Mixed Tape
Summer 2013
It was summer time and the sun beat down heavily, it was that time of the year where wearing sunglasses wasn't a fashion statement, it was mandatory. This suited Beca Mitchell perfectly as she was a big fan of sunglasses and was rarely seen without a pair clipped into her shirt.
She lay on the soft grass and looked up at the sky and smiled as the sun directed its rays of warmth at her face. When her dad had offered to let Beca have use of the family log cabin she hadn't been too keen on the idea and Jesse had made countless "Evil Dead" references to her about the whole situation. But, Beca had thought it over and had embraced the "carpe diem" attitude and decided to spend a large amount of the summer there. Of course she didn't want to be shacked up alone for the whole of the summer so she had invited the one person who mattered the most to her.
Beca sat up and looked out to the lake, but saw no-one. She got to her feet and saw that the lake was still with the sunlight glimmering off it in an enchanting way. But before she could start panicking a pair of soft hands appeared in front of her eyes, blocking out the sun light from her vision.
"Guess who?" came a voice, both teasing yet playful. Beca laughed with delight and turned around and saw the person who mattered the most to her. Chloe Beale. She was standing before her, wrapped in a towel, her hair was still dripping wet from her swim in the lake. Beca giggled and booped Chloe's nose.
"This reminds me of my unofficial audition for the Bellas!" she laughed coyly. Chloe pulled a look of mock indignation.
"Beca! How could you say such a thing?" she exclaimed.
"What?"
"We were both wearing significantly less during that audition!" Chloe explained with a wink and her trademark lip bite. The combination of which never ceased to make Beca go weak at the knees. Chloe smiled, any hint of flirtation gone, this was a smile of genuine, undiluted love. She rested her forehead against Beca's and continued to smile.
"Do you remember what made you agree to stay here with me?" asked Beca, her voice barely above a whisper. Chloe pulled her head back.
"Of course I do! I will always treasure that mixed tape you made me! It was lovely, it gave me a reason to dig out the Walkman my dad gave me. It was so sweet of you, I'm still impressed that you knew my love for mixed tapes." Said Chloe, her voice brimming over with joy, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as she recalled the moment that Beca presented her with the modest gift.
Christmas 2012
"Okay aca-bitches, we've sung 'All I Want For Christmas', 'Last Year I Gave You My Heart', what's next on our aca-playlist?" Announced Aubrey Posen. Despite the fact that she was no longer leader of The Barden Bellas or even a member of Barden University, she still maintained her air of authority. Beca's hand shot straight up and Aubrey nodded politely.
"How about 'Merry Christmas Everybody' by Slade?" said Beca, hopefully. At the same time a gasp came from the other side of the room as Chloe swelled with excitement and bit her bottom lip with anticipation. Aubrey looked at her with surprise, but she couldn't say no to Chloe when she bit her lip in that adorable way.
"Okay, 'Merry Christmas Everybody' by Slade it is. Are you all familiar with how it goes?" asked Aubrey, looking at the rest of the Bellas. They all nodded as if Aubrey had asked a really stupid question, even Amy rolled her eyes. The only one who nodded with excitement was Stacie and that was all the approval Aubrey needed.
This Christmas, Aubrey's parents had decided to go on a romantic Christmas vacation, to re-kindle the love that had slowly been depleting over their years of marriage. That left Aubrey with the house all to herself and as you would expect from someone like Aubrey, she called a Bella Emergency Christmas Party. Of course, all the Bellas had turned up, knowing that since they had won the regional tournament at Lincoln Centre, Aubrey was a lot more relaxed and fun than she used to be.
Once they had finished there rendition of the Slade classic, they all decided to take a break to rest their vocal chords. Aubrey and Stacie went into the kitchen together and Amy and Cynthia-Rose were talking to each other about their plans for the remainder of their Christmas break and what they were planning to do once their time at Barden University came to an end. Beca sneaked outside, wrapping her arms around herself as the cold hit her with the force of a train. She exhaled and saw her breath leave her mouth as wisps of white mist and a shiver ran through the whole of her body.
"Beca? What are you doing? It's freezing out here!" came a concerned voice from behind her. Beca turned around and saw Chloe walking out, sliding the patio door shut behind her with a click.
"Oh, hey Chloe. I'm just thinking." Said Beca, her voice betraying the uncertainty she was feeling not just in her mind but in her heart. Chloe came closer and took Beca's hands in her own.
"Beca, what's wrong?" asked the ginger as she squeezed Beca's hands ever so gently. Beca exhaled heavily and looked up, tears ran from her eyes and down her red cheeks. Chloe gasped and immediately pulled Beca into a hug, and she began to blink rapidly in order to fight back the tears that were starting to build up, blurring her vision.
"It's about Jesse." Beca managed to say between sobs. Chloe seemed to stiffen at the mention of Beca's ex.
"What's happened?" Chloe asked, concerned for the well-being of the girl that she loved. Beca wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked at Chloe.
"He wants me back." Beca said, her voice faint and filled with a whirlpool of mixed emotions. Chloe felt her windpipe constrict and her hands dropped away from Beca and she felt them curl into fists. And a single tear ran down her cheek as she felt her heart shatter into hundreds of little pieces.
"I'm so happy for the two of you." Chloe lied as she tried to smile. Beca looked up from the ground into Chloe's eyes. Those wonderful pale blue eyes that captivated her mind and made her feel as if everything would be okay. Those eyes that Beca could lose herself in for hours at a time.
"I turned him down. There might have been a time when I would have happily ran back into his arms, but it's too late now. I've put everything I had in me into something else." Said Beca, certainty creeping back into her voice, and she reached into her coat and pulled out a rectangular box. It was wrapped with bright yellow paper and there was a lilac bow tied around it, she handed it gently to Chloe.
"What's this?" Chloe asked, partly confused and partly guilty that she had nothing to give Beca in return. She would have bought her something, but she was convinced that Beca would always be Jesse's girl deep down, so Chloe thought she should hide from her feelings. Now, everything was changing.
"Look at the tag." Said Beca, her voice so quiet that Lily would have asked her to speak up. Chloe detached the tag from the mystery gift. It said:
"You're not as limited as I am when we are apart,
Beca
xxx"
Chloe choked back a sob as she realised in her head what was happening, this was the moment when everything was going to change. Be it for better or for worse, tonight was the night when Beca and Chloe were going to cease being friends. She tugged at the bow and it unravelled and the yellow paper fell away, landing on the ground with a rustle like an autumn leaf. Chloe opened the box and saw a cassette tape, she looked confused as she picked it up, setting the box down on a nearby table.
"A cassette?" she asked, completely baffled. Beca sighed with exasperation and handed Chloe the small piece of lilac paper that was in the box. Chloe looked at what was written on the paper, it was a list of all her favourite songs, she frowned for a few moments and then her confusion lifted and she looked at the cassette she held in her hand.
"You mentioned how you preferred listening to your old walkman than your iPod so…" Beca began before Chloe burst into tears. Beca took a few steps back in surprise.
"A mixed tape! Oh my gosh, Beca, how did you know?" Chloe asked between sobs of raw joy.
"How did I know what?"
"I love mixed tapes! No one seems to acknowledge how romantic they truly are, but to me they are worth a hundred times more than a bunch of flowers or some jewellery." Cried Chloe, the tears were streaming down her face now, spoiling the makeup that she must have spent hours applying. She swept Beca up into a tight embrace.
"Oh Beca, why didn't you tell me how you felt sooner?" Chloe asked a mixture of frustration and pure happiness in her voice.
"I didn't want you to think you were just a rebound. I wanted you to know that my feelings for you were the real deal." Beca replied, her voice still barely above a whisper. Chloe leaned back and looked deep into Beca's eyes and in that instant they both knew that no more words needed to be spoken, they knew how they felt about each other and nothing could make the evening any more magical for either of them.
Then it began to snow. The white flakes fluttered down from the sky, the wind whipping them up in a calm yet rapid whirlwind of glittering whiteness. Beca and Chloe held each other tightly, and as they lost themselves in the eyes of the other they began to rotate as if they were dancing, and the snow rotated with them. Back in the house, Aubrey aimed her digital camera at the newly formed couple and took a photo.
"I think this would look great on a Christmas card. What do you think Stacie?" Said Aubrey, overwhelmed with happiness that Beca and Chloe had finally admitted their feelings for one another. Stacie peered over Aubrey's shoulder at the photograph.
"Beautiful." She said.
"Just like you." Aubrey replied as she tenderly kissed her girlfriend under the mistletoe.
"Dayuum!" muttered Cynthia-Rose.
Summer 2013
Beca was lying on the floor of the cabin, sprawled out next to a crackling fire when Chloe walked in. She had dried herself off and put some clothes on, a pair of jeans and a purple flannel shirt.
"Beca. What are you doing?" Chloe asked, nudging her girlfriend gently with her foot.
"Absorbing the heat." Beca said, as she lay almost motionless on the carpet. Chloe sighed with disappointment.
"Let's go outside! We can go bird-watching!" Chloe suggested excitedly. Beca lowered her shades and looked up at Chloe.
"I had no idea you liked bird-watching."
"Well, it is a nice way to pass some free time, but it also serves as a good way of convincing someone to make out with you up a tree." Chloe said and winked. There was a moment of silence, the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire. Beca looked at Chloe. Chloe looked at Beca.
"I'm getting my binoculars!" Beca shouted, the words leaving her mouth so fast, they sounded like a garbled noise. Chloe chuckled to herself and got to her feet and went to put on a coat, it was windy outside.
A few minutes later after Beca had changed into something more suitable for bird watching they left the cabin and walked off up a dirt trail that led upwards into the forest. The sun barely managed to break through the trees, so any area that was illuminated by the sun looked like a spotlight on stage. Beca had to admit that she missed performing a cappella live and sometimes she would even dream that she was back at Lincoln Centre, where she put her heart and soul into her rendition of "Don't You Forget About Me".
"Beca, look!" Chloe cried, repeatedly tapping Beca's shoulder. Beca looked around and looked at where Chloe was pointing. There was a rocky outcrop that rose at a gentle incline. Beca and Chloe ran through the trees, laughing until they got to the outcrop at which point they slowed down and walked to the flat top and looked out ahead of them. They both peered forward and saw a long drop below them, but when they looked dead ahead they saw the view of a lifetime. The sky was pure blue, with only a few whisps of white cloud moving aimlessly across the sapphire skyline and dead ahead was the sun. It hung in the sky, a gigantic blazing ball of fire, illuminating everything with its light. Beca looked back at Chloe and gasped.
"What? What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Chloe blurted as she began to panic. Beca held her by the shoulders and she calmed down instantly.
"It's the sun, the way it reflects off your hair, it makes it look as if it's on fire. It's beautiful." Beca said, her voice tinged with wonder. Chloe gave her a confused look, because she could not see what Beca saw. To Beca, Chloe's hair was shining brightly, the ginger mixing with the sunlight to create a vision of fire. A gentle breeze swept across to where they were standing, and it caused Chloe's hair to sway ever so gently. It looked like a real fire now, but not a dangerous or scary fire, more like a campfire. Gentle, harmless and oddly beautiful. Chloe waved a hand in front of Beca's face and clicked her fingers.
"Wakey wakey! I thought I'd lost you for a second there, you were just staring at my hair." She said, chuckling slightly. Beca held her right arm with her left hand and looked down sheepishly, hoping that Chloe wouldn't see her blushing.
"Sorry, it looked so pretty." Beca mumbled, aimlessly tracing shapes in the rock with her feet. Chloe just laughed.
"Don't be sorry, it was cute. Everything you do is cute, don't worry about it." Chloe said softly, as she looked out at the view. Beca followed her gaze and leaned in close and the redhead wrapped her arms around her in a loving embrace. It was a moment that both of them cherished and neither of them wanted to end, if they could remain in that exact spot, in each other's arms until the end of time they would. The warmth of the sun wrapped around them, the warmth making both girls smile. A thought occurred to Beca, she did not know where it had come from or why. It could have been the heat, it could have been the perfection of the moment, but most likely it was because of her love for the twinkly-eyed redhead that was holding her tightly.
"Er Chloe?" Beca asked, feeling a new level of nervousness as she was scared of ruining what they had.
"Yes." Chloe replied, looking at Beca with confusion.
"Do you want to move in with me?"
"What?" Chloe asked, her eyebrows raised. Beca began to panic, she could feel in her heart that she had ruined the magic of their relationship, but it was too late for her to stop now.
"Do you want to move in with me? We work so well as a couple and when we're apart, nothing I do alone is as good as when I'm with you. I thought it would be good for us, we would be able to see each other more often, because we'd live together and… I know it's stupid for me to say but…" Beca had started to talk rapidly, most of her words colliding, so most of what she said was an unintelligible garble. Chloe put a single finger on Beca's lips causing her to immediately stop talking. Chloe smiled.
"I think it is a wonderful idea." She said.
"Are you being serious?" Beca asked.
"Dixie Chicks serious." Chloe said with a wink. Then she put one hand on Beca's waist and the other cradled the back of her head and she pulled the brunette towards her and kissed her. In Beca's mind, there were fireworks and lots of them, every one of her senses came alive with explosions of colour and light. She was so excited about what the future held for the two of them, but at that moment in time nothing else mattered but the two of them.
In that one perfect moment there was nothing else in the world, but them. The world disappeared and the only thing that existed was the two girls, locked in a kiss built on love, passion and the desire for one another.
Nothing could break them apart, time stood still.
3 Months Later
Chloe and Beca were lying on their sofa together sharing the headphones of Chloe's Walkman and listening to the mixed tape Beca had made for her. As it was getting nearer to the winter, the temperature had dropped, so the two girls were both wearing jumpers and were cuddling each other for warmth.
Everything had been going perfectly since the two had started to live together, they hadn't had an argument once. Beca was even getting use to Chloe's frequent shower interruptions. As the two listened to the mixed tape, which contained a good number of Chloe's favourite songs, they thought about how everything was great, the doorbell rang.
Chloe and Beca exchanged looks of confusion as they weren't expecting anyone. Beca still had her Barden University rape whistle lying around somewhere she just hoped that she wouldn't need a reason to use it. Chloe got up and opened the door and a blonde figure burst in followed by a dark haired girl.
"Aubrey? Stacie? What are you doing here?" asked Chloe, shocked at their unannounced appearance. Aubrey stood for a moment, panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. Stacie put her arm around her.
"She has been a complete nightmare on the way over. She's really stressed out." Stacie said, sympathy in her eyes as she looked at her girlfriend with concern.
"She's stressed? Does that mean she's… y'know?" asked Chloe nervously.
"Let's just say this isn't the top I was wearing this morning, or the one I was wearing when we stopped for petrol, or the one I was wearing while we parked." Stacie said, wincing as she thought of all the clothes that were now ruined.
"Aubrey, what's the deal? You've never been this stressed out before." Asked Beca, who was worried at what could make Aubrey so stressed.
"There is a World Wide A Cappella Championship coming up. Each country that enters can only submit one a cappella group, so I think that the Bellas should enter." Aubrey spluttered. Beca, Chloe and Stacie exchanged looks.
"You think the Bellas are that good?" said Beca, clearly unconvinced.
"Of course we're not, we haven't performed for months. Stacie can't even match pitch properly. But, you've managed to give us the winning streak before, you can do it again, right Beca?" Aubrey said, nervously looking at Beca. Beca shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, I don't know if I can pull the same trick twice." She said and then she saw Aubrey begin to heave.
"But I'm sure we can think of something that is totes aca-awesome, right Beca?" said Chloe, nudging Beca in the ribs.
"Er yeah… totes." Beca agreed unconvincingly. Aubrey calmed down and stood up, and swept herself down.
"Right then aca-bitches, it's time to suit up, we've got a Championship to win!" said Aubrey proudly. Beca and Chloe looked at each other forlornly. It looked like their peaceful life would have to be put on hold.
Fin.