AN: As you all know, I own nothing, I just like pressing them together for long periods of time.
Aubrey cracks the glass against the bar, eyes shooting around to see if anyone noticed. The noise from drunk karaoke drowns her dramatics out. Beca would have noticed, she thought bitterly.
Beca.
A fresh pool of tears springs from her eyes. That feisty brunette, the whole reason she was drinking instead of at her apartment studying. She told her best friend the break up was mutual, that the distance was killing them both, but she lied. Aubrey never lied to Chloe, and she didn't know why she had today. She panicked when the woman came into their shared home and found her a sobbing wreck on the bathroom floor. Beca didn't want to give up, it was Aubrey who couldn't handle only seeing the love of her life once a month. She had moved across the country to pursue her dreams, and they agreed that they would make it work until Aubrey graduated. They were great, they always had been, once they got past their initial dislike of each other then they started hanging out, all three of them. Then eventually Chloe would have 'stuff' she had to do, leaving Beca and Aubrey together, alone and together. Small conversations started to stretch, little brushes morphed into holding hands and hooking arms, leaning into one another every now and then. Longing stares rushed into heated kisses, and it had been nothing but amazing since then. Six long years they have been together, enough time for Beca to graduate and get another opportunity at music in LA. Enough time for Aubrey to get into law school with the love and support of Beca anchoring her and yet shielding her all at the same time. She had one year left, one year, and she could run to Beca without any hesitations. Alas, time was not on their side, and drug sluggishly onward, bringing the stresses of life, parents and school alike. Sometimes Beca felt like Aubrey wasn't on their side either, mostly the days she didn't call when she was supposed to, and sometimes didn't remember important things. Beca stayed though, she always stayed. Patience wasn't something Aubrey ever thought she would get from her stormy-eyed girlfriend, but when you exclude food and sleep, turns out, Beca Mitchell has an abundance of patience. She never snapped at Aubrey when things were forgotten, normally a small shrug offered if they decided to facetime or skype, and she would change the subject. It killed Aubrey, to know that these little things that she would run Beca through the ringer for, her girlfriend so easily let go of, so easily forgave her for. Her fist slams against the bar and she is about to order a second drink when delicate fingers land on hers. Aubrey's head whips up to find a scathingly angry redhead glaring at her. This in and of itself made her cower, Chloe never glared at Aubrey. The look was in fact so foreign on the bubbly woman's face that it felt like a full force smack straight across Aubrey's cheek, she flinched upon impact,
"I talked to Stacie because for some odd reason Beca is ignoring my calls." Her tone was even, unaccusatory, but Chloe cut across the bullshit like it didn't even exist in the first place. Aubrey rolled her fingers along the wood, keeping her lips tightly shut, she hadn't drunk enough for this yet, Chloe always showed up at just the right time, "Why did you lie?" Her eyes soften just a bit at the newly developed warmth sliding from her best friends eyes, "And don't try to lie to me again Aubrey Posen, Stacie already told me what an absolute wreck Beca is, so I know this wasn't 'mutual'." At the mention of the DJ, Aubreys eyes come back to Chloe's, her deep emerald pools overflowing even more.
Beca.
Chloe must get tired of the silence, because next thing she knows Aubrey is being pulled out of the bar, pushed into a taxi, held as she leans heavily into her ray of sunshine, guided into the door of their home, and finally set onto a bed she finds most nights cold and lonely. It felt like a matter of seconds, her body curling into itself as she sits there and cries. The other person in the room allows her a few minutes for the sobs to turn into gentle sniffles, "This is the dumbest shit you've ever done, Bree." The blonde's jaw slacks, Chloe Beale just cursed at her, she knew she was in deep, "Now, why did you leave her?" Her arms cross over her chest and any fleeting hope that Aubrey could talk her way out of this conversation is destroyed.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Its like she can't find the end of this rope of water coming from her eyes, but the look her best friend gives her only solidifies that she really fucked up this time, "I... I lied because I knew you would talk me out of leaving her... And Chlo this is... It's for the best..." Aubrey hiccups, her eyes never able to meet the redheads as she says this, "I broke up with her because I can't keep treating her like this..." A true sob escapes, and arms circle around her that warm her entirety, everything except the pieces of her heart. They sit there for a minute, Aubrey letting herself be held by Chloe, both women tearing up now, "This is what she wants... We were going to fight because I... I got so wrapped up in my school I forgot to call her...yesterday..." Chloe's jaw drops and she pulls back a bit,
"On her birthday?!" The complete frustration in her voice is terrifying, but Aubrey nods, solidifying her conviction, "And you thought instead of apologizing you would break up with her... The day after her birthday..." Aubrey nods again, sobs breaking through her hard attempted facade,
"We were going to fight Chlo, she was finally pissed at me, after all this time. She was going to leave me anyway." This only serves to remove the warmth that is Chloe Beale further,
"You're a fucking idiot..." The eyes across from the redheads widen into saucers, "She loves you... She has loved you through everything, and you still left her. She defended you, didn't even tell me or Stace you forgot about her birthday, maybe she does deserve better than that. No, not even maybe, she -does- deserve better than that. She deserves better than being dumped to the side because you're too controlling to just relax and talk to her. Yet she still chooses you, every single day she chooses you, and you have so many ways to make it better Bree!" Chloe's voice is reaching a pitch Aubrey doesn't like, her hands nervously wringing together, eyes finally lifting to see the terrible sight of her best friend in tears. They hold each other a long while, no one daring break the silence yet. Chloe's fingers comfortingly slide through blonde tresses, and for a beat, Aubrey feels better. But the way she so lovingly comforts her makes her think on the girl who haunted her entire day.
Beca.
Chloe feels the shift in mood and sits back, holding her best friend at arms length to look at her, "When Stacie called..." This gets Aubrey to stop whimpering, her eyes scanning Chlo's face, willing her to say more, "Beca was out for her morning walk... The one you push her to do to clear her head every morning..." Chloe bites her lip, not knowing if the next words would help or hurt, "Stacie found her sitting on a bench, a couple hours later..." Aubrey knew. She knew she didn't want to hear anymore, but Chloe pressed onward, "She won't speak to anyone, she's completely unresponsive..." These tears are getting ridiculous, warming Brees cheeks once again,
"I-..." A hand lifts to cut off the blondes words,
"Don't... you will not interrupt what you need to hear..." Chloe clears her throat and trudges forward, "...she stayed because she loves you, and you just cast her aside, you didn't even give her any sort of warning... and for what? Because you thought you two were going to fight finally?" She pauses to let that fact sink in, because while they had had their immense spats in the past, it was never about the two of them, and their relationship had never been in the crosshairs, "So I have to be honest, cause you're my best friend, but this is ridiculous, it's honestly the dumbest thing you have ever done." Aubrey huffs heavily, lifting her hand to swipe under her eyes,
"I did it for her!" She snaps out, Chloe scoffs,
"Did you even talk to her? Did you tell her you were feeling this way? Or did you just call and break up with her because you're Aubrey mother fucking Posen, and when you get an idea in your head, even the bad ones, you will make sure it's finished." Well... this was not what Aubrey expected, questions that she hated the answer to. Because no, she didn't talk to her about it, and no she didn't tell Beca she was feeling insecure because she forgot something so important. She had, in a sense, went completely into panic mode at the way Beca was being so cold. Chloe rests her hands along Aubrey's shoulder, the blonde screwing her eyes shut to keep more tears at bay, "That's what I thought, and do you know what that felt like to Beca?" Aubrey lifts her hand to stop the redhead's words,
"It felt like a slap to the face... it felt like it was out of nowhere, and like we had been doing fine enough to stay together up until yesterday..." She hangs her head, letting her forehead rest against Chloe's shoulder, "It felt like I abandoned her..." She chokes at this, sobs breaking through again,
"And that is just about the worst thing you could do to someone like Beca." Chloe breathes slowly, her back hitting the bed as she cuddles in next to Aubrey,
"I couldn't fight with her Chlo... You know how I get when we get into fights and I would have said some awful things..." The woman she's cuddled into laughs, knowing all to well the two full barrels Aubrey Posen could shoot when sufficiently annoyed,
"Well you've lost her now... still think that was your best choice?" Burying her face in the clothes underneath her she would let her body shake, Chloe holding her through it, "You've got to talk to her, Bree..." Chloe's phone dings and she looks it over quickly, "I think we should go see her." She says slowly, the trembling woman in her arms looking up,
"I made a mistake..." She whispers out. Chloe gasps, the words hitting her like a ton of bricks. No matter how many times she has fought with her best friend, not once did the blonde admit she made a mistake. Sure she would own that she was wrong for whatever it was, but it was never a mistake. The gravity of her words push Chloe into a slight giddiness that she believes really shouldn't be there, but she splutters quickly,
"Then let's go fix it..." Reaching into her purse Chloe pulls out two round-trip tickets to LA, Aubrey, devastated at the sight of them, breaks down further, "She won't take me back... I have school..." All she can muster through the breaking sobs. Chloe rolls her eyes,
"You already know she will, this isn't a request, either we go and you do this properly with at least some form of explanation, or you fix this, Bree. I already called the school and made arrangements for an entire week. We both know you can handle the assignments as they are sent to you. Now get up, and get packed." Her feature schools into one of immense relief, standing as she turns and near skips to her room. Aubrey, for what its worth, knows she isn't going to change her mind, and logically she wouldn't want her to. She resigns herself to packing, only one person on her mind.
Beca.
The woman who has stood by her side this long, the steadfast woman who she can't even talk herself into believing this would be the right thing for. The deliriously beautiful woman that she had let go, because she deserves better. The woman she loves, and who loves and adores her no matter how many times she screws up. The woman who she needs to get back. With this thought buoying her, she is up and packing in a matter of minutes.
For what its worth, Chloe did really well at not exploding on her best friend since their chat, but damn did she want to. After getting just the right amount of time to think on the situation, the anger seething from her was palpable. She thought Aubrey was over this absolute need to control things. Turns out she just needed the right situation to make this defect glaringly obvious, and it was eating away at the redhead. Maybe it is because Beca is her friend too, they had grown close over the years after college, one might even say she was Chloe's best friend (not out loud or ever around Aubrey of course) and she is terrified Beca is going to shut her out. According to Stacie, she hasn't spoken a word since she found her breaking down on that bench. She hates being faced with Bree and her old ways, but she would take that full force tenfold if it meant avoiding Beca and her old ways. Because Beca and Chloe weren't friends when the old Beca made appearances to shove everyone out of her life, and her heart aches at the very thought of being pushed away from either of her best friends. But Beca lives so far away, and she would never have the chance to mend it. So really- she's being selfish about this. Her frantic hands stop above her suitcase, eyes darting around as she tries to breathe away her panic. What if this really was the best thing for Beca? This thought overwhelms her entirety, the woman sitting heavily on the bed as she lifts a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose,
"Chlo?" Is tentatively heard at the door, her cerulean eyes darting up as her hand falls, "I- I'm ready to go... and..." Aubrey scoots the rest of her body into the door, and Chloe can't remember a time she ever saw her so broken "And thank you... for kicking my ass into gear... I can't believe I left her... she's my everything." Her hands wring together, shoulders stiff and eyes downcast. Chloe feels her anger dissolve into thin air as she crashes into her best friend. Winding her arms tightly around the blonde she feels her sag into the comforting embrace and really let loose a torrent of sobs. The redhead rubs little circles into Aubrey's lower back and she finds herself calming quicker than before,
"Let's go get your girl back." Chloe says confidently, snatching up her luggage and guiding the blonde out into the cool air of the evening.