Beca Mitchell wonders when she first notices Chloe Beale.
Have things always been this… comfortable and relaxing between the two of them?
"Beca… I want to cuddle!"
"Again?"
Beca wonders when she became so softhearted towards the redhead, even giving in to her constant demand for skin contact. She doesn't remember giving hugs or kisses to their other friends like she does Chloe. Don't talk about hugs or kisses, even linking arms are considered a luxury to Beca. Perhaps it's the mommy-issues like everyone says, because Beca was never taught to open her heart or be relaxed around people. All her father did was try to impose his own morals and definitions of character on her, which didn't and still doesn't sit well with her.
Chloe frowns when she's still alone on the sofa – didn't Beca always come running at her call?
"Beca. Mitchell."
"Fine, fine…" Beca groans in response, getting off the comfortable single chair. She actually loves sitting alone with her body engulfed in thick blankets and the likes. Yet, it seems everything is changing because of Chloe. When she's finally snuggled beside the whining redhead, Beca can't help but stiffen a little. "Are you happy now?"
"Utterly satisfied."
The smile on Chloe's face is enough for Beca to shut her mouth, even if she's initially uncomfortable. She adores the redhead to the ends of the earth and to say that she'd do anything for the latter is a complete understatement. Every time Chloe sends that mind-blowing smile or that effortlessly sexy wink at her, Beca finds herself ready to drop to her knees to worship the older woman. And… she doesn't mean this in a creepy way at all but Chloe Beale has the most beautiful butt Beca has ever seen in her entire life.
If only Beca knows…
Chloe has been staring at her in the same manner with the exact same gaze in her eyes – a familiar emotion the both of them can concur with.
"Can't you feel it? The sexual tension in the air?" Stacie cries out in a dramatic manner. She has her legs propped atop her girlfriend's lap, and boy – Cynthia Rose has amazing massage skills indeed. "I want to suffocate every time I'm stuck with them alone."
The entire group is nodding and laughing together at Stacie's statement; most of them can't deny her words, because the pair of friends make it so painfully obvious. While some agree with having Chloe and Beca end up together, one in particular (of course, it's Aubrey Posen herself) is more worried about the little pest always pestering Chloe. For more detail, the little pest is none other than Tom, who thinks a mere one-night stand automatically makes him a permanent figure in Chloe's life.
It's only then Emily stops her munching on her bag of cookies and looks up with an odd expression.
"What sexual tension?
The girls palmed their face.
Fat Amy sighs, "full offence, Emily, but you're the dumbest person I've ever seen in my entire life."
The next day seems to be pass very quickly, with Beca rushing off to the radio station immediately after her first two classes. She doesn't pay heed to the group's calling, something else weighing heavily on her mind instead. She didn't want to eavesdrop this morning but Chloe was in the kitchen with the biggest smile on her face, on the phone with Mr. Douchebag (actually Beca doesn't know who it is but there's a high possibility that it's Tom). If that isn't unlucky enough, Beca had to hear Chloe agreeing to meet him tonight too.
There is literally zero reason for Beca to go for Bellas' practice and since she's not the only one with her own schedule, Beca just has to come up with some excuse. Usually, Beca can't bear to miss practice because she gets to spend more time with Chloe but not today.
"What's up with Beca?"
Jessica frowns, "she didn't even compliment my hair this morning."
"Oh, please," Ashley snorts, "they barely even notice us here."
"HEY!"
Ashley grins sheepishly at the looks of offence on the other girls' faces. She can't resist teasing them over their lack of attention towards Jessica and herself in the past.
Chloe can't get her shit together at all; her notes have been off-tune and her choreography has been completely ruined too. She can't put her finger on it at the moment but she something just doesn't feel right being here without all of them here together. Her vocal nodules have healed themselves just recently and the past few practices had gone wonderful… it's just her condition today. Whether it's the weather or the bloody temperature in the room, she can't tell.
"Look, we obviously have things on our minds so why don't we sit out of practice today?" Fat Amy says, her eyes glued to her phone.
Hesitation clouds Chloe's vision temporarily; she promised Aubrey to take good care of the Bellas and their reputation as world champions. They sure as hell won't maintain that if they're going to skip practice to sort out their own emotional problems. Professionalism has always been an easy feat for Chloe, probably because she didn't have a tight-knit relationship with the former Bellas like the current ones. Most importantly, no other person has ever made Chloe nervous because of her mere presence the way Beca Mitchell does.
Now, things haven't always been this tense.
The first time Chloe laid her eyes on the brunette, she felt an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of her tummy. Was it Beca's resting bitch face that scared her off? Or was it the eye contact that made Chloe feel a rush of blood to her face? Chloe can't seem to stop thinking of that brunette, even though she knows she shouldn't. She already has a thing with Tom – isn't this considered two-timing? Well, they're not official or anything but they do have an on-off thing together, and it's obvious.
"Chloe, are you feeling okay?"
The redhead finally looks up and realizes the Bellas are surrounding her this time. She smiles gratefully, "I… I just have some stuff to figure out on my own. I'm fine, girls."
Cynthia Rose almost groans aloud at the obvious problem staring at everyone in the face – okay well, only Chloe doesn't know the issue herself. Everyone else can tell that the momentum is broken because Beca isn't here with Chloe. She can't be the only one who wants to smack the two oblivious people involved! There are so many instances where Beca makes exceptions for Chloe alone; she treats Chloe so differently and with such gentleness that it's almost impossible for them not to look like a couple.
Stacie gives her girlfriend a powerful smack on the shoulder, warning her to keep her mouth shut. "Say a thing and you get none of these goodies tonight." Stacie mouthed, her eyes glaring daggers at her precious woman.
A sigh leaves Chloe's lips and her shoulders slump forward tiredly; thinking about Beca always gives her a headache. She doesn't know why Beca's been giving her the cold shoulder since this morning, and Chloe doesn't know if it's a good idea to find out. If Beca gives her an answer that'd hurt her… Chloe doesn't know what she will do. They've spent years together and they're pretty close but Chloe still feels the barrier that Beca puts between them unconsciously; a psychological barrier that can improve or worsen their friendship.
Why did Beca ignore her the entire morning?
"Ugh… screw this shit," Chloe huffs, grabbing her bag that was sitting on the bleachers. She's going to be late for her meeting with Tom if she doesn't start moving. It's her turn to ignore the Bellas' calls, more because of the constant worry in Chloe's mind.
The Bellas groaned for the nth time – were both their leaders always this stupid or oblivious to the obvious?
Beca Mitchell has always been a sharp, independent and heavily guarded person; she can't trust the people around her until there's some sort of validation or anything like that. She proves herself to be a consistent person with a strong will to go ahead with her dreams and ambitions. With absolutely no intention of auditioning for the Bellas, the brunette still lugged herself to the auditorium for the sake of the redhead; the latter's sky blue eyes drew her right back in. Now, she seems a lot softer and definitely more comfortable around this group of girls.
All because of Chloe Beale.
Being a redhead has always been a kind of uniqueness to Chloe Beale. She was originally born with a gorgeous blonde shade of hair but Chloe didn't want to blend in with the other beautiful blondes surrounding her. She wanted to be different and rely on herself to work on her own music. She wanted to be her own person. No one will look at her like she's a typical member of the Beale family – the Beales are well known for being rich and powerful, along with their crazy obsession with reputation and economic stability.
Chloe massages her temples at the sight of Tom walking towards her with that stupid smile on his face; it's just a normal meeting so why does Tom have to look so phony?
"Hey, baby!"
Oh, for God's sake.
Tom tries to hide the frown growing on his face when Chloe moves to avoid his kiss. She never reacted that way before. In fact, they behave like crazy bunnies sometimes.
"Why did you call me out, Tom?" Chloe asks, unaware of the slightly aggressive tone in her voice. She can't even hide the tired look on her face anymore. "I didn't get anything done today so I need to leave as soon as possible."
The flinch Tom just had shocked Chloe herself; since when did she become so hard and cold towards him? She didn't realize it either…
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just have some things on my mind and I need to get them sorted out before practice tomorrow."
Kind Chloe, as always, apologizing for something she shouldn't have to. Normally, the Bellas would chide her for being too soft-hearted and easily taken advantage of but that's why Chloe gets along with Aubrey so well. They match each other and compliment each other's strong, completely opposite personalities. Now that Aubrey has already graduated and left the school to run a retreat camp, Chloe is left alone to stand up for herself (which obviously isn't working out too well).
Then came Beca.
Within the first year of their friendship, the number of times Beca has defended Chloe has surpassed the number of fingers on both hands and toes on one foot. Whenever Chloe is in trouble or is in need of some help, Beca is always there; be it coincidental or not, the bottom line is: Beca is always there to protect her.
"Well… to make up for my demanding behavior," Tom looks a little too innocent but he did look really sorry, "shall I take you out for a movie tonight?"
Chloe doesn't want to…
She's supposed to be meeting the girls.
"F-Fine…"
Chloe:
I'm not coming home early tonight
Take care you girls!
"Why the bloody hell isn't she coming back?" Stacie screeched.
Aubrey almost palms her face at the message that came in through the group chat; did Chloe forget that she is coming back here tonight? On every second Sunday of the month, Aubrey gets to spend the night here at the Bellas' house due to the influx of students coming in for team-bonding activities. Although she misses the girls crazily, Aubrey has always been a woman of her word – she follows the rules even more closely than her subordinates. Now her best friend forgets all about it? Well then.
Beca can't help the annoyed snort, "she probably went to meet Mr. Douchebag again. It's not exactly new, y'know."
Fat Amy rolls her eyes in amusement; these two really do a bad job of covering up their innermost feelings. She likes being a spectator of love games and all but her two friends are involved – if any of them got hurt, wouldn't it spell demise for the Bellas?
"Jealous, much?" Aubrey smirked.
Everyone watches with hitched breaths as Beca visibly tenses up, hands balling into fists. Beca always makes it painfully obvious whenever her guards start to go up, and Chloe is usually there to dispel her nerves. The most difficult part of getting Beca to relax and fall back into the conversation is the sudden distrust that overwhelms her. Chloe usually has a way to do it and it's supposedly different from the way the other girls do it. Now that Chloe isn't here to do something, they're pretty much at a loss too.
Aubrey seems to have caught on too, and she scoots closer to the brunette. She displays a demeanor-too-cute for her usual self and pouts, "I was just kidding. Don't be angry."
Right at that moment, the front door slams open and who should run in but a crying redhead with tattered clothes. Chloe makes a dash for her room and shuts the door with a loud bang, collapsing against it with her knees pulled to her chest. She refuses to believe that whatever just happened was reality. The guy who wanted to make it up to her tried to get frisky with her in the theatres? And even followed her to the bathroom when she tried to leave? Damn, she almost got herself into deep shit!
Within a flash, Beca reaches their shared room and begins to pound on the door with all her might. The brunette can feel tears stinging her eyes, blurring her vision immensely.
"CHLOE! CHLOE!"
Chloe only lowers her head and tries to keep her sobs down so the girls won't worry so much. She'll most likely have to face the music tomorrow morning or afternoon at latest but for now; Chloe needs to let it all sink in. She needs to start believing that people aren't always going to be nice or equally honest as she is. The one person that she never thought would do that already did; Tom went overboard, and he almost became a sexual assailant
Why?
Why did people have to be so cruel?
"Chlo…" Beca sighs, her head resting against the door in defeat. She can feel her knuckles starting to ache at the constant knocking but her mind's running wild. It's clear that whatever happened to Chloe wrecked her, and Beca can't have that. "Open up, please?"
Aubrey isn't going to lie; she can roughly sketch out what happened between Chloe and Tom. She knows how her best friend is like, and Chloe needs this time alone. "Beca…" Aubrey approaches the brunette gently, her hands rubbing Beca's shoulders, "I think you should talk to her tomorrow." Aubrey's tone might be sympathetic but it is definitely firm; Beca knows when to back off and trust Aubrey on this.
Chloe maintains her silence as she overhears the girls try to pull Beca away from the room door; the mild ache in her heart worsening when she hears Lily talk in an audible voice regarding the bruises on Beca's knuckles. Her tears fall even quicker and it gets tougher to cry at an inaudible volume – why does her heart hurt more at the thought of Beca hurting herself in the midst of worrying about her? She's so confused; no wonder people say feelings are a curse sometimes.
"Chloe, I know you're listening. I want you to calm yourself and get your shit together, alright? I won't ask you anything, but I expect you to open up to me."
Knowing Aubrey's extremely domineering ways, Chloe knows it's not a favour being asked; it's an order.
Chloe wished the sun never came up.
Another day is beginning, and Chloe's mind is still in a complete mess. She wishes last night never happened, and that everything was back to normal. Why did she have to give in again? Why is it always her that has to fall victim to people like that?
"Um… Chloe?"
The redhead's ears perk up at the soft voice on the other side of the wooden door. She doesn't need to be a genius to know who it is; that voice always sends chills down her spine. "Give me a second..." Chloe stands up weakly, her back still resting against the door. She can only hope her legs don't give way when she sees Beca in front of her. Honestly, changing her clothes to presentable ones isn't even important anymore, not when Beca probably figured out the events of what happened already.
Beca barely held back a gasp when her eyes landed on Chloe; she tries to fight back tears but to no avail. "O-Oh my God, Chlo…"
The tears that Chloe has been holding back came flowing down without an ounce of control, her body shaking furiously when Beca started to come closer.
"C-Can I hug you?"
Though Chloe nods with a convincing smile, Beca feels the contrast of it the moment their bodies come into contact. She wants to break down and cry together with Chloe but she can't. She has to remain being the strong one or Chloe won't be able to hold out. Chloe is strong and no doubt, with a headstrong personality but she is nothing more than a human too… Beca can't fathom why people have to be so cruel towards her. Why, of all people, the person who doesn't deserve it most?
Beca rubs Chloe's back as the redhead crumbles in her arms; she's not going to let it go.
Nothing good will go Tom's way from now to the end of university.
That's a vow.
Jessica and Ashley enjoy spending quality time together, especially since they've been tight from the first year until now. Jessica is usually referred to the 'irrelevant one' according to people from their class but Ashley always gets them back in one way or another. It might seem like trivial matter but to Jessica, that is a sign of care. Everyone has different ways of expressing that they care deeply about a person and Ashley chooses to do it in a more upbeat way than the tender, loving one. There is one other person who tends to do it in the same way.
Beca.
The brunette thinks she's sneaky enough not to get caught when the latter goes grocery shopping in the middle of the night. Ashley caught on the moment Beca's eyes widened comically; so the ever-sharp-tongued Beca Mitchell is trying to help Chloe build herself up all over again. It is cuter when they're watching from the sidelines because they get to see Beca's effort behind the scenes, and the results alongside Chloe's genuine reactions.
"Ash," Jessica nudged her best friend. She rolls her eyes when she catches Ashley dozing off against her shoulder. Not that she can hide the megawatt beam when Ashley looks up and into her eyes. "Hey, isn't that Beca over there?"
Ashley cocks a brow and follows Jessica's finger, a look of surprise coming on. She doesn't remember seeing Beca leave the house before them, not that it has ever happened before. That's not exactly the issue
"FUCK YOU, TOM!"
The two girls immediately get up and run over to where Beca and Tom are busy tussling. Questions can be answered later but for now, Beca has to be kept away from the bastard before she gets into more trouble with the headmaster.
"Beca! What are you doing?!" Ashley maintains a tight grip on the shorter brunette, effectively separating the two. She gasps after blood starts to trickle down Beca's nose; clearly, the injuries are more severe than she expects. "Don't you know you can get suspended from this? Or get kicked out of the Bellas for this?"
Beca harshly wipes her nose and chin free of blood, dusting off her sleeves afterward. "Fuck that shit. This asshole thinks he can get it easy after trying to touch Chloe like that. I'm not done."
Jessica screams her head off when Beca starts charging at Tom again, the two crashing down the till together. She is almost afraid to look down at the possible mess below; who knows if they have broken bones or distorted bodies? God, it'll scar her for life. Her hands are covering her face with gaps between her fingers as she stands behind a tree, peeking down at the scene that's going to greet her. Jessica has always been a scared kitten but nothing could prepare her for this – oh, it's ugly indeed.
"BEECCCAAAAA!"
Skipping class? Really?
Chloe doesn't do that.
To put things into perspective, Chloe is back in school today because she doesn't believe in pitying herself for more than a few days tops. Today marks the end of her short healing period of three full days. Her initial plan was to come back to class and slowly catch up with her school work again, perhaps hang out with the Bellas and have real fun during practice. So much for making plans beforehand, because Chloe is now rushing to the hospital ward here Beca and Tom were sent to after the fight.
"Hurry up! You guys move like pigs!"
"This is cardio, you skinny bitch!" Fat Amy pants, trying to move even faster than before.
Chloe ignores the insult and makes a dash when she sees the room number with Beca's name a few doors away. She can hear her heart pounding in her ears and her tummy's feeling like it's got animals in it or something.
Beca is happily talking with the nurse who's still patting the newly stitched wound with the necessary medication, a toothy smile plastered on her face. She knows Ashley and Jessica are in the same room but the nurse sounds so funny… perhaps it's the drugs they gave her when they were stitching up her wound. Beca does feel a little woozy still but who cares? The doctor says she can skip school for the rest of the week and half of the next too!
"BECA. MITCHELL."
"U-Uh… Chlo?" Beca stutters, her eyes going wide as she accidentally shoves the nurse too hard. She doesn't know why she feels as if she just got caught cheating on her lover. "W-What are you doing here?"
As the redhead starts walking closer to the bed, the nurse starts thanking her lucky stars that Beca pushed her away because she can feel the chills creeping up on her. From her point of view, all the nurse can feel is amused because the two women seem to be a couple, and the redhead's jealous out of her mind at the moment. It's actually pretty cute but the nurse is currently more worried about her life right now so time to scoot off.
"Beca Mitchell." Chloe repeats herself, this time standing right in front of the brunette. She can't hold back the displeased expression; this isn't the first time Chloe has to help Beca get out of whatever trouble she is in. "What is it this time?"
"It's not— SHE BEAT TOM UP!"
"I DIDN'T!"
Chloe gasps after hearing the telltale, and her eyes take a good look at Beca's condition: a fractured ankle, twisted wrist, stitches on her head… and god bless, her broken nose that has already been operated on. She knows Tom is pretty buff and muscular but Beca's not a pushover. The fact that Beca is this badly injured, it only means Tom's injuries aren't light either and the fight was bad enough for the both of them to get suspended again.
Unable to keep herself together, Chloe rushes forward and throws her arms around the brunette. She can already feel hot tears waiting to be unleashed from the den.
"Oh my God…" Chloe breathes out worriedly, her nose nuzzling into Beca's hair. She can finally let out all her emotions from the time she was told about Beca's trip to the hospital. "Stop getting into trouble, will you? I was so worried you'd get suspended from the Bellas…"
Beca wants to laugh after feeling Chloe's trembling body but a part of her is touched at Chloe's concern for her. She feels so special, even though it might be considered the bare minimum. Her heart is warm and her injuries don't hurt as badly anymore. Why does Chloe make everything feel so much better? And effortlessly at that. She keeps asking herself the same questions repeatedly, but never receives a satisfactory answer from her mind at all.
What is this thing with her heartbeat whenever Chloe comes close?
Why does Beca always feel like her stomach's going to flip a thousand times when Chloe sings?
Lastly, why does Chloe make everything happier and easier for Beca to go through?
"Chloe," Ashley calls with a teasing voice, "did you know Beca almost died trying to kick Tom's ass today? And did you also know who's been preparing your meals everyday?"
Beca pushes Chloe away, ready to pounce onto the smirking girl when the redhead stops her immediately. Chloe's glare does wonders as always, effectively freezing Beca in her place. "You try to move again and you're under house arrest, Mitchell." Beca knows when to sit down and shut up to appease the hopping mad Chloe Beale. When Chloe's mad, nothing seems to work on her and that's when Beca's secret weapon appears.
"Aw, but Chlo…"
Everyone visibly cringes at Beca's attempt at acting cute, trying hard not to interrupt the cute moment between the two women-who-are-obviously-into-each-other-but-are-dumbasses. This side of Beca never comes up, and that means never unless Chloe is around. Just imagine the sarcastic, sexy Beca who has her resting bitch face on almost twelve hours a day trying to appease Chloe with the typical pout and puppy eyes tactic.
No one expected Chloe to react so though.
"Be quiet, Becs."
"Yes, Chloe."
Aubrey leans against the wall with a smirk on her face; she's still a little skeptical about this whole thing but the exchange between them only makes her worry less.
Whipped.
Fat Amy watches with shaky eyes as the scene unfolds right in front of her; she wonders when the two co-leaders have become so dramatic and unbelievably expressive with their feelings.
"Why are you hanging out with her?"
"You're one to talk," Beca mutters bitterly, her eyes averting from Chloe's knife-like gaze. She knows if things go too far, her words might just keep coming out without control whatsoever. "You were the one talking to that asshole who wants to get into your pants – or skirt, for that matter."
Chloe is puzzled at the reaction. She always responds to people and rarely begins a conversation; Beca knows that best. The reaction she's getting right now is too different though. Beca is usually proud of her for being more open to others and better at communicating with others. Okay, perhaps, the person she was communicating with wasn't a stranger but Beca's reaction is so drastic. And it hit her; the constant dates with Tom and the different guys approaching her… Beca always backs off for the night.
Beca avoids her like the plague and comes back after midnight, or anytime after Chloe falls asleep. The bottom line is that Beca avoids talking to Chloe too; preferably trying not to hear about how Chloe's day went.
Suddenly, Chloe begins to laugh. She finally catches on to Beca's unconscious actions all this while. Beca clearly doesn't know her own feelings because she hasn't said anything; in fact, the brunette always looks flustered around her instead. Now that Chloe's seeing it for herself for the first time; she finds Beca the most adorable person ever. All those times that Chloe wonders what she did wrong the previous day; every single piece of the puzzle is coming together now and even more clearly so.
"Chloe?" Stacie calls out albeit worriedly; their co-leader just lost her mind in front of her. She clutches onto Cynthia Rose's arm, slightly hiding herself behind the latter. "Oh my God, babe. She's gone crazy…"
Beca flinches when Chloe's laugh gets louder.
"C-Chlo?"
"Oh my God, Becs," Chloe wipes a tear away from her eye, her stomach starting to hurt from all the laughing. She sits down beside Fat Amy with a smirk, "you're so jealous."
"FINALLY SHE GETS IT!" Fat Amy cries out, throwing her hands in the air. She's been stuck between the two women for so long, playing along with their oblivious minds. Dropping hints and continuously holding herself back from smacking the both of them; Fat Amy has done her fair share.
"I'm not!" Beca yells defensively, unaware of the blush spreading across her face. She is starting to resemble a freshly boiled lobster as she continues defending herself from all the accusations she's getting from the Bellas. "Oh my God, I am not jealous! I just don't want Chloe to be stupid again and get raped someday!"
Pin-drop silence followed after Beca's knife-sharp words, and the Bellas stared at the brunette incredulously. Beca can use all the words in the world and she chose to use 'stupid'. Now, everyone here is well aware that Chloe's heart is soft and she's especially weak towards Beca. No one can imagine the feeling of being stabbed in the heart by multiple daggers by the person you fancy, and Chloe wishes she never felt for Beca that way.
It hurt so badly, and Chloe could literally feel her heart beat speeding up with every passing second of silence. She's starting to hear it pound in her eardrums.
"Right. You're not jealous," Chloe whispers, "I'm sorry."
"Chloe…"
"Let's get back to practice!"
Beca watches helplessly as the rest of the Bellas follow after Chloe like baby chicks following the mother hen. She panicked and everything flew out without constraint; those words were tactless and selfish. The crestfallen look on Chloe's face will never leave her mind for as long as they don't talk, and Beca knows it won't happen soon. Chloe might be strong, soft-hearted but she has a knack for avoiding people she doesn't want to encounter just yet.
She's so fucked.