The flashlight was weighted against her grasp, a heavy mix of metal and plastic with a slowly flickering bulb that would buzz to anything but the naked ear. It cast an odd circular glow, one that was a golden sliver of daylight in the musty old attic.
Chloe hated the attic; a small space that could mostly be avoided, but in today's heat, it seemed blunt and unwavering- it's scent like mold and sweat. Maybe she had been up there too long, the slowly climbing temperature doing nothing for her standards, or maybe she was just dehydrated. But her focus didn't deviate from the flashlight in her grasp.
She let out a shaky sigh, condensation slowly pooling against her chest and curved collarbone. Chloe was a lanky girl- the first to sprout a few inches in her eighth-grade class, but the last to realize that height didn't really change the fact that she had bright red hair that would always deem her the title of an evil demon. She had grown into her feet and her stature, earning looks from the very people that doubted her in high school.
Now the pediatrician was beyond sure of herself and her abilities as a Ph.D. None of that old stuff seemed to matter- not the yearbooks, the teasing, the horrid fluffy dresses she wore to prom… or at least it didn't matter until she had crawled her way back into the dusty clutches of this place.
There was supposed to be an estate sale later- one that finally cleared out her mother's old Victorian house for good. This place was supposed to stay in the family- to garner hope for future generations of Beales. The job offer in New York was calling the young doctors name, however, one the made it near impossible to keep this place in her name.
"Are you admiring the view up there?" Her girlfriend's voice echoed from the small hallway that gave the only access to the upper part of the house. There was nothing much to see, nothing other than some bare wooden walls and a bunch of pink siding that was unusually tempting to the young woman.
A simple smile moved across Chloe's lips as she flipped the flashlight off, pressing a small rubber button that got rid of one of her only lights sources. It plunged her into a warm darkness. She blinked a few times, shoving the flashlight into the edge of her belt loop as she breathed in the musty air.
"I'm coming down now," She announced, testing out the top rung of the wooden ladder, listing to the aged surface creak and groan as she hung onto a piece of paneling for dear life- nails splintering wood. She heard Beca shifting against the wooden floor below her, biting the inside of her lip as the smaller girl stared at her. She stepped down a few more rungs before meeting stormy blue eyes at level, her hand still grasping one of the edges. "Who's admiring the view now?"
Beca threw her head back and groaned, scratching slightly at her dirtied cheek as she stared at the inky black opening that was left above them. "It's your fault for wearing yoga pants, Chloe. Not mine."
"God, you're like a dog in heat."
"If that's what you want to call it." She kicked sheepishly at the floor, the taller girl shook her head slightly as she listened to the springs creak and groan once she lifted the ladder into the very secret hiding place on the latch. She cringed as the rope that hung from the ceiling burned against her palms.
"I would like to call it unfair." Beca continued, snaking her arms around Chloe's waist as the girl let out a small yelp- both parties ignoring the balky flashlight that hung lazily against a belt loop. "I have been moving furniture all day."
"So, you must be tired then," Chloe pointed out to her, adjusting her arm around the woman's shoulders. They were aching, her own exhaustion creeping in. "Baby, even if I were comfortable having sex in my childhood home, Aubrey is going to be here any minute with the papers."
"She can watch."
"Beca."
"Fine."
It wasn't a normal conversation the two would share- but Beca had been on edge lately. Her own career plowing forward in the Big Apple as well, the small DJ traveling home every other weekend for the past six months in order to get some face to face time with Chloe. It had been scarce and getting on a plane just to clean up an old house wasn't on her to-do-list, especially if Aubrey Posen was involved.
As if on cue the swift three toned knock on the mahogany door. It echoed against the nearly empty corridors, traveling up the staircase as Chloe didn't waste any time pulling away from her girlfriend. Her very defeated girlfriend who let out a soft groan and willed her legs to follow Chloe down the carpeted steps.
Even Beca had to admit, the house was beautiful; it was large and whimsical, something that was made out of a children's book or maybe even a vintage dollhouse. Even the front door had a red and orange stained glass window that outlined the blurred silhouette of Aubrey's straight-laced persona. She stopped halfway down the staircase, leaning against the banister while Chloe pulled open the creaking hinges to get a good look at the lawyer.
The blonde beamed, her deep olive eyes flicking momentarily towards Beca before focusing on her friend instead. She didn't mind the dirt covered girl as she wrapped her in a tight hug, Chloe never one to turn down an embrace, closing her eyes as she breathed in the lemon scent Aubrey always seemed to carry.
"uh," Aubrey pulled away, wrinkling her nose "You stink."
"You're telling me." Beca mumbled scratching her neck as she put on a fake smile "Hi, Aubrey."
"You try getting a whole house ready for an estate sale and then we'll talk Posen." She chided jokingly, turning around to face Beca with an accusatory finger point. "You hush,"
"Hi, Beca." Aubrey chuckled slightly, closing the door behind her with a soft thud. "Someone is grumpy today."
"I am grumpy every day." She drew out her syllables with every passing second, letting out a huff as she flopped down onto the step directly under her- it pressed against the middle of her back but she stifled a wince- instead playing with the hem of her shirt.
Chloe rolled her eyes and turned back to her friend, stare flashing close to the documents that the woman held in her hands. "Are those them?"
"Mm," She hummed, waving the packet around slightly "The biggest part of this is your on-site. You can keep all of the money you get from this, but anything that's left behind has to be donated to HFH. But we can always wait a few days and change up the contract-"
"No, that's fine." Beca said from her curled up ball on the steps, earning an accusatory look from Chloe, causing the restless girl to backtrack "I mean, it's charity, right? Habitat for Humanity?"
Aubrey nodded pensively as she ran her fingers over the edge of the paperwork. Beca swears this type of legal work was a turn on for the young lawyer. Well, any type of legal work was a turn on for her. She would get off on the different type of highlighters she needed to use and the scent of freshly changed toner.
"She's right, Chlo, eager, but right." She shrugged "This would be your easiest route, it's how most estate sales go in the first place. What doesn't sell get's donated, but with the type of stuff your mother kept around I'm sure you'll have no trouble clearing it up."
"It's fine," Chloe confirmed with a nod of the head. "I just don't know how all this stuff works. The cleaning I can do… the legal-"
"Is why you have me," Aubrey finished her sentence, boasting a smile that could blind the gods. "I just need you to sign a few things and you'll be all ready to open the doors tomorrow."
Chloe wrapped her fingers around the fabric of her shirt, white knuckling the bunch of threads as her hand rested on her chest- it was rising and falling with upmost rhythm. She was staring at the ceiling in what used to be her parent's room- the only four post bed that was still in this place. Others were around, but they were covered in white sheets, white sheets that had dust coating every inch of the place.
This place had been her home. For the longest time, it was where she would curl up after a rough nightmare, or a horrible date. She would cuddle into her mother's side while she stroked her hair and whispered things in her ear to calm her heart rate.
Now it was cold and desolate. Nothing was in the room except for the queen-sized mattress and an old television that only got three stations. It was sitting on the floor now- turned off because there was no point in flicking it on. A floor length mirror was propped on the parallel edge of the bed, Chloe wanting to cover that too.
Chloe didn't bother crawling under the blankets. It was too hot in the room, the flashlight heavy in her other hand as she balanced the cool metal weight in her grasp. She ran her fingers along the beaded edge, pressing her fingers into the indentations.
"What are you thinking about?" The muffled voice from the bathroom doorway caught Chloe's attention. Beca was leaning heavily against it, a toothbrush shoved into her cheek as she struggled not to let the frothy mint spill over her lips.
"Who said I was thinking at all?" She pondered, lifting her eyebrows as she settled In the plush bedding and flicked her stare back up the ceiling.
"Well, you only get that look when you're thinking," Beca said, her voice echoing as she walked back into the bathroom, spitting the contents that filled her mouth into the sink with a small grunt. "Or when you're climaxing, which I certainly hope you're not doing without me."
"Beca," Chloe groaned as her small girlfriend walked back into the room. She nearly dodged a pillow being chucked at her head, instead, she clenched onto the fabric. She let out a small grunt as she flopped down onto the bed next to the taller girl.
"I'm sorry, I know." She grumbled, running her fingers over the sheets. Her stare moved back up the Chloe's as she propped herself up on her elbows. "You uh, you've had this kind of sick look on your face since this morning… I thought it was the heat, but I'm not so sure anymore."
Chloe let out a thick sigh, not pulling her eyes from the ceiling.
"I'm usually the one to shut myself out, you know?" Beca said, adjusting her position to face the ceiling as well. She let her hand fall close to Chloe's fingers playing absently with her girlfriends. "I'm used to talking about feelings and-"
"I grew up here." Was all Chloe said, voice cutting through the room, "It's not like I didn't do everything to get out of this place once I had enough money to go off to college I did. And I didn't look back- not on this house, this town, or my mother… but now that I'm here…"
She trailed off, drawing in a sharp breath. Beca didn't need her to continue to come to the sudden realization that this was painful for Chloe. She was never good at reading social cues, so she pushed herself into her work and followed every order that Chloe barked out until her arms begged for mercy.
Beca warped her arm around Chloe's waist, pulling her head onto the girl's chest. The redhead let out a content sigh as she pulled her girl closer to her side, breathing in the scent of mint and ginger that Beca carried.
"Tell me about her," Beca said, breath hot on Chloe's skin.
"Hmm?"
"Your mom, tell me about her." the smaller girl whispered. "If uh… if you want."
Chloe didn't say anything for a few long moments. She drew little patterns on the small of Beca's back, her heartbeat and breath almost lulled the girl into a light sleep. She didn't want to push Chloe, not now. When she felt a sharp intake of air, she knew she was ready to talk.
"We never really had much money, so she worked two jobs." She spoke, voice a low murmur. "Most of the time she was a librarian, it didn't pay much but she loved it. She loved the smell of the books, and the way people would just share a newfound form of peace whenever they walked through the doors. Other than that, she worked at a grocery store. Never really had a day off.
"She took care of me and Annie though, she did… and she kept this house too. For as long as I can remember she always wanted me to keep this place. It was part of the family history, I guess. My grandparents had it under their name before hers, and their parents before them. It's always been the Beale's place."
"Chlo," Beca started to protest. She didn't want to push them into this argument again. Even before Beca flew in she had suggested Chloe keep this place. She was so fast to dismiss her, so fast to say that this was holding her back in Georgia. At the soft look she received, she dropped it, though.
"I don't feel guilty about selling it," She said, voice a low grumble "I feel uneasy. But I don't feel guilty."