A/N: Hello everybody! Happy Valentine's Day at least for another couple of hours. Welcome to my little shot series I'm gonna be doing while continuing my work on Her Words.
This series takes place in the universe of You Hold Your Breath, I'll Hold My Liquor. As you know (hopefully ) that takes place the night before Beca and Chloe's wedding. I'll be making a series of shots starting from the beginning of their relationship leading up to You Hold Your Breath and then some more going beyond of their life afterwards. As that one is titled after a song by Mayday Parade, it's likely I'll use other song titles from the band for all of the shots just to keep everything connected.
I hope you like it!
PS- Props to kateor13 for suggesting a detail to add into this one!
Ch.1
The phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the air and disrupted the couple sitting on the bed. At the noise, Aubrey pulled back with an irritated sigh.
"No," Jesse complained, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back towards him, "No, why'd you stop the kissing? I like the kissing?"
"Your phone is ringing."
He quickly grabbed the device from the desk and declined the call without looking.
"There, now it's not," he declared happily, "Now back to the kissing?"
She shook her head as she grinned; amused by his pouting look. Just as they leaned towards each other to continue, the phone began ringing once more. Jesse groaned as the blonde put her hands on his chest and pushed him back.
"You take care of that," she instructed; getting up and disappearing into the bathroom.
The boy watched her leave and fell back on the bed. He slapped a hand over his face while using the other to grab his phone and answer it.
"What?"
"I can't do it!"
Jesse sat up at the voice, "Beca?"
"I can't do it, Jesse," she repeated herself as she paced back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the building.
"Yes, you can," he assured her, "We talked about this. Just knock on the door and ask her out."
"You make it sound so simple," the girl responded as she continued her pacing, occasionally stopping to look up at the window she knew to be the apartment Chloe and Aubrey shared.
The light was on and now and then Chloe's silhouette would pass by the glass. Her friend's voice came through the receiver once more.
"It is that simple, Beca."
The brunette scoffed, "My ass."
She noticed a guy on the sidewalk stop and look at her after her outburst. She fixed him with a glare.
"What?" she challenged him, "Private conversation, buddy. Mind your business!"
The stranger scurried away with wide eyes. She heard Jesse chuckle before speaking.
"Beca, are you making a scene in front of Chloe's building?"
Beca paused and looked around as if Jesse might be watching from somewhere nearby.
"No," she heard him laugh over the phone and ran a hand through her hair, "Jesse, focus."
"Beca, you're fine," he tried again to assure while Beca glanced up to the window yet again.
"I'm not," she argued with a sigh, "This is stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm going home."
"Rebecca Mitchell-"
"Ew," she voiced upon hearing him use her full name.
"-you are going up there and you are asking her out and, damn it, you are going to get the girl."
"Well maybe I should do it your way," she suggested sarcastically, "ambush her with juice boxes and wear her down until she's delusional enough to think she wants you."
Beca still couldn't believe that her goofball friend had actually managed to get the uptight captain to loosen up to the point she ignored her own rule about Trebles.
"Jeez, don't be jealous that I got the big climactic kiss after Nationals while you were too scared to go for your own moment."
The girl blew out a breath, already way beyond tired of hearing about that. Sure, she was happy for her friend, but if she had to keep hearing about Aubrey running into his arms after their performance for 'the perfect kiss to end a film on' she was going to have to kill him.
She had her own things to focus on; mainly what the hell she was thinking showing up to ask Chloe Beale out. As if there was any chance in the world that the girl wouldn't laugh in her face.
"Beca."
His voice in her ear snapped her back to the moment.
"I'm here."
"You'll be fine. Trust me, if you don't do this you'll never forgive yourself. You have to take the chance."
Beca nodded, though he couldn't see her; knowing he was right. She put her thumbnail between her teeth.
"What if she says no?"
"In the extremely unlikely even that she says no," he began, "you'll call me and we'll spend tonight getting you drunk off your ass. Then tomorrow you move on."
She chuckled nervously, part of her tempted to just skip right to the getting drunk scenario.
"Beca," Jesse began again, this time more seriously, "she won't say no."
The girl took a breath and nodded again, "Ok. Ok, I'm going."
"Atta girl," he praised before ending the call.
She took a step towards the building, stopping suddenly and pulling out her phone once more. As soon as she heard the click of connection she blurted out her new fear, "What if she says yes?!"
Her voice showing her panic as she realized she had no idea what to do if the girl had some sort of lapse that actually caused her to agree.
"Beca."
The demanding voice that came from Jesse's phone number was definitely not Jesse.
"Aubrey?"
"For the next six days I am technically still your captain and I am ordering you: stop calling Jesse, put on your big girl pants and get your ass up there or I swear to the aca-gods I will make Jesse tell me every little embarrassing thing he knows about you, and you better believe I can make him talk."
Beca felt a chill shoot through her at the icy tone used to make the promise. Aubrey must've taken the girl's stunned silence as agreement.
"All right, then. Best of luck, bye," her voice came overly sweet before the call ended.
Beca swallowed thickly and put the phone into her back pocket again. She shook her head and blew out a breath and walked into the building with a purpose before she had a chance to change her mind.
"Ok, Ok, you can do this," she spoke to herself as she rode the elevator, "It's nothing. It's just a question. Just…Just ask a question. You can do that."
"Excuse me, ma'am? Excuse me?" Beca stopped her pep talk and looked at the middle aged man she hadn't realized she was sharing the space with; though he'd certainly noticed the strange girl talking to herself.
"Huh?"
"Is this your floor?"
She looked at the open doors of the elevator just in time to see the doors beginning to close.
"Oh!" she hurried out as they slid shut; her hip bouncing off one of the doors as she did. She hissed, standing outside the doors, putting a hand to the throbbing spot.
As she went to move away from the elevator she felt a tug that kept her in place. A second later she felt the tug turn into a full on pulling and only then realized that the tail of her shirt had been closed in the doors. She let out a squeak as the elevator began to travel up pulling her shirt, and her, with it. She flailed a bit and slid out of the sleeves of the shirt, thankful that she'd just thrown it on over her tank rather than button it, and spun around immediately to see her favorite purple plaid shirt run up the wall with the elevator. She reached up and grabbed a dangling sleeve. She clenched her teeth as she tugged on it, as if she had a chance against the machine to save the item. It disappeared through the outer doors and Beca was left in her blank tank top, breathing heavy in the hallway as she stared at the metal object.
"What the hell?" she voiced in a mix of shock and exasperation.
Slapping her hands against her thighs, she turned to begin the walk down the hall to Chloe's apartment, limping slightly from the tender spot on her hip.
"Stupid door."
Once outside the right door, she paused and swiped her hands down the front of her jeans and took a moment to look at herself. Now in just her tank that was, honestly, a little on the damp side from her nerves and her confrontation with the elevator, she ran her hands over her arms wondering if having all her tattoos on display would hurt or help her chances. Should she have taken her piercings out?
No, that didn't make sense. This was who she was and Chloe seemed to not hate that about her. She took another second to run her fingers through her hair in an effort to not look like she had just been in a life and death fight with a machine.
"All right," she started talking to herself once again, "Chloe, I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me? There, that's not so hard. Just like that. Ok."
She bounced up and down, tilting her head side to side as if she were pumping herself up for a big game.
"You've got this, Beca. You've got this. Ok."
A few more deep breaths and she quickly knocked before she could chicken out. Barely two seconds later, the door opened; a blessing since any longer likely would've had Beca considering running away.
"Beca, hi!"
The brunette took in the girl in front of her and immediately forgot everything she'd told herself to build confidence. Chloe looked as gorgeous as ever; her hair thrown into a messy bun on top of her head as she wore a blue tank top and a pair of very short, sleeping shorts.
"What's up?" she asked.
Beca has to force her eyes away from the smooth path of tan skin the shorts exposed.
"Uh, what?"
Chloe giggled and opened the door wider, "You ok?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Great, actually, you know, just… been chillin'."
Beca winced as she heard the word leave her mouth. Chillin'? Ew, she didn't say things like that. Ugh, what did this girl do to her?
Chloe giggled again, "You want to come in, weirdo?"
Beca nodded and stepped in; turning around as Chloe closed the door.
"What, uh, what were you doing? I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"No, just me and Meredith Grey."
Beca nodded a bit and then took a shot in the dark, "She's an actress you like?"
Chloe only grinned at the girl's attempt and moved to sit cross-legged on the couch.
"So what brings you by?"
"Oh, um, it's just…I mean I was wondering if, uh…food."
Chloe's brows furrowed at the awkward stumble of words.
"If food what?"
"What?" Beca was confused by Chloe's question before realizing it was her awkward ways that caused it.
"Um, no, I mean, if you wanted to get food," she asked, then awkwardly added, "…with me?"
"Oh!" the girl voiced, "Sure, I could go for some Taco Bell or something. Give me a second to throw some real clothes on."
"No, not-"she began, stopping Chloe before she could leave the room to get ready, "Not, like, now, I mean…maybe tomorrow night, or the next, or the next, but-but not the one after that 'cause I have a shift, actually. But, if you wanted, we can pick a day when you're free and we could go together and have food…together."
Beca wanted to run out the door right then, wondering why she couldn't ask the question without sounding like she'd never put together a sentence before. She waited for the girl's reaction with baited breath as she saw realization come over the other girl. She braced herself.
"Are you…" she rose from the couch, "Are you asking me out on a date?"
"Um, yeah," she responded shoving her hands into her jean pockets, "I mean…if you want; but if not it's totally cool. No hard feelings. I'll just, you know, go home and hide under the covers until I can show my face again."
Chloe chuckled softly and came closer, as Beca dropped her face to hide her embarrassment. She put a hand on the brunette's arm and smiled wide when she looked back up at her.
"I'd love to."
Beca's eyes widened at the statement.
"You would?"
Chloe nodded enthusiastically and Beca let out an exhale of laughter.
"That's … wow, I mean, you-"she cut herself before she could embarrass herself further. She cleared her throat and regained her composure. Schooling her features again, she spoke more calmly, "That's cool. Tomorrow night?"
"Sounds great," Chloe declared, "Get me at seven?"
"Seven," she nodded; forcing herself to remain calm, "Cool. I'll see you then."
Chloe smiled again and Beca moved towards the door with Chloe following behind her. The redhead opened the door, smiling with her bottom lip between her teeth. She closed the door with a soft, "Bye."
"Bye."
Beca waited until the door had been closed for a few minutes to make sure the girl wasn't nearby and jumped in place, barely able to contain herself. She pumped her fist a few times.
"Yes!"
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What do you guys think?