She blamed it on the performance-high, the adrenaline still rushing through her veins. There was no other plausible explanation and certainly no other excuse. If that even counted as an excuse. And not even five minutes after she'd kissed Jesse, Beca had come down from her high, detached herself from his grasp with a tight-lipped smile and a short head-tilt in the general direction of the Bellas, and walked away, pressing her fingers into her temples.
"Oh God, I need a drink," she groaned as soon as she was out of earshot.
How something can be simultaneously one of the best and one of the most embarrassing moments of your life, you ask? Singing "Here comes Santa Claus" in front of Snoop Dogg is how. Snoop friggin' Dogg. What had gotten into her? Sure, the outcome was more than good and could really help boost her career, but that didn't change that she had just sung this incredibly lame Christmas song in front of Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg!
When she came home that evening, she was for once glad to find the Bellas in preparation for a house party. She spotted Chloe leaning against the counter top in the kitchen, signature yellow cup in hand and talking animatedly with Stacy, who was lounging on the table.
"Oh God, I need a drink," she said and before either of the two girls could even acknowledge her presence, Beca had crossed the room, taken Chloe's cup - that was at the redhead's lips as she was taking a quick sip in between sentences - from her and downed the drink in one go. Then her cheeks flushed bright red when she realized where that cup had been mere seconds ago.
She scrunched up her face in what looked like disgust. And, yeah, while that was partly what she was feeling, she really made that face in an effort to keep the tears at bay that were pricking her eyes.
And then Chicago dipped Chloe.
"Oh God." There it was again, the mixture of disgust and hurt. "I need a drink," she said to no one, definitely not to Theo, who was still standing way too close to her and didn't seem to know how to take a hint.
"Oh God, I need a drink!" Beca exclaimed, having just seen the time.
It was 11:59 pm on December 31st. Beca and Chloe were perched in front of the window of their tiny studio apartment that they still shared. (Only now, it was just the two of them as Amy had moved out after she'd discovering she was loaded.) They were looking up at the sky, waiting for the clock to strike midnight and the sky to be illuminated by fireworks. Chloe still had some of her drink left in her cup, but Beca's was empty. How was she going to toast with Chloe without a drink! She started to scramble up, but a hand at her forearm stopped her.
"No, you don't."
"I don't?" she asked, puzzled.
And then cheers erupted outside And fireworks were set off. And then Chloe was pulling her in. And then Chloe was kissing her. And then Beca couldn't even remember what she had just been about to do, cheers and fireworks setting off in her mind as well.