An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Pairing: Beca Mitchell/Emily Junk
Wordcount: 15k
Rating: T for SWEARS and implied SEXI
Snippet: “Emily, she loves you. She comes to our shitty Starbucks every day just to see you. Every time she looks at you, she’s like, starstruck. She put this song on her Spotify and Tweeted about it. ” Emily blushes and Chloe laughs. “It’s sweet.”
A/N: i love u stay safe and stay healthy!!
Summary: Beca takes Chloe as her date to the grammy's and now the world thinks they are together
Bechloe Week 2020 - Day 5: "Fake Dating"
Read Below or on AO3
“Beca you have to take someone with you to the Grammy’s, you can’t just go alone,” Beca’s PR team has been trying to convince her of the fact that she needs a date for the last half hour.
“I just don’t get why I can’t go by myself,” Beca huffs, leaning back in her chair angrily, “does it matter who I bring?”
“No…” Diane, her manager, starts to say before Beca cuts her off abruptly.
“Ok, I’ll bring Chloe then,” Beca says decidedly.
“That’s not what we really had in mind…”
“I don’t care, if I have to bring someone I want it to be someone I will at least have a good time with,” she’s sick of fighting with them on this, and Chloe would be over the moon to go to the Grammy’s.
Everyone seems to collectively back down, especially since they got Beca to at least agree to bring someone, even if that someone is not a celebrity. They had a list a mile long for Beca to choose from, all people that would help her budding career if she was seen with them. Beca is up for 3 Grammy’s which is huge, considering it’s all for her debut album. Which is all the more reason for Beca to want someone she actually cares about to be there with her.
“I’m going to call her right now,” Beca whips out her phone and already has Chloe’s number dialed before anyone can stop her.
Chloe picks up on the second ring and when Beca tells her, she screams so loud Beca’s entire team can hear her.
************
The day of the Grammy’s Chloe comes over to Beca’s house, where she has an entire team waiting to do their hair and makeup. Beca lets her stylists pick both her and Chloe’s outfits. She’s not sure what either of them are wearing yet.
After a few solid hours of being pampered, Beca is standing in her bedroom wearing a slim black dress, it’s a little understated in comparison to others she has seen but it’s still one of the most expensive things Beca has ever had on her body. This is her first BIG Hollywood event too. Her hair is curled, and partly pulled back and she has on so much makeup she scarcely recognizes herself.
When she finally makes it downstairs, Chloe is no where to be seen. They must still be getting her ready. After what seems like an eternity, she hears heels on the steps of the stairs.
When Beca finally sees Chloe, her breath is stolen away, and her jaw hits the floor. She’s so beautiful it hurts. She’s in an emerald green dress, floor length and strapless. Her hair is curled into an intricate updo, her makeup not as heavy as Beca’s but it’s definitely not a natural look. Chloe sees her staring and giggles lightly.
“I think that this dress costs more than every car I’ve ever owned combined,” Chloe is touching the sides of the dress dreamily, “this is amazing…you look amazing by the way.”
“You look gorgeous,” Beca tries to pull her gaze away but she can’t.
“You ladies ready?” her assistant for the night asks, “the car is outside.”
Beca nods and outstretches her hand for Chloe to take. She eagerly takes it and they walk out to the car waiting for them.
“You know, everyone was telling me while I was getting ready, that it’s really ballsy of you to take me to the Grammy’s,” Chloe mentions as they start to drive down the road.
Beca nods, “I guess it is.”
“Is it because I’m not famous?” Chloe asks carefully.
“Actually, I think it’s more about the fact that you’re a woman,” she shrugs.
Her PR team had made it very clear that this could definitely create a rumor that Chloe is her girlfriend…and that Beca is gay. Her PR team said it could hurt her since she’s so newly famous. But Beca is gay, and she doesn’t want to hide forever. Why not rip the band aid off right away?
“They don’t want you to be public with your sexuality?” Chloe raises an eyebrow questioningly.
“No, they think it could hurt me, they were also worried about the rumors that could start about us,” Beca admits.
“Like that we’re together or something?” the red head asks, clarifying Beca’s statement.
She nods in confirmation, “Yea.”
“Well I think you should be yourself,” Chloe says boldly, “it’s better to ditch the people that won’t accept you right away.”
“That’s what I think too.”
************
Beca wins all 3 Grammy’s.
The first one they announce she actually cries…on national television.
The second one, she’s so shocked she can barely walk back up to the stage.
The third one, Chloe pulls her into a hug so tight she can barely breath. She kisses her on the cheek and Beca walks to the stage beaming from ear to ear.
After a wild night of afterparties, Beca can barely open her eyes the next morning. She vaguely registers the presence of someone else in her bed. She finally manages to roll over and sees a mop of red hair splayed out on the pillow next to her. Both girls had only had the energy to strip out of their dresses and fell asleep in their bras and underwear.
A loud snore escapes her best friend, who is clearly still very much asleep. Beca grabs her phone and is greeted by an onslaught of messages from her PR team, manager, basically her whole team. What they had all feared has come true. Beca opens up an article her assistant attached in a text.
Beca Mitchell makes a clean sweep at her first Grammy’s…with her new girlfriend by her side
She opens another.
Beca Mitchell is Gay?
And she opens yet another.
Beca Mitchell debuts hot girlfriend and sexuality at the Grammy’s.
She rolls her eyes. People are so quick to assume. Beca doesn’t care if the world knows she’s gay, but she doesn’t want to rope Chloe into this too.
Her phone rings before she can even think about replying to one of her million messages. She steps out of the bedroom, so she won’t wake her sleeping best friend.
“Did you see it?” the voice of her lead PR person rings through her ears.
“Yea I saw, what should we do?”
“Do you think you can fake date Chloe for a while?”
“What!?!” Beca screeches into the phone.
“Beca you’ve gained thousands….millions of followers overnight. People are eating this up. They love that you’re gay, they love your girlfriend, it would really help your image.”
“Oh, so now it’s ok that I’m gay.”
“That’s not what I meant, it was always ok.”
“Not really, but ok, you want to exploit my sexuality and make Chloe fake date me. You want to rope her into this mess just so people will like me?”
“It sounds really harsh when you say it that way.”
“That’s because it is.”
Beca hangs up the phone angrily before he can even think of responding. When she walks back in the room, Chloe is sitting up, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“What was that about?” she yawns.
“So, the whole world thinks you’re my girlfriend,” Beca plops back down onto the bed tiredly.
“Oh, wow,” Chloe looks as surprised as she can for how not awake she is.
“And my PR team wants us to fake date for a while, because apparently the world loves gay Beca and her hot red head girlfriend,” Beca rolls her eyes, “but don’t worry, I’m going to tell them no.”
Chloe looks at her like she’s dumb, “Why?”
“Because we aren’t dating?” Beca is looking at her just as confused.
“If it’ll help your image, I don’t mind doing it for a while,” Chloe shrugs.
“Doesn’t it feel wrong and weird to you?”
“It might be a little weird, but it’s not like we’re putting on the ball and chain. We can do it for a while, then ‘break up’” Chloe says, making air quotes with her fingers.
“Are you sure you’re ok with this?” Beca double checks.
“Yea why not? This is the most action I’ll have gotten in a while,” Chloe winks at her teasingly.
“You’re so weird,” Beca shoves her before calling her PR team back.
************
The world absolutely eats up Beca Mitchell and her “new girlfriend” Chloe. Chloe is launched into fame so quickly that neither of them have time to process it.
“Dating” Chloe is also easier than Beca was expecting. It’s easy and fun. Beca likes taking her on dates, she likes making cute Instagram posts. She likes gushing about her budding relationship in interviews. By the looks of it, Chloe is having just as much fun as she is. It makes her wonder if the feelings they are pretending are as fake as they claim.
“Bec?” Chloe walks over to her, phone outstretched.
“Yea?”
“Take a cute pic with me, I need to make a new post,” the red head sits down and wiggles herself as close as she can to Beca.
Chloe leans in close and pecks Beca on the cheek, capturing it all with her phone. Beca can still feel her cheek tingling where Chloe’s lips had been. It’s been that way lately, her heart speeds up whenever she’s around her best friend. Sparks fly up her arm when they hold hands.
Does Chloe feel it too? How fake is this anymore?
“So has your PR team told you when we should break up?” Chloe asks nonchalantly as she makes her Instagram post.
Beca feels her heart break in two at the question, she knew it would be something they’d talk about soon, “I don’t know, I can ask them.”
“No rush,” Chloe says sweetly, smiling at Beca.
Beca nods, trying to swallow back an unexpected batch of tears. She definitely won’t rush this. Beca has decided she wants to prolong their “dating” for as long as she can, because as much as she hates to admit it. She has feelings for Chloe.
Maybe Chloe will eventually have feelings for her too.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell, Chloe Beale & Beca Mitchell
Characters: Chloe Beale, Beca Mitchell
Series: Part 2 of Sing to me Instead
Summary:
Only Chloe can ease her mind. Even the pieces Beca usually hides seem to make sense when Chloe works her magic. She puts her back together. She makes it better. And maybe, just maybe, Beca wonders what it all means.
(A/N: idk how this happened. my hands write what they want to...i have no control)
“You know the general idea of this plan was that at least one of us would be able to escape,” Aubrey snarks, once the cell door clangs shut behind her.
“Aubrey-”
Stacie starts but when Aubrey doesn’t even look her way and she sighs. Aubrey carefully paces up and down on the other side of the cell, never straying far from the wall opposite Stacie, staying in “her half” of the cell. There’s a crash from upstairs and the ceiling of the cell trembles, but when nothing else happens, Aubrey makes her way to the sliver of window in their cell.
“How much longer are you going to punish me?” Stacie asks quietly, to Aubrey’s back.
Aubrey turns and finally looks at Stacie, “What?”
“I need to know if this- us,” Stacie gestures between them. “Are we ever going to be okay again?”
Are you ever going to forgive me?
“I don’t know Stacie. Every time I look at you-” Aubrey inhales sharply, her fists clenched at her side.
Aubrey paces up and down the cell, her eyes barely glancing over Stacie before she looks out towards the sliver of sky and sea through the window. Aubrey shakes her head,
“I lost everything that I cared about that day Stacie. The only things I cared about. My ship, my crew. You.”
“Bree-”
“You all betrayed me. That doesn’t just go away.”
“What am I supposed to do? Wait around? Hope that one day you’ll forgive me?”
Aubrey opens her mouth to answer, but the entire ship rocks violently tossing them against the bars of the cell. They both scramble to their feet and rush towards the small window.
“Oh shit,” Aubrey curses under her breath at the sight of her own ship pulling up alongside the one they’re in.
There’s a loud boom, the sound of wood splintering, and that’s all the warning they get before the cell next to them is blown apart. The ship rocks with the force of the impact and Aubrey winds up pressed against Stacie in the corner of their cell. Stacie’s hands shoot out to Aubrey’s hips, steadying her.
She doesn’t know how she forgot this feeling of Aubrey’s body solid and warm, flush with hers.
Stacie watches Aubrey’s face, waiting for Aubrey to push her away, but instead just as she’s about to drop her hands, Aubrey whispers her name,
“Stacie-”
Stacie just watches as Aubrey meets her eyes. She wants to look away and break the tension but Aubrey is staring at her tenderly. It almost feels like they’re alone in Aubrey’s quarters two years ago. Stacie can almost believe that somewhere, deep down, Aubrey still loves her. Almost.
Aubrey leans in, barely, and Stacie hears the hitch in her own breathing.
There’s a beat when the whole ship seems to go silent and just as Stacie shifts, there’s a deafening boom.
“Watch out!”
Stacie pushes Aubrey off her to the opposite side of the cell just before something crashes through the wall of the ship.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
i did a thing! @chloebeale and @emilyjunk ‘s bemily fics inspired me and i wanna murder both of them because this ship is taking over my life! please read if you have time!
Okay okay does anyone remember the name of the ShinKane fic
thats multichapter
and one chapter has Akane getting sick and Kougami takes her back to hear apartment and makes her homemade soup and reads while she sleeps on the couch
and another chapter shows how hes extremely claustrophobic but Akane helps him during one of his episodes where they’re both trapped in a bomb shelter built for one while waiting for poisonous gas to clear up???
Because I’m a sucker for sicky fics and I ALWAYS FORGET WHAT IT’S CALLED.....I really need to bookmark my favorites better
I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while now and I’m still not sure how I feel about it (I kind of feel like it’s crap lol). Let me know if I should continue!
Summary: Outside of Barden, Chloe’s life is harder than she would like to admit. When she’s at school she gets to forget all about problems, she gets to be normal. She doesn’t like to let people know about her life outside Barden, with the exception of her best friend Aubrey. Then she meets Beca Mitchell, and somehow she becomes the second exception. Will Beca be the answer Chloe has been looking for?
Read Below or on AO3/FF
“Our Sorrows and Wounds Are Healed Only When We Touch Them With Compassion” – Buddha
May 2012, End of Chloe’s Junior Year
Chloe watches sadly as Aubrey packs up her bags, her side of their shared room in the Bella house looking dreadfully empty. Their last day of classes was yesterday and all the girls in the house are working hard to pack.
Aubrey and Chloe are going to be the only Bellas left next year, so Aubrey is moving all of her stuff from their shared room to the room across the hall. Leaving Chloe feeling even more empty than she already is.
“You sure you don’t want to come home with me this summer?” Aubrey offers one more time, her eyes soft and sympathetic, because she knows, she’s the only one who knows.
Chloe shakes her head, “No I’ll be fine here. It’ll give me a chance to clean this house up before next year anyways. The other girls aren’t exactly cleaning up their mess.”
“Ok, but if you change your mind…the offer stands,” Aubrey zips up her last bag of clothes, standing up to survey the damage.
Going home with Aubrey for the summer actually sounds amazing, but Chloe feels bad. She feels like she would be imposing. Aubrey’s home isn’t the happiest most days with her dad gone 90% of the time, so she doesn’t want to cut into the little family time they’ll have.
Chloe stopped going home over summer after her freshmen year. Her mom has only gotten worse in the last 6 years, making her near to impossible to be around. Not to mention the endless stream of men in and out of their house. Her brother Jake isn’t an option either, with him being on the road for his job most days. Which leaves her with her only other option, staying on campus all summer.
“I appreciate it,” Chloe thanks her best friend quietly, knowing she won’t take her up on her offer.
“Have you talked to her lately?” she immediately knows who Aubrey is talking about.
Chloe shakes her head, “No. I know nothing has changed…she knows I won’t come home unless she gets her shit together.”
“I’m sorry it has to be that way,” Aubrey reaches a hand out and places it on her shoulder.
“Yea me too.”
************
September 2005
Chloe watches grimly as her mom polishes off her second beer of the morning. There’s an empty case next to her recliner in the living room, providing an awful memory of the night before. She had been angry, angrier than Chloe ever remembers her being. Chloe locked herself in her room and hadn’t come out until this morning.
“Mom,” she tries to keep her voice steady and strong, but it still quivers betrayingly, “the funeral is in an hour…are you going to be ready?”
“I’ll be ready,” she replies flatly, tossing her empty bottle into the recycle bin.
“Grandma and grandpa are coming to pick me up,” Chloe clarifies.
It sounds awful, but she doesn’t trust her mom not to be drunk. She doesn’t want to ride in a car with her. Chloe would drive the both of them, but she only has her temporary license. She’s not 16 until next year.
“They could take you too,” she offers quietly.
Her mom shakes her head, “I’ll be fine to drive myself…I could drive you too.”
“Um that’s ok,” she shifts anxiously between her two feet, “just be careful.”
Her mom gives her a dark stare, before cracking open another beer. She always liked a drink, but it was something that never got in the way of her life. It never got in the way until her dad died. The day the call came that he had been in a car accident and most likely wasn’t going to make it, her mom just lost it. She hasn’t been the same since. Well, neither has Chloe.
Chloe and her dad were so close. She always got along better with him than her mom. A part of her died that day and she’ll never get it back. The only other person in the world who gets her like her dad, is her older brother Jake. Jake is in college across the country, so Chloe rarely sees him. He flew into town yesterday, but after assessing the situation, he refused to stay at the house, checking himself into a hotel instead. Chloe almost hates him a little for it, for leaving her here with their mom. Regardless of her feelings about him chickening out, she’s aching to see him. Chloe just needs a hug; she needs to talk to him. She needs someone else around her, someone other than her drunk mother.
Chloe’s still worried about her mom driving, so she throws a last-ditch effort at her, “I could see if Jake could come pick you up?”
Her mom scoffs loudly, “He didn’t even want to come home, what makes you think he’s going to pick me up.”
She’s clearly not winning this one, “Ok, well I’m going to go put my dress on before grandpa gets here.”
************
The funeral is just as painful as Chloe had assumed it would be. It makes it real, she’s really saying goodbye to her dad. She’s really left here with her mom.
Chloe’s not sure her mom will ever pull it back together and that scares her. She smelled like a 12 pack of miller light when she got to the church. As person after person walks up to her to give their condolences, Chloe cringes. She knows they can smell it too, it’s embarrassing.
“You going to be ok with her Chlo?” Jake walks up to her, the two standing side by side watching as their childhood pastor talks to their inebriated mother.
Chloe sighs deeply, “I’m going to have to be, someone needs to watch after her. I’m worried Jake.”
“I am too,” Jake runs a hand through his hair anxiously, “you know I’m only a phone call away though.”
“Like you can do anything to actually help though, you didn’t even stay at the house last night,” Chloe replies bitterly.
“I’m sorry about that,” he shuffles his feet nervously, “I couldn’t bear to watch the train wreck…I should have been there.”
“Dad would want someone to make sure she’s ok,” Chloe swallows back tears as she says it, “I have to stay with her.”
“He loved you so much Chloe, he’d want you to be safe and happy.”
Chloe knows that’s true, but in three years she’ll be in college. She has an out, she owes it to her dad to hang in there.
“I’ll be fine,” she forces a smile at her brother.
Jake pulls her into a tight hug, “Love you Chlo.”
“I love you too Jake,” she mumbles into his shoulder, willing her tears to not escape.
************
September 2012, Chloe’s Senior Year
“I can see your toner through those jeans!” Aubrey barks out into the mostly empty practice space.
Chloe cringes internally. She likes Beca…ok she also likes Beca. Something about the little alt girl drew her in right away. She’s not sure if it was the sass she dished back to them at the activities fair, or when she had an impromptu duet with her in the shower. Maybe it was her audition, where she blew everyone away with a simple song and a yellow cup. Chloe can’t put her finger on it, but she can’t seem to shake the brunette from her mind.
And Beca is talented. Aubrey has such a grudge against her she can’t even stop to see it. They desperately needed talent, especially after last years explosive ICCAs finals. The two of them had a hard enough time getting the girls they did, it’s a miracle they got someone as talented as Beca. Even if it took a little coercing from Chloe.
“That’s my dick,” Beca spits back, before turning on her heels to leave.
The response rips a quiet chuckle from the back of Chloe’s throat, but she manages to conceal it before Aubrey turns around. The blonde is red in the face, her hands shaking slightly.
“You don’t have to be so hard on her you know,” Chloe knows she’s playing with fire by saying something like that to her best friend right now.
She can practically see the flames roaring in her pupils as she turns to look at her, “Yes I do Chloe. She has an attitude and no respect for authority. Do you want any shot at finals this year?”
Of course she does, she’s not going to deny that, so she nods.
“That’s what I thought, so don’t question my methods,” Aubrey retorts quickly.
Ever since the year started, and Aubrey and Chloe took over the Bellas, there has been a certain bite to Aubrey that Chloe has never seen before. This isn’t the Aubrey Chloe knows, she’s starting to think she never knew her at all.
“I’ve got to get going Bree, I’ve got homework to do,” Chloe grabs her bag and slings it over her shoulder.
Aubrey is staring intently at the white board in front of her, wiping away some of the marks she made on their master plan, “Ok, see you back at the house.”
Chloe rushes out of the building, hoping that maybe she can still catch up to Beca. She wants to apologize, wants to make sure the other girl is ok. Chloe doesn’t want Beca to quit over this incident, for some selfish and not so selfish reasons.
Luckily, Beca is leaning against a large tree right outside the building, large headphones covering her ears, her face looking down at her phone. Chloe stalks quickly over to her. As she gets closer, Beca’s head snaps up, immediately making eye contact with her.
“Hey Beca,” Chloe chirps, as the younger girl slides her headphones down around her neck.
“Hi,” Beca replies cautiously, like she’s not sure what Chloe is here for.
“I’m sorry about Aubrey, she’s been extra control freak lately, that wasn’t cool of her to accuse you like that,” Chloe is quick to get her apology out, Beca doesn’t look like she would want to beat around the bush.
“I appreciate the apology,” relief washes over Chloe, that is until Beca continues to talk, “but that’s a really dumb rule. I’m not even sure I’m into Jesse, but I should be able to be with him…if I was.”
Chloe sighs, “I know it’s dumb…and if you really do like Jesse, I wont say anything to Aubrey. I’m pretty sure Bumper and Fat Amy have something going anyways.”
Beca wrinkles her nose, her mouth turning downward, “Oh uh wow…didn’t see that one coming.”
“Me either,” Chloe laughs.
“Thank you, I don’t see anything happening with Jesse, but still, thank you,” Beca says sincerely, before starting to slide her headphones back up.
This must be Chloe’s cue to leave, “Ok, well I’ll see you around!”
Beca nods, “Yea, see ya.”
************
Chloe wakes up the next morning with an ache in her heart and a sour taste in her mouth. She rolls over groggily and sees the date on the calendar above her desk.
September 14th. The anniversary of her dad’s death.
The hardest day of the year for her. Much like years gone by, she just wants to get the day over with. Go to class, go to practice, come home and go to bed. Tomorrow will be a better day.
“Miss you dad,” Chloe mumbles, clutching the locket around her neck.
The locket was a gift from Jake, a year after the death. There’s a picture of her dad inside. She hasn’t taken it off since the day she got it.
Chloe eventually manages to pull herself from bed and start her day. She goes to class, she tries hard to pay attention. She goes to practice and sings and dances like she means it. Inside though, she feels like she’s barely there. Her body is present but her mind is miles away.
None of the other girls seem to pick up on her mood, except for Aubrey…and surprisingly…Beca. She catches a few sympathetic glares, but Beca’s are more worried, presumably because she has no clue what has Chloe under the weather.
So, she’s almost not surprised when practice is over and Beca hangs around until it’s just the two of them left. Just as she’s about to leave, Beca walks over to her.
“Hey Chloe,” Beca pulls the straps of her backpack tight against her, “are you ok?”
Chloe nods and gives her a small smile, “Yea, I’m fine.”
“It’s just…you don’t seem fine, you kind of seemed really distant today,” Beca shrugs.
Beca clearly isn’t going to let it go, normally Chloe would jump on the opportunity to share with the younger girl, but she’d rather not share. But something in Beca’s expression lets her know that she’s not going to drop it.
“Um well, I guess I’m just kind of depressed today,” Chloe answers her as vaguely as she can.
“Why?” Beca immediately fires the question back.
Beca has never seemed to care much about any of the other girls like this. It has her wondering why she’s pushing so hard. Maybe her little apology yesterday spoke to Beca louder than she thought.
Chloe sighs quietly before answering, “Today is the anniversary of my dad’s death.”
“Oh god, wow,” Beca casts her gaze to the floor, “Chloe I’m really sorry.”
“It’s ok, I’ll be better tomorrow,” Chloe tries to reassure her.
The two stand in awkward silence, while Beca shifts around uncomfortably. This is Chloe’s cue to leave.
Before she can even consider walking past her, Beca puts a hand out, “Um, I don’t know if this would make things worse…or if you’d just prefer to be alone, but would you want to grab dinner with me? Or we could just go back to my dorm for a while and just chill, we could order take out. My roommate is going to be gone tonight and I thought maybe it would take your mind off things?”
Normally Chloe would prefer to spend her day in her bed and not move until tomorrow. But even under the circumstances, she doesn’t want to pass up an opportunity to spend more time with Beca and maybe get to know her better. Something tells her that spending some time with the other girl really would make her feel better.
“Sure, that would be great,” Chloe grins and Beca looks shocked that she said yes.
“Ok, cool,” Beca leads the way out of the building and towards her dorm.
“Do you like Chinese?” Chloe asks as they walk through the crisp autumn air.
Beca nods excitedly, “I love it.”
“I know a great place we could order from.”
Being with Beca already has her calmer. She’s not sure if it’s because of how much she likes her, or if it’s just the girl’s presence in general. Something about her puts all of Chloe’s anxiety behind her, it helps her forget why she was even sad today. Which makes her almost feel guilty, but she knows this is what her dad would want for her.
One thing is solidified in her mind now. Beca Mitchell is special and Chloe would be a fool to let her slip away.
It’s been two weeks since Beca kissed Chloe. A whole two weeks since Chloe told Beca how she feels. Two weeks since Beca admitted that she likes Chloe too. And Chloe is patient, she really is, but she’s starting to get a little antsy.
She’s especially antsy because Beca is acting like nothing ever happened. Jesse still shows up after Bella’s rehearsals to take her to dinner or to walk her back to her dorm. He still greets her with a kiss that Beca doesn’t hesitate to return.
Chloe stopped by her dorm last Saturday morning, with a cinnamon roll and coffee…only to find Beca’s side of the room empty. Kimmy Jin told her that she thought Beca was at her boyfriend’s. Chloe confirmed that by text later.
Maybe this is Beca’s answer to her? She chose Jesse, but why wouldn’t she say it to Chloe’s face?
Then there’s the fact that the freshman has been avoiding Chloe like the plague. It’s like pulling teeth to even get the girl to reply to her texts. The whole situation is making Chloe wish she had just kept her damn mouth shut, because this…this is way worse than what she assumed was unrequited feelings. Beca kissed her…told her that she likes her…and then chose to stay with Jesse. But Chloe just wants to hear it. She just wants Beca to say it, then maybe she can start to move on.
“Hey are you ok?” Chloe hears the voice of her uptight best friend, then feels the sofa dip next to her, “You’ve been a little distant.”
Chloe simply nods, not wanting to actually talk to Aubrey about the Beca situation, knowing that it would end with a lecture, “I’m fine.”
She finally turns to look at the blonde, who is giving her a pointed stare, “Bullshit.”
“Bree, I’m fine. I swear,” Chloe lies through her teeth, turning her attention back to the textbook in her lap.
“Ok, is it your mom?” Aubrey pushes along, clearly she’s not going to let it go.
Chloe considers lying and saying it is her mom, but she doesn’t want to worry the other girl, “No.”
Aubrey sighs and Chloe can see her rubbing her temples in her peripheral vision, “Ok then, is it…Beca?”
She wants to blurt out no, but instead finds herself letting out an embarrassing squeak and a shrug of her shoulders. Something about Aubrey always makes Chloe break down and tell the truth, it’s like she physically can’t lie to her.
“What did that little brat do to you?” Chloe isn’t surprised by the venom in her voice, there’s no hiding the fact that her two best friends really don’t get along.
“Don’t call her that,” she snaps out, still trying to focus on the words in front of her, but it’s impossible, so she closes the book and sets it down next to her.
Aubrey sighs again, but when she speaks her tone is softer, “Stacie told me about New Year’s Eve, Chloe, I really didn’t think you had it that bad for her.”
“Ok, well I do. Sue me,” Chloe looks back up at Aubrey, who surprisingly is not giving her the glare she expected.
“What happened Chloe?”
There’s no sense in trying to cover it up now, “I told her how I feel. She kissed me and said she likes me too, but she’d have to think about it. It’s been two weeks and I still haven’t heard anything and now she’s avoiding me too.”
Aubrey grumbles incoherently under her breath, it’s probably a good think she can’t understand it, “I swear to god, she’s not going to know what hit her…”
“Bree, calm down. It’s ok, I should have seen it coming. She does still have a boyfriend, she doesn’t owe me anything,” as sad as it is to say, it’s true. Chloe doesn’t have a much of a right to say anything, she is the one who confessed her feelings while Beca was still in a relationship.
“She at least owes you the decency of a yes or no,” Aubrey rolls her eyes and flops backwards into the couch, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well what am I supposed to do Bree?” Chloe asks her friend exasperatedly, “Walk up to her and demand an answer?”
“Yes,” Aubrey says immediately, “Or at least get her to talk to you about things.”
Chloe drums her fingers on her leg nervously, the blonde has a point. She picks up her phone and checks the time, 9 pm. Beca might still be up, she could chance it and try and call her or head over to her dorm. Anxiety washes over her like ice water as she weighs her options. After a minute or two of her best friend eyeing her in anticipation, she whips her phone out of her back pocket.
She hits Beca’s name in her contact list and waits as a ringing noise fills her ear. Aubrey gives her a supportive smile. Chloe’s just about to give up, but then the voice of the younger girl finally makes her jump.
“Hi Chloe.”
“Hey Beca.”
There’s a small gap of awkward silence before Beca says anything. She’s honestly surprised that Beca answered her, with how hard she’s been avoiding Chloe.
“So, what’s up?”
Oh right, Chloe is the one who called her, “Um, well honestly, I was kind of wondering about the other night.”
“The other night…?” Beca sounds confused, apparently she’s not being as transparent as she thought.
“Like the night I told you about my feelings…and then you kissed me?”
“Oh.”
The one-word response sits in her gut like a rock.
“I know you said you needed some time…” Chloe starts to say hesitantly.
“Do you think we can talk about this in person?” Beca cuts her off abruptly, asking the question with a little more gusto than Chloe had expected.
It almost knocks the wind out of her, she composes herself quickly though, not wanted to put any doubt in the other girl’s mind, “Of course. Are you doing anything right now?”
There’s a brief patch of silence, she can practically hear Beca thinking from here, “No…come on over. Kimmy Jin is gone.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Chloe tries not to sound too eager, she shouldn’t get her hopes up. She could be going to Beca’s dorm to have her heart crushed.
************
She really does try to slow herself down but she’s in her car and sitting in the parking lot of Beca’s building in ten minutes. She briefly thinks about sitting and waiting five minutes before going in but disregards the idea quickly. She’s too anxious to wait any longer.
Before she can process her actions, she’s standing in front of Beca’s door, knocking lightly on the white wood. The door swings open and Beca is standing on the other side, looking almost as nervous as Chloe feels. Her hands are balled up into the sleeves of her sweatshirt, she’s biting her lower lip lightly, her eyes glancing over Chloe expectantly.
“Can I come in?” Chloe asks after a minute of the brunette just standing there blocking the entrance.
“Oh right, yea definitely,” Beca opens the door wider and lets Chloe walk through finally.
The two naturally gravitate to Beca’s bed, the only real spot for them to sit in the small shared space. Chloe makes herself at home, sliding backwards so her back is against the shelving built into the wall. Beca follows suit but leaves a generous amount of space between the two.
“So…” Chloe clears the dead air, looking at the other girl hopefully.
“Can I be honest?” Beca asks timidly.
Chloe nods, waiting patiently for her to continue.
“I’ve really been struggling with this,” she starts to say, pausing briefly.
That much is clear. If it had been an easy decision, Chloe would have had an answer long ago.
“It’s not for the reason you’d think either,” Beca twists her hands together nervously in her lap, “This is really hard to explain, I’m bad with feelings usually…but, what I feel for you is so much more than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
Her words make Chloe’s heart thrum almost painfully in her chest. That wasn’t what she was expecting her to say, but she couldn’t be happier. Especially, because she feels the exact same way.
Before Chloe can say a word Beca continues to speak, “It scared me, so that’s why I’ve been avoiding you, but when you called tonight, I realized that I can’t go any longer without seeing you, talking to you.”
Chloe reaches across the bed and lies her hand gently over Beca’s, “Hey it’s ok to be scared.”
“I feel so stupid,” Beca replies softly, “I like you so much, but here I am running around with Jesse still because it’s easy.”
“Hey…look at me,” Chloe picks up her hand that had been on Beca’s and instead uses it to brush a tendril of hair out of the other girl’s face, successfully getting the brunette to look at her, “I didn’t want to say it, I didn’t want to scare you, but I feel the same way about you Bec. I know it’s a bit scary but if you’re willing to try…I think it would be worth it.”
Their eyes finally lock and the steely blue gaze that meets hers is full of something she can’t quite put a finger one. Dare she say a look of love, even though she highly doubts it. At least it’s no longer the pained, anxious look that had graced her face when she met Chloe at the door earlier. As she studies the other girl, she is suddenly, keenly aware that Beca’s face is moving closer and closer to her own. Beca’s eyes flit back and forth from her lips. As much as she’d love to lean in and feel those rosy lips against her own again, she can’t. She can’t do that while Beca still has a boyfriend, out of respect for herself…and Jesse. Beca needs to prove she’s serious about this first and break up with her boyfriend.
Chloe scoots backward and clears her throat, “I can’t do that Bec.”
The freshman looks utterly confused and a little hurt, “Why not?”
“You still have a boyfriend,” Chloe replies simply, and a look of realization hits the other girl.
“Oh yea…you’re right,” Beca looks a little sheepish as she scoots away from Chloe.
She doesn’t want this to end right here though, she needs to confirmation that Beca really does want to try this, “Once you break up with Jesse, I swear these lips are all yours…and believe me, I would love to spend forever getting to know yours.”
A blush creeps it’s way across Beca’s cheeks, “I haven’t stopped thinking about our kiss since it happened…”
“Me either,” Chloe says it with such ease because it’s true, every night the feeling of Beca’s lips against hers fills her dreams, she finds herself lost in thought throughout the day wishing it would happen again.
“I’m going to break up with Jesse this week, I promise,” Beca says it so sincerely, Chloe is convinced that it will happen.
“Are you sure you want to do this…with me?” Chloe can’t help being insecure about the whole situation, even though Beca just told her that she’s breaking up with him.
Beca nods vigorously, “Yes. I’m sure…I really, really like you Chloe.”
“I really like you too Bec,” Chloe wishes she could lean over and kiss Beca, just like she tried to do earlier, but she’s waited until now, she can wait a little longer.
