So, since I will be out of town all weekend, I tried up super late to get something out for you guys tonight :) Thank you so very, very much for all the reviews and follows... It means SO much to me to know that my writing is appreciated. You guys are seriously awesome.
As always, please let me know what you think of this chapter and any feedback is greatly welcomed :)
It was safe to say, Beca hadn't slept. At all.
She had gotten to the studio a few hours ago and had started laying a new track for the song she had stayed up writing.
She knew she looked terrible. She was in track pants, a hoodie, and sunglasses with her hair pulled back loosely.
She had really fucked up this time. She didn't even know where to start in making things right, but her mind had come back to one thing – Chloe was with someone. She was right, her insecurities over such a long period of time proved her right and she felt sick.
Her hangover was a level ten and her head was pounding. Pink was due in the studio in the next half hour, and she was glad she had grown to know the artist on a deeper level, otherwise, Beca would definitely be embarrassed of her state of mind and attire.
She had checked her phone probably a million times, and had sent both Aubrey and Jesse the same amount of apology texts. She would be lucky if anyone was still talking to her after shenanigans.
Knocked from her thoughts, she saw a Taco Bell bag fall in front of her. She was eternally grateful that they had begun serving breakfast.
"Hi…. Um… Hi, my bestest friend." Beca started off as she looked up to Jesse with a slight smile.
Jesse wordlessly sat across from Beca with a disappointed look on his face.
"Look…. I was a total dick last night… and how I acted was beyond a dick move…" Beca waited for some kind of reaction from him…. SOMETHING….. But instead, Jesse remained silent as he lifted the Styrofoam coffee cup to his lips. "Come on Jess… I'm really trying here… What do you want from me?"
Jesse suddenly slammed the cup down on studio table and turned in his swivel chair completely towards Beca. "What I want? What Aubrey and I want is a redo of last night. You really fucked up this time, Beca."
Beca gritted her teeth, she knew she fucked up. She was very, very aware. But, she had a hard time believing that anyone actually CARED about her, this wasn't really helping….
"Yeah… I got that Jesse. I fucked up. Beca's a fuck up." Beca said throwing her hands up in defeat as her stomach continued churning.
"…Beca…. You know that's not what I meant. I can't constantly reassure you that Aubrey and I love you. You know we do…. But our engagement party was meant to be really special for us Beca, and you got obnoxious, and jealous, and loud…" Jesse added, the anger slowly dissipating from his tone.
"I know, and how often do I get drunk like that Jesse? This is really hard for me. I mean… I knew it would be hard seeing Chloe again… but I didn't know I'd feel like…" Beca trailed off, not even being able to formulate the words she wanted to explain it.
"I get it, Beca. I do. Did you ever think about how Chloe felt?" Jesse asked back pulling a breakfast burrito out of the bag for himself.
"Of course I did, Jesse. That's all I've thought it. It's killing me." Beca replied sincerely.
"Yeah, well, I don't want any repeats of last night again. You need to talk to Chloe and straighten this shit out… you guys are going to be around each other a lot with all this wedding stuff. And, she moved here a few weeks ago, you know? She's Aubrey's best friend…. You've got to deal with this." Jesse added, hoping his tough love approach with Beca would work.
"I…. Uh… No. I didn't know she moved here. Why is she here?"
"Beca…." Jesse shook his head at her.
"I know Jesse. I know. I will make things right. I feel like such a dick for last night." Beca grabbed the other burrito from the bag, hoping the greasy food would make her feel better.
"Chloe was really upset, you know…" Jesse said softly, making sure to meet her eyes.
"She…She was?" Beca furrowed her brows; she was surprised her behavior even affected Chloe at all.
"Well duh. But then she got angry… Really angry, and you know how Chloe is when she's angry." Jesse added with a pat to Beca's shoulder.
"Thanks for the breakfast, loser." Beca added, taking another bite.
"Yeah well, you look like shit." Jesse laughed.
"THANKS." Beca bit back.
"You didn't sleep, did you?" Jesse said cocking his head to the side to get a better look at Beca.
"Uhhh…. No. I didn't." Beca said back nervously picking at the burrito in her hands. "I… uh…. I want you to read something. I'd like to put it on my album; I've actually been working on the track to the lyrics all morning."
"All morning? Beca it's not even nine yet…" Jesse added looking at the clock. "Oh… Shit. Pink will be here soon, right?"
"Any minute now, she's got her daughter today so it should be fun." Beca added with a slight smile on her face.
"You really like that kid. Kids and puppies… I'd say Beca Mitchell was a huge softie at heart." Jesse grinned, knowing it'd get under her skin.
"Don't you dare Swanson… I'm a badass." Beca huffed and a comfortable silence fell between them. "Look, I'm spinning at the new club tomorrow night, why don't I invite everyone to come out as a peace offering? That is if Aubrey still wants to talk to me after I completely ruined her night…" Beca had pushed the lyrics over to Jesse to read the tattered paper; he couldn't help but notice the splotches all over the worn edges.
"Even Chloe?" Jesse added lifting his head and raising his eyebrow.
"Even Chloe." Beca affirmed, it'd be hard but she would do it. She would take the action to make things right, after all, it was her fault things had gotten so messed up in the first place.
"It's a start, I guess. Beca…. Did you… did you write this?" Jesse said looking between the pages and his best friend again. He could never get her to be vulnerable on paper.
"I-uh-yeah… is it bad?" Beca rushed out.
"No Beca, it's great. It's-wow-it's great Bec…" Jesse said nodding his head slightly in shock but was broken from the words as he heard a tiny patter of feet.
"Miss Beca! You here!" Willow, Pink's daughter, said jumping in Beca's lap. The sound was music to Beca's ears, even though her head still pounded.
"Hi there buddy. Did you miss me?" Beca said back to the little girl in her lap, reaching to sit the rest of her burrito back down on the table.
"Uh…. Duh! Why you wearing sunglasses? It's bright in here." Willow asked innocently, observing Beca's form.
"Whoa dude… you look like shit, man!" Pink said approaching Beca with a smile on her face.
"Mama. Bad word!" Willow shouted wagging her finger back and forth.
"Beca had a little too much fun last night, if you know what I mean…" Jesse said, observing the girl in Beca's lap.
"What at the engagement party? Ohhhhh….. The redhead was there am I right?" Pink added back taking a seat in the extra studio chair.
"Whatever…." Beca huffed out.
"Sorry we couldn't make it Jesse, we just back from New York late last night." Pink added.
"Well, maybe you can make it to the redo. Beca certainly shook things up." Jesse joined in the banter lightly.
"What you do Miss Beca?" Willow asked leaning her head back to look at the woman sat behind her.
"Beca was bad last night, that's all." Beca said to the little girl referring to herself.
"Seriously though, how are you doing?" Pink asked tilting her head to try to get a better look at Beca. They'd become pretty great friends over the past five years of working together and she more than knew about Chloe Beale.
"She's with someone. But, I'm going to make things right with her…" Beca said swallowing the lump that formed in her throat.
"Good. And besides, you're Beca-fucking-Mitchell for God's sake." Pink added with a laugh and swat to her leg.
"Mama!" Willow added back pointedly.
"Sorry baby." They all laughed at the little girl.
"Jess why don't you get her set-up and we will start from the beginning of this track. I'm really excited about the one we are doing today." Beca said as Jesse and Pink stood to walk to the recording room.
"Me too, it's gonna rock man." Pink high-fived Willow and walked to the recording room.
"You gonna stay here with me and watch your mama work her magic?" Beca said looking down at the little girl upon her lap.
She just felt her curl up into her more, wordlessly. Beca couldn't help but smile.
A few hours had gone by and Willow was fast asleep in Beca's lap.
Jesse was working the sound board behind her and she felt like they were getting closer with this track.
"Alright, I think if we do that last verse with the harmonies one more time, we will be set. What do you think about taking it up a half step?" Beca said into the microphone, knowing it could be a risk, but she knew it'd be a risk that would pay off.
Pink contemplated a minute before responding, "Actually, I think that'd be killer."
"Well let's do it then." Beca added starting the track again at the section they needed.
However, halfway through the verse she heard the studio door slam behind her and a flash of red approaching.
"Beca-fucking-Mitchell!" Chloe yelled out. Willow started to squirm in her arms.
"Uh-oh." Pink said through the mic as Beca stopped the track quickly.
"Beca, I know you're here. You're not running away from me." Chloe shouted getting closer.
"Don't we have, like, security here?" Beca added turning to look at Jesse.
"Ha! You mean Amy?!" Jesse shrugged throwing his hands up in defeat.
"Beca-fucking-Mitchell!" Chloe yelled again now in the same vicinity.
"That would be me…" Beca said nervously.
"Bad word!" The little girl in Beca's arms stirred awake and clung to Beca's form.
"Whoops… I… I-uh. Sorry." Chloe lowered her voice as she saw the little girl in Beca's arms, Jesse leaning against the back table, and Pink pulling the headphones off her ears in the recording room.
"This is awesome!" Pink shouted giving Beca a thumbs up. Beca replied by putting her hand over the little girl's eyes and flipping her off.
"Is dis the redhead, Miss Beca?" Willow asked turning in Beca's arms.
Beca was frozen. Speechless. What the hell was Chloe doing at her studio?
Chloe's heart melted at seeing Beca wrapped up with the precious little girl. She wondered how Beca could always make her go from furious to happy in just a few seconds. It was something that hadn't changed. The brunette was infuriating, but adorable.
"I am so sorry… I am a huge fan of yours." Chloe said reaching to shake Pink's hand as she had stepped out of the recording booth and back to the room with the others.
"Pleasure is all mine, truly. I'm a huge fan of yours." Pink said back with a wink. Beca shot her a look, warning her to shut up, and she heard Jesse bellow laughing from behind her.
"Beca, I-uh-I'm sorry. I just needed to talk to you about yesterday…" Chloe started looking at Beca.
"Baby, what do you say we go talk to Miss Amy? We will see if she's got any more of those lollipops you like." Pink said kneeling down to her daughter.
"But I wanna stay wif Beca." Willow said rubbing her eyes.
"We aren't leaving yet, we will see Beca in a few minutes. Come on, quit yer whining." Pink said scooping her daughter up in her arms as she walked towards the door to the office, grabbing Jesse's arm on her way out.
"No way… I'm not missing this." Jesse huffed out quietly to Pink as he was still being tugged out the door, "Damn, you're strong."
Then the door closed and they were left alone.
"Well, that little girl is certainly a fan of yours." Chloe started off; trying to break the tension she created.
"Yeah… she's pretty adorable." Beca said still sat in her chair, swiveling back and forth from the nerves.
"Are you okay… you look a little… flush. Have you not been sleeping?" Chloe said furrowing her brows as she glanced Beca over. Even after five years, Chloe still had this way of wording things that didn't make her feel damaged. She just felt…. Cared for. Jesse could never word things the way Chloe could.
"I…" Beca cleared her throat. "What's up, Chloe? What brings you by?"
"Beca, I… I'm really sorry about that. I should've known you were working. I'm so sorry." Chloe hesitantly began.
"No Chloe, it's okay. I feel like a total dick for last night and I'm really sorry." Beca started, standing up and looking at the floor. "I'm sorry that's the first memory you have of me in five years…"
"Beca… I-I'm not married. I know you saw my ring and assumed, but I-I'm not. I just had to tell you that." Chloe said, looking into Beca's eyes.
Beca didn't know why, but she felt like her hangover had suddenly dissipated.
"It's not my business, Chloe. It's been five years." Beca said back.
"Yeah, I know. But I still wanted you to know that. Though I guess I could've waited… but Aubrey said you and Jesse were here and I just had to tell you that." Chloe added.
Beca fiddled with her thumbnail and unconsciously grabbed her necklace nervously.
"You still wear it." Chloe said pointing at her neck. "I thought that would've been long gone by now…" Chloe said stepping closer to Beca to examine the silver arrow on her neck. She was absolutely floored Beca was still wearing it after all this time.
"Yeah… Well…." Beca said tapping her converse against the wood floor before glancing out the door. Jesse and Pink looked away quickly. "They are trying to be sneaky and act like they aren't prying into this conversation, but they totally are." Beca added with a slight grin towards the door. She couldn't believe how nervous Chloe made her after all this time.
"I can't believe I came in here like that… that was so embarrassing. I love her." Chloe added with a smack to her forehead.
"I know, I remember." Beca added with a smile. She remembered everything about Chloe.
"I can't believe you get to work with people like her, that's so amazing. I'm really proud of you Beca." Chloe said reaching to touch Beca's arm lightly.
"She's pretty amazing, and thank you. It means a lot to me."
Beca looked Chloe over, she looked more sophisticated somehow, wiser. She wore a simple black V-neck and a pair of jean shorts. But Chloe's legs still went on for days and she realized she was staring.
She couldn't help but notice the same necklace around Chloe's neck, but she decided not to comment. It'd be too weird.
"So…. Uh… As I said. I was a total dick last night and I told Jesse I'd make it up to him. I'm spinning at my new club tomorrow night. I told him I'd ask everyone to come out for it, if you want." Beca stated, daring a chance to look at Chloe. She couldn't take it if Chloe said no, the rejection after so long would be too much.
"Wouldn't miss it." Chloe said back with a smile and leaned in quickly to give Beca a hug.
Beca had forgotten how intoxicating Chloe smelled, it was like this fresh, clean smell that was so distinctly Chloe.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Chloe added as she pulled away.
Jesse and Pink watched as Chloe walked out and she casually waved to them both. Beca sat back down at the mixing board. Her heart was still hammering in her chest at the unexpected visit.
"Not a word!" Beca said as they both looked at her with goofy smiles. "Back to work." Beca said as they all took their previous positions, Jesse and Pink sharing a knowing glance.
Progress?
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