Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying

Chloe knew that she's in trouble the moment Aubrey suggested the song.

Beca thinks it's silly. Chloe can tell from the way her eyebrows were raised. But she didn't say a word. She just turned to Chloe and asked if Chloe could take the lead because there's something more important to do right now than ridicule Aubrey's musical taste.

Imagine that, Beca Mitchell actually cares enough about something that she swallowed her sarcasm.

Chloe finds it…strange. She is used to Beca dragging her feet for just about everything.

/

"Probably not."

"But it will be fun!"

Then Chloe thought maybe fun wasn't a good enough reason for Beca to go out dancing with the Bellas.

"Just you know…dancing," Beca winced slightly, "not my thing. The idea of sweaty drunk people flailing their arms just…"

"You don't have to, you know."

"Then do what? Stand and watch?"

"I'll stand with you."

"And miss all the fun?"

Chloe smiled. "You're fun."

Beca chuckled. "I think you've been hanging out with the wrong Beca."

"I doubt it," Chloe said and looked around before leaning into Beca's ear. "But just in case," she whispered conspicuously, "maybe we should have a secret password to identify each other with."

Beca stiffened.

Chloe didn't think anything of it. Contrary to popular belief, she knew what personal space meant. And Beca was one of those people who guarded it like it was some precious diamond.

She knew but she couldn't help it sometimes.

"I think anyone could guess that," Beca said.

"Yeah, but they'll say it differently than you."

"How?"

"They won't be in as much pain as you."

Beca rolled her eyes. "I'll see you tonight," she mumbled almost inaudibly before she left.

And she did.

Chloe was trying to get the bartender's attention when someone whispered to her, "You look aca-mazing."

She turned and found Beca with her crooked smile and she was not at all mortified.

"Are you really Beca?" she asked.

Beca laughed. "I'm not. Come on," she took Chloe's arm.

"Now I'm worried."

"You should. I'm taking you to the mothership." She pulled Chloe towards the other Bellas on the dance floor.

/

But Chloe thinks it's a good kind of strange because maybe they're past the whole kicking and screaming phase so she could finally tell Beca…

No.

She reminds herself that she and Beca are not really singing love songs to each other. Maybe she is. But she's pretty sure Beca isn't.

Beca smiles as she is looking at Chloe.

And Chloe feels her heart breaking, knowing that the smile isn't what she wants it to mean.

But the song is everything she wants to say to Beca. All those beautiful things about her that she's so keen to hide. The way they make Chloe's stomach turn in the best possible way.

Because you're amazing just the way you are

She wants Beca to know no matter what.

She looks into Beca's eyes. And she thinks she sees something in those eyes. Something like a mix of hurt and sorrow.

When I see your face, there's nothing that I would change

She musters a smile. And she should sing it with a smile anyway because that's how Beca makes her feel. She'd be studying in the library or walking on some street or buying lunch and suddenly she'd notice someone looking at her weirdly. Then she'd realize that she was smiling.

Because she was thinking of Beca.

Beca makes her smile like an idiot at seemingly random times.

She nods before she realizes what she's doing.

Beca's eyebrows crinkle.

She nods again and puts all of her into the song. The fear and uncertainty all but gone.

Because Beca, for all her maybes, always shows up and Chloe thinks the reason might be her.

Just a dream

No, it's not.