Shout outs to my awesome writer's block support group - rubiksmaniac and pt17ak.
"Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
You said 'I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die'
There's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?"
- Dire Straits, "Romeo and Juliet"
Chloe smiled brightly, "Hey Becs, come on in." The redhead stepped back allowing Beca to slide in past her.
The brunette frowned, she passed close enough to catch Chloe's scent, her body almost humming with the urge to lean into it. She forced herself to keep walking and not give in.
The hallway opened into a living room that looked like it was straight out of one of those fancy home design magazines Beca saw while in line at the grocery store. All beiges and muted accent colors. She was prevented from studying her surroundings further when Chloe appeared at her side.
"Can I get you something to drink?" Chloe swished the contents of her glass in invitation.
Beca shook her head, "No, I'm good thanks."
The redhead looked at her for a moment, cocking her head slightly to the side. Beca could feel her eyes boring into her, so she stuffed her hands further into the pockets of her jacket, turning to stare back at Chloe.
Once the slim woman's navy eyes turned to her, Chloe smiled again, "It's good to see you Becs." Beca felt her stomach flip at hearing her name cross Chloe's lips, then cursed inwardly for being so weak when confronted with those blue eyes. Nervously she ran her hand through her hair.
"Yeah, good to see you too." Beca grimaced, she sounded insincere even to her own ears.
Chloe's smile faltered for a moment before she recovered, though her smile was not quite as bright as before. Brushing past Beca again, she called over her shoulder, "Come, have a seat."
Beca followed Chloe, watching warily as the other woman sat on the edge of a cream colored couch. The redhead smiled cheekily and patted the cushion next to her.
Beca rolled her eyes, huffing out, "Cut it out, Beale." Beca moved to sit in the matching armchair that was diagonal to Chloe. It had the benefit of placing an end table between them but was still within arm's reach of each other if one of them leaned over.
"Right, serious it is." Chloe smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her yoga pants, taking a drink from her glass taking a few moments to collect herself. She placed the glass on the table and looked over at Beca who was slouched over, staring at her hands resting in her lap.
The brunette felt Chloe's eyes on her, the woman's gaze had always had a weight and a warmth to it that was tangible to Beca, today was no different. She couldn't help but wonder if the woman she saw when she returned that gaze however, was different.
Tiring of the silence, Beca broke first, "Well, you wanted to talk Beale." Her navy eyes glinted in challenge as they locked in on Chloe's hopeful blue.
"I do." Chloe leaned on the arm of the couch, smiling softly.
Beca stopped fidgeting long enough to regard Chloe quietly, finally raising an eyebrow to prompt the redhead to continue.
Smile dimming slightly, Chloe nodded once, "Right, guess I'll start." Taking a breath she looked at Beca, blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I'm sorry."
Uncomfortable at seeing Chloe on the verge of tears, Beca looked away frowning only to jump when she felt Chloe's hand close over hers. The younger woman looked up sharply. Chloe was sitting on the edge of the sofa and leaning over, grasping Beca's hand with an almost desperate fervor, eyes still wet.
"Beca, please. I am so very sorry…for everything really." Chloe paused, eyes searching Beca's for something. Beca was sitting, staring back at the redhead. Truth be told, she had imagined this scenario multiple times, always with some form of Chloe apologizing and begging Beca to come back. In some versions she accepted the tearful apologies, in others she walked away, confident and unaffected.
Now that she was seeing it for real, it left her feeling adrift and exposed, bringing back the raw hurt from before that she had sworn she was beyond. Beca worked her jaw but didn't respond, unsure of what to say and not exactly sure of what she was feeling.
Chloe was staring at her with such emotion that Beca felt overwhelmed by it. Abruptly she stood up and pulled away from Chloe, putting the coffee table, with its stupidly perfect centerpiece between them. Chloe sat frozen for a second, before pushing herself off of the couch to stand in front of Beca. The slim brunette put her hand up as if to ward Chloe off, but Chloe wrapped her hand around Beca's and brought it to her chest, forcing Beca to look up into her eyes, so close now that Beca could smell the whisky on her breath, "Becs, please," she whispered, "don't run this time."
Beca furrowed her brow, and then shook her head, pulling back she tried to get Chloe to release her hand, but the redhead just tightened her grip. "Beca, say something."
"You left me, Chloe." The words were whispered, raw and hurt, Beca now staring at Chloe with empty fury. Chloe moved to answer but Beca shook her head, now pressing her hand into Chloe's chest, pushing the taller woman back a step. "No, you don't get to do this now." Her words coming stronger now with remembered anger, "I didn't run." Beca punctuated her remaining words with a nudge into Chloe's chest with each one. "You… Left… Me..." The redhead stepped back with each one until she was pressed against the arm of the couch.
Chloe shook her head, pleading with watery eyes, "Beca, I know, but it was so much, and you…you…"
"I was what?" Beca felt the old anger returning, the hurt at being cast aside seemingly so easily, "Tell me, Chloe, how is it my fault this time? Tell me again how it was always my fault." Again, each sentence was punctuated with a nudge to Chloe's chest.
Chloe was openly crying now. Beca pulled back a fraction, seeing Chloe upset still managing to incite in her the need to make it better somehow. She fought that urge down and waited to see what Chloe would say, unwilling to bend this time.
"I know I fucked up okay, but Beca…you were doing that thing where you pull away." Chloe's lower lip trembled, "And don't be mad, but you had run twice before Beca, what was I supposed to do? Wait for you to break my heart again?"
Beca looked surprised, "What?" I wasn't pulling away!"
The sound of a throat clearing nearly caused them both to jump. Beca whirled around in time to see Aubrey Posen drop her purse on the table in the foyer. She turned incredulous eyes to Chloe, "You brought me here? Why would you…?"
Aubrey walked down into the sunken living room, concerned eyes tracking to Chloe's tear-streaked face, "What did you do, Beca?"
"Aubrey don't." Chloe was quick to defend.
Chloe tried to brush past Beca, but the small woman held her arm out to stop her, turning back to Aubrey, every line of her body tense with barely repressed anger, "Oh that's right, fucking blame me."
The front door opened and closed again, and Beca heard Stacie's voice ask, "Hey Babe, is that Beca's car?" As the lanky brunette rounded the corner her eyes went wide at the tense scene frozen in front of her, she recovered quickly smiling, her bright voice ignoring the obvious drama in the room, "Beca, hey, how are you?"
Beca ignored her question, and directed one of her own at Stacie, "Did you just call her babe?" She pointed at Aubrey and then waved her hand back and forth to indicate the both of them, unable to keep the incredulity out of her tone, "You're dating?"
"Careful Beca," Aubrey growled, and stepped forward, but this time Chloe got around Beca to head off Aubrey throwing her hands up between everyone.
Beca looked around the house now, really looked, and felt like smacking herself in the forehead. Of course, Chloe brought her here, and of course, this perfect Martha Stewart catalogue of a house was put together by a Posen. Now that she was paying attention she could see all of the little touches, the carefully coordinated neutrals with just a splash of color. The pictures of the Bellas on the walls and the ridiculously coupley photo of her and Stacie on the end table.
Beca focused back on Aubrey, the anger coming easier considering the way their last conversation had went after Chloe had walked out on her, "I should have figured this was your house. Never thought you'd get the courage to finally bone Stacie though."
A chorus of, "Hey! Broke out from Stacie and Chloe, with Stacie now stepping down in the living room and placing a hand on a seething Aubrey's arm, "Whoa now Beca, I understand you're upset but let's…" she never got to finish as Beca brushed past her, taking care to step out of Aubrey's reach and heading for the door.
"Nope. Not doing this."
Chloe ran after her, "Beca, wait! Please!"
Aubrey interjected, "Let her go Chloe, let her do what she does best and run away from her friends."
Beca had made it to the front door, stopping and lowering her head as her hand touched the doorknob. She turned slowly, taking in Chloe, frozen a step away from her with arm out-stretched, the angry set of Aubrey's face and Stacie's sad look.
"That's rich coming from you Posen. You made it pretty clear in our last conversation that we weren't friends."
"And you didn't pick-up any of the twenty times I called you after that."
Beca scoffed, "Of course you counted." The slim woman ran her hand through her hair again in agitation, "Whatever." She turned to Chloe, "Whatever this is, leave me out of it." She slammed open the door, rattling the pictures in their frames on the wall and stalked into the driveway, a frantic Chloe rushing after her.
The redhead finally caught up to Beca when she fumbled with her keys, cursing the shitty nature of her car and finally regretting never upgrading to one with automatic locks that worked.
"Beca, please, you don't have to stay, but I do want us to talk."
Beca's eyes were dark, "Did she tell you what she did the last time we "talked" Chloe? Beca framed her words with air quotes.
"Yes, Beca and I am sorry, she didn't understand, it isn't what you think." Chloe's hand was on Beca's arm, desperate in its grip.
"Beca, you are worth it. We are worth it. Come back inside, or let's go for a drive." Beca hesitated then pulled her arm away just as a blinding flash went off from the street. They both froze for a split second before Beca recovered enough to turn and face the Paparazzi out on the street that was now snapping more pictures. She briefly considered flipping him off before her instincts had her stepping protectively in front of Chloe before she even knew what she was doing. Chloe was still behind her. After a beat of staring down the Pap, Beca turned back to the redhead taking in her stiff posture.
She heard the words before she really registered saying them, "Kiss me, Beale."
Chloe's eyelashes fluttered in surprise, before she breathed out quietly, "What?"
Gaining confidence, "You heard me, want me to stay? Kiss me where he can see."
Chloe stepped back, "Beca…, not like this…that's not fair."
Beca held her gaze steady and realized that she took no real pleasure in this. She was honest enough with herself to realize that she thought it would give her some perverse sense of satisfaction from putting Chloe on the spot like this, daring her to kiss her in front of the world, but seeing Chloe's hesitation just made her sad. It also made the slim woman realize a part of her really hoped Chloe would pick her for once, like some stupid Disney Fairytale she swore she never believed in. She knew it was all kinds of unfair and healthy people talk out their problems, they don't demand instant kissing after not talking for years. But she never claimed to be healthy.
She turned back to the car, finally getting the key in the lock while Chloe was standing to the side of her, still frozen.
Just as she pulled the creaky door open, Chloe's strong grip pulled her around and she was kissing Chloe Beale. There was nothing chaste about it, Chloe's tongue immediately demanded entrance and Beca complied, more out of opening her mouth in surprise than any real thought process. She couldn't tell how long it really lasted, it could have been minutes or seconds, but all too soon she was staring at a determined Chloe whose unwavering gaze held hers. Her hands went to her lips and she stared, only barely avoiding throwing Chloe up against the car and continuing what they started. That one kiss had ignited all of the memories she had repressed of what it was like to kiss Chloe and her body hummed with the need to close the distance and relearn everything she had ever known about the other woman.
"Now come inside." Chloe tried not to flinch as the Paparazzi's camera kept flashing.
Beca, wide eyed and off balance, stammered an apology and slid into her driver's seat. With one last look at Chloe staring sadly back her through the window, she ran.
Yes I am a jerk for leaving it here, let me know if you need to know what happens next and how these two knuckleheads find their way back to each other.
