A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update—I suck. Anyway, this chapter's quite fluffy. Have fun.

There's something that Chloe finds very calming about running. The rhythmic slap slap slap of her sneakers against the churning rubber of the treadmill, pushing herself to run faster, run farther than she did yesterday, and the sweaty, out-of-breath satisfaction of reaching her goal. Today, the goal was three miles in half an hour. She turns off the treadmill and glances at the screen. Twenty-seven minutes and forty-eight seconds. Success. Smiling, Chloe pulls her iPod earphones out of her ears and takes a long drink from her water bottle in between pants. After her breathing evens out, she shoulders her gym bag and heads for the locker room. The tightening of her leg muscles with each step tells her she'll be sore tomorrow, but it's worth it. It's always worth it.

It's a Friday night, so the gym is relatively empty. Normally, Chloe would be at some nondescript party, dancing away the stress of the week and getting up-close and personal with whatever attractive people she can find.

It's been a week since Chloe brought Beca home.

She's been holed up in her apartment, save for attending classes, and finding any excuse she can to spend time in her room with the door shut. Aubrey had, for the most part, withheld any comments with the exception of a sigh or a shake of the head, but when she came home that day to find Chloe on the couch watching The Notebook and crying into a container of Ben & Jerry's, she breached her silence.

"Chloe," she said, picking up the TV remote off of the coffee table and pausing the movie, ignoring the redhead's feeble "Hey!" of indignation. "You need to get your shit together."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Aubrey said, pointedly glaring at the ring of condensation surrounding the ice cream container on the table.

"Like I'm the first person to eat ice cream and watch this movie," Chloe said, rolling her eyes and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"You've been moping around ever since you brought that Haley look-alike home, Chloe," Aubrey said. Seeing Chloe's eyes harden at the name, she backpedaled. "You need to get out of this apartment. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine," Chloe said, teeth clenched. "I can take care of myself."

Aubrey sighed. "Okay." Chloe stood and gathered up the ring of used tissues that had collected around her, stuffing them into the empty ice cream container. She paused a moment, staring down at her hands.

"I'm going to the gym," she said, giving Aubrey a halfhearted smile as she passed.


Chloe wipes her hair off of her sweaty forehead and pushes open the door to the locker room. She drops her things on a bench and starts undressing, not caring if anyone sees her. There's only one other person in the room; Chloe can hear the water running from behind a closed curtain. She sheds the last of her clothing and starts toward a stall in the corner when she hears a melodic voice drift across the room.

You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say

I'm talking loud, not saying much.

I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet.

You shoot me down, but I get up.

Her ears perk up immediately, her stomach tensing. Her fingers flutter excitedly at her sides. She can't help it. Music makes her body react physically. She's the kind of girl who can't just sit still and listen to music. A really good song will have her singing along, dancing like no one's watching, heart pounding and grinning. And this? This is a really good song.

She shouldn't.

She really, really shouldn't.

But Chloe can't help herself.

Someone is singing her lady jam.

She creeps over to the stall and tentatively slides back the curtain partitioning her from the owner of the angelic voice.

She's surprised by what she finds.

"Beca!" Chloe blurts before she can stop herself, eyes wide. The petite brunette whips around, mouth open and eyes wild.

"Oh my God!" she shrieks, shrinking herself back against the tile wall, arms wrapped around her torso and legs crossed. When she sees it's Chloe, she relaxes slightly. "Chloe, what the hell? You scared the shit out of me."

"I-I'm sorry," Chloe stutters, feeling her face flush, willing herself not to stare. "I didn't know it was you."

Beca furrows her brow in confusion and Chloe thinks she spots a quick glimmer of hurt in her eyes. "Who were you expecting it to be?"

"Oh, no, I meant I didn't know who was in here," Chloe says, holding her hands up and shaking her head.

"So you just walk into people's showers regularly?"

"No, just you," Chloe explains, turning redder when she sees a whisper of a smirk on Beca's face. "I mean, uh—you were singing. I had to see who it was."

Beca nods slowly, letting her eyes trail briefly down Chloe's body before quickly averting them. "Okay," she says, drawing out the word.

"You have a lovely voice," Chloe says, taking a step towards the brunette.

"Thanks," Beca says, bending down to readjust the shampoo bottles she had sent skittering across the floor in her surprise. Chloe takes the distraction as an opportunity to admire Beca's form. Her skin is a delicate porcelain, making her seem almost fragile, interrupted by her tattoos, which Chloe is tempted to reach out and run her fingers over. Beca's small, but has curves in all of the right places, and a smattering of faint freckles on her shoulders. She can't break her eyes away, even when Beca rights herself and stares right back. They stand there in silence for a moment, eyes ravishing each other, before they meet each other's gaze.

"Chloe?" Beca asks softly, absently brushing her fingers across the grasshopper tattoo on the inside of her forearm. "Why are you here?"

Chloe blinks herself out of her daze. "You should join the Bellas."

"The what?"

"The Bellas," Chloe repeats. "We're an a cappella group. You'd be perfect for it."

Beca snorts. "Is this how you recruit all of your members?"

"Nope." Chloe laughs. "Just you."

"Hmm," Beca hums, equal parts flirtatious and sarcastic. "Then maybe I'll consider it." Chloe reaches out to playfully punch Beca on the arm, but the brunette takes a step back.

"Hey," Beca says playfully, crossing her arms over her chest once more. "Hands off the merchandise. You gotta earn this."

Chloe feels her stomach twist. She takes another step toward Beca. "And how do I do that?" She feels a strange sense of pride when she sees Beca blush.

"Chloe," Beca says, looking conflicted. "We shouldn't."

"Why not?" Chloe asks, lightly trailing her fingers down Beca's arm. An unbridled feeling of desire runs through her body. She tightens her grip on Beca's wrist and inches closer.

Beca looks down at where Chloe's hand wraps around her arm and swallows. "I don't think—"

"Don't think," Chloe says, and captures Beca's lips in a kiss. She feels Beca tense momentarily before relaxing, sinking primally into the kiss. Just as Chloe starts to nip at Beca's bottom lip, the brunette pulls away.

"I'm sorry," she says, wringing her hands and shaking her head. "I can't do this."

"What's wrong?" Chloe asks quickly, feeling her pulse quicken.

"Look," Beca says, running a hand through her damp hair. "I like you, Chloe. I do. But I don't even know you."

"That can be fixed," Chloe says hopefully. "How about I take you out tomorrow night?" Beca pauses. Chloe's anxiety rises with every painfully slow second that ticks by.

"Okay," she says finally.

Chloe squeals. "I'll get you at seven." Beca gives her a smile.

"Great. Now, I was going to take a shower," she says, gesturing at the showerhead.

"Oh, right, sorry," Chloe says, backing out of the stall with a short wave. She's about to gather her things to take a shower of her own when she remembers something. She pokes her head back into Beca's stall.

"Back for more?" Beca says exasperatedly, but there's a smirk on her face. Chloe rolls her eyes.

"No, I just realized I don't know where you live."

"Oh," Beca says. "Baker hall."

Chloe nods once. "See you at seven."


"You look nice."

Chloe turns away from the bathroom mirror, a tube of mascara in her hands. Aubrey stands behind her, a pencil tucked above her ear and a half-smile on her face.

"Thanks," Chloe says, smoothing the front of her baby blue blouse. She turns back to the mirror to add the finishing touches on her makeup.

"Are you going somewhere?" Aubrey asks.

"Yeah, I'm taking Beca out," Chloe says nonchalantly, grimacing when Aubrey's smile tightens slightly.

"The girl who was sneaking out of our apartment a week ago?"'

Chloe sighs. "That's the one. We talked yesterday. We're getting to know each other."

Aubrey mutters something that sounds an awful lot like "You seem to know each other plenty well". "What was that?" Chloe asks, turning to face Aubrey and leaning back against the bathroom counter.

Aubrey clears her throat. "Nothing." There's a pause. "When did you talk to her?"

"Yesterday. I sort of… ran into her at the gym."

"Sort of?"

"I heard her singing in the shower. I kind of peeked in to see who it was," Chloe admits, flushing bright red.

"You did what?" Aubrey's mouth drops open. Chloe winces.

"It wasn't my finest moment," Chloe mutters, turning back to the mirror and running her fingers through her hair. Aubrey puts her hands over her face.

"You're so weird," she groans. She shakes her head, and Chloe can see her try to fight a smile. "Good thing it was Beca and not some stranger armed with a can of mace."

"Who showers with mace?"

"You never know."


Chloe walks across campus to Baker hall with a spring in her step, humming Titanium under her breath. She takes the stairs the second floor and skips down the hallway, but halts when she reaches Beca's door.

Knock, Chloe, she says to herself, but for some reason can't bring herself to do it. Her fingers flex anxiously, balling the hem of her jacket in her fist.

She's nervous.

She's never been this nervous for a date before.

Usually, Chloe would push open the door without even knocking, grab the girl by the hand, and chatter enthusiastically the whole way to their destination. She's usually excited. Effervescent. Confident. But Beca has a way of messing with her system that is entirely new to Chloe. Her palms are sweaty and there are anxious butterflies flitting in the pit of her stomach. Doubt runs through her mind: will Beca like where they're going? Will they have enough to talk about? Is she too dressed up? Does her breath smell like egg? She's almost ready to fire off an excuse via text message and hide in her apartment when the door swings open to reveal Beca, wearing a grey t-shirt and a raised eyebrow.

"Have you been standing there long?" she asks, taking a step into the hall and shutting the door behind her.

"No," Chloe says quickly, "I just got here." Beca gives her a smirk like she doesn't quite believe her, but squeezes Chloe's hand once and starts toward the stairs nonetheless.


"Here we are," Chloe says, opening the door and tugging Beca in behind her. She's chosen a small, independent diner about a ten-minute walk from campus. Despite its close proximity, it's usually quiet—a perfect place to talk. She leads Beca to a booth in the corner, smiling at the woman behind the counter as the pass.

"I've never been here before," Beca says, picking up a menu.

Chloe nods. "It's kind of a campus secret. Aubrey and I found it last year."

"Aubrey?" Beca asks, lifting her eyes from the menu to meet Chloe's.

"My best friend-slash-roommate," Chloe clarifies, toying with the edge of her paper napkin.

"Oh," Beca says, pursing her lips. "I think she has a bounty on my head." Chloe flicks a small piece of the napkin that she's ripped off at the brunette.

"She does not," she says, laughing when Beca flicks the paper right back. "She's just protective." Beca nods and returns to perusing the menu. There's a moment of silence before Chloe clears her throat.

"So, what were you doing at a Treblemakers' party?" she asks.

"This kid I work with at the radio station—Jesse—dragged me there. He has some weird boy-band dream of being in the group," Beca says, rolling her eyes.

"The Treblemakers are our biggest rivals," Chloe says, closing her menu with finality. "Do you know what you want?"

"I'm trying to decide between lobster and steak," Beca deadpans. "And they didn't give us the wine menu."

It's Chloe's turn to roll her eyes. "The closest thing you'll get to steak here is a burger." Beca glances back down at the menu.

"I can deal with that."


Chloe's needn't have worried about not having anything to talk to Beca about. Conversation flowed easily; they sat talking long after their food was gone and their drinks finished. The diner had almost completely emptied out, and Beca and Chloe had reached a comfortable pause in their conversation, smiling at each other fondly. Every so often their legs brush under the table, and Chloe currently holds Beca's hand in her own, tracing smooth circles on the soft, fleshy palm.

"What do you say we get out of here?" Chloe suggests, dropping some rumbled dollar bills on the table. Beca nods and stands, their hands still intertwined. Once they're out on the sidewalk, Beca leans in towards Chloe.

"Kimmy Jin's not home tonight," she whispers despite the fact that they are the only ones on the street, her breath hot in Chloe's ear. She smirks when she feels the redhead's grasp on her hand tighten ever so slightly. Heat rushes through Chloe's body and she picks up the pace of her steps so that she's practically pulling Beca behind her.

"Easy there, tiger," Beca says, laughing. Wordlessly, Chloe spins to face her and presses their lips together, tangling her hands in Beca's soft hair, tongue stalking past their joined lips. When they part for air, Chloe can see the want in Beca's dilated eyes.

"Come on," Beca says urgently, this time leading Chloe down the street.


The sun is just beginning to peek in between the blinds on the window when Aubrey hears a rustling outside of her bedroom door. She yawns blearily, shuffling out of bed and poking her head into the hall. She sees Chloe, her back to her, easing the door shut and momentarily shuts her eyes. Not again. Stepping fully outside of her room, Aubrey clears her throat. Chloe whips around, eyes wide in surprise, a startled "Shit" falling from her lips.

"Just getting home?" Aubrey asks, stating the obvious.

"Uh, yeah," Chloe says, running a hand through her hair, which has settled crazily over her shoulders. "I stayed with Beca."

"Did she have a four AM class or something?" Aubrey asks, the words sounding harsher than she meant to, wincing when she sees the redhead tense. "I'm sorry, that wasn't what—"

"It's fine," Chloe cuts Aubrey off and stalks past her, disappearing into her bedroom and shutting the door forcefully. Sighing, Aubrey approaches Chloe's door and knocks tentatively.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," comes the muffled reply. She might be imagining things, but Aubrey thinks she hears a sob on the edge of Chloe's voice.