Prologue

For what felt like (and probably was) the sixteenth time in the last hour, Beca took her shirts out of her bag, cursing herself. She usually wasn't the calmest person in town, but right now...well, she was just a pathetic mess.

Tired of running around her apartment like a maniac, she finally sat down on her bed, hands on the mat on her sides, glaring at the envelop resting on her shelf at the other side of the room.

She was being ridiculous, capital R. She knew it.

Honestly, she had made her decision as soon as she got it, two weeks ago; she couldn't do it. She just couldn't, and she was aware of that – and the tight knot in her stomach that hadn't leave since then just confirmed that.

It wasn't even proper, if you asked her.

For one, she thought – no, she knew - it was a terrible idea, and was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to keep her opinion to herself (and okay, maybe she said that about a lot of his ideas that turned out not so bad, but this one actually was really stupid. Like, for real).

Two : it would be super weird. Given what they've been – and if she was being honest, what she hoped they still were...it was just really messed up. And she had tried to play that card, too.

But of course, he talked her into it.

Despite all the other excuses she'd prepared, despite her resolve – despite that damn knot, he had managed it. It shouldn't have come to such a surprise, really; after all, he had always been able to talk her into anything.

Smiling slightly at the thought, she glanced at the picture on her bed table. She had called him crazy for improvising a trip like that in such a short time, but she had to admit,it was the best new year she ever had. Hell, the best time, she ever had.

Sighting as she looked away from their tanned, drunk and smiling faces on the Thailand sand, Beca shook her head, the nauseous sensation she had been experiencing for the last two days back at the realization.

Who was she kidding? Of course she had to go. He wanted her to be there, and she couldn't just let him down.

"I need you here, Becs", he had said over the phone. "Please."

He was her best friend, had been for almost ten years. He was the one who used to call every day when she was having a hard time finding work, and felt like she was sinking. He was the one that jumped on a plane when she was in a car accident, even if it wasn't that bad. He was even the one who called her not only for her birthday, but also to remind her of her own father's birthday. And seriously, who did that?

He was the man in her life, and always will be. Like hell if she was going to bail on him.

Reluctantly getting up, she threw her clothes on her bag again, adding a few stuff before closing it. She checked the time : only two hours before her flight took off.

"Okay, Beca. Let's do this."