Set in the future. Chloe, Beca, Aubrey and Stacie share an apartment and have jobs.
The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight, allowing the full contrast of colours to be seen - and felt - as Chloe stretched herself across the wooden decking of the balcony. It was a little strange, and perhaps if she'd been in public view she would be more mindful of how she may have come across as such, but the balcony provided a private place of escapism as she gazed upwards. It was getting late and the darkest blue was bleeding into the horizon as the moon was dragged into sight.
Chloe had to admit, she was beginning to feel the slight chill that came with the night drawing in, but at the same time the cool air helped to slow down her thoughts. Moments like this creeped up during the course of the whole day. She wasn't sad exactly, but more mentally drained as if she'd ran out of happiness and just needed to re-energize again. Sometimes, after long days, where Chloe had to force the extra wide smiles and push her overly enthusiastic nature to the max, it was a relief to simply lie down and destress while she waited for her friends to return home.
"Evening, Beca," Aubrey greeted the DJ who appeared to have not heard her as she continued to tap rhythmically on her computer, headphones on, "Beca? Really?"
Aubrey marched to the stool that Beca was perched on and pulled the headphones down to her neck. An unexpecting Beca almost fell off her seat in surprise.
"Geez, Aubrey! Make yourself known before you do stuff like that!" Beca exclaimed.
"You're going to go deaf." Aubrey stated as she began to look around the apartment for Chloe.
Beca huffed and mumbled something unintelligible. Aubrey continued, "Have you seen Chloe?"
"Uh, no," Beca replied, although not completely confident in her answer, "I mean, she normally texts me when she gets back so I just assumed…"
Aubrey wasn't convinced. Chloe was usually the first home, and it was pretty clear she had been, as her coat hung off a chair and there was a scattering of papers on the kitchen counter. As Aubrey's eyes swept across their spacious apartment, the biggest clue that their bubbly friend was home was the waves of red that spilled onto the floor through the door to the balcony.
"Wow, Beca, you never cease to impress me with your observant nature, especially when it comes to your girlfriend." Aubrey sighed and inclined her head towards the balcony when Beca looked at her in confusion. Beca's eyes widened and she put her computer to rest on the counter before following Aubrey outside.
Chloe came into full view as they neared, Aubrey and Beca sharing a knowing look before laying down either side of the other woman. Beca adjusted her position to try the impossible task of getting comfortable on the wood, but not before noticing Chloe's bare arms. She reached up for the soft material of the blanket they kept on one of the chairs, dragging it down to cover them. The three let the silence surround them, save for the white noise of the traffic on the streets below. Then, Beca turned to look at Chloe, and their eyes locked; the eyes that usually reminded her of bright sapphires were duller around the edges than normal.
"The sky is so beautiful." Chloe whispered.
Beca hummed in agreement. She was sure her brain didn't picture the sky as magically as Chloe saw it, but she could appreciate how the colours arranged themselves in the most natural way. The near-midnight blue seeped into the yellow where the sun had disappeared and only some light pollution slightly flawed the view as a light grey line settled on the horizon.
"Are you okay, Chlo?" Aubrey questioned gently with a slight nudge to her friend's side.
"Yeah," Chloe swallowed, "yeah, I'm good. Just one of those days, you know?"
Aubrey knew. Beca too. Troubles from Chloe's past were dealt with through the bubbly, space-invading woman that everyone saw on a day to day basis. That wasn't to say that Chloe was a fake person, or wearing a mask - she was still the most optimistic person you could come across. There was just an internal conflict that was harder to fight some on days than others.
"People don't always realise the other part of the day," Chloe added as she raised a hand to gesture above them, "There's night. Sunsets and darkness."
Beca squeezed Chloe's hand as she caught on to the double meaning of her girlfriend's description of the world above them.
"You're, like, sunshine and rainbows a lot of the time, Chlo. And sometimes you need to be like this, like what you said - sunsets and darkness. It's okay either way. Just remember that morning always comes." Beca said, cheeks flushing as she realised how gushy that sounded. However that didn't matter to Chloe, who gazed at Beca with adoration.
"Thanks, Becs."
"Alright you two, I love stargazing and all, but don't start with the sappy crap near me," Aubrey interjected, "My father always said-"
"Hey, if we can't go overboard with the sappy crap, we also aren't hearing another of your father's 'words of advice', deal?" Beca interrupted. Aubrey rolled her eyes but accepted anyway. They heard the door faintly in the background and knew their fourth flatmate had arrived.
Stacie immediately caught sight of the three heads on the floor by the balcony and raised an eyebrow, smirking as she got closer to see the three adults lined up, staring into the sky. Not one to miss out, she shrugged off the bewilderment at the situation and took a place beside Aubrey.
"What did I miss?"
Chloe was happy to fill in, "We're sky-gazing. Oh, and Beca and Bree were just arguing about sappy crap."
"Oh don't worry, Bree, I'm certain that Beca won't surpass you as the sappiest. I could even show them the text you sent me earlier-"
Now it was Aubrey's turn to blush as she hurriedly spoke, "No! That won't be necessary! I think we're all just fine as we are."
Chloe let out a small laugh, having a good enough idea about what the message would have looked like. She realised how quickly her friends were able to lift her spirits, how lucky she was to have them. Even as an immensely happy person, she couldn't exist as one without something to be happy about.
As they continued to watch the sky descend into a blanket of darkness, even as the cold started to bite, Chloe thought of the happy things. Her relationship with the musical genius who snuggled closer for warmth on her one side. On her other side, her best friend who had held her together for so many years, and her newer romance with Stacie. They were family. She would still have off days and watch sunsets on the balcony, but she would always, always, make it to the morning again.
Thanks for reading!
Hope you enjoyed it.