Hi guys! Here is the latest chapter, sorry it's a bit long. I was writing and found I couldn't stop. :-)
Chapter Four –Present Day
" You okay?" Looking up Beca saw Sarah looking down at her concerned. After being exiled from Chloe's room Beca had taken up residence in the waiting room, though she had hardly been idle. She went from sitting on the couch to pacing the hallway, and then finally she sat crouched against the wall in a position that no one thought was confortable but knew better than to tell her to move. Sarah had been watching from the nurses' station, her heart breaking a little each time she saw the tortured expression on Beca's face.
" My wife doesn't want to see me and is in almost near constant agony. There isn't anything I can do to make her pain go away. Other than that, I'm fantastic." Beca replied sardonically. Once the words left her mouth though she cast an apologetic glance at Sarah, everyone else in her life knew that sarcasm was Beca's usual defense mechanism when she was in a situation she wasn't comfortable with. But to anyone else it would come across as just being mean.
" She doesn't mean it." Sarah offered as helpfully as she could. Working in the maternity wards Sarah had seen a lot of couples go through the very same issue.
" I know."
" But you want to me with her. I get it. You really should take this time to get something to eat. We're taking care of Chloe, you need to keep yourself taken care of."
" I'm not hungry."
" Beca." Sarah warned.
" Really I'm okay. I just need my wife to be okay." Sarah nodded and walked back to the nurses' station knowing that she wasn't going to be able to convince Beca to eat.
" She's right you know." Jesse commented looking up from his magazine. Beca looked up and glared at her best friend. He was one of the others who hadn't left yet. Even though Beca was sure that this went well above and beyond the duties of a best friend each time someone hinted that Jesse go home he refused. Said he didn't have anywhere else to be. Which was both heartwarming and true since Beca was technically his boss, if she wasn't at work then he didn't need to be either.
" Shut up."
" Why don't you go see her. See if she's over it yet." Beca knew that she should. But she was a little afraid of Chloe not wanting to see her. Though finally she pushed to her feet Beca wandered towards Chloe's room. Giving herself the mother of all pep talks before she knocked on the door and waited for Barbara to answer it.
" Is it safe?" Beca asked quietly. Barbara smiled at her daughter in law and ushered her in.
" She was just asking for you."
Beca ducked around the curtain at Chloe, the red head was lying looking away from her talking with Aubrey while Victor lingered in the corner looking very uncomfortable. Beca didn't blame him. Aubrey saw Beca first, not remembering seeing Beca so unsure except for during the brunette's freshmen year. Following Aubrey's gaze Chloe turned and saw Beca, a smile gracing her otherwise exhausted expression.
" Hey." Beca greeted.
" Where did you go?" Chloe asked reaching for Beca, Aubrey moved out of the way so that Beca could get closer.
" The waiting room."
" Don't go away again." Chloe insisted.
" I won't."
8 Years ago
Beca walked into the drained pool with the other Bella's, already there was quite a gathering of people come to watch the final faceoff between the Bella's and the Trebles for that season. Following Chloe towards what was apparently the Bella's corner, meaning it was where they had been standing during the first Riff-Off. The Trebles were gathered across from them. Noticeably absent were the BU Harmonics and the High Notes, though most of them were around the edge of the pool as spectators.
Watching as Justin walked to the center of the pool and explained the rules Beca found that these were different than the first Riff-Off rules. Since there were only two teams now, to make it more interesting there had been amendments added.
" To start off tonight's festivities the two future team Captains will compete to determine which team has first round advantage. If you'd both come forward please." Before Beca knew it she was being shoved into the middle of the pool almost running into Jesse. Spinning around to look at the girls behind her Beca could see Chloe smiling deviously at her. They hadn't talked about this sort of thing yet.
" Is this without the help of our group?" Jesse asked curiously. He looked probably as surprised as Beca was to suddenly be nominated for the position of Captain.
" Without the help of your group. The rules are, if you reach the end of the song that you have chosen then you have won. If by some miracle the two of you can keep this thing going the time limit will be ten minutes. Whoever is last singing at the end of the ten minutes is the winner. Understand?" Justin asked looking between the two and seeing them both nod. " Alright then, after I've given you thee starting prompt any song is fair game. To start you off your category is The Beatles."
Beca didn't even think she just stepped forward.
I've just seen a face
I can't forget the time or place
Where we just met
She's just the girl for me
And I want all the world to see
We've met, mmm-mmm-mmm-m'mmm-mmm
Beca stopped when Jesse gestured that he was about to take over.
Mmm let me talk to 'em
C'mon!
Shorty had them apple bottom jeans (jeans)
Boots with the fur (with the fur)
The whole club was looking at her
She hit the floor (she hit the floor)
Next thing you know
Shorty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low
Them baggy sweat pants
And the Reebok's with the straps (with the straps)
She turned around and gave that big booty a smack (hey)
She hit the –
To her credit, Beca recovered from seeing Jesse rap pretty quickly. But as she stomped her foot announcing her intention of interrupting Jesse stopped.
Floor, floor
I love to dance
So give me more, more
'Til I can't stant
Get on the floor, floor
Like it's your last chance
If you want more, more
Then here I am
Starships were meant to fly
Hands up and touch the sky
Can't stop 'cause we're so high
Let's do this one more time
Starships were meant to fly
Hands up and touch the sky
Let's do this one last time
Can't stop…
We're higher than a motherfucker
Jump in my hooptie hooptie hoop
I own that
And I ain't paying my rent this month
I owe that
But fuck who you want, and fuck who you like
That's our life, there's no end in sight
Twinkle, Twinkle little star
Now everybody let me hear you say ray ray ray
Now spend all your money cause today's pay day
And if you're a G, you a G,G,G
My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki…
Seeing Jesse shake his head in defeat and step back there was an eruption of applause. Most coming from behind her as the other Bella's were overjoyed that they had won whatever small benefit came from winning this early challenge. Walking back to the other Bella's Beca saw that they were all smiling at her and whispering statements of praise.
The rest of the Riff- Off sped by, there was a fair amount of laughs and there were also a fair amount of good lyrical dueling. As it turns out, both Beca and Jesse were extremely competitive. It was close several times but once they were on a roll there was no stopping the Bella's. They dominated each round until finally Justin declared the Bella's as the winners.
Moving the whole gathering from the abandoned pool to the outdoor amphitheater where they had held the aca-initiation night. It seemed fitting that they end the acapella season where it had all began. Still high off their victory most of the Bella's went off to find themselves both drinks and companionship for the night, Beca lingered back simply enjoying watching the whole scene as it played out in front of her. Never in a million years did she picture this happening that she would be at a college party and actually enjoying herself.
Even if the music was terrible. Laughing to herself at the absurdity of it Beca listened to the blaringly loud chords of some top 40 song as it echoed in the amazing acoustics of the theater. Beca would have thought that people who spend their entire year practically obsessed with music would actually have better taste in music.
" What're you smiling about?" Accepting the offered cup from Chloe and taking a healthy sip before asking what was even in the cup Beca felt the alcohol burn all the way down to her stomach.
" Jesus, what is this?"
" Trust me, its better if you don't know." Chloe cautioned. All she knew about what was in the beverage was the collection of empty alcohol bottles that had been collected on the table next to the bowl. " Don't avoid the question. What are you smiling about?" Chloe repeated.
" The music."
" Terrible huh?"
" Kind of makes the DJ in me want to curl up and die." Beca replied honestly.
" You did amazing today." Chloe commented watching Beca blush, though she knew that if she called attention to it Beca would merely attribute the coloring of her cheeks to the alcohol or the cold night air around them.
" You did pretty well yourself. Though I'm not surprised." Things like that seemed to come naturally to Beca when she was with Chloe. She found herself complimenting instead of spitting snide comments, smiling instead of scowling, it was altogether unnerving and completely addicting.
" You're so sweet. So I have an idea, why don't we go back to your dorm and you can show me some good music." Chloe suggested looping her arms around Beca's waist.
" Don't you want to stay here and celebrate with the rest of the Bella's? I mean, this was kind of monumental we kicked the Treble's asses in the Riff-off."
" I know! Do you think their egos can handle having their asses handed to them twice in one year?"
" I think they'll survive."
" Come on, take me back to your room." Chloe said pulling Beca back towards Baker Hall. Beca didn't even bother trying to fight it, she knew Chloe was going to win anyway.
Beca's room was thankfully vacant when they got there, Kimmie Jin had taken the spending time at one of her friend's dorms, maybe a boyfriend. Whatever it was Beca didn't really care enough to ask when she did see her roommate. She was just glad that it meant she and Chloe could be alone. Walking into her living area towards her desk Beca pulled her chair out and spun it so that she could sit and face Chloe. Though the chivalrous thing to do would be to offer the seat to Chloe, Beca knew that Chloe preferred her bed as a sitting area.
" What kind of music are you in the mood for?" Beca asked curiously. She'd still not played any of her mixes for Chloe but she had a wide array of other music that could fill the silent room.
" Anything's fine. Maybe something that you mixed?" Chloe asked hopefully.
" One of my mixes?" Eloquent as always when it came to Chloe. Looking between Chloe and her computer.
" You don't have to. I know they mean a lot to you."
" Come here." Beca said holding her hand out to Chloe and waiting for her girlfriend to take it Beca ushered Chloe until the red head was sitting on her lap. The intimacy of the action took Chloe by surprise but then Beca turned them so that they were facing Beca's computer. It should have been awkward to have Chloe sitting on her lap but it wasn't. Beca kind of liked it actually. It felt natural.
Chloe watched as Beca opened her mixing program and saw the screen fill with things that Chloe had seen just glimpses of when she was at clubs but she didn't know the first thing about what they did. And yet Beca moved the mouse over them like it was second nature.
" I wanted to actually get a mixing table, that's where you get the truer sound. But digital is cheaper." Chloe listened as Beca went meticulously through what everything on the screen did and how it affected the sound. Even going so far as to let Chloe play with some of the features. It took a while for Chloe to realize why Beca was going this. She was showing Chloe what she did so that Chloe would fully appreciate what it was that she did.
When Beca opened up her files and Chloe saw that there were hundreds of them on Beca's Hard Drive she waited anxiously. Beca had a specific mix in mind that she wanted Chloe to hear. And then the music started to play and Chloe found herself instantly immersed in it. She understood in just a few second of listening to the music that Beca had made that Beca understood music, it made sense to her in ways that numbers did to mathematicians, or words to writers. They listened for what seemed like forever, and yet not long enough Beca watching Chloe's face as she listened. Smiling to herself when Chloe's eyes closed and her head began to bop to the beats. There was an authenticity to Chloe's expression that Beca didn't doubt that Chloe liked what she was hearing. And there was nothing that filled Beca with more pride and with more hope that she might actually make it in the music business than Chloe's approval of what she did.
" Beca this is amazing." Chloe whispered even though there was no reason why she needed to be whispering.
" Thanks." Beca replied bashfully. Chloe stood but before she moved out of Beca's reach completely she linked their hands and pulled Beca with her. Leading the brunette towards the bed and sitting down.
" Thank you for letting me listen to one of your mixes."
" I should have a long time ago. I just…have a fragile ego." Beca explained in the best way that she could. It wasn't entirely a lie, she would fight with nearly anyone about the awesomeness of her music. Because she knew that her mixes were good. But those people were usually the ones she didn't really care their opinions. Like her dad, she didn't care what he thought of her music. He didn't have to get it. But with Chloe, Beca wanted Chloe to like the music she made.
" Well you don't need to. Because you're great."
Pulling Chloe to her Beca pressed her lips hard against the older girls, she didn't often know the right words to say to express her emotions but kissing Chloe seemed like a pretty good way of showing just how much Chloe meant to her. Chloe met Beca's lips with equal if not more enthusiasm. Beca soon became worried she might actually spontaneously combust, when Chloe had pushed her back onto the bed Beca's head began to spin. It was all she could do to just continue breathing and not passing out, feeling the weight of Chloe's body on top of her own, Beca was sure there was no greater feeling in the entire world.
Sounds of pleasure began to fall from their mouths and neither of them knew who was making which sound, but it didn't matter. Each new sound fueled them both until they were spiraling quickly towards that precarious point that they had been cleverly avoiding for the time that they had been dating. Chloe said she would be patient and she planned to make very good on that promise. But when Beca arched into her just so, or when Beca tugged on Chloe's bottom lip with her teeth ensuring their lips stayed fused together, she was patient but she wasn't a saint.
Burying her hands in Chloe's hair, keeping the older girls lips where they were Beca moaned softly against Chloe's lips as Chloe coaxed Beca's tongue into a playful duel for dominance. Beca didn't stand a chance. The things Chloe could do with her mouth, if she was this good of a kisser Beca could only imagine what other things she could do with her mouth. Just the thought of it made Beca buck suddenly against Chloe, tearing her lips away as an audible hiss tore from her lips Beca was sure she was dangerously close to combustion.
Chloe took this opportunity to attach her lips to the DJ's neck finding Beca's pulse point and pressing hot, open mouthed kisses against the tender skin she found there. Beca felt Chloe's fingers brush the hem of her tank top, daring to slide under just a little bit and tease the skin over Beca's hip bone.
" Is this okay?" Chloe whispered against Beca's neck before moving to claim Beca's lips again in a searing kiss that made Beca's toes curl.
" Mhm." Was all Beca could manage. Chloe knew that she wouldn't be able to push it much further. Anything more than where they were right now would send Beca up and across the dorm room as Chloe had discovered one night when, in the heat of the moment she had tried to slide her hand completely under Beca's shirt. She had grown attuned to Beca's body, more so than Beca herself sometimes. Chloe knew that she should probably stop, air on the side of caution. But she just wanted a few more minutes of feeling Beca beneath her, completely giving in just to the sensation of it all. And then she would stop.
" I'm sorry." Beca muttered unable to make eye contact with Chloe while she watched her girlfriend gather her things. For several long moments Chloe didn't say anything she just continued wandering around the room as if she were looking for something but she had all of her things already.
" Don't apologize. Really it's okay." Chloe insisted.
" But how long is it going to be okay for?" Beca asked. Chloe couldn't deny the fact that she was a bit agitated, and very, very frustrated in more ways than one. She had taken more cold showers since starting her relationship with Beca that she was beginning to worry that they were losing their effectiveness.
" I just don't understand. You trust me right?"
" I do."
" Then what's the problem? I mean, I know you want me and I obviously want you. Do you think I'm going to hurt you?"
" Physically?" Beca asked the very thought of it preposterous.
" Emotionally." Chloe clarified needlessly.
" I don't trust anyone not to hurt me. The past has shown me that people are just going to hurt me so I don't give them the chance to. It's harder to get hurt if you keep people away emotionally and physically." Beca finished her explanation as Chloe processed what she had told her.
" And me? Do you think I'm one of those people?" Chloe knew she was asking an unfair question.
" I think you're going to destroy me." Beca whispered. Seeing the mixture of hurt, surprise, and confusion twisting Chloe's usually bright features Beca quickly went about explaining. " I wasn't lying when I said you had bypassed the walls that I spend most of my teenage years building. You're the first person who has bothered to even try. You make me feel things, want things that I had myself convinced I could never feel. And it's terrifying. I'm so scared I'm going to do something to mess this up or you're going to wake up one morning and realize you can do so much better than me. And I don't want to hurt like that.
" Sex complicates everything. I've seen it happen. What we have right now is great. I just don't want to fuck with it." Beca finished, looking at Chloe and hoping she would understand.
" I'm scared too Beca. I think that we're supposed to be. It means we care about each other. Where we differ is that I'm not going to let what ifs stop me from trying. Sex is a huge step, I'm not saying let's do it right now. When we do it'll be amazing and special and all the things it's supposed to be because it's the two of us. I'm just asking you to work with me here. Slow, one step at a time. Kay?"
" Okay." Beca nodded reaching out for Chloe. " Wanna cuddle?"
" You hate cuddling."
" But you don't. Baby steps right?"
A few days later Beca found herself sitting across the table from her father, having what could only be described as an awkwardly silent dinner. He was trying though, and Beca was trying not to not be such a sarcastic brat. So they set up dinners that they would do on a semi-regular basis and they would attempt to repair the fractured nature of their relationship.
" So am I paying for you to go to LA?" Warren asked thinking he was asking his daughter a casual question.
" What?"
" We had a deal and you upheld your end of it. So I am prepared to uphold mine." Beca looked at her dad convinced he was about to sprout a second head or something.
" Really?"
" Yeah. If that's still what you want."
" It is." Beca answered quickly.
" But?"
" But…I need to think about it." Beca could barely believe the words as they passed through her lips. Think about it? What was there to think about? Here was her life's dream being offered to her on a silver platter and she wanted to think about it? After that Beca didn't really remember much about dinner.
When Beca got back to her dorm room she was barely paying attention to the world around her. Less than a year ago everything had been so clear. Her stomach twisted in painful knots of doubt with endless questions nearly splitting her head open. She had come to Barden with the goal of getting the year over with and then going to LA to live her dream. And then everything had turned on its ass. The Bella's. The group of insane women that had wormed their way into Beca's heart and became the closest, most dysfunctional family that she'd ever known. And there was Jesse who in a way had become her best friend.
And Chloe.
Chloe had been the biggest surprise of all. Offering Beca love and affection, everything Beca had been so sure she didn't want or need. But was that worth giving up on LA? Could she stay at Barden because it meant that she would only be six states away from Chloe instead of across the country? Sitting down at her computer Beca slid on her head phones and opened some of her music files. Music would help her think it through. At least Beca hoped it would.
Hours later Beca was startled awake when her phone vibrated and it shook her entire desk. Shaking the sleep from her head as well as some of the residual panic from being awoken so suddenly Beca grabbed her phone.
" 'Ello?" Beca grumbled.
" There you are! I've been texting you for like an hour!" hearing Chloe's voice ring through the phone and the worry that came along with it Beca groaned. Remembering she was supposed to have gone over to Chloe's after her dinner with her dad. Chloe had offered, knowing how little Beca enjoyed those sorts of things.
" Aw man Chloe I'm sorry. I totally spaced and came back to mine and fell asleep." Beca said genuinely apologetic.
" I figured. It's okay. How did everything go?" Chloe asked. It always amazed Beca how Chloe never seemed to stay angry for long. Even after all that had happened the previous year. Beca had seen Chloe get mad but she never stayed that way for long.
" It was the usual. He uh…asked me about LA." Beca said. There was a long pause on the other line and Beca began to worry that Chloe had hung up on her.
" Oh." Was all Chloe said after what felt like forever.
" That's it? That's all you have to say?"
" What do you want me to say?" Chloe asked even more hesitantly.
" I don't know. I'm exhausted, can we talk tomorrow?"
" Beca…" Chloe stopped herself. She knew how much her music meant to her girlfriend. And she also knew that Beca would close off if she pushed too far. " Good night."
Looking down at her now darkened cell phone screen Beca turned back to her computer. She spent the rest of the night mixing. Filling an 8 GB flash drive with music, seeing the sky turn light. Yawning Beca closed her mixing program and curled into bed. If anything she felt tired and oddly calmer but no less uncertain about what to do about LA. It was within her grasp now. She could go guilt free. With the blessing of her dad, and some of his money too. Why wasn't she taking that and running? Hearing her phone buzz Beca glanced down at it wondering who would be crazy enough to text her at the ungodly hour of five AM.
I can't sleep. -Beca smiled, seeing Chloe's name on her phone.
It helps if you close your eyes. –Beca replied.
Why are you awake?
I dunno
Come meet me.
Where? Now?
On the Quad. We can watch the sunrise together. Looking outside again, seeing the faint fog that held the campus encapsulated. The way the cold mixture of wet air and inhumanely cold air had formed ice on each individual blade of grass. And it was so like Chloe to want to go and enjoy the moment of it.
I'll bring the blankets
Beca met Chloe next to the fountain as they had agreed. Beca held her blanket in her arms. The one that Chloe seemed to like so much, whenever they were in her room Chloe would use that to wrap herself up. The sun was already dancing towards the horizon as they settled. Most people would expect that Chloe would be the big spoon, except that whenever they were laying down it was always Beca that would have her arms around Chloe. Chloe had asked her why that was once, Beca had only shrugged and joked that it was easier to escape that way.
" I don't want to fight again." Chloe said finally once the sun had long risen.
" Were we fighting?" Beca asked looking down at Chloe and seeing Chloe look back towards her.
" You lied to me. You weren't exhausted. You've been up all night." Chloe said leaning against Beca's chest. She should have been angry that Beca had lied to her but she wasn't, mostly because she knew that there had to be a good reason for it. She knew she had to be patient with Beca and trust that the brunette would tell her what she was thinking in her own time.
" How do you do that?" Beca asked trying to be irritated but the words came out in a sort of pathetic whine that frustrated Beca more.
" You've been thinking about LA." Chloe continued, not answering Beca's question because she was sure that it was mostly rhetorical.
" I…"
" Do you want to go?" Beca gently nudged at Chloe for the red head to sit up. She wanted to look at Chloe when they had this conversation. Words could lie, often times they did in Beca's experience. Even if they were meant to be comforting or placating the only way to truly know the truth was to look into someone's eyes when they spoke. Beca trusted that Chloe wouldn't lie to her, but she still needed to see it.
" It's my dream. Always has been since I could remember."
" Then you should go. It's your dream." Beca felt a nagging ache consume the entirety of her chest. Part of her wanted so desperately to take what Chloe was offering. Chloe was telling her to go. Even if Beca knew that it was a lie. Chloe couldn't really blame Beca for wanting to go. She was leaving too. But Georgia was a lot closer than LA. It would be easier for weekend visits and they would at least be on the same time zone.
" Let's not talk about it now."
" We have to talk about it Bec. Because it's happening. And pretending it isn't will only make it harder." Chloe insisted. " I'm leaving for New York." Chloe stated as if it were some big confession that Beca hadn't heard before. But she wanted Beca to acknowledge it. Beca hadn't said anything about it since the very first time Chloe had mentioned it.
" I know that."
" What is that going to be like for our relationship?" Their relationship was so young and they were still trying to figure things out. The idea that they would have to do that while being over a thousand miles away from each other was terrifying.
" Long distance relationships don't work Chloe." Beca argued.
" This one might." Chloe said a hint of her usual optimism shining through the gloom.
" Everyone says that. And then life happens and you'll have work and new friends and every guy in New York banging down your door." Beca elaborated.
" Every guy? I think that's a big of an exaggeration." Chloe said.
" Clearly you haven't looked in the mirror lately."
" So what if they do? I have you. I don't need nor want them. There will be many Skype dates and phone calls. You can always come visit me on holidays and long weekends. I'll come here when I can. Beca we can make this work if we try." Chloe searched Beca's eyes for a glimmer of hope she was desperate to see. That Beca was willing, even if it was a shadow of hope, it was still something.
" Make me a deal." Beca said finally, looking down at her hands for a moment trying to collect her thoughts. Fidgeting with the edge of the blanket until Chloe's hand covered her own.
" Okay."
" Hear me out first. Your friendship, having you in my life is often times the only sanity that I have. If this doesn't work out. Even if you want to try and see other people. We stop this and go back to being friends." Beca said. Her words betrayed the difficulty of doing such a thing. It wouldn't be as simple as that and they both knew it. But as far as Chloe was concerned that would never happen.
" Deal."
" I mean I Chloe."
" I know. So do i."
" There, conversation done." Beca said with a her trademark smirk.
" What about LA?"
" Would be kind of pointless. I'm not old enough to DJ in any of the clubs." Beca said with a shrug. Chloe often forgot how young Beca was.
" That's right, I'm robbing the cradle." Chloe teased. Chloe settled back into Beca's arms and continued to watch the sky grow lighter.
" Yup. Corrupting the young." Beca replied softly nuzzling against Chloe's neck softly unable to fight the urge to be closer to Chloe.
Days slowly blended into weeks, when not in classes Beca was at the station or with Chloe. It didn't feel like it had been that long until finally it was brought to Beca's attention that it was coming up on her and Chloe's one month anniversary. Something that Beca had initially rolled her eyes at, who celebrates one month? But apparently that was a thing, yet another small detail of relationships that Beca probably wouldn't ever understand.
" Do we have to do this every month?" Beca asked while she raided her closet looking for something to wear. She had taken Jesse's advice and told Chloe that she hadn't forgotten about their one month anniversary and that she had something special planned for them. It was partially true, she had managed to get reservations at a nice restaurant to celebrate. The gift that she had in mind was pretty simple, and Chloe probably would think that it was lame. Beca had spent the last few nights working non-stop on a mix dedicated to Chloe. Cliché and overly cheesy but it was from the heart.
" Of course you don't do this every month. This is like…a semi test of how serious you are about Chloe. Think about it this way, at the beginning of a relationship is when you're supposed to be the most…infatuated. You do this at the first month, then the six months, and then you go to yearly. Make sense?" Jesse tried to explain, it had been a bit sad at first when he realized just how much help Beca was going to need with the whole relationship thing. But once he had wrapped his mind around it he sought out to be the best tutor in romance as he could be.
" But their called anniversaries! That implies yearly."
" You're still missing the point. It's okay, just take it like this. It's important to Chloe and if you want to make her happy then you'll do this."
" Okay fine." Beca said exasperated.
Driving into Atlanta Beca sweet talked Chloe into letting her drive, otherwise it would ruin the surprise of where they were going. It wasn't really a surprise but there was something weird about planning the date, and treating Chloe to a night on the town and not driving. They had just merged onto the freeway when Beca felt Chloe's hand on top of hers and Chloe's fingers snake in between her own.
" I didn't think that you believed in one month anniversaries." Chloe commented. When Beca had initially mentioned it she had been surprised. Beca wasn't known for her romanticism.
" I don't. But you do. And that is good enough for me."
" You're sweet."
" I just have to treat my lady right." Beca replied her playful smirk prompting Chloe to laugh.
" Well you are definitely doing a good job."
It was really true. In all the scenarios Chloe had thought of when she and Beca had begun their relationship she had never imagined that Beca would be as good at wooing her as she was. And the best part was that Beca didn't even know she was doing it. Chloe had been with guys that had done all the right things, flowers, cute cards, opening doors, the works, and the things girls swoon for. And she had enjoyed it at the time. But there was nothing that could properly explain how Chloe felt when Beca did things like that for her. Bringing her a single flower was more special than an entire bouquet of roses.
" You deserve to be treated like a princess Chloe." Beca said suddenly. The suddenness of her statement made it sound slightly awkward but Chloe knew that it was simply because Beca was trying to muster the courage to say something. Chloe looked at her girlfriends profile, Beca kept her eyes trained on the road before her, and had she not been driving Chloe would have pulled Beca into a searing kiss.
When Beca pulled into a parking spot, the moment that the car was in park Chloe practically lunged at Beca. Crashing their lips together with passion that had only been amplified by the minutes she had to wait to kiss her girlfriend. Beca squeaked at the surprise of the kiss. Regardless Beca returned the kiss quickly, parting her lips for Chloe's insistent tongue and swallowing a moan as Chloe's tongue ran teasingly over the roof of her mouth.
" What…was that for?" Beca gasped when their kiss ended.
" You being wonderful." Chloe answered with a sweet smile and opening the door and stepping out. Beca took a moment to collect herself before she followed Chloe out of the car and into the restaurant.
Dinner passed with fun conversation mostly about the other Bella's and Aubrey. There was never any shortage of things to talk about between them, it was something that Beca rejoiced in. She had always feared the awkward silences when couples ran out of things to talk about. Before her parents' divorce there were many dinners that were spent in near suffocating silence because her parents had run out of things to talk about. But instead they talked about this and that, small things and big things it didn't matter.
" I uh…have this for you." Beca said while they were sitting after their plates had been cleared. She reached into her pocket and held out the flash drive for Chloe. She expected to see disappointment or something in Chloe's eyes that might show that she had messed up. Instead what she saw was an outpouring of pride and delight at what she was being offered.
" Is it a mix?"
" I made it for you, all the songs on here remind me of you in some way." Beca explained watching Chloe take the small device and look at it as if it were made of pure diamond or something.
" Thank you." Chloe whispered her eyes shining with newly formed tears. Beca's eyes widened not expecting her gift to make her girlfriend cry.
" I didn't mean to make you cry." Beca said panicked.
" Happy tears babe." Chloe replied.
" Are you sure?"
" This is the best gift I've ever been given by someone I was dating. Something you made for me, specifically for me. There isn't another one of these in the world and that makes it priceless. And wonderful." Chloe replied with the smile that could truly make Beca's heart do flip flops in her chest.
" I'm glad you like it."
" I have this for you. I really didn't know what to get you." Chloe said holding out the small box across the table to Beca. Beca took the box and slowly opened it, when she saw what was inside she couldn't contain the gasp that slipped from her lips. " I knew how much you liked bracelets."
Beca lifted the bracelet out of the box to look at it closer, it was really one long bracelet coiled around itself. It was beautiful, black leather holding silver chain and gems in place.
" It's beautiful." Beca said while holding it out to Chloe silently asking her to help her put it on. Once the bracelet was on the two admired the way it looked on Beca's wrist. " Thank you."
" You're welcome."
The night finished like a dream, they got back to campus and Beca walked Chloe to her dorm room. Standing outside Chloe's door in the narrow abandoned hallway Beca reached forward, her fingers resting on the curve of Chloe's waist. It was out of sheer need to touch Chloe, Beca couldn't explain it any better than that. With Chloe so close to her she couldn't help but touch her in some way.
" Do you want to come in? Maybe cuddle a little. I just don't want tonight to end." Chloe said with an inviting smile.
" Sure."
Chloe's dorm room had become in many ways a second home to Beca, though as of late the place that caused Beca the most turmoil. There wasn't a time that they spent in Chloe's bed room that didn't somehow turn into a heated make out session, even if Beca went to study it didn't stop them. And Beca knew why, they wanted each other. They were rapidly approaching that fine line, and it was getting harder and harder for Beca to keep pushing Chloe away. She wasn't even sure why she was anymore.
" We don't have to do anything Beca. Just cuddle and maybe listen to some music." Music had been the alternative to watching a movie.
" I know. But being close to you is getting harder without wanting to…you know." Beca blushed. She couldn't even say it. How could she do it, if she couldn't even have a conversation about it?
" I'm kind of glad that I'm not the only one." Chloe said with a sheepish laugh. Sometimes she felt like a horny teenager around Beca.
" Trust me, you are not the only one that is beginning to have trouble controlling herself."
" So…would it be worth discussing the uh…when?" Chloe asked uncharacteristically nervous.
" Don't you think that planning it might put too much pressure on it? I mean, shouldn't we just let it happen naturally?" Beca asked finally sitting down next to Chloe.
" Yeah it should. But also, it should be something that we intend to do because it's special. It should be something that you plan because it should be memorable. I don't mean we look on the calendar and pick a date to do it. But it should be special."
" Why is it that you are more concerned about me losing my virginity than I am?" Beca asked with a quirked eyebrow and a playful grin. She thought it was sweet how much Chloe cared but she wished sometimes that things could just happen naturally, and not force it. The idea of planning it, like it was some sort of event made Beca uncomfortable in ways she knew she wouldn't be able to explain.
" Because it's important."
" Why?"
" It just is. You don't think about it now, but trust me when it happens and years from now if it wasn't special you'll look back and wish that it was." Beca could tell that there was a story behind Chloe's statement.
" What was your first time like?" Beca asked knowing that Chloe would tell her. It was one of the things Beca liked most about Chloe, the way that her own introverted side was offset by Chloe's openness about pretty much everything.
" Rushed, messy, painful, everyone was doing it at the time so I thought if I wanted to fit in with my friends then I had to do it too." Chloe answered.
" I'm sorry."
" The point is Beca, I want your first time to be special because mine wasn't."
" Okay." Beca reached for something on Chloe's desk that for a moment was obscured from Chloe's sight. And then when she saw it she couldn't contain the laughter that escaped. Beca had grabbed her schedule book and was holding it out to her.
a few weeks later
Nerves were slowly eating Beca alive, she was sure of it. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand for what was probably the hundredth time she found that only a few minutes had passed since the last time she looked. Chloe would be by any minute to pick her up, and they would go into the city where they would be staying at a hotel. A freakin' hotel! Beca had told Chloe that she was being ridiculous. But her girlfriend had insisted that she wanted to take control of the night so Beca was just to let Chloe do her thing and if there was anything Beca needed to know about then Chloe would tell her. It was cheesy, and cliché and all sorts of things that Beca was not but she still couldn't help but be excited and anxious about it.
Finally when there was a faint knock on her door Beca opened it to reveal her girlfriend looking gorgeous as always.
" Hey." Beca greeted grabbing her bag.
" Hey, you ready to go?"
" Yeah I am."
A/N : I feel like I should mention that I'm toying with the idea of two other Beca/Chloe stories. Would love to hear if you guys think I should write them.