Author's Note: Thanks for all of your reviews and favorites and follows! They mean a lot to me. Here's the next chapter. Still angsty, but it will be resolved soon. I'd love to know what you think. Thanks for reading :)

Keep your headphones on, it'll look more casual. No, that's rude. But it's how I usually am, so if I don't have them, it'll make him think something's wrong. But something is wrong. I'll just say I left them at the dorm – no, he'd never believe that. I'll just have them around my neck. Okay. That looks right. Maybe I should stand –

Beca ran her fingers through her hair what am I doing and looked at her faint reflection in the mirror. Jesse had just texted to say that he was on his way. She had spent the previous night repeating what she would say over and over until she had fallen asleep, but now she fumbled with the words in her shaky hands. Who was she kidding, she couldn't do this.

It wasn't too late to run. It wasn't too late to leave and pretend that whatever she had needed to talk to him about wasn't important. She could just say –

"Hey, Beca, what's up?"

She jumped and turned around to see Jesse coming through the door of the station. In her startled movement, her carefully rehearsed words fell to the ground and shattered, and she didn't have the humility to sink to the ground and gather them.

"It's nothing, it's fine."

"Beca, I know you. Something's up."

He looked at her with worried eyes. As he moved closer toward her, she found herself taking step after step away from him, until she was backed up against a stack of old records. He was now leaning slightly over her, and she couldn't believe how small she felt.

"Tell me, Beca. What is it?"

She took in a deep breath I can't believe I'm about to and said, "I don't want this."

"What do you mean?"

"Us."

"Beca we're the perfect couple. Aca-perfect! You – you opened up to me, you finally opened up to me. Beca, what are you talking about?"

"I don't want to be with you." This was coming out all wrong. She had planned on saying that she wasn't ready to be in a relationship, any relationship. She hadn't planned on telling the truth.

"With me? So is there someone else? Who is he? Tell me! One of the other trebles? Who?"

"Jesse, it's not –"

"Who is it? Did he try something? Have you slept with him? How long has this been going on? Go on, tell me! How far have you gone with –"

"I haven't done anything! Why do you think there's someone else?"

"Okay. So there isn't anyone else. Look me in the eye and tell me there isn't anyone else."

She met his eyes. She felt anger welling up inside of her – how dare he attack her like this.

"I'm waiting."

"Jesse, it's not like –"

"Jesus, Beca, how could you? How could you cheat on me? After everything I did for you?"

"Everything you did for me? What did you do for me? Follow me around until I couldn't say no anymore? Is that what you did for me?"

"Is that what our relationship means to you?"

"No, Jesse –"

"Just tell me who it is. Do me that courtesy."

"I'm not cheating on you!"

"Bullshit! Who is he?"

"I'm not –"

"Who, Beca? I'm not dumb, I'll figure it out eventually. Just tell me who it is! Who have you been seeing behind my –"

She couldn't take this anymore. Different words came to her, words she hadn't planned on saying to him, and the anger that was building up inside of her pushed them out. She cut him off, her words louder and stronger than she had anticipated.

"I'm falling for Chloe!"

Silence came crashing down around them. With the silence came a stillness that rested on Jesse's skin as the words landed on him. Beca brought a hand to her mouth, surprised at her lips forming those words. This was more than I want to be with you, this was something else entirely. She had never said this aloud before. It was too frightening a reality. And yet to hear it in the air, to say it finally, felt so…good.

Now more quietly, more steadily, more certainly, Beca repeated it into the silence and the stillness. "I'm falling for Chloe."

Jesse opened his mouth to say something, anything, then he closed it. He stared at Beca as if seeing her for the first time. "Chloe?" His voice was barely audible.

Beca nodded. "Chloe. Chloe Beale." She began to smile, not thinking of the young man casting a shadow over her, but of sparking blue eyes and a gentle touch. She said it again, just to hear it, just to feel it, just to taste it. "I'm falling in love with Chloe Beale."

"You can't be serious, Beca. Think about this. She's just – so what if you have a little crush? It's not like you're a – you don't like girls that way."

"How would you know that?"

"What are you saying? You all of a sudden like girls?"

"I like Chloe."

"Don't be ridiculous. What we have is real. What we have is special."

"No, Jesse. What we have is in your imagination. I'm not going to be your little fantasy anymore."

She pushed him aside.

He called after her. Things like "If you leave, this is it!" and "I swear, Beca, if you leave now – " and "Wait, Beca, I'll change, I'll be better, whatever you want, just don't leave me!" but she continued to the door. She turned before leaving and said, "This is over, Jesse. This is over."

She left, letting the door close loudly behind her, and walked out into the sun. She took a deep breath of the fresh air. She took out her phone and found Chloe's name.

I left him. Can we talk?

Truthfully, Beca had been expecting an answer right away. She had thought that Chloe would run to her with open arms. Instead, Beca lay in bed, alone. Completely alone.

Her phone kept lighting up. Every time her heart rose in her chest. Maybe this time it would be Chloe. But every time it was Jesse we can work through this or I love you or we can go more slowly or whatever you're going through I can help you get past it or please let's just talk.

Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and shut off her phone.

Beca didn't see or hear from Chloe for the next few days. She didn't respond to Beca's text, and Beca was too scared to send another. She didn't go to the party Stacie had invited all of the Bellas to. Beca saw Aubrey several times, but Chloe was never with her. When Beca asked about her, Aubrey wouldn't meet her eyes. She would stumble over some explanation about Chloe having a lot of work or not feeling well and then find some excuse to leave.

Beca couldn't take it anymore. She had done it. She had broken up with Jesse. Why was Chloe still avoiding her?

It was the middle of the day. Aubrey and Chloe would usually be eating lunch in the café at this time, but as Beca hadn't seen Chloe in the café lately, she figured her dorm room was worth a try.

She knocked this is stupid I shouldn't even and then she knocked again. She heard shuffling from inside and waited, fidgeting and trying to think of the right thing to say.

Chloe opened the door and they stared at each other, both speechless, both breathless. Chloe broke the silence.

"What is it, Beca?" Her voice was weak.

"I broke up with –"

"I know. I got your text."

Beca could feel her heart beating faster and faster. It was those blue eyes, looking at her so intently. It was hearing Chloe's voice again. Sure her voice wasn't full of warmth, but it also wasn't harsh.

"So…you came here to…?"

"I just wanted to make sure you knew."

Chloe narrowed her eyes a bit. "Did you think you could just come to me the minute you were done with Jesse? What am I, his understudy?"

"I broke up with him for you."

"Not for yourself?"

"I mean, yeah for myself."

"Beca, listen, maybe you do feel something for me, but clearly I don't mean that much to you."

"But you said –"

"I know. I know. The thing is… Look, I put myself out there. A lot. I come off too strong or I step over boundaries or – well, you know how I am. I forget to put up my guard. But that means I get hurt. A lot. I get shut down by Aubrey, even though she doesn't mean to do it. Guys leave me for someone hotter, someone more popular. It's what I get for opening up too much. And this time I think I took it too far. I let myself think that you could be there for me in a way that you weren't ready to be, and that was my mistake."

"But I'm ready now. Chloe, please just listen. I'm ready now."

Chloe shook her head slightly. "I care too much." Her lower lip began to tremble. "I care too much and – don't you understand, Beca? If I don't put up my guard around you, I'll just let myself go. You can hurt me more than anyone else can and I can't let myself believe that you feel as much for me as I feel for you when you don't. I can't let myself be exposed like that, not when you can hurt me so easily and so deeply. I'm sorry, Beca. I don't think I can do this."

"But everything you said…"

"I thought I could do this. But giving you control over my heart has been…I can't take it anymore. There's less than a month until I graduate, and I just want to make it in one piece."

Beca found herself wiping at her eyes. Was she crying? Was she falling apart? "Chloe, please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I chose Jesse over you. I'm sorry for what I put you through. Chloe, I'm…"

"I'm sorry, Beca. I'm not as strong as I thought I was."

"But –"

"I need more than you telling me that you feel comfortable or happy around me. I love you, Beca. But I can't do this if you don't feel the same way. From what you've said – Beca, it's okay if you just want to be friends. I'm not going to force you to feel something you don't."

"But I do."

"You do?" The desperate hope in Chloe's voice was painful. "What...what do you feel?"

Beca opened her mouth to say something, to tell her everything, but her chest tightened and the words got stuck in her throat. Why couldn't she just –

Chloe's face fell at Beca's silence.

"I'm in love with you, Chloe," Beca whispered to the door that Chloe had closed slowly and regretfully in Beca's face.

Beca thought she could hear muffled sobs through the door.

But I'm in love with you, Chloe.