It had been a week since the semi-finals. A week since Beca stormed out, leaving the Bellas. A week since Chloe had called Beca, only to have her call ignored. A week since Beca had sent a stern LEAVE ME ALONE to Chloe after the fifth ignored phone call. A week since Chloe had decided Beca just wasn't worth the trouble. The only person reaching out to her and the girl was pushing her away. Chloe had had enough.
"Forget about it, I told you she wasn't a Bella, Chloe. And you could do so much better. I liked Tom" Aubrey said over the phone as Chloe pressed the button for the elevator on her way to a lecture.
"I know" Chloe huffed, tapping her foot on the ground as the elevator was taking its time. "I just really liked her, ya know."
"Well I don't know why. She was always undermining me, Chloe. You're my best friend, you're supposed to support me" Aubrey said, sounding betrayed.
"Oh God, Aubrey. It was never like that" Chloe reasoned. "She and I were really great for a while and things were going really well but she just needs an attitude adjustment" Chloe said as she started rummaging through her bag, face down, checking if she had all her books for the lecture.
"Whatever" Aubrey deadpanned as Chloe noted the doors to the elevator opening in her peripheral vision.
"Alright, Bree, I gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Later, Chlo. And seriously, get over Beca. It's getting old" Aubrey said referring to the many occasions Chloe had brought up how mad she was at Beca and her text over the past week.
"Got it" Chloe promised as she entered the elevator and zipped up her bag.
Just as the doors closed behind her, Chloe looked up only to come face to face with the one person she had been dreading to see. She quickly looked to the floor before making her way the the furthest corner from Beca who just played on her phone awkwardly, clearly aware that Chloe was there.
Chloe pressed the third floor and just as soon as the elevator started moving, it stopped. The stop was sudden and shook the entire elevator to a point where the two girls were flailing around trying to grab hold of anything that could make for some kind of support. To Chloe's dismay, her arm was the support that Beca found. As the elevator calmed its movements Chloe shook her arm away from Beca, turning her back away from the younger girl Chloe frantically pressed the panic button hoping for some kind of response. This was quite literally the worst situation she could be in with Beca. A confined space. The kind of space which forced conversation and Chloe was in no mood to talk to the brunette.
"Pressing that button 20 times isn't going to make it work any better" a judgemental voice sounded over Chloe's shoulder. Chloe ignored it and pulled her phone from her pocket and tried to call Aubrey again but there was no signal. The redhead huffed before slumping to the ground, opting to play a game on her phone to keep her mind and eyes away from Beca at all costs.
Beca sat opposite her, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. A few moments of agonising silence went bye with Chloe's brow furrowed and focused and Beca's thumbs becoming increasingly tired of occupying all her time.
"I'm sorry." Beca said, seemingly out of nowhere. Chloe's thumbs stopped tapping at the screen for a second before continuing their movements. She wasn't giving in that easy. A simple 'sorry' wasn't enough.
Beca shuffled forward so she was a foot away from Chloe and ducked her head, attempting to get the older girls attention.
"We're going to be in here a while so I suggest we talk this over."
Chloe locked her phone and roughly stuffed it in her bag before giving Beca a stern glare.
"I really liked you, you know." She stated simply and Beca's mouth fell open a little, taken aback by the admission. "Aubrey told me time and time again 'Chlo, you could do so much better' and I just kept ignoring her because I thought you were great and then you throw me away like I'm not worth your precious time?" Chloe's voice was slightly raised now and Beca flinched at it. "Well? Have you got nothing to say?" She shouts and Beca's eyebrows knit together.
"Yes. Yes, I fucking have something to say" she says with venom. "What was that at the semi-finals, Chloe?" she said a little louder. "You didn't stand up for me at all!"
"Oh my God, are you serious right now?" Chloe practically screamed. "I tried but you stopped me!"
"Tried?" Beca laughed ironically. "You said two words! 'Aubrey, don't'? Are you kidding me? That's how you were going to stand up for me?" Beca shouted back.
At this Chloe stood with Beca following suit. "What the hell do you want me to do? Aubrey is my best friend and had been since I was fourteen what wa-"
"And I'm your goddamn girlfriend!" Beca cut in.
"Were" Chloe corrected though she immediately regretted it when Beca took a step back and her jaw tensed. She was clearly hurt.
"So that's it?" Beca asked, barely a whisper, her gaze downcast.
"I don't know" Chloe sighed. "I tried to be there for you and you shut me out. You don't do that to your girlfriend." Beca was still just standing there staring at the ground. "It really hurt me, Beca. How cutting it was that not only did you not want to talk to me but you were willing to get rid of me so cruelly with a simple 'leave me alone.'"
Beca moved around Chloe and rapid fire started pressing at the panic button. "Why the fuck has nobody come?" Beca complained mostly to herself.
"Beca" Chloe called, the brunette ignored her. "Beca" she repeated, placing a hand on the younger girls shoulder. At this, Beca stopped pressing the button and slowly turned to Chloe. Chloe's breath caught in her throat to see that Beca was in fact crying. Suddenly Chloe was engulfed in a tight hug. After initial hesitation, Chloe returned the hug, though less forcefully.
"I'm so sorry, Chlo" the younger girl cried into Chloe's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you." The redheads heart broke. She had no idea Beca would react so strongly to this. They had been official for about three months now and it was pretty great but Beca had never really shown how strongly she felt for Chloe. Not until now. "I just needed to be alone and I acted out and I am so sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am." Chloe's shoulder was now soaked with tears and her own body was shaking due to Beca's sobs vibrating the both of them. Slowly, Chloe started rubbing soothing circles into the smaller girls back and Beca's cries seemed to die down a little.
"I forgive you."
