Chapter Three: Open Book-Part Two
Day Two: Myrtle Beach to Baltimore
The next day was a fresh start for Beca and started remarkably well. She had expected to wake up mortified and uncomfortable half naked in bed with Chloe, but instead awoke to the sweet smell of fresh coffee that Chloe had gone out to get while she was still asleep. The girl had already gotten a shower and was dressed as she sat on the other bed in the room and watched a morning talk show. Any awkwardness at the situation was ignored by Chloe, who simply wished her good morning and pointed at the coffee sitting on the small table in the room. Beca wrapped the sheet from the bed around her body and took a sip of it, before kissing Chloe on the forehead and getting a shower.
Once they left the hotel and set out on the road, the subject of last night wasn't brought up again and Beca was thankful. She didn't want to confront her feelings just yet or have a heavy conversation about how inexperienced she was at the whole sex thing. Instead, they sat in a comfortable silence and they both felt a little closer to each other, but neither dared to talk about it. For the first time in her life, Chloe was comfortable with just letting something go and enjoying the quiet moments with Beca. Besides, they had all summer to talk and to get down to the bottom of how they felt about each other. Chloe hoped that the love she felt for Beca was mutual, but knew that she would have to wait for Beca to express it herself and was okay with that. She would wait as long as it took until Beca felt comfortable enough to say it and time would only make it sweeter.
They didn't say much for a long time, just listening to the soft background noise of the radio and enjoying the sights of the beautiful South Carolina coast. Beca was finally able to realize just what Chloe loved about the area and tried to take in as much as possible so she could have memories that were as sweet as her girlfriend's. After a while she couldn't stand herself any longer and reached out for Chloe's free hand, taking it in hers and threading their fingers together as she stared out the window. A flood of emotions surged through Chloe's body and she pulled over at the rest stop as they finally crossed the border into North Carolina.
Beca looked over at Chloe and said "Why are we stopping? Are you sick now? Please tell me that you don't get car sick too, because I don't think I can clean you up like you did for me yesterday. I'm not too great with that kind of stuff."
Chloe shook her head and said "No, I just want to talk to you. You can't hold my hand like that and expect me to keep quiet about what I'm feeling, especially after last night. I've been keeping it inside and I thought that not talking would make it go away and make it easier on you, but I want to talk about it because it's important to me. I liked holding you and feeling your skin on mine all night. I liked listening to the little noises that you make when you're dreaming and having your face as the first thing I see when I wake up. I meant what I said last night, too. I know you heard me and it's okay if you don't feel it yet, but I'm starting to and I just wanted you to know. Could you at least say something to me? I can't drive another six hours to Baltimore in silence, I'll go crazy."
Beca smiled and softly said "I'm not ready to tell you how I feel yet, because this is all really new for me and I just have to get used to it first. It means a lot to know that you care for me and last night was really great too. I just…I didn't want things to get weird between us. I'm not ready to be intimate with you yet and last night was good, but is about as far as I want to go right now. I also don't want to drive in silence either, but I'm not so great at the whole making conversation thing. I'm sorry if you think I'm weird, but all of this is hard for me. I'm not used to opening up to anyone and I'm just taking it as it comes."
Chloe sighed quietly and said "What are we going to do with you, Beca Mitchell? I understand where you're coming from and I'm really happy that you told me what you're comfortable with. Last night doesn't change anything, besides the fact that I'm going to hold off on jumping your bones for a little while. So, I think before we start driving again, we should come up with an agreement for how this road trip is going to work. I've been thinking about it and I want to implement the "Chloe Beale Rules For A Successful Road Trip."
Beca laughed and said "Did you just come up with that right now?"
Chloe simply shrugged and said "Maybe. Okay, here are the rules. Number one, we cannot leave the car if a kick ass jam is playing. I don't care if it's Bohemian Rhapsody and we have to sit there for five minutes until we can leave. Music is everything and it's something that I want to share with you. Number two, we're going to stop at every rest stop when we enter a new state and take a picture with the state sign. I know it sounds tacky, but it'll give us something to look at later and realize just how far we went together. Finally, number three is probably the best rule of them all. We're each going to tell a secret about ourselves every hour. You have problems opening up and I'm an open book, so I'll go first and make a fool out of myself so it isn't so hard for you. What do you think?"
Beca smirked at how ridiculous the rules were but could see that Chloe had put a lot of thought into them and that they would help make things less awkward. She managed a slight smile and said "Well, let's go take our picture then. You're asking someone to take it though, because I don't want to look like a complete psycho."
Chloe smiled at Beca and said "Deal!" They both exited the car and Chloe led them up to a complete stranger and asked him to take their picture. The guy looked at Chloe like she had horns growing out of her head, but agreed to do it and Beca couldn't hide her smile as Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca tightly and said "Cheese!"
It was awkward and tacky and something that Beca never imagined herself doing, but she didn't stop herself from posing ridiculously with Chloe each time they stopped. Chloe had so much confidence in herself and what she did that it was impossible not to get caught up in it. When they stopped for the last time in Maryland, Beca even approached someone to take their picture and felt no embarrassment when Chloe practically straddled her and kissed her romantically in front of the complete stranger.
Beca even found herself opening up more, listening to Chloe bear her soul with each secret that she revealed and matching her with her own. Over the next five hours, Beca learnt that Chloe didn't go to prom because her family moved during her senior year, had never been in a serious relationship before, hadn't kissed a girl before Beca, had a huge crush on Aubrey when they first met, and was afraid of eventually letting her guard down and allowing herself to hate her father.
The last one shook Beca to her core because she could never imagine Chloe hating anyone. The girl seemed to love everything and had such an easy time connecting to people, that the idea of someone upsetting Chloe so much made Beca's heart ache. She had felt so alone last year with her issues with her father and the whole time there was someone going through just as much as she was. They had both been let down and broken by the one person that was supposed to love them unconditionally and Beca couldn't stop herself from hugging Chloe tightly, not pulling away until Chloe had to swerve to avoid hitting another car.
Over the same five hours, Chloe learnt that Beca had been popular before her parents' divorce but was miserable when she had to move with her mother from Seattle to Lansing and had no friends in her new high school. She also learnt that Beca had once had an online boyfriend that turned out to be a girl when they met, had had her first kiss with a girl during summer camp when she fourteen, had a little crush on Aubrey but mostly enjoyed pissing her off, and worried that connecting with her father in any way would be like betraying her mother.
It made Chloe really happy to hear Beca reveal things about herself that were private and while some were silly, like their mutual crushes on Aubrey and past relationships, it felt like they made a deep connection with each other. It broke Chloe's heart to hear Beca talk about her father, but she also felt good knowing that the girl wasn't keeping it inside and was allowing herself to connect with someone that felt the same things that she did.
Eventually they reached their hotel in downtown Baltimore and had to sit in the car for a few minutes to finish listening and singing along to Somebody To Love by Queen. When Chloe left the car after serenading Beca with Freddie Mercury, Beca stared off at her and felt a longing in her heart to follow her. She was finally starting to feel herself open up and she didn't want the drive to end. She could have easily spent the rest of the night in that car with Chloe, just talking and enjoying each other, and never getting bored. She was in pretty deep and was feeling things that she never thought were possible.
Chloe returned with their room key several minutes later and stared at Beca for a few moments, taken aback by the look of sadness on her face. Chloe took Beca's hands in hers and softly said "What's wrong? Why do you look so sad? Do you want to go somewhere else to stay?'
Beca shook her head as tears filled her eyes and said "No, I just missed you. I…let's not go out once we get unpacked. I don't care about being a tourist and seeing this city. I just want to get room service and lay in bed with you. Okay?"
Chloe nodded gently and said "Sure, but it'll have to be a pizza because I'm pretty sure that Holiday Inns don't have room service." As she put the car into drive and started to drive to a parking space, she looked over at Beca with a smile on her face and said "I can't believe that you missed me. That's really sweet, Beca. It looks like I'm wearing off on you."
Beca just shook her head as she felt her face turn red and said "Just shut up and drive. I was trying to be romantic, you idiot."
They parked and unpacked and Chloe ordered a pizza while Beca got into a bathrobe and lounged on the queen bed. Chloe had opted to get a room with one bed instead of two singles, forcing them to sleep together again. Beca appreciated the thought and once Chloe finished placing the order, motioned for the older girl to join her on the bed. For the rest of the night they talked and watched TV and ate, never once leaving the bed except to use the bathroom and to get ice down the hallway from the machine.
After a while, Beca fell asleep and Chloe got up to get a shower so they wouldn't be rushed in the morning. They had a long day of sightseeing ahead of them in New York tomorrow and Chloe just wanted things to go smoothly and to be as perfect as they were today. When she eventually returned to the bed and turned the lights off, she was surprised to feel Beca's arms wrap around her body and the girl's body to melt into hers. Chloe laughed softly and said "I thought you were sleeping."
Beca kissed the back of Chloe's neck and said "I can't sleep without you now, I'm addicted. Do you see what you've done to me, Ms. Beale? I think you broke me."
Chloe felt Beca's warm breath on her bare shoulders as she yawned deeply and quietly murmured "Me too. Never let me go, okay?"
Chloe never got the answer to her question as she slipped off to sleep within moments. If she had been able to stay awake, she would have felt warm tears on her back and the shuddering breaths coming from her girlfriend. Beca clutched at Chloe tightly as sobs shook her body and she tried to keep breathing. Chloe's words had stunned her and rocked her world completely. As the tears continued, she slowly realized that she never wanted to let Chloe go, not now or ever. This was the first thing that felt real to her in a long time and she felt so completely alive holding her girlfriend that the only thing she could do was cry. As Beca slowly calmed down and fell asleep, she finally understood exactly what she was feeling. She was completely and utterly in love with Chloe and too terrified to do anything about it. What the hell had Chloe done to her?
Day Three: New York City
The next day the girls arrived in New York City at noon and planned to stay out all day, walking around and seeing as much as possible. They both had certain things that they wanted to do and experience, but there was no set itinerary and they would just try to fit in whatever they could. They had been in the city the month before for ICCAs, but spent most of their time at the hotel rehearsing and resting up for their performance. When they got finished performing, they celebrated briefly at a small pub close to Lincoln Center and then went back to their hotel since they had a long drive back to Georgia the next day. Chloe had been to the city numerous times, but Beca had never been and was really disappointed when Aubrey forbid her from leaving the hotel when they were there. This time was different though and Chloe was open to anything.
The first thing they did was head to Central Park because it was still relatively cool out and they could stay out longer without getting uncomfortable. Beca was in awe at just how big the park was and couldn't believe how small the TV had made it seem. Chloe didn't get overwhelmed though and deftly guided her to her favorite spot in the park, the Alice in Wonderland statue. Chloe explained to Beca that this was her favorite book as a little kid and when she first visited the park with her mother when she was six, she wanted to sit underneath the toadstool and never leave. Chloe seemed to grow sad at the memory and they stayed there for a little while; Chloe just staring at it while Beca held her tightly. Neither of them said much and after fifteen minutes, Chloe led Beca to an area that she knew she would love.
Beca loved the Beatles and had a bunch of their albums on vinyl, a birthday present from her father when she turned eighteen. They had been his when he was younger and he wanted to start her collection out right and passed them on to her, along with her first record player. It had been one of the few presents from him that came with a meaning and she cherished it. She listened to them constantly, memorizing the music and lyrics until she could practically recite each album. She had left them at home when she went off to college so they didn't get damaged in the move and longed for their comfort sometimes at night when she had trouble getting to sleep. Beca tightened her grip on Chloe's hand as they entered Strawberry Fields and stood at the small Imagine monument, gazing down at it silently as thoughts and feelings flooded through them. Beca's were firmly entrenched in the present while Chloe thought of the future, both of them imagining just where their relationship would go.
They then took a small break in Shakespeare Garden, which Beca thought was absolutely gorgeous, and then headed off to the carousel. Beca wasn't too keen on riding it, but Chloe insisted that it was a tradition and that they had to do it. Beca paid for their tickets and they rode on horses next to each other; Chloe laughing like a child as they went in circles and Beca trying not to show that she was really enjoying herself.
By the time they finished up in the park, it was mid-afternoon and they stopped at a street cart for lunch before heading to the Met. Chloe loved the show Gossip Girl and was dying to sit on the steps with Beca, just like Blair and Serena would do. Beca had never watched the show and didn't understand why anyone would want to eat lunch on the steps, but humored Chloe and posed for a picture with her that a weary security guard snapped for them. Evidently this was something he assisted in often and didn't seem fazed when Chloe anxiously brought it up to him.
Beca had never been in a subway before and Chloe knew of just the place to take her. They could have easily caught one at one of the many stations scattered through the city, but Chloe wanted it to be special and they walked for what seemed like hours until they reached Grand Central Terminal. Beca seemed in awe of the huge building and tried to take in every detail when they entered. She had seen it a bunch of times in movies and in one of her mother's coffee table books, but seeing it in person was different. Chloe paid for their tickets and they rode the subway to Brooklyn, where they departed and looked around for a little bit before eating dinner at a small restaurant.
They then rode it back to midtown and departed at the Times Square station, which was the one thing that Beca was desperate to see. Chloe had been here too many times to count and didn't really like how crowded and rushed it felt, but melted when she saw the look on Beca's face as they stepped out of the dark stairwell of the subway and into the blinding lights of the billboards and buildings. Beca couldn't stop herself from looking up and they stood that way for a little while, just taking in as much as they could and holding each other close. They walked around for a little bit, stopping in a few shops along the way and buying some souvenirs, but Beca seemed to grow uneasy as it grew dark out and suggested that they head back to their hotel. Chloe agreed and hailed a taxi that took them back to their hotel in Manhattan.
It had been ridiculously expensive, but Chloe insisted that they stay at the Plaza Hotel. Home Alone was one of the few movies that Beca actually liked and Chloe wanted her to stay at Kevin McAllister's hotel of choice. She had even humored Beca when the first arrived and used her messed up vocal chords to mimic the sound that Kevin's Talkboy made when he called in his reservation. Chloe had never seen someone laugh as hard as Beca did when she did the impression and shoved her playfully before collapsing in a fit of giggles with her on the bed.
The room somehow looked different than it did when they left in the morning, but Beca just chalked it up to being tired. She didn't want to admit to herself that the real reason it looked different was because they were different now. The sightseeing trip had brought them closer together and Beca was in awe of how easy Chloe made things. She had tried her hardest to make Beca's day perfect and to fit in everything that she wished to see, never complaining about being bored or her feet hurting after walking for miles. Beca didn't know how to thank her and instead gave Chloe a tight hug that lasted for five minutes before Beca tried to lead them to the bed. Chloe stopped her and softly said "No way. We're not cuddling tonight. I have a surprise for you."
Beca looked at Chloe questioningly and smiled when Chloe placed a pair of tickets into her hand. Chloe smiled at Beca and said "I'm taking you to a club opening. There's this new club called Blur opening up and there's a few DJs that are going to be playing that my source told me are pretty good."
Beca laughed and said "You have sources now? Wow! Can you tell me who your source was? Was she pretty?"
Chloe bit her lip to hold back her own laughter and said "She is actually my cousin Steven and he's okay looking, but not your type. He's a bouncer at the club and got me these passes. It was too short notice for VIP ones, but these should be good enough. You've never been to a club before and if you want to play them one day, you should probably know what it's like to be a guest. Now, get dressed in something comfy because I plan on dancing with you all night long."
Beca kissed Chloe's cheek in thanks and went to dig through her suitcase for the perfect clubbing outfit. She settled on some tight black jeans and a form fitting red dress shirt that she paired with a pair of flats. She stood anxiously in the room waiting for Chloe to get dressed and almost fell over as she watched Chloe step out of the bathroom. She was in a tight black strapless dress and her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders. Beca had never seen her like this and took a deep breath before saying "You look so beautiful right now. I must look like a slob compared to you."
Chloe rolled her eyes and said "It's just a dress and you look great too. Come on, our taxi should be ready downstairs. It's just a few blocks away, but I didn't want to walk it in these heels."
She wrapped her arm around Beca's back and took the elevator down to the lobby, departing the hotel and entering their waiting taxi. The ride only took ten minutes and when they arrived at the club, it looked like the party was kicking into gear. The roped off line of people waiting to get in stretched around the corner and Chloe talked to the doorman who then said something into his radio. After a minute, a hulking young man came outside and lifted Chloe off of her feet in a huge hug. Chloe introduced him as her cousin to Beca and slipped something into his hand before following him inside of the club.
The place was packed with people and combined with the pounding music, they could barely move or think. Chloe spotted an open spot in a corner of the dance floor and grabbed Beca's hand, pulling her over to it and then spinning her around so they faced each other. Beca grinned as Chloe started to dance in time to the music and moved a little closer, allowing herself to relax and move to the waves of sound that shook her entire body. They danced like this for an hour, enjoying the great set that the young DJ on the stage had put together. Beca was enviable of a few of his mixes and picked up on some of his techniques, hoping to apply them later to her mixes when they got back to the hotel.
By the time his set was over, they were both sweating and exhausted and Chloe handed Beca her credit card and asked if she could go and grab them some drinks. Beca agreed to and went over to the bar, ordering them both something non-alcoholic since she wasn't 21 yet and didn't want to risk getting thrown out if the bartender asked to see ID.
It was a little quieter when she returned to the dance floor and handed Chloe her glass of Coke, which she sipped thirstily before thanking Beca. Beca just smiled and said "I'm sorry there's no alcohol in it. I just didn't want to get carded and thrown out. Is it okay?"
Chloe nodded and said "It's great, thank you. So, I have another surprise for you and I don't want you to hate me when it happens. I know this is probably something that you wanted to accomplish on your own, but you're never going to get this opportunity again."
Beca raised an eyebrow and said "What the hell are you talking about? What did you do?!"
Chloe simply shushed her and motioned up at the DJ booth, where one of the regulars was playing mood music between sets. The DJ in the booth gave her a thumbs up and the unmistakable sound of Hypnotize by The Notorious B.I.G. filled the club. People started to spill onto the dance floor again and Beca's mouth dropped open as Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake and Flashing Lights by Kanye West were sampled into the track, morphing together into a perfect blend of sex and glamour. The dance floor began to fill with people dancing along to the song and Beca just looked up at Chloe with wide eyes. This was one of her mixes and it was playing in a club. Correction, it was playing in the hottest new club in the city and people were going crazy for it.
Beca could hardly contain her excitement and threw her arms around Chloe, holding her tightly as she tried not to cry in front of hundreds of people. This was the moment that she had always waited for and Chloe had made it happen. She was overwhelmed and shaking and clung to her girlfriend, just wanting to enjoy the moment in her comforting arms. After four minutes the song ended and the DJ in the booth got on the microphone and said "That was DJ Beca Mitchell straight out of Hotlanta. She's in the club tonight, so let her hear some noise."
The crowd erupted into cheers and Chloe helped her stand on a bar stool so everyone could see her and she could thank them. Beca's face broke open with a wide grin as she waved at the applauding crowd and once it died down, she got down from the chair and grabbed Chloe's hand before dragging her out of the club and into the cold night air. By this point tears were rolling down her cheeks and she looked up at Chloe's fiercely proud face and almost broke down completely.
Chloe wiped Beca's moist cheeks off and said "Are you mad? From what I saw in there, you can make one hell of a song. That was so amazing to see them dance like that to something that you made for me. You're going to be huge one day, I just know it!"
Beca choked back a sob and said "Thank you. I've dreamt about that since I got my DJ stuff, maybe even longer. How did you get them to play it?"
Chloe shrugged and said "I slipped it to my cousin, along with a couple hundred bucks. The DJ that played first wasn't too pleased about your mix because it was so much better than anything he played tonight, so he needed a little bribe before he let my cousin get in the booth. It was worth it though."
Beca stared up at Chloe with admiration in her eyes and said "Thank you for all of this. For this trip and taking me around the city and for tonight. No one has ever done anything like this for me before and I just…I love you. With every part of my heart and my body and everything in me, I love you. Thank you-"
Before she could continue any further, Chloe shoved her up against the wall of the club and kissed her deeply, with an intensity that Beca had never felt before. It was wet and messy and tearful and so perfect that Beca never wanted it to end. This love thing was pretty great after all.
