A/N: This is a companion piece to my other story, "Perfect Harmony." It can be read as a stand-alone story, or can be read before or after the other one. Just so there is no confusion for those who haven't read the other one, it's slightly AU. Beca never joined the Bellas at the beginning of the year. This takes place just after they won Regionals and are set to advance to the Semi-Finals. I think that's all you need to know

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chloe's POV

"She hasn't even looked over this way." I stated absentmindedly into my red solo cup.

Aubrey's eyebrows scrunched together in obvious confusion. "Who?"

My eyes lingered on the brunette in the corner rather than responding to my best friend. Aubrey's eyes followed mine.

"Her? Isn't she a little too…alternative?"

I rolled my eyes at Aubrey's obvious distaste for the girl that was currently attracting all of my attention. I shrugged my shoulders and took a sip of my drink. "I think she's mysterious and sexy." My finger drew circles on the table as I watched the girl across the room. "Besides, I'll bet she's different than most of the people I've been with."

Aubrey shook her head. "Different isn't always better you know."

"I know. But it'd be a nice change of pace." I sighed. "But I've been on stage singing three times already and she hasn't so much as glanced this way."

"Maybe she's deaf." Aubrey offered.

"There's only one way to find out." I said with a smirk as Aubrey's face became fearful. "I'm not going to do anything illegal just…I thought I'd go up and sing again."

She stared at me. "But you said she wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, but if I stand out then I am sure to get her attention."

"Stand out? Fat Amy and Stacie just sang a very…inappropriate song with half their clothes on and alt girl didn't flinch."

My glance found the brunette again. She had been sitting with a boy earlier but he wasn't with her now. Instead of looking lonely, however, she looked bored. "I had a little something else in mind. I thought I'd sing the whole song off key."

Aubrey's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?" I grinned at how appalled she looked.

"That'd be a travesty…you'd bring disgrace to the Bellas."

Stacie, Fat Amy and Cynthia Rose rejoined our group at that moment. "How can she disgrace us? We just advanced to the semi-finals. We're hot shit right now." Cynthia Rose spoke as she sipped on a beer.

"She wants to sing…badly." Aubrey said barely above a whisper.

"Sure, like she's capable of it." Stacie grinned.

"You'd be surprised what I'm capable of when it comes to trying to get someone's attention." I smirked at Aubrey's raised eyebrow.

"It's not that surprising. I use sex too." Stacie commented and my mouth fell open.

"I have sex, sure, but it doesn't..." I frowned. It wasn't like I was a virgin or you know, Aubrey, but I didn't actually enjoy sex. I wish I found it as enjoyable as Stacie seems to but it seems like whenever I'm with someone I'm always giving and they're always taking.

"What song are you going to sing?" Cynthia Rose mercifully changed the subject.

"The only one that describes how I'm feeling right now. Drive Me Crazy by Britney Spears."

"Oooh. Alt girl will definitely have something to say about that kind of music." Aubrey actually smiled at that. Then she breathed out a distressed sigh. "But if you're going to insist on butchering it, I'm sorry but I won't stay to hear it."

With that she stood from the table and walked away. I rolled my eyes at her dramatics before returning my gaze to the brunette. There was just something about her. I needed her to notice me.

I could feel her eyes on me when I performed my song. It gave me courage to be a bit bolder with my choreography. Sure I sounded god-awful, but I might as well look sexy as hell doing it. I noticed her stand from her seat as soon as I exited the stage and I hoped she was coming to find me.

A minute or so later, I heard someone behind me clear their throat. I turned to face the intruder and couldn't help smiling when I saw that it was her. I knew I had to at least attempt to play it cool. "Hello?" I replied as nonchalantly as I could.

Without answering, the girl thrust a beer toward me. "I thought you um…could use a drink after that…performance."

"Thanks?" I giggled because this girl was too adorable for words. "You can admit that I sucked you know, it seems painful for you to pretend otherwise."

"Thank god!" She responded with a chuckle.

Yes, I definitely liked this girl. I felt the need to try and sell myself to her, talking about the Bellas and our recent win but she didn't seem impressed with any of it. Plus, she said that she couldn't even sing. It was a bit disheartening, but that didn't dissuade me from any attempt at getting to know her. I've always been persistent.

I learned her name was Beca, but knew nothing else about her because she left me pretty quickly. I sighed when she was gone, but I knew I wasn't going to give up on this girl. The next day I asked around about her but no one seemed to know her or if they did, they didn't know anything about her. I didn't even have a last name until well into the afternoon. Beca Mitchell. Daughter of Dr. Mitchell. He's a professor here but I've never had him.

All I knew is that she was a freshman and that wasn't a lot to go by. In my frustration, I decided to hang out at the freshmen dorms with Stacie and Fat Amy. Both were beyond drunk last night so they didn't even remember the mysterious girl that I was looking for.

When Stacie had to leave for class and Fat Amy wanted to Skype 'one of her men,' I decided to leave as well. I hadn't taken a shower yet, since I'd spent the entire day searching for Beca so I decided to hit the showers on Stacie's floor.

That's when I heard the most amazing voice in the world. It was vaguely recognizable but I couldn't place it. All I knew was that whoever this girl was, we could use that voice in the Bellas.

Low and behold, it was Beca Mitchell. The source of my recent obsession. "You do sing!" I couldn't have hidden my excitement if I wanted to. Though I'll admit that the way I practically sprang on her (while we were both naked) was a bit forward. She's gotta be scared of me now. And just to make matters worse, I had to mention that she was singing my lady jam. Really? Who does that? This girl right here apparently. Way to be cool, Beale.

Even though I intruded on her and terrified her and leered at her, she still sang with me and it was perfect. Is there such a thing as an eargasm? Because that just happened. I was so happy with our duet that I practically leapt at her and gave her a hug. In hindsight, that may not have been a good idea (especially since I can tell she isn't a hugger, naked or not).

I told her about the riff off and I pray she shows up tonight, but I think that the awkward naked hug thing might keep her away. As soon as I left the showers, I ran straight to my dorm room. I was hyperventilating and I needed Aubrey to calm me down.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She spat out when I told her what I did to Beca. "You think molesting a girl in the shower is the best way to go about winning her over?"

I threw my hands in the air in defeat. "I wasn't thinking okay. She was singing my song. You know, the one I…you know, to. And she was naked. And she's hot, Aubrey. Like…"

"I don't want details." She cut me off as she snapped her eyes closed.

"She's sexy in a way that I don't even think she realizes it. And she even tried to avert her eyes when I was naked in front of her. How chivalrous is that? And her voice…it does things to me."

All I knew was that I no longer needed a song to use as my lady jam…not with the images I saw today. Aubrey must have noticed the lust in my eyes because I was smacked…hard. "I swear, if campus security shows up at our door…"

She shook her head and started lecturing me so I stopped listening to her. Not on purpose, but I had more important things on my mind. I made a vow to myself that if I ever saw Beca again, I'd tone it down…a lot. Or as much as I was capable of doing.

Of course that all went out the window when I saw her arrive at the riff off. I hurried to her even though she had yet to see me and I grabbed her from behind. It was hard to let her go afterwards, but I did. Boy, I've never been this way with anyone. Usually, I'm the one being chased and even then it's only for sex, so once I give in it doesn't take long for them to lose interest. This is completely knew territory for me. But it was exciting and I loved it.

I grabbed Beca's hand and refused to think about how well it fit in mine. As I introduced her to the Bellas, I couldn't help noticing how cold Aubrey was to her. I instantly felt the need to protect Beca. But she didn't seem to take comfort in me, not like she did in Jesse (who I immediately recognized as the guy who sat with her at the party). I wanted to know what was up between the two of them but I was scared of the answer. It'd be just my luck to become infatuated with a straight girl, especially one who's already taken.

After a less than ideal welcome from Aubrey, Beca wanted to leave before the riff off even started. I convinced her to stay but I wasn't as happy about that as I thought I'd be. It was awkward now, with her and Aubrey at odds. Plus, she had Jesse. I already didn't like the boy on principle alone.

But I didn't have time to think about that at the moment, not when the riff off started. It was going well for the Bellas, until the last round. But just as the Treblemakers were about to win, Beca cut in on our behalf. And she was doing it with a rap song. I think Aubrey might have been right when she said I had a toner for Beca. Boy was I so screwed.

I tried holding in my excitement as I convinced her to audition for the Bellas; if she was on the team, we'd definitely be spending a lot of time together. Though that'd be hard for me knowing that all we probably will ever be is just friends but I'd take that over not knowing her at all.

That night, I was completely in my own world when we got home from the riff off. "I swear, when she started rapping…god, I just wanted to rip off her clothes and take her right there."

Aubrey huffed and threw a pillow at me. "I swear if I have to hear about her one more time…"

"What is your problem with her anyway? I mean, you acted like you hated her before I even introduced you to her." I asked with genuine curiosity and a bit of frustration.

She shrugged but didn't answer. I sighed and let my head fall on her shoulder. "She's not like anyone I've ever met, Aubrey. At first, I thought it was just infatuation…but I think I really like her."

Aubrey is surprisingly sweet if you give her a chance, but most people don't give her that chance. So when she wrapped her arms around me and kissed the top of my head, I knew that we were about to have a real heart to heart. This is why she's my best friend.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." She tightened her grip on me. "You don't know anything about her and…she seems a bit…reserved. Or anti-social or…"

I bit my lip. My immediate response was to defend Beca, but I knew that Aubrey wasn't trying to insult her. She was just trying to protect me. She knows that I get hurt easily because I give my heart away so easily.

I pull away from her and then shift on the couch so that I'm facing her. "I don't think that about her, not necessarily." I paused to consider my words. "She seems more like a caged bird who just wants to be free to fly."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "You say caged bird, I say rabid dog."

I slap at her, but not really playfully. I was actually offended on Beca's behalf. Aubrey chuckled at me before she spoke again.

"You know what I'm talking about. The kind of dog that has the capability of being a good dog but then gets spooked and turns on his master. Or gets rabies and can't help herself. She's like Old Yeller." She smirked, obviously proud of her analogy.

I shook my head but couldn't help grinning as well. "I'm not scared of getting bit."

This time she slapped me. "You turn everything I say into some kind of innuendo. You're sick, you know that."

"Maybe I've already been bitten by a rapid dog." I teased.

She stood from the couch with a grunt. "This conversation is over. I was trying to look out for you but you seem to want to get your heart broken."

I grab her hand to stop her from walking away. "I know that I probably don't have a chance with her, Aubrey. I'm not stupid. But…if I have to settle for just being her friend, can you promise to try and at least be civil to her? For me."

Aubrey sighed, nodded her head then walked away.

Beca surprised me when she actually showed up for rehearsal. And I tried not to let it bother me that she showed up with Jesse. It's obvious now that she's seeing him so I have to play off my disappointment when I welcome her and give her a hug.

"I still don't know why I'm here." Beca whispered, nearly giving me chills as her lips grazed my ear.

I put on my most confident face and flirted with her. "I'm just impossible to resist."

That made her smile before she quickly returned to her trademark scowl. I knew by now that there was more to her than she wanted the rest of the world to see.

"I see you're still as conceited as ever." I swear she just flirted back.

"I believe the word you're looking for is confident." I smiled as I took her hand and led her to the stage. Even upon realizing she had a boyfriend, it proved impossible to keep my distance from her.

Her performance left me breathless. The emotion she put into that song mesmerized me and by the look of the rest of the Bellas, I wasn't alone in that feeling. However, Aubrey didn't seem to share our sentiment. In fact, she actually looked pained by the end of the song.

Of course, Aubrey voiced her obvious dislike for Beca and her performance. Though Beca seemed to be unaffected by Aubrey's rejection, I'd like to think I knew her better than that. You can't sing with such emotion and then take rejection as if it's nothing. Especially if my suspicions about the song were correct. I didn't recognize it at all and would bet good money that it was her original work. That means something. Her words did mean something to me.

Now that she's gone, I do miss her. Her lyrics ring through my head as I confront Aubrey. "What the hell was that?"

"She's not Bellas material, Chloe."

"Like Hell she's not! She gave a better audition than either of us did and that was with Satan running the show last year. And we both made it in."

She rolled her eyes at me and ignored me while she called the rest of the Bellas to order so that we could finish rehearsals. As soon as it was over and we were back in our room that night, I brought it up again. There was no way I was dropping this.

"What is your problem with Beca?"

Aubrey failed to look at me and ignored my question.

"She could help us repeat our victory at Finals, Aubrey. She's that good."

Rolling her eyes, Aubrey finally looked at me. "You're just saying that because you want to sleep with her."

"That's not true." She glared at me. "It's not entirely true. I think she's very talented. And although I wouldn't mind sleeping with her…" She actually scoffed at me. "I care about her more than that. I want more than that."

"She has a boyfriend, Chloe." Aubrey actually sounded upset or perhaps disappointed.

"I am aware of that."

"And if she was in the Bellas, you'd have to deal with seeing them all…together and stuff. Every day." She explained as if I didn't know that already.

"And that'll be my problem, not yours."

Aubrey suddenly looked sad. Or compassionate. I'm not used to that kind of emotion on her so it was hard to decipher which one she was feeling.

"I slept with Jesse." She quietly whispered. I wasn't even sure I heard her correctly.

"You slept with Beca's Jesse?" My gut wrenched at saying those words. More than anything I think I'd like to say she was my Beca.

"When you sang that god-awful rendition of Britney at that Frat party…I met him and we were drunk and…"

"And you slept with him. You have to tell Beca."

"No. I feel like a complete idiot as it is."

"No offense, Brey, but it's not about you. If he cheated on Beca then she has a right to know."

Her eyebrow rose at me and she smirked in a way that always scares me. "And it has nothing to do with breaking up Beca and her boyfriend?"

"She's straight. Even if they broke up I doubt I'd have a chance with her in that way. But she still needs to know, it's the right thing to do."

Aubrey sighed loudly. "What is it about this girl?"

I shrugged because it was hard to understand myself. "She doesn't treat me like everyone else does."

"That's because most people are actually pleasant to you. Beca looks like she's about to pop an aneurysm whenever someone tries talking to her."

I giggled because it was mostly true. "She doesn't flinch when I touch her anymore."

Aubrey laughed at that. "I must admit that I find her rather amusing. She's aca-awkward but she's got bite."

My eyes widened. "You actually like her! That's why you can't stand to be around her, you feel guilty that you slept with her boyfriend."

And just like that Aubrey the Bitch was back. "This conversation is over."

I waited for Aubrey to start walking away before pulling out my one trump card. "I'm pretty sure she wrote the song she sang today." Aubrey stopped walking. "You know what that means, right? We can create an entirely original set list. Screw tradition, Aubrey. We can rule this school for the next three years and you know it."

She didn't respond but I knew I had her considering it. I decided to check online to confirm my suspicions and of course I was right. It only took me one more day to convince Aubrey to let me invite Beca to join the team. It took me another day and a half to work up the confidence to confront Beca. Not just to invite her to join the Bellas but to tell her about Jesse and Aubrey. The rest of that third day, I spent scouring Stacie's dorm to find Beca. After all, that's where I saw her in the shower, so it was a good place to start.

When I finally arrived at what I had deduced to be Beca's door (the last door I had to check on Stacie's floor), I waited forever for the door to open. I couldn't help smiling when Beca opened the door, though I had never been so nervous.

Beca was less friendly than normal, which for Beca isn't saying a lot. But she's always been friendly with me (except when she insulted my karaoke singing, or yelled at me for intruding on her shower). But besides that, it always seemed like she tolerated my presence more than she did most people. I know I shouldn't have, but I took immense pride in that.

It took a lot of courage to finally tell her what I came to tell her. But she didn't seem fazed at all by the fact that Jesse and Aubrey slept together. In fact, she admitted that she already knew which absolutely pissed me off. How could she stay with a guy who cheated on her? Doesn't she know that she deserves someone so much better than that? Of course, I couldn't keep my mouth shut or my thoughts to myself so I blurted out as much.

And she actually started to laugh at me when I asked her how she could still be with someone who was cheating on her. Her behavior annoyed me and I couldn't find it in myself to mask it. So instead, I busied myself with the other reason I was there. I handed her the Bellas uniform, or tried to anyway.

"Anyway…Aubrey promised to try to get over the…indiscretion if you are. So if you can agree to put the past behind you, then you can wear this. It's our uniform for the Semi-Finals." I told her sounding as unaffected by her actions as I could.

"I've never had a problem with Aubrey. She had a problem with me."

"But now that everything is out in the open, we can all move on. Just try not to flaunt your relationship, it hurts."

"There's nothing to flaunt." Beca must have seen the confused look on my face so she continued. "Jesse and I were never together. We're just friends." My eyes widened in shock and, I must admit, hope. "If you ever tell him that I called him my friend I will hurt you." She laughed nervously. "I can't believe I even admitted it out loud anyway. I guess he's the first friend I've had."

"You don't mean that." I replied sadly, it broke my heart to hear her say that she didn't have any friends.

Learning about her loneliness made me decide that I'd put all my growing feelings for her on hold. More than anything she needed a real friend right now and I was bound and determined to be that for her. If she wanted more later, I'd be more than happy to be that for her too.

I stayed a while longer, listening to some of the mixes she made only to learn that she's infinitely more talented than I thought she was. However, I doubt she can be convinced to join the Bellas. Not after the way Aubrey treated her.

I went home that evening and told Aubrey about my talk with Beca. She actually seemed a bit disappointed that I couldn't convince her to join us. But I think that was more for my sake because she knew that I really wanted it to happen. She did seem a bit surprised, and perhaps even happy (you can never tell with her), that Jesse and Beca weren't together. I promised to file that tidbit away for later and went to bed early that night.

The next day I formulated a plan to win Beca's friendship. I knew that if I were to make any headway with her that I had to prove that I wasn't going anywhere. She seems to have a commitment issue but I'm just guessing at that though because she's so hard to read.

I waited for her outside of her room. "Your roommate said you were out, but I didn't actually believe her." I admitted. I couldn't even hide the fact that I was blushing.

"So what? You thought you'd camp out and wait for me to leave so you could ambush me again. In the shower perhaps?" She asked with a raised brow as she opened the door and let me inside.

The fact that she's picking on me (maybe even flirting with me) made me blush further. I love that we have a little inside joke of our own, even if it is at my expense. Plus, any reminder that we saw each other naked just does something to me. But that's a thought for another time.

I was still nervous and she must have noticed so she further teased me. "What's my little stalker want with me today?" She asked with a smile.

My eyes flew open wide and I'm sure I was redder than I've ever been. Does she really think of me like that? "I…"

When she chuckled to herself I realized she wasn't serious. That idea relaxed me quite a bit so I sat down beside her and told her that I just wanted to hang out. Little did I know that she wasn't very good at just hanging out. She was even more awkward than I thought she'd be. Which of course I found rather adorable.

She warned me that she wasn't very good at small talk or just hanging out, so I tried to make the conversation light. I thought talking about music was a safe option; boy did I turn out to be wrong.

"Sometimes the right words are hard to find but finding the perfect lyrics is easy. And there is nothing better than jamming out to a song at the end of a bad day." I explained to her while we were conversing about what music meant to us.

"You don't mean masturbation do you, because I think that we're not good enough friends to be talking about stuff like that." Beca blurted out without thought.

"Beca!" I was at a complete loss of words and worse yet, I now had very vivid images in my head. "I wasn't…why would you…"

"I just thought…the last time you talked about music in such a way was when you said 'Titanium' was your lady jam." She looked away from me. "Sorry."

I needed to salvage this somehow if I ever wanted her to be okay with talking to me again. "You were right. You're not very good at this." I lightly teased.

I smiled when she gave me the most incredulous look. "I told you!" She sighed.

I couldn't help giggling and told her that I'd teach her. And I knew I'd stop at nothing to get her to be able to open up to me. Everyone deserved to have someone to tell their secrets too. I wanted to be that person for Beca, the one person she went to when everything around her seemed too hard to handle.

I spent three days in a row over at Beca's and we just talked. Or sat there enjoying each other's company (I enjoyed her company, at first I think she just tolerated mine). When she did finally talk about things, I listened with rapt attention. Whether it was a complaint about her dad or a story about her deceased mom. She wouldn't talk much but when she was open and honest enough to share, I could tell she felt…lighter.

All it took was three days. At first I thought it was a simple crush. An infatuation with someone who was mysterious or playing hard to get. But the more I got to know Beca, even just the little things, the more I realized that it wasn't simple at all. I was falling for her. I was falling hard. I loved seeing the real Beca Mitchell.

I know I was being selfish not trying to get her to join the Bellas anymore, but the truth was I liked our time alone. I liked that I didn't have to share her with anyone else. I liked that I was the only one who knew that Beca was thoughtful and smart and surprisingly funny. I loved our inside jokes or the fact that she was becoming my go to person. It used to be Aubrey, but now I found myself excited to share the events of my day with Beca. No matter how trivial, I wanted her to be the first to know what I was thinking.

Our friendship started to mean everything to me, and that is why I told her about my nodes before I told anyone else. I just hadn't expected her to freak out the way she did. But when I realized that her mind went to the worst possible scenario, I felt bad for worrying her so much. She had already told me about the loss of her mom and how that almost ruined her. I hated the idea of making her feel like that again, even if it was unintentional. It was nice, however, to learn that she didn't want to lose me, because it was painfully obvious that I never wanted to lose her.

We talked a bit about how my nodes would affect the Bellas. Ever since Aubrey accepted that Beca wasn't joining us, she's been pushing traditionalism more and more. I hated that she fell back on it but what could I do since I might not even be able to sing for much longer? Then it hit me, just because Beca's not on the Bellas, that doesn't mean she can't come up with something for us to perform.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to get her to agree to consider my proposal. And she did more than deliver. Singing with her again (even if fully clothed) was a rush. Especially since I was singing a fairly romantic song to her. Only she didn't know I was singing to her of course. I could feel Aubrey's gaze while I sang "Just the way you are" so I knew she and I would have a lot more talking to do later.

I could have killed Aubrey for making another 'toner' reference while I was hugging Beca. She knew how hard it was to be 'just friends' with Beca and yet she kept mocking me about it. Beca got the best of Aubrey though, when she only agreed to join if Aubrey went out with Jesse.

I knew Aubrey liked Jesse. We had talked about our unrequited attractions a few times before. Well, I talked about mine and called her out on hers. She stopped denying it after a day or two of my tormenting her, so that to me meant that I was right. And since I really wanted Beca to be a Bella, I decided to take matters in my own hands.

It took a few minutes to convince Jesse to agree to it.

"She hates me." He stated when I first approached him.

"Do you like her?" I asked with a raised brow. From what Beca had mentioned to me during one of our conversations, I knew he was interested in my best friend.

"I don't see how that matters…"

I rolled my eyes. "It's the only thing that matters."

He looked indecisive.

"Look, in all your romantic comedies…does the boy ever get the girl without trying?"

He looked at me with confusion. "Beca told you about me?"

"We talk…about things."

He smiled at that. "She is different with you. I can tell. You're good for her, Chloe. Even if she doesn't know it yet."

I smiled at his words. It was nice to get his seal of approval. Plus, it gave me hope that I actually had a chance with Beca. Then I refocused my attention on the real reason I was there to talk to Jesse. "And you'd be good for Aubrey. She needs a nice guy like you, Jesse."

He didn't quite seem convinced. "Do you really think I have a chance?"

"Do you really think I'd be here if I didn't believe that?"

He smiled at me. "I think you'd do almost anything to get Beca to join your Bellas."

I laughed at his statement. Not because it wasn't true but because he underestimated me. I'd do anything for Beca, regardless if she joined the Bellas or not.

"Promise me you'll think about it?" I asked him one last time.

His eyes narrowed as he studied me. "I will."

I actually clapped happily before promptly hugging him. When we separated, he was smirking at me. "On one condition."

"Name it!"

"You tell Beca how you feel about her."

My mouth dropped open. Jesse you devious little bastard.

Of course I agreed. And I knew he held up his end of the bargain when I received a text from Beca.

The next morning I arrived at Beca's and waited for her to get her uniform on. She was officially a Bella now. Only it was taking her forever to come out of the bathroom.

"You better get your butt out here, Beca!"

"Or what? You'll come in? You've already seen me naked, I'm not that worried."

My mouth dropped open and my face flushed. Of course all I could see was a glorious naked Beca in my mind. I couldn't function properly after that. All I knew was that if Beca was going to flirt with me like that, then I would definitely start pushing the envelope and up the ante with my flirting as well as invading her personal space. After all, if I had to confess my feelings for her per my agreement with Jesse, I needed to know where she stood.

So after a low key rehearsal and a bit of light flirting, I actually asked Beca to lunch with me.

"I'm starving actually, but first I wanna get out of these clothes." She explained but once again my mind was stuck in the gutter. And when it does that, I can't walk or talk. "Chloe?"

"What's wrong?" She asked again when I didn't answer the first or second or third time.

"Huh?" I responded like an idiot. I needed to pull it together.

When she cupped my cheek, my heartbeat quicken exponentially. I blinked rapidly and prayed she wouldn't notice the affect her simple touch had on me. Especially after hearing those words and the images they conjured up.

I bit my bottom lip nervously and smiled shyly. "We could go back to our rooms and change and then grab a bite or we could grab food and bring it to your room if that works better. I'm easy." I realized how that may have sounded. "Not easy. I didn't mean…"

Beca chuckled and let her hand drop from my cheek as she trailed her fingers down my arm and grasped my hand. If she noticed the goosebumps her touch caused on my skin, she never said anything about it.

"Relax, I knew what you meant." She squeezed my hand gently before releasing her hold on it. "You need to calm down before you give yourself a coronary. I mean, it's just me."

"That's sort of the problem." I breathed out, thankful she didn't hear me.

"Chloe. Is something wrong?" Once again, she held my hand. "Is it that Tom guy?"

That snapped me out of my Beca induced daze. Tom? Really? It's hard to believe that someone as smart as Beca can be so stupid when it comes to feelings and understanding women. She had a lot to learn.

I explained to her that Tom and I were never a thing and she told me that she was glad. I felt ashamed of my past all of a sudden. I didn't want her to think that I was only into sex, because with her it was far from just being about sex. She said a few things to me but I couldn't concentrate because her hand was on my cheek and she was gazing at me with such strong emotion. I just wish I knew what emotion it was.

I finally tuned back in and caught the end of her statement. "I just think that you deserve better than that. You're so much better than you think you are."

That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. And just like that I realized that I wasn't falling for her because I was already there. She just happened to always say the right things. The things that caught me off guard.

"And here I thought that flirty and sarcastic Beca was my favorite version of you."

"What version of me am I being right now?"

"Incredibly and surprisingly sweet."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Yes, well don't get used to it. Sarcastic is my default setting."

"Oh, I'm well aware."

That evening Beca let me into her world yet again when she showed me how she made her mixes. I loved watching her in her element. But the truth was that I just loved that she was willing to share another part of her with me.

Once Beca had the mix we planned on using for our Semi-Finals performance completed, Aubrey sequestered me in our dorm room so that we could work out the choreography. I slipped a flirty text to Beca every chance I got and my heart rate picked up when she responded by flirting back. I started to think that I might actually have a chance with her.

After two days of hard work, Aubrey and I actually took a break from dancing and had a conversation about our love lives. It turns out she was happy with Jesse and for the most part, a lot more mellow. I'd have to thank that boy; it made being her roommate a whole lot more bearable.

"So when are you gonna man up and ask out alt girl." Aubrey said after taking a sip of water.

I rolled my eyes at her nickname for Beca. "I'm working on it. You know as well as I do that if I move too fast she's absolutely the type to run away."

She nodded her agreement. "It's just weird to see you hold back."

"You've noticed?"

"Have I noticed that you've had a 'toner' for that girl since you first saw her and have yet to act on it? Yes, I'm not blind."

I shook my head. "That's because it isn't about sex, Aubrey. Not with Beca. She's the first person I ever met that doesn't expect anything from me."

"I resent that!"

I chuckled. "You know what I mean. I think she likes me back but she's not…I don't know. She's not playing games or using me, she's just…Beca."

"Beca wouldn't know how to play games because she's never had anyone to play with." Her eyes widened. "Do you think she's a virgin?!"

"We're not discussing this, Aubrey."

"You know, don't you?" She looked excited. "What else do you know? Tell me the inner workings of Mitchell's mind."

"You're an idiot." I took one last sip of water. "I never thought I'd say this, but let's get back to work."

"Come on, you used to tell me everything." She whined and I laughed out loud.

"We used to discuss our sex lives because I was getting it and you weren't. Now that it's the other way around, I've not heard a peep about it from you."

She shut up and her face turned red. Aubrey's always been more of a prude; that was one of the reasons I told her the sordid details of my previous sex life. I loved to get her to turn almost purple. It was a sick hobby of mine. It almost made the sex worth it. Almost.

The next day, Aubrey and I finally finished our choreography. Afterwards, I couldn't wait to go see Beca. I was seriously suffering from withdrawals. If I hadn't been sure I had fallen for her before, I knew I had now. Three days was far too long to go without seeing her. Just the idea of seeing her made my whole day brighter. If that wasn't love, then I didn't know what was.

I stopped to get her coffee and something to eat at her favorite restaurant. To me, this was a date. I just had to get Beca to see me as someone date-worthy. When I arrived at the radio station where she worked, I saw her stacking CD's (a task she absolutely despised). I was standing in front of her for a whole five minutes before she finally looked up and noticed me. I didn't mind, I enjoyed watching her. I loved watching her be herself when she thought no one else was looking. If she knew I thought that, she'd definitely call me a creeper. Maybe I am.

I teased her for not noticing me before giving her an intimate hug. "I missed you." I whispered huskily in her ear.

"And whose fault is that." She pouted as she pulled away from the hug and reached for the bag of goodies.

"Aubrey's fault, not mine." I replied as I slapped her hand away from the bag of food. She sported the most adorable pout ever, which of course I was never able to resist. I couldn't help handing the bag over to her, even as I rolled my eyes.

"I can't believe you brought me dinner. No one's ever done something so nice for me before." She admitted.

"Well, get used to it then because you deserve nice things." I told her sincerely. And she would get used to it if I had anything to say about it, because I planned on doing things like this every day.

We settled into light conversation. Mostly about the Bellas and how she always feels the need to torment Aubrey. I'd never mention it to either of them, but I think they actually enjoy picking on each other. I know Aubrey does. She doesn't have a good rapport with many people; she's almost as hard to crack as Beca is. The idea that they actually get each other is sweet, though I admit that I'm a bit jealous of their relationship. Sure Beca and I flirt all the time, but the banter she and Aubrey has is different. I'm so glad Aubrey's straight.

When I found out that Beca really wants to work in the booth and run the station, I knew what my next course of action was in my attempt to gain her affections. I wanted to call it Operation Woo Beca Mitchell but Jesse and Aubrey both vetoed the name. Apparently, Beca would die before she admitted to letting someone 'woo' her.

It wasn't hard to convince any of the Bellas to call in at the station to request Beca's mixes. They all loved her stuff and of course everyone cared about her and wanted to see her happy. Stacie was the most energetic when it came to getting Beca and I together because she felt that we both needed to get laid. She said that maybe that'd relax Beca a bit, and I'd have to agree. It worked wonders on Aubrey.

The next day in rehearsals, I couldn't seem to stay away from her. I kept getting in her space and showing her choreography even though she seemed to catch onto it better than most of the girls. I knew that I had to make a move soon, but I also hoped that maybe if I was patient enough that she'd come to me. There was no way I'd risk scaring her away when I've gotten this far.

Later that afternoon, I showed up at the station again. I overheard Luke (Beca's boss) telling her that she was running the show tonight. I was so happy for her, especially when I knew how happy she'd be about it.

"Hey Becky! You've got some great friends; make sure you keep them around." Luke called out to her before she exited his office.

I smiled because I saw her smiling. "That's some damn good advice."

Beca actually leapt toward me and hugged me with everything she had. She whispered in the girl's ear. "I owe you, Chloe Beale. Thank you."

I was never happier than I was in that moment. Until a moment later when I felt her lips graze mine. Beca just kissed me! Well, to be honest she kissed my cheek but it was on the corner of my mouth so it totally counts as a kiss! Our first kiss.

I tried to play it off like I didn't notice it, but if she knew me at all she'd know I was faking it. The way she looked at me right now, she never looked at me like that before. No one ever looked at me like that before. Like I meant something to her. Like maybe, I meant everything to her. I prayed that it wasn't just wishful thinking; if only she knew that she already meant everything to me.

Watching her work, doing what she loved; it was breathtaking to see her filled with so much passion. It filled me with mixed emotions to see her truly happy, probably for the first time since I've known her. And it made me just a little bit proud to think that I helped her get there.

I tried keeping myself busy working on my own mix that Beca showed me how to make. I put a few songs together that reminded me of Beca. It was turning out pretty well, even she said so. But I couldn't keep my eyes off of her and eventually, she called me on it. Literally called me on it. Or rather, texted me.

How can you expect to finish your mix if you keep staring at me?

Of course I had to feign ignorance.

I don't know what U R talking about

Her response surprised me.

My mistake. It must be some other hot redhead checking me out then.

She flirted with me before, especially when I start it. But this was different. If felt different, and I couldn't help getting excited by it. Perhaps too excited since I dropped my phone. Now I was so nervous and she was watching me intently. Her eyes bore into mine. I saw that look again; the one that I hoped meant that she cared as much as I did.

U just called me hot

I grew bolder with that response and awaited hers.

U just admitted to checking me out ;)

I reread that message five times and couldn't figure out how to respond. Eventually, I decided to go for it. I needed to know. It left me vulnerable but it had to be done.

Is that okay with you?

I looked at her, trying to find any kind of rejection in her eyes. But instead I was meant with kindness. With admiration. I'm sure whatever was in her eyes mirrored in mine as I nervously awaited a response. But rather than a text, my phone rang.

"Can I walk you home after my shift tonight?"

"I thought you'd never ask." I nearly shouted, but had to withhold my enthusiasm. I couldn't ruin this now. Tonight was the night. No matter how it happened, somehow I was going to get Beca Mitchell to kiss me.

The rest of the night went by fairly slowly, maybe just because I was bustling with excitement. We walked to the dorms holding hands, it felt right. We shared in small talk, and usually that's fine with me but tonight I wanted more. I wanted something meaningful.

"Tell me a secret." I demanded quietly.

Beca stopped walking and looked at me. "Chloe."

"I know you hate to open up…it doesn't even have to be some big life changing story. Just tell me something that most people don't know about you."

Beca stared at me before closing her eyes and exhaling loudly. When she opened them, they shone with determination. "I write my own music."

I was confused because I already knew that but realized that she didn't know that I knew. So I explained that I looked up the song she sang during auditions. I also told her about how I recognized her voice on some of her mixes. How could I not know that voice? It's in my dreams every night, screaming my name. Okay, Chloe focus.

She opened up even more. About her insecurities. About how she doesn't feel good enough. How she never felt good enough. When she told me the real reason she keeps people out, "not because I don't feel but because I'm scared that I feel too much." It broke my heart.

I wanted to hold her forever and let her know that I'll never let her down. That I'll never leave her. That she's more than good enough. I want to kiss away her tears and I want to hold her hand and I want so much more with her. I want to show her that love exists because she said she doesn't believe in happy endings. I want to make her believe again. I want to be her happy ending.

But I don't have the right words. I don't think only words will suffice, I think I'll have to spend every day of my life showing her how amazing she is. So, I say the only other thing that comes to my mind. "Wanna come inside?"

She uses Aubrey as an excuse, and I'm worried that I might lose my chance. Except, instead of walking away we were getting closer and she was looking at my lips and suddenly she was asking if she could kiss me. Or I assumed that was what she was about to ask when I finished closing the distance between us.

It was more than I could have hoped for. Better than I had dreamed of. It was perfect and yet not enough. I wanted more. I wanted forever. But I didn't get that. Not yet. Instead I got another soft peck on the lips and then Beca walking away. Well, practically running. Shit.

I called Aubrey immediately. "We kissed."

"That's epic Chlo, why aren't you happier." She replied before continuing. "I swear if that girl hurt you."

"She sort of ran away. But Aubrey. She kissed me. That means I have a chance. What do I do?"

I heard her sigh. "Don't let her keep running away, fight for her. Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes." I repeated as I hung up the phone. I would make Beca Mitchell fall in love with me if it was the last thing I ever did.

A/N: For those who read both stories, I hope this was different enough that you didn't feel like you were reading the same thing over again. I wanted to give you insight into Chloe's feelings and yet make it feel like you've never read it before. I hope this story adds richness to the other one so that they are more complete now. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this.