Chapter 3

Chloe had spent every morning for the last two weeks at the café with the girls whom she was growing to know more each day. She escaped to her studio most afternoons to catch up on paintings and enjoyed the consistent comfort of messages from her friends.

It was dark outside, Chloe had immersed herself in a drawing and lost track of time. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her hair back with a pencil, twisting it up. Her stomach growled loudly over the soft music playing so she pulled on her sweater and decided to go to the corner shop. It was always open late and the owner, an old man called Joe, was used to her late night visits covered in paint or charcoal. The large lamps made it less eerie to walk down the empty streets, but Chloe hardly noticed the dark in her dreamy state.
"Ah my favourite customer, how are you dear?" Joe asked with his always chirpy voice.
"Hi Joe. I'm pretty good, been working on a drawing this afternoon but I lost track of time again." Joe smiled as she wandered down the aisles to the back fridge picking up a packet of crisps on her way. She started humming to herself as she browsed the familiar refrigerator; coffee seemed to be the ideal choice for tonight as she didn't plan on finishing her drawing until sleep took its toll.
"Chloe?" A voice came from behind the redhead and she swivelled around to find Beca standing there. She looked just as tired as Chloe, eyes glazed over and dark circles forming under them.
"Hey Beca, what are you doing up so late?" Chloe asked.
"Working on a mix down at my studio, I needed a coffee fix. You working on a drawing?" Beca asked with a small smile.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Chloe replied with a curious tone.
"The pencil holding your hair up and the stains on your face and hands kind of gave you away." Chloe laughed and looked at her hands which were indeed covered in pencil marks from shading. She turned around to grab a coffee from the fridge and Beca did the same when she moved away.
"So where's your studio?" Beca questioned as they walked to the counter.
"It's on Evenly Lane, one of the brick buildings." Chloe payed for her items and decided to strike up some courage. "Did you want to see it?" Beca looked at her as she took her change, eyes wide.
"Yeah definitely."

"So this is it." Chloe opened the door to the studio and walked in after Beca. The music was still playing and candles illuminated around the large room. Chloe's favourite artwork was hung on the far wall and the rest was scattered along the sides.
"This is incredible; your work is so precise." Beca walked directly to the far wall and admired each piece hung on the brick structure. "This one is my favourite," she pointed to the drawing of two female lovers lost in a kiss. Chloe walked up behind her and smiled, looking up at her creation.
"Mine too." Beca turned and looked at her then shuffled through the pile of canvases close by.
"These are seriously amazing Chloe, you obviously love what you do."
"I do, this place is my sanctuary. I wish I could sit in here and draw all day but unfortunately I have to finish all those to pay the bills." The redhead pointed to a pile of files on a small table, Beca walked over and read through them.
"So people just tell you what to paint? Where's the fun in that?"
"No, people either send photos of the room they want the painting in or I go and check it out myself, I take inspiration from the scenery, colour schemes and the personality of the people and create something from it. Like my last order was a living room filled with greens and blues, open area leading out to a deck and the family were very showy. I painted a peacock with its feathers out, mirroring the colour scheme and keeping a white backdrop." Chloe explained whilst showing a picture of the painting in its new environment.
"Chloe, this is incredible. You are really talented." Beca stared at the photograph intently, taking in the masterpiece. "Can you make something for my studio?" Chloe looked at her surprised and nodded.
"Do you have anything in mind of what you'd like?" she asked.
"Well, you're the expert so I'll leave that up to you. Come by sometime and check out the place, it's not far from here." Beca wrote down the address of the studio on Chloe's desk.
"It's kind of cool we both have studios to escape to."
"Yeah I guess." Beca looked away and fidgeted with the zipper on her jacket.
"I'm guessing you can't escape," Chloe hesitated, "from her?" Beca looked up biting her lip. "I know its not my place to say but she doesn't exactly seem… understanding."
"She's fine," Beca laughed, "just doesn't really get my area of work. Its all shoes, fashion and cars with her, my job is kind of put last on her list."
"That's your passion though; she should respect that and everything it means to you. I see you disappear into another world when you are mixing and she doesn't get it." Chloe sat down and started sketching.
"What are you doing?" Beca moved closer to look at the desk.
"Sit over there for a minute," Chloe waved a hand towards the couch without breaking eye contact with her sketch. Beca obeyed and sat down pulling a filled sketchbook on her lap to look at.

"Finished!" Chloe exclaimed as she picked up the sketch and sat on the couch next to the brunette. "Don't think I'm a freak but I take in certain things that inspire me." She handed the sketch over to Beca who stared in wonder. The redhead had drawn Beca, staring intently down, obviously mixing with the large headphones over her ears. "I see your passion for music in your eyes and I wanted to capture it. I just don't get how your girlfriend can't see how important it is to you."
"She's not all that bad you know," Beca said still staring at the picture.
"Are you happy when you're with her?" Chloe questioned, eyes on the brunettes face. Beca sighed and looked at Chloe, a small glisten of sadness filled her eyes.
"I used to be." Chloe wrapped her hand around Beca's. The brunette's phone vibrated and she removed her hand from Chloe's to pull it from her pocket. Lola's name appeared across the screen and Beca opened the message.
Where the hell are you?
Beca quickly responded: Went for a walk, be back at studio in ten.
"I should go, Lola's at the studio to pick me up." She stood up and made her way to the door still holding the picture. "Can I keep this?" she asked looking at Chloe.
"Of course, I'll see you in the morning?"
"Yeah definitely." Beca opened the door and hesitated, stepping back and looking once more at the redhead. "What's your favourite song by the way?"
"Um, Titanium. The acoustic version is my favourite when I'm drawing." Beca smiled at Chloe and left closing the door.