy cat on the front is you.”
BECA MITCHELL
“Nope. Gotta match my dark soul,” she muttered, her other senses suddenly heightened now that she couldn’t see thanks to the veggie slices. She made sure to keep extra still when Chloe stretched across her, not wanting to like… accidentally brush anything. Beca forgot she kept all those cards, a soft blush rising in her cheeks. “Don’t tell the girls I kept them.” She had a badass reputation to uphold, after all.
CHLOE BEALE
“Right,” Chloe agreed with a playful roll of her eyes. Beca’s ‘dark soul’ was not quite as dark as she seemed to think it was, the collection of saved greeting cards being the perfect example. Chloe smiled fondly down at the card as it rested in her lap. “Your secret’s safe with me, Bec.” She recalled telling her the same thing back at the club. Stretching over Beca’s body once more, this time to set the card down on her bedside table, Chloe soon leaned back to rummage through her own drawer for a bottle of nail polish remover. “I can give you a hand massage and everything, you know?” Chloe hummed thoughtfully as she tipped out a splash of remover onto the accompanying pad, before scooting closer to gently pick up Beca’s hand. Chloe couldn’t resist the way her thumb brushed softly over Beca’s fingers, before setting it down against her thigh. “What’s your perfect spa day? What treatments would you get?”
BECA MITCHELL
Beca realized then and there that she wouldn’t trust anyone else with this. Letting them touch her hand and apply anything to her body while her eyes were closed. But Chloe had always played by her own set of rules, and Beca licked her lips and swallowed hard when Chloe settled her hand on Chloe’s thigh, hypersensitive to every brush and stroke. “Um… this is as ‘spa day’ as I’ve ever really had. I heard massages are excellent for stress relief but I’ve never been into strangers touching me so I probably wouldn’t enjoy it.”
CHLOE BEALE
“You’ve never been to a spa before?” Chloe asked with widened eyes, gaze drifting briefly toward Beca’s face, before falling back to the hand settled on her thigh. “You’re really missing out, Bec.” Slipping her hand palm up beneath Beca’s, Chloe got to work on wiping away the chipped nail polish. “You’d let me touch you, though, right?” she questioned, tongue poking out in concentration.
BECA MITCHELL
Beca snorted. “Do I look like the kind of person who goes to the spa?” An amused smile played on her lips for a beat as she tried picturing herself getting pampered. The follow-up question made Beca shrug. “I’m letting you touch me right now, aren’t I?” It was just her hands, but still…
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe shrugged. “I mean, right now you do. You’re laid on our bed with cucumber slices over your eyes while someone cleans up your bad nail polish job. Seems pretty spa-like to me.” She reached for Beca’s other hand to begin cleaning the old polish from that one, too. “I didn’t mean right now, I meant like a massage. I’m told I give very good massages, it’s in my Tinder bio.”
BECA MITCHELL
Well, she couldn’t argue with that. The offer of a massage, though… it set her hand twitching reflexively on Chloe’s leg. The simple thought of Chloe running her hands over her bare back and shoulders for an extended period of time made Beca’s mouth dry up, and she casually and blindly reached for her water glass. “Okay. Maybe some other time.”
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe took note of the slight twitch to Beca’s hand, eyes lifting to read what she could see of her expression. She wasn’t trying to make her uncomfortable, but it was difficult not to allow her mind to drift elsewhere, especially after their confessions. There was something very appealing about the idea of Beca allowing her to massage her, however innocently, and the mental image caused Chloe’s teeth to sink into her bottom lip. “Awes,” Chloe murmured, dropping the pad out of the way and reaching instead for the nail polish bottle, then got to work on the hand closest to her. “How do the cucumber slices feel? Are they helping?”
BECA MITCHELL
“Cold and slimy,” Beca confirmed. “Doesn’t hurt? I dunno. Guess you’ll be able to tell me if the puffiness went down whenever it’s time to take ‘em off.”
Beca remained compliant during the rest of the spa session, grateful the cucumbers seemed to have helped the swelling. She remained exhausted though, bone-weary and yawning as she tested the top of her nails to make sure they were thoroughly dry. “Thanks for this, Chlo. I’ll paint yours next time. Kinda need a nap before dinner if that’s cool?”
CHLOE BEALE
It wasn’t like Chloe expected an impromptu pamper session to take all of Beca’s worries away, but by the time they were done, Beca at least looked a little less beaten down. Her eyes were less red and puffy, at least. Drifting back from the kitchen, where she’d tossed the cucumber slices out and left the plate in the sink to deal with later, she sent Beca a small smile. “Of course.” Normally, she would not have thought twice about climbing into bed and joining Beca for a short nap, but considering the day Beca had had, Chloe wasn’t sure whether she’d be wanting her own space or not. She rocked on her heels as she stood by the foot of the bed. “Can I nap with you?”
BECA MITCHELL
While Chloe got up, Beca made a quick change into a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Her whole body hurt from spending so much time crying which served as a reminder as to why she kept her emotions bottled up as often as possible. “Yeah, sure. It’s your bed, too.” Beca drew the curtains closed above the bed, casting a darkness over the space before she crawled beneath the covers.
CHLOE BEALE
“I know,” Chloe shrugged, “I just didn’t know if you wanted some time on your own or something.” Regardless, with Beca’s blessing, Chloe shuffled to her side of the bed, plopping down to peer into the kitten box, before wriggling under the covers. Twisting onto her side to face Beca, Chloe flashed her another small smile. “Do you feel a little better?”
BECA MITCHELL
“A little, yeah. Thanks.” She managed a tight-lipped smile, resting her hands over her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling. “It’ll just take some time, I guess. Time for the sadness and guilt to go away. I’ll get through it.”
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe gently nodded her head. “You will. You’re strong, Bec.” Her gaze dropped to Beca’s hands where they settled on her stomach, and while the idea to stretch out a hand to rest over the top of Beca’s entered her mind briefly, Chloe decided against it—she’d been questioning her actions more than usual when it came to Beca lately. “Napping will help, too,” she hummed. “Sleep is healing.”
BECA MITCHELL
She sure as hell didn’t feel strong. She’d honestly never felt weaker or more vulnerable. But she believed Chloe, trusting she’d never lie to her. “Hell yeah it is. ‘Night, Chlo.” Beca turned away from Chloe, though she definitely craved her closeness. She scooted her body back a few inches in a nonverbal invitation, hoping Chloe would read her signals because of course she couldn’t just ask for what she wanted.
CHLOE BEALE
Chloe responded with an encouraging smile and a short nod of her head as she watched Beca roll onto her side. Truth be told, she really wasn’t all that tired herself; she kind of just wanted to be close to her, though, and swept her gaze over Beca’s back, wanting to reach out and pull her closer. It was another one of those things she would’ve never questioned before, but that she found herself second guessing now… until Beca scooted back, and Chloe couldn’t quite help the small tug to the corner of her lips. Without further deliberation, her arm instinctively wrapped around Beca’s middle, tightening to gently tuck her body into her own. “Night, Bec.”