"Chloe?" Beca called out for her co-captain as she pushed open the door to the other girl's room. Chloe had asked her to drop by to discuss the set list for an upcoming event they'd been booked for that would help them pay for regionals. She looked around but saw no sign of the redhead. She moved to Chloe's desk to sit and wait for the other girl when something on the desk caught her eye. There was a sheet of paper on the desk top and she saw her name written on it. She thought that maybe Chloe had left her a note about changing their plans so she picked it up and scanned it. It wasn't about a set list and immediately Beca knew she shouldn't be reading it but she couldn't stop herself.
Beca Effin' Mitchell, it began with her name in Chloe's graceful scrawl. I knew from the moment I first saw you across the quad at the activities fair that you were something special. I don't think I could have realised at that time, not even after our shower duet, just how special you would end up being to me. You really don't realise how amazing you are, or how beautiful for that matter. From that point on (even though you dissed a capella singing) I started falling for you and now it's three years later and I'm still falling because I'm too afraid to tell you.
"Beca?" Chloe's voice stopped her from reading and further and her eyes shot up to find the redhead standing looking shocked and maybe even a little hurt. "What are you doing?"
"Chloe!" Beca gasped, dropping the note immediately. "I came up to find you because you wanted to talk about the set list-"
"Did you read that letter?" Chloe interjected.
"I...uh...kind of, a little," Beca stammered. She knew she shouldn't have read something that was clearly very personal but it had her name on it and then it was saying all of the things she'd ever dreamed of hearing Chloe say so it had been hard to stop.
"You weren't meant to see that," Chloe was clearly upset, her cheeks flushed red and she want sure how to deal with this.
"I'm sorry Chloe I didn't-"
"I can't...I just need to...not right now ok?" the older girl started back tracking out of the room. She wasn't prepared to deal with this right now. "I have to go."
"Chloe! Wait!" Beca called after her but knowing better than to chase her. She'd just inadvertently read some of Chloe's most private thoughts and she knew how she would feel in this situation so she left the other girl go.
Alone in the room again Beca didn't dare pick up the letter again. Instead she sank onto Chloe's bed pinching the bridge of her nose and blowing out a long breath. Her head was swimming right now. The contents of the letter swirling around in her brain begging for attention. Chloe had feelings for her. She could hardly believe it was true. She had been harbouring a crush on her co-captain for almost as long as they'd known each other but she had never dreamed the other girl might feel the same way. And now she was worried she might have gone and ruined any chance she had by invading Chloe's privacy, albeit accidentally. She breathed in deeply again and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She knew there was only one person who could help her with this.
'Dude are you free right now? I need your help with something...Code red!'
She sent the message to Jesse and received a reply within seconds.
'Code red? Seriously? I'm free. What's going on? Should I come over or do you want to come here?'
Beca considered the options. She definitely didn't want Jesse coming here and risk being overheard by one of the girls but the Treble house smelled funny.
'No we can meet at a neutral location. Joe's in 10?'
'I'll be there.'
Biting her lip Beca cast one more glance at the letter on Chloe's desk, if only to confirm to herself that it did really exist and she hadn't dreamed it, before leaving the room. She grabbed a hoodie from her own room and headed out to meet Jesse. This was not going to be a fun talk but she knew he was her best option for help.
Chloe knocked rapidly in Aubrey's door, not stopping until the blonde answered.
"What's wrong?" Aubrey asked immediately upon seeing her best friend standing before her with tears streaming down her face.
"It's Beca." Chloe sobbed as Aubrey ushered her inside the apartment and onto the couch.
"I swear to god I'm going to murder that little hobbit!" Aubrey seethed through clenched teeth.
"Bree-"
"Chloe I know you're like in love with her but she made you cry! That is unacceptable to me as your best friend," the blonde huffed indignantly.
"Beca didn't actually do anything to make me cry, well she did but it was unintentional. It's a long story," Chloe explained, wiping the tear stains from her cheek.
"I'm waiting," Aubrey prompted when it seemed Chloe wasn't going to continue.
"So you know I've had a thing for Beca since she first joined the Bellas," she began.
"You mean the raging toner you've been sporting since that shower duet?"
"Yeah well you also know I have been trying to get over my crush on her because 3 years is a ridiculous amount of time to spend crushing on someone so I tried that thing you suggested where you write your feelings in a letter to get them off your chest and I just found Beca reading the letter!" She explained it all in one breath, she pressed her hands against her forehead as she relived the moment.
"She went through your private things, what a nosy little bitch!" Aubrey sneered.
"No she didn't go through my things. I forgot I'd left it on my desk and she came to my room to talk to me and I guess she saw her name and naturally, I mean who wouldn't read something with their name on it," Chloe reasoned. She was kicking herself for forgetting to hide or possibly even destroy the letter.
"Still kind of rude if you ask me," Aubrey shrugged. "So what did she say when you found her reading the letter?"
"Not much, she tried to say something but I panicked and ran here," Chloe frowned.
"So she didn't actually reject you?" Aubrey's brow furrowed.
"I didn't give her the chance to!" Chloe shook her head.
"Yes but you didn't exactly give her the chance to not reject you either," she pointed out. "Maybe after seeing your letter she was willing to admit to the equally large toner she has for you but you didn't let her."
"How many times Bree?" Chloe groaned. "Beca doesn't see me like that."
"For the record you're wrong about that," Aubrey replied pointedly. "You still need to talk to her though, otherwise things will just end up awkward. I know I'm not Beca Mitchell's biggest fan but I do know that even if you're right about her not feeling the same way, she wouldn't want to lose your friendship over this. And I know you wouldn't want that either."
"You're right!" Chloe sighed, slumping against the back of the couch.
"More often that not, yes," the blonde replied smartly.
"Why did I have to write that stupid letter?" She groaned, not looking forward to the inevitable awkward conversation with the DJ.
Joe's dinner was fairly quiet when Beca arrived. She spotted Jesse waiting for her in a booth in the back corner. He made a big show of waving even though he knew she had already spotted him. Beca cringed at him for being such a goofball. She sat down at the table and was pleased to find he had ordered her a strawberry milkshake.
"I thought it was appropriate, you know, since we have a code red," he joked and Beca rolled her eyes at him.
"Thanks," was all she muttered in response, pulling the drink towards her and taking a sip from the straw.
"So are you going to tell me what's going on here? Or do I have to guess?" He asked unable to wait for the DJ to start speaking. She had dubbed this meeting a code red which meant she was actually, legitimately considering finally making a move on Chloe after all these years of crushing on her. It was a big deal and he needed to know details.
"Ugh!" She groaned really not wanting to have to relive the afternoon but knowing it was necessary. "Alright I'll tell you, but please keep all questions, comments and gloating remarks to yourself until I'm finished talking, OK?"
"That's fair," he nodded with an amused smirk.
"Alright I went into Chloe's room earlier to discuss set lists for our next gig but she wasn't there. So I went to sit down and wait for her but I saw this piece of paper on her desk and it had my name on it, I swear I thought it was a note about a change of plans or something but it turned out to be a letter and in it she was saying how she had fallen for me and I don't know what else it says because she came in and caught me reading it and she freaked out and ran away. So congratulations you were right about her liking me but now it looks like I've blew my chance before I even got it because she probably hates me for snooping!"" She sighed at the end of her speech, the gravity of her situation hitting her. She has gone from being on cloud 9 thinking she had a shot with Chloe to back in the gutter dreaming on 10 seconds flat.
"Well first of all I would like to say a heartfelt I told you so!" The Treble grinned. He had been trying for months to convince his tiny friend that her crush on Chloe was a mutual thing and that she should make a move. "I feel like we should note this for future reference that I am always right!"
"Dude you are the worst!" Beca grumbled.
"I'm sorry, I had to!" He shrugged at her. He crossed his arms on the table and leaned in slightly towards the girl. "And I also don't think you've ruined your chances. Chloe was probably just embarrassed that you found the letter or worried about how you'd react but come on Becs, she knows you well enough to know you weren't intentionally snooping."
"Jesse," she began tentatively, rare vulnerability evident in her voice. "How do I fix this?"
"There's only one thing to do in a situation like this. It's time for the old SRG!" He grinned broadly, excitement clear in his brown eyes. Beca gave him a blank stare. "A sweeping romantic gesture!" he explained.
"Oh my God, no!" She groaned, slumping forward in her seat. Honestly she should have expected this from the Treble. "Jesse we've talked about this; the difference between movies and real life!"
"Hear me out," he argued pleadingly.
"I swear if you're about to suggest I stand outside her window with a boom box..."
"Come on Becs, you're a 3 time national champion in collegiate a capella! I think you can do a little better than a boom box," he frowned at her lack of ambition.
"You're saying I should stand outside her window and sing?"
"With the Trebles and the Bellas backing you up," he nodded.
"That sounds ridiculous," Beca pouted.
"Can you honestly tell me that you don't have a playlist tucked away somewhere on your laptop filled with songs that remind you of Chloe? Or that if I put you on the spot right now you couldn't think of a single song that would adequately express your feelings for her?" Jesse stated plainly.
Beca avoided eye contact with him because he had a point. There may or may not be a playlist on her laptop containing songs that reminded her of the redhead. Jesse smiled smugly knowing he was right.
"Do you have a song in mind?" He prompted gently.
Beca sighed. This was not something she would normally consider doing; such an outward display of emotion, with back up no less. But she knew she had at the very least embarrassed Chloe by reading the letter she wasn't supposed to see, so maybe putting herself on the line like that would even the score. She wasn't ones for all that romantic crap that plagued the movies Jesse was so fond of but she couldn't help thinking that it might be something Chloe liked.
"Yes," she answered quietly.
"Let's rally the troops!" Jesse grinned broadly.
"What's all this about?" Stacie asked. Beca had summoned the Bellas to the Treble house to discuss the idea and practise.
"We're going to do a song with the Trebles," Beca explained with a shrug, not really wanting to go into too much detail. She handed out the sheet music in the hopes it would distract from any further questions.
"But why?" Stacie pressed, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. "And where's Chloe? Shouldn't she be here?"
Beca shifted uncomfortably at the mention of her co-captain.
"Holy shit!" Fat Amy gasped when she put two and two together in her head. "The captain is finally making a move on Ginger!"
"What?" The Bellas chorused. Beca grimaced as she felt her face blush.
"Oh em-aca-gee!" Emily squeaked gleefully. "This is so romantic! Our aca-moms are finally getting together!"
"And I had Beca making the first move in the pool!" Cynthia-Rose grinned. "Way to go Cap! I knew you had it in you."
"Thanks," Beca grumbled sarcastically. She was beginning to regret her decision to include these people in her plan.
"Come on guys," Jesse tried to rein in the group and save his friend. "There'll be plenty of time for teasing Beca after we help her get her girl!"
"You're not helping!" She shook her head at him. He was definitely enjoying this way too much for her liking. Thankfully though the group seemed to listen to him, turning their attention to practising rather than teasing Beca.
Beca would be taking the lead vocals with the groups providing back up. The combined voices of the Trebles and the Bellas actually sounded really good together. They didn't have much time but they managed to get the song pretty tight after a few run throughs. Beca just hoped this was going to work.
"Look sharp Shawshank! We have signs of life in Red's bedroom," Amy announced from the window where she'd been keeping watch for Chloe's return.
"Showtime!" Jesse smiled brightly and offered her two big thumbs up. Beca had never felt so nervous before a performance in her life.
After a few hours eating ice-cream and bemoaning the situation she found herself in Chloe decided she couldn't put off going back to the Bellas house any longer.
"You can stay here tonight if you want," Aubrey offered.
"No, I just want to go back and get this over with before I reconsider my idea of changing my name and moving to a new state," Chloe sighed. Aubrey rolled her eyes at how melodramatic Chloe could be.
"Let me know how it goes," she offered her friend an encouraging smile as she saw her to the door.
"I will!" Chloe wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Thanks for listening Bree."
When Chloe got back to the Bellas house it was strangely quiet. Living with 8 other girls silence was not something she was used to hearing in this house. She looked around but found that all of the girls were out. Frowning thoughtfully she made her way to her room, nothing to do now but wait for Beca to return and get the inevitable uncomfortable conversation over with. She was lying on her bed scrolling through her phone when she heard a soft rap on her window, quickly followed by another and another. She crossed the room and looked out into the falling darkness, her confusion growing with what she saw.
"Beca?" She opened the window and called down to her co-captain who was standing on the grass surrounded by the Trebles and the Bellas.
The DJ held her hand up to Chloe requesting silence. This was it; her stomach was clenched with nerves and she was sure her hands were shaking. She drew a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at the others.
"1, 2, 3, 4..." She counted down for the group to begin. They began to harmonise the instrumental intro.
"Fire and ice, this love is like fire and ice
This love is like rain and blue skies
This love is like sun on the rise
This love's got me rolling the dice
Don't let me lose
Still falling for you."
Beca was relieved to hear that the nerves weren't coming through in her voice. She kept her eyes locked on Chloe as she sang, willing the redhead to hear everything she was putting into the song. When Jesse had made the idiotic suggestion she just knew this was the song she had to sing.
"Beautiful mind, your heart got a story with mine
Your heart got me hurting at times
Your heart gave me new kind of highs
Your heart got me feeling so fine
So what to do
Still falling for you."
Beca felt every word as she sang she really hoped this would work because now she had been given the hope that she could actually have something with Chloe she wanted nothing more. She just wished she could see Chloe's face clearer to try to read how she was feeling.
"And just like that
All I breathe, all I feel
You are all for me
I'm in.
And just like that
All I breathe, all I feel
You are all for me
No one can lift me, catch me the way that you do
Still falling for you."
The song ended and Beca's pulse hammered in her ears. Chloe had disappeared from the window. Beca felt the urge to throw up with the nerves she was feeling over Chloe's reaction. She knew after reading the letter that Chloe had feelings for her but she was still afraid the redhead would reject her. She wasn't sure she could take that, especially after the display she had just put on.
Chloe's heart had stopped the second Beca had started singing. This was the kind of thing you saw in movies or read about in trashy romance novels; this wasn't something that happened in real life, least of all to her. She recognised the Ellie Goulding song instantly and the sentiment behind it, the raw emotion she could hear in Beca's voice, touched her heart. She could hardly believe this was happening. The alternative brunette who hated open displays of emotions was baring her soul to Chloe. Not only was she doing it in front of everyone but she had actually enlisted their help. She watched in awe as Beca continued to sing, the tones of her alto voice sounding rich and beautiful in the song; Chloe was captivated. Her feet began moving as soon as the song ended, carrying her towards Beca at a speed she couldn't believe. She reached the door and ran around the side of the house to where the group stood. She stopped a few feet in front of Beca.
"Brighter than gold
This love shining brighter than gold
This love is like letters in bold
This love is like out of control
This love's never growing old
You make it new
Still falling for you."
Beca's heart stopped as Chloe sang the song back to her. This was it. She had feelings for Chloe and Chloe had feelings for her and it was out in the open now. She took the three steps it took to close the distance between than and wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck. One final look into those crystal blue eyes was all the confirmation she needed before she leaned up slightly and brought their lips together.
Chloe's arms wrapped around Beca's waist, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. If it hadn't been for the loud cheers and whistles from their nearby friends it might have been a perfect moment.