With a little bit of Beca's help, Chloe managed to have everything packed and ready before three a.m. She slept for a solid two and a half hours just so she would be able to shower, unpack her different bags searching for that one shirt she was determined to wear that day –much to Beca's annoyance-, pack everything again and be ready for the taxi that was taking them from the hotel to Paris Gare du Lyon; the station where high speed trains were heading towards the very south of France.
Despite Chloe's research for the fastest route to Spain, Beca guided them through the station as if she had studied the map herself.
Chloe shouldn't have been surprised anymore, yet she was.
They got aboard the grey-blue train with SNCF written on the front of the vehicle and TGV in bigger letters in the middle. Chloe didn't know what those letters meant, but she figured one of those combinations was the name of the railway company.
Beca told her the train would take them to Perpignan in just over five hours and Chloe was excited to see all of France through the semi-clean windows of the high speed train.
Chloe wondered once again how crazy this entire trip was; from before the actual start to –most likely- the very end.
Although the end was the last thing on her mind right now.
She was sure she could do this for the rest of her life. Travel. See the world. But she would need Beca there, too. Beca kept her adventurous and brave, even though Chloe didn't feel like that all the time. She knew if she were doing this without Beca, she would have been too stuck in schedules and plans and she wouldn't have been able to fully appreciate everything this trip brought her.
Now, Chloe didn't think she was a control freak.
Chloe actually liked to think of herself as a free spirit. Her best friend Aubrey, she was the control freak. Chloe was the one who kept her from going completely crazy.
But compared to the relaxed rebel that went by the name of Beca Mitchell, Chloe didn't seem chill at all.
She knew what caused it. Chloe had never been completely out of power. Booking a hotel one day up front was the last piece of grip she was able to have during this crazy trip and Beca didn't even let her have that.
Beca enjoyed to push Chloe out of her comfort zone and she made sure the girl knew it. Whenever Chloe sat back and took a breather in the peacefulness of her solid, planned forecast, Beca made sure to shatter every inch of it and do so with a huge smile.
She couldn't hate her for it. She liked the girl's smile too much to.
When the train finally started to move, Chloe was excited to see as much as she could. She viewed the flat, spread-out, arid areas until they were traded for beautiful green fields and hills capturing the background. The longer they traveled and the further south they went, the less rain fell and the more the sun peeked through the clouds.
Chloe loved Beca's two a.m. idea for the change of plans, but that didn't mean she didn't wait for the girl's eyes to fall close before stealing her laptop and searching where she wanted to stay in Spain.
Part of her wanted to go to Barcelona, if only to witness the streets in which her parents fell in love, but Chloe had fallen in love herself.
A beautiful youth hostel located in Valencia with a nearby beach caught her by surprise and no matter what other hotels she viewed on the booking site, it wouldn't leave her mind.
Chloe was captured like a fool getting shot with a love's arrow.
There was really nothing else she could do but book them a bunk bed in a twelve-person's dorm and check the route they would have to take as soon as their train pulled into the last stop.
"What'd I miss?" Beca yawned five minutes before the high speed train was supposed to arrive at Station Perpignan.
"How do you do that?" Chloe asked seriously stunned. It wasn't the first time Beca had awoken minutes before arriving at their destination.
"It's a talent." Beca shrugged casually. She checked her surroundings before starting to gather her things. Her body froze when her eye fell on the backpack. "Did you touch my stuff?"
"No." Chloe lied quickly with a shake of her head to make it seem more believable.
"You did." Beca mumbled. Her hands got ahold of the previously borrowed laptop and she investigated it closely. Just when Chloe thought it couldn't get any weirder, Beca elevated the item towards her face and smelled it. "You used my laptop." She concluded.
"You're really weird." Chloe scoffed softly.
"Did you make reservations for something? What did you do!" Beca exclaimed dramatic.
Chloe laughed before grabbing her luggage and heading for the exit of the locomotive. "We have a bus to catch, let's go." She said secretive.
It was her turn to be mysterious.
They had an hour to spare in the French city, which they used to pee in normal toilets, get some lunch and stroll around. There was a supermarket near where they bought bottles of water and some snacks. Chloe noticed how some buildings looked extremely old and on the verge of imploding, yet others were newly built and modern-looking. It was weird to her how those could be located right next to each other, but she kind of liked the vibe it gave off.
The weather in this part of France was definitely ten times better than in the capital. Chloe was able to feel her skin burn and she could almost taste the salt of the Mediterranean sea on her tongue.
The downfall of raindrops felt like a lifetime ago.
Chloe wasn't able to hold onto her secret for long. All it took was one pout and a pair of puppy eyes for her to cave, but Beca seemed to enjoy her plan to head to Valencia.
Or perhaps she just liked to hear Chloe gush about the hostel and the short distance to the beach.
The bus heading for Barcelona arrived five minutes before its scheduled departure. Beca stepped inside first and bought them tickets. She led Chloe to the very back of the vehicle where she ditched her bags on one side and crawled towards the window seat on the other end.
Chloe would feel like a rude person if it wasn't for the fact that the entire bus was empty and she could use some space to stretch her legs.
"What are you doing?" Beca asked confused.
Chloe ignored her as she spread her legs on the seats next to her and rested her back against Beca's side. "I'm tired of you stealing the window seat on every ride we take." Chloe stated matter-of-factly as she got comfortable.
"There's a window seat right there. There are window seats literally everywhere, Beale." Beca complained as she poked back.
"That's too far away from you." Chloe flirted light-heartedly.
Beca tried to push her away a few more times, but when she realized there was no point in trying, she got her arm out from under its trap and rested it over Chloe's shoulder.
Chloe was glad she was facing away from the younger woman, because she couldn't prevent her facial muscles from forming a disgustingly wide smile.
She wasn't able to sleep during the two and a half hour bus ride. Beca's fingertips brushing occasionally against her abdomen were keeping her alert and the astonishing view outside brought her the peace a good nap would normally bring.
Chloe didn't know why she thought the bus would travel through the range of mountains that formed a natural border between France and Spain, but the bus toured over the coastline, causing them to miss out on the Pyrenees.
She could still see the high mountains in the far distance, but somehow it felt less satisfying.
Chloe could hear Beca's music beating through her headphones and she didn't know if those loud beats occupied her entire being or if it were in fact the reason for her absent-mindedly stroking Chloe's arm.
She didn't really need to know the reason behind it. She just knew it provided her one of the best feelings she had ever felt.
Following that intercity bus was a three hour regional train. Chloe would be lying if she said she was still enjoying it. She had a great view and even better company, but her tired body didn't care about that. It just cared for a decent meal and a bed to rest.
By the time they arrived in Valencia and figured out how to get to their hostel, they mutually decided to walk the short distance. Beca was sick of public transportation and Chloe was still too traumatized to get into a taxi, after what she'd been through in Paris.
The weather was a hundred times better than what they had been through both in London as well as Paris, even at nine in the evening in the Spanish city. They found a restaurant on the way to their hostel which was surprisingly busy at that late hour. It seemed the locals came out to eat long after the sun had set.
The tapas bar had a menu cart in Spanish with English underneath it printed in a smaller font. The staff luckily spoke their language to a certain extent, which seemed to calm Beca down.
"Yeah, I'll have some tapas, please." Beca decided as the waiter returned.
"Okay." The large man with black hair and a thick moustache was visibly trying to hide his smile. "What kind of tapas would you like?"
Beca blushed before asking what kind there were and the man laughed before explaining to her how it worked. "And then we also have these right here, they are para dos personas." The waiter stated unshaken and solid, as if the switch between one language to the other went unnoticed by him.
"Okay, great." Beca replied before turning her focus to the girl across from her. "What do you think?" She spoke in doubt.
"Oh no, I've decided enough on this trip. It's all you, Beca Mitchell." Chloe winked before realizing the waiter was following her every move.
Beca rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed by Chloe's sudden surrender to decision-making in general. "Okay, we'll go with what you recommended. The, ehm-"
"Paella verduras?" The man asked as he already scribbled it down on his little notebook. "Vegetables, yes?" He searched for acceptance from the dubious girl.
"Yes." Beca decided as she closed the menu resolute. "Si, gracias." She said as the waiter left their space in an incredibly, thick American accent.
"That was adorable." Chloe exclaimed happily. "Say something else in Spanish to me." She teased as she inched forward and held her head up using both her hands.
"Puta." Beca spat back, causing the girl to fall off of her chair laughing.
The two-person dish was served in an authentic paella pan, or a saucepan as Chloe would call it. She had never eaten a genuine Spanish meal before, but she liked it very much. The different flavors of rice, a variety of vegetables and hot peppers stimulated her every taste bud.
Chloe walked out of that restaurant feeling instantly better. Her body had refueled itself with energy, now it just needed some rest.
"Hi, hola." Beca stammered as she approached the lady behind the desk of the youth hostel. Chloe adored seeing her act like that. For once, it wasn't Chloe who was out of her comfort zone and she loved it.
They decided to pay for three nights upfront since the lady explained they have plenty of space in case they want to stay longer. Beca asked about day activities while Chloe looked around.
She was absolutely in love with the place.
It was simple. Nothing extraordinary to lure people in. It was located in a rather dark alley, but it was appealing. Chloe idolized the plain interior and the simplicity of it all.
She was already certain –as long as Beca felt the same way- they would be prolonging their stay here.
"Hey, they have a roof terrace. Did you know that?" Beca jerked on Chloe's arm to get her attention. "I know I said I hated you for making me share a room with ten strangers –eleven if I include you-" She spoke wise with her tongue peeking through her teeth with a playfulness shining in her eyes. "But I'm starting to see the charm of this place."
"I knew you'd love it, Becs!" Chloe said excited as she followed the girl up the single set of stairs. The room held six bunk beds, five of which were presumably taken due to the bags and clothes that lied on them.
"I want on top!" Chloe yelled as she dropped her bags, pushed Beca out of the way and crawled onto the highest bed.
"Why am I not surprised?"
It wasn't until Chloe looked at Beca that she realized what she had said and how exactly Beca took her words. She felt a wave of insecurity wash over her, but she smiled and winked instead of letting that take over.
Chloe watched Beca lay down on the bed beneath her and she decided to take a moment to appreciate where she was. The Spanish streets outside of their hostel were relatively quiet for a Saturday night. They've had louder mid-afternoons in Paris, if Chloe was being honest.
She liked the peace in Valencia. She liked the minimalism of it all. The fact that she didn't have to spend her days running from one landmark to another, even though she had very much enjoyed that.
Beca headed for the showers and Chloe followed soon after she realized they had a shared bathroom and she didn't have to wait until Beca was finished. Much to Chloe's regret, but not to her surprise, the girl wasn't showering in the open space. She could see Beca's feet peeking out of one of the stalls and for a split second, the idea of removing the shower curtain and stepping in crossed her mind.
Chloe turned on the cold water just to prevent any further thoughts like that to occur.
She and Beca decided to check out the roof terrace later that night. Perhaps it came as a shock to Chloe, because it had been just her and Beca for so long, but the entire flat roof was packed with young adults.
They sat on plastic chairs that didn't seem all that solid, especially for the larger people present. They had bottles of beers in a tiny, portable refrigerator and music beating out of a speaker connected to somebody's phone.
Chloe adored every aspect of it.
She greeted everyone who would allow her eye contact and Beca followed. One of the guys pulled out another two plastic chairs and the girls gratefully took the offer. They exchanged first names and Chloe was able to guess a few of the people's origin, based on their accents.
Andreas, an attractive, blonde man in his mid-twenties traveled to Spain from Greece by himself. Sitting next to him was Maxim, a native Russian who lived in Poland with his mother. He was traveling through Spain when he met Steffi, a German girl who was currently placed on his lap, perhaps to mark her territory. Another three beautiful Scandinavian guys, Anders from Norway and Gustav and Sigge from Sweden, explained how they got to where they were and Ana Maria and Christina, a pair of beautiful brunettes' stated they flew here from the Canary Islands.
"You live on an island and you come to the mainland for vacation? What's it like to be an idiot?" Beca yelled out in disbelief. The group laughed at her remark and the girls managed a smile as well.
"What about you two?" The Greek man asked while placing a cigarette between his lips.
"Oh, we don't know each other." Beca said as she pointed at Chloe.
"Yeah, we're just traveling the world together." Chloe mentioned casually before taking a sip from her given beer.
The group didn't believe them and Chloe allowed them a few minutes of teasing before growing serious. She told them about how their paths crossed and explained Beca and herself were practically strangers by the time their got aboard the plane.
"No way. You don't know anything about each other?" Steffi, the clingy German girl asked.
"Nope." Beca answered.
"We know stuff, Becs! What are you talking about?" Chloe laughed at the girl's indifference.
The group quickly came up with a game and started to interrogate the only two Americans on that tiny roof. They passed the first few questions, about family and places they had lived. Chloe didn't know Beca's favorite food and in return, Beca messed up the question about future plans.
"That's unfair. She doesn't even know what she wants to be!"
"Well, I definitely don't want to be a receptionist, Beca!"
"Why not? Everyone needs them and you're the only twenty-two year old I know that still uses their smartphone to call."
"Are you sure you two haven't been married for forty years?" One of the Swedish guys scoffed, making the rest of the group laugh.
"I have a good one." Ana Maria interrupted. "Sexuality." She stated as a next question.
Chloe searched her mind, but she was positive Beca never told her anything in regards to that. Beca, however, looked disgustingly smug and self-congratulatory.
"She doesn't know this one." Beca smiled bright.
"You don't either!" Chloe threw back.
"I do. You're bi." Beca stated casually. She took a sip of her beer while following Chloe's every move.
Chloe suddenly remembered the moment and she was ready to wipe that smirk off of the girl's face. "Oh, right. I remember. I told you that right before you asked me to join you on your trip."
The group reacted shocked until one guy exchanged his 'oh's for 'oooh's and the kissing sounds and laughter followed.
"It wasn't like that." Beca tried to explain, but the group liked their own version better, so they declined the truth. It also wasn't helping that Beca's cheeks were lighting up.
"I know it wasn't, Becs. I just like to win." Chloe winked.
The party went on until deep into the night where Chloe and Beca were the main focus of the group's banter. Chloe didn't mind. She even joined on most occasions, because it was cute to see Beca blush and roll her eyes to try and hide it.
But around two a.m., Chloe was able to feel the aftermath of the twelve plus hours she spent traveling that day and teasing Beca just wasn't worth staying up for.
"I think I'm gonna head down." Chloe whispered in the girl's ear.
"Okay, hold on." Beca said after she was done laughing at Anders' joke. She grabbed the bottles they emptied and put them back in the crate. "We're off to bed, guys. It was nice to meet you all."
"You don't have to." Chloe said as she tucked at Beca's hand. She did it to get her attention, but she didn't know why she kept ahold of it, long after gaining it.
"It's fine. I'm tired, too." Beca shrugged.
"Hey, why don't you guys come with us tomorrow. We're going on a bike tour." Max told them.
"A bike tour? What the fuck is that?" Beca laughed in disgust.
"It's a vehicle used for cycling." Chloe educated mockingly. "Count us in, people! We'll see you in the morning!" She greeted as she pushed Beca towards the door leading down the stairs.
"Maybe you can learn to ride another bike, tonight!"
Chloe didn't get the joke, but the group burst out in drunk laughter and she reckoned the punchline got lost in translation.
"I haven't slept in a bunk bed since I was seven." Beca told her as she gathered their belongings and stored them in their personal locker.
Chloe was already staring at the ceiling, completely tucked in and on the verge of falling asleep when she remembered something. "You never answered the question."
"Answered what?" Beca mumbled from the bed underneath her. She wasn't lying down, yet. Chloe could hear she wasn't.
"About your sexuality." Chloe specified as she turned and peeked over the side of the railing to watch the girl. If she saw even the slightest bit of discomfort, she would make sure the girl wouldn't answer the question.
"I don't know." Beca said honestly and that was enough for Chloe.
Chloe would have slept until noon if it weren't for the latest addition to her roommates. They were much louder than the single girl Chloe had gotten used to.
Anders, Gustav, Sigge, Ana Maria and Christina were the familiar faces in the room. The Greek Andre and Maxim with his girlfriend Steffi were apparently bunked in another room. The rest of the people who were running around the room, -some clothed, too many were not- Chloe didn't know yet.
She went for a shower before introducing herself and Beca to the rest of the cohabitants for the upcoming few days. They all left for breakfast together, as if they were one big family in the few hours they had gotten to know each other.
Chloe loved the feeling of it.
She chatted with as many people as she could during breakfast, contrary to Beca Mitchell. She was grumpily poking into her food instead of actually eating it. Chloe guessed she wasn't kidding when she told her she wasn't a morning person.
But she sure was adorable.
They left for the bike trip straight after breakfast. Chloe and Steffi were the last to finish getting ready, and Beca and Maxim made sure they witnessed their annoyance as they approached them outside.
The group in addition called them out for being more 'couply' than the actual two lovebirds.
They arrived at the bike rental shop where Christina requested two specific bikes in perfect Spanish. Chloe had never heard of a surrey bike before, but apparently it's a quadracycle; a classic tourists' rental for four persons. The bikes were completely in red and they had colorful roofs.
There were ten of them and four seats on each bike, so they had to improvise. Sigge jumped up in the child's seat that was located on the front of the vehicle while Beca positioned herself in the middle of the backseat of the other fancy bike.
"I don't wanna ride this thing. These people are heavy and I have tiny legs." She whispered in complaint.
Chloe didn't mind, because she was pretty much pressed against her side and she liked that feeling very much.
They strolled around the city, following the guide on a normal bicycle and Chloe actually felt bad for the poor woman who was forced to deal with the annoying and childish way her group was acting at times, but they were having fun.
Andreas and Anders, who were driving the leading vehicle, were constantly trying to hit the curb or speed over bumps to make Sigge fall out of the small children's seat.
They only succeeded once by flipping their entire quadracycle to its side.
Chloe almost died laughing that day.
After the tour guide had showed them –or at least tried to show them- The Plaza de la Reina, Valencia's Cathedral, central market, a beautiful set of towers, the amazing Turia River Gardens and the City of Arts and Science, they finally arrived at the beach.
Chloe was looking forward to that all day and it lived up to all her expectations. A beautiful, blue and clear sky, the sun shining brightly, the calming sound of the waves crashing and numerous palm trees.
"We should come back here for a camp fire." Maxim pitched.
"Why not tonight?" Chloe asked as she lowered herself onto the sand and dug her feet in a little.
"No, not tonight. Tonight is barbecue day at the hostel. They're putting one on the roof and we're gonna grill all night!" Anders cheered as he tried to make balls out of sand to hit Sigge with.
Of course, he failed and due to the way the wind was blowing, it hit him square in the face.
Chloe enjoyed spending her day with the group of people she had only just met. They stayed on the beach all afternoon, playing beach volleyball, badminton and dodgeball in the water. By the time they jumped back onto their funny bikes, Chloe felt more relaxed than she had in a very long time.
As if nothing but right now mattered.
As if there were no rules or restrictions to this day.
As if she could feel that way forever if she lived her life like that.
"I had the best day ever." Chloe told Beca as they shared her single bed back in the busy twelve-person room.
"Me too." Beca hummed.
The three guys cooked dinner for everyone using the small, portable grill on the roof. Chloe ate more than she should have, she laughed until her cheeks hurt and she definitely drank more wine than she was able to handle.
Beca had to embarrassingly lead her to bed that night.
The following day, the group wanted to do something in conjunction, and for lack of better ideas, they decided to head onto the train station. They ended up heading to Barcelona where they visited shopping malls, bars and Camp Nou -the home stadium for a famous, soccer team, according to the Europeans.
Chloe didn't know any of the names or terms they yelled out, but she could see it was important to the guys and girls. Their eyes twinkled at the simple sight of the sports' arena and she was able to respect that moment for them.
They had dinner in Barcelona before boarding the train back to Valencia. Most of the guys adorably slept against one another while the girls listened to music or read a book.
Chloe smiled at the sight as if it were her long, lost family.
"As much as I enjoy our new friends, I really miss our quality time, Beca." Chloe admitted in a whisper.
"They can be a little much, huh." Beca scoffed. "So what do you wanna do? You wanna leave Spain?"
"No, I don't! I love it here and they're great people." Chloe said as her eyes traveled over the group of tourists from all over Europe.
"Okay." Beca stated. "Then we stay. But tomorrow, we'll go somewhere by ourselves. For old time's sake." She smiled sarcastic.
Chloe nodded in appreciation before resting her heavy head on Beca's shoulder, to which the girl dropped her hand on her thigh in return.
"This camp fire is really shitty." Beca said what everyone else seemed too scared to do.
"I'm working on it!" Gustav complained as his hands worked to get the fire to grow. He blamed it on the lack of wind that night and the group mocked him for it, but Chloe actually believed him.
There were another few groups of tourists on the beach that night and it didn't take long or everyone was sitting together. Chloe had left Beca's side a while ago to mingle, but she kept an eye on her every now and then.
Beca mostly stayed in the exact same place, apart from getting up to dip her feet into the water occasionally. Chloe slightly panicked when she returned from a short beach walk with Ana Maria, Christina and Steffi and didn't see Beca where she had been most of the night.
She didn't know if she had –for some reason- left the beach, but she didn't spot her anywhere around. She asked some of the guys, but they shrugged in ignorance.
Chloe decided to check the premises. It was dark and she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her, but it didn't take long for her to find Beca Mitchell.
She was near the water, with her hands and lips in contact with the young man Chloe recognized as the Greek God –as she called him- Andreas.
Chloe didn't know why she didn't just walk away, but she continued to stare at the pair kissing. She felt intrigued. She felt jealous. She was turned on.
Three ingredients that should never be mixed together.
It made her feel sick and dizzy, but she couldn't stop staring.
Beca's eyes opened then and made direct contact with Chloe, without searching for it or even a corrective blink. It was as if she knew exactly where Chloe was and what she was doing.
Perhaps she did.
Chloe witnessed how the girl continued to make out with the guy with her eyes wide open and focused on her which strangely made her feel like it was her mouth that Beca's tongue was roaming through.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
"I thought we were traveling Europe together, Beca." Chloe stated when Beca returned to the camp fire and took a seat next to her.
"We are." Beca said confused.
"Really? Because you just went deep into Greece without me." Chloe said loud enough for people around to hear and respond to the new information.
"You're so weird." Beca rolled her eyes.
Chloe and Beca were once again the first to leave the party. A few of the guys offered to walk them back, but Beca was persistent. Chloe knew that she was safe with the girl and she preferred to be with just her, anyway.
She couldn't stop thinking about what she had witnessed earlier that night, though. It stayed with her for the entire walk back to the hostel and even after she got ready for bed.
Beca was still brushing her teeth by the time Chloe was prepared to end the day, but she didn't want to crawl into the top bunk before saying goodnight to Beca. She waited on her bed, instead. When she returned to the room, Chloe was still a million miles away and she didn't realize Beca was back until she felt the bedframe sink.
Beca was right there in the bed with her, -or technically she was in bed with Beca- and it felt like an opportunity. She was lying down and Chloe was seated, but it felt intimate in a way.
Chloe didn't want to think it through. She wanted to be spontaneous and do things unprompted, like Beca had taught her during this first week of their vacation.
She moved in and captured Beca's lips using her own. Her lips were soft and tasted like the sangria they shared earlier that day, but the most important factor of Beca's lips were the fact that they were kissing her back.
Chloe broke the moment and sat back. She wanted to say something witty or sarcastic. Something that would make Beca laugh, just so Chloe could behold it.
But the door of the room flew open and their roommates loudly ruined that for Chloe. There was nothing to do but smile and leave for her own bed. She hoped her silence would make her mysterious or sexy, but wondered if she didn't just make things weird.
"Get the fuck up, Beale! I'm taking you to the aquarium." Beca hissed as she repeatedly slammed a pillow onto Chloe's shape.
It was clear she did not make anything weird between them.
They sneaked out for the day before the rest of the group was even awake. They grabbed some breakfast and coffee before heading out of the hostel.
Beca guided them towards the City of Arts and Science, the beautiful and modern building they passed by during the bike tour the day before. The entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex in the city held a few different buildings, one of them being the aquarium.
The open-air park was built in the shape of a waterlily and Chloe knew she was going to love it.
"Oh my God, it's amazing here, Becs!" Chloe said as she threw her arms around the girl's body.
She viewed all kinds of animals that day. Chloe couldn't decide a favorite. First, she'd see a starfish or a seahorse and she'd take a hundred pictures of it while screaming that she was in love with them. And then five minutes later, she would find the penguins or white dolphins and she'd forget all about the small fish.
Chloe enjoyed the day spent with just Beca, like it had been and how it was supposed to be, no matter how much fun the people in their hostel were.
They visited the adjacent science museum, where Beca contributed in numerous activities revolving around technology and communication.
"You really like this stuff, don't you?" She asked the girl that was currently going on an interactive journey to learn about electricity.
"I think it's cool." Beca shrugged nonchalant, but Chloe could see she was excited to be there.
They had dinner in the underwater restaurant which was the perfect ending to their day trip. They got scolded by their little group of new friends by the time they returned to the hostel. The people weren't happy they were left behind on that sunny day, but Beca smiled at Chloe and she knew right there and then that it was worth it.
They had prolonged their stay until Thursday, so they spent their final two days running around the Spanish city with their consistently descending size group. When it was time for them to leave, the only ones left were Ana Maria and Christina; the two Spanish girls that lived on one of the Canary Islands that Chloe and Beca became relatively close to.
They exchanged contact information and added each other on Facebook before their departure. Beca and Chloe left for the train station without any plans about their next destination, but Chloe didn't want to be the one to ask.
"Okay, I know you're dying inside, so just tell me. Where to next?" Beca laughed as she pulled to a halt in front of the railway station.
"Not this time, Beca." Chloe smiled wicked. "This time, it's all on you. I'm done being in control."
"Really?" Beca's eyebrow arched suspicious. "Are you taking the bottom bunk bed next?"
Chloe laughed loud and silly before growing serious again. "If I weren't here-" She continued, but her words caused Beca's smile to falter, if only for a second. "-where would you go to?" Chloe was honestly interested in the places or countries Beca would pick here in Europe.
Beca contemplated for a few moments before coming with a final answer. "Venice." She said determined.
"Venice?" Chloe asked shocked. "That's romantic." She teased.
Beca rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We've already been to Paris, don't make this weird." She muttered as she passed by her and headed for whatever way would take them to northeastern Italy.