Hey so firstly I owe you all a huge apology! Life got a little crazy so this update has been a little delayed and I hope you all can forgive me haha. Secondly I've read, re read, edited, re edited and played around with this chapter so much that at this point I'm just going to put it out here for you guys. I hope it's okay, it turned out to be more challenging than I originally anticipated but I guess that's one of the joys of writing right?!
"Chloe is that you? Dinner's almost ready!" A light voice, not dissimilar to Chloe's echoed through the hallway as she quietly closed the door behind them.
"Yeah mom I'm home! What is that it smells so good? Also I've brought a friend I hope you don't mind!" She hurriedly called back to the older woman, dragging Beca by the arm with surprising strength. Beca barely had time to process what was happening before she found herself stood in a magnificent kitchen, face to face with Mrs Beale. Still unable to formulate words, she was grateful when Chloe once again started speaking.
"Mom this is Beca! She's just moved here for the year while her aunt's in Europe." Chloe explained, gesturing at Beca, who was still stood there somewhat dumbfounded.
"It's lovely to meet you Beca." Chloe's mom smiled warmly at her and before Beca could process what was happening she was pulled into a crushing hug.
Well do something you idiot! Beca's mind yelled at her as she tentatively returned the hug. As her mom released her she could see Chloe trying not to laugh and Beca had to resist the urge to throw her a sarcastic comment, not knowing how well it would be received by Mrs Beale. It was at that moment her bladder decided to remind her just how long she had been sat on the sidewalk and she quickly turned to Chloe.
"Can I use your bathroom please?" She asked, hoping it wouldn't be difficult to find in Chloe's maze of a house.
"Yes of course! Straight up the stairs and it's the first door on your right." Chloe smiled widely at Beca and offered to take her satchel. Beca gratefully passed it over to Chloe before hurrying up the stairs, praying she didn't get lost.
…..
Whilst Beca was navigating the upstairs floor of the Beale household, Chloe helped her mother set the table, the two quietly talking about the brunette.
"She hasn't seen him in seven years mom, I think she's really struggling having to live with him…" Chloe whispered, her brow creasing with concern.
"I know honey, I know. It's gonna be really difficult for her to adjust to this whole situation. She needs a good support system." Her mom added, staring pointedly at Chloe.
"Oh don't worry mom. It might take a while but I think me and Beca are gonna be really fast friends." She replied, determination evident in her voice. Her mom smiled warmly at her daughter.
"I'm sure you will Chlo. Just don't push her too fast, from the sounds of it she's been through a lot so it'll probably take her a while to feel comfortable around you." The older woman gently reminded her daughter, aware that Chloe could be very full on at times.
Before Chloe could reply, light footsteps on the staircase signalled Beca's return, who smiled shyly when she re-entered the room.
"Did you find it okay?" Chloe asked quickly.
"Just about. You know that bathroom is so small you should probably put a sign up or something." Beca replied, unable to keep a hint of sarcasm out of her voice, the bathroom was around the same size as her whole bedroom. Chloe snorted, before lightly punching Beca's arm.
"I know right. I've been telling mom for years we need to do something about it." She deadpanned, her heart leaping slightly as she saw Beca smirk back at her.
"What are you two laughing at?" Chloe's mom yelled over her shoulder before turning her attention back to the oven.
"Nothing!" Both girls replied in unison and then once more broke into giggles.
"Well dinner's ready so if you want feeding tonight you better sit your asses down!" She told them with mock severity as she placed the steaming dish of lasagne in front of the girls. Beca's stomach gave an appreciative growl that elicited laughs from both Beale's.
"Oh dig in Beca! When it comes to food there's no etiquette in this house, Chloe's a pig." Mrs Beale told Beca, who cracked up laughing at the look of indignation on Chloe's face, before shovelling a large portion of lasagne on to her plate, feeling surprisingly at home.
…
Beca led on Chloe's bed, clutching her stomach and groaning slightly. The bed creaked slightly next to her and she knew without opening her eyes that Chloe had joined her. The jolt of the mattress caused her stomach to turn and she curled into the foetal position.
"Chloe noooo." She mumbled into the pillow, causing the red head to laugh.
"I did try to stop you eating that fourth portion." She told her, and Beca opened her eyes enough to see Chloe arching an eyebrow at her, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You should have tried harder!" Beca told her, cursing her lack of self-control.
"Beca Mitchell I would have been genuinely worried for safety had I tried to take away your lasagne. Besides, I was far too impressed with the amount you put away to stop you, how you're so tiny is beyond me!" Chloe replied, gently poking Beca's stomach.
"Oh my god no I will throw up on you." Beca warned, before rolling away from Chloe who simply once more dissolved into laughter.
"I blame your mom any way, if her food wasn't so good I wouldn't have consumed so much." Beca grumbled.
"I know, I'm blessed." Chloe told her in between laughs.
Feeling her stomach settle slightly, Beca rolled back to face Chloe with a curious yet somewhat hesitant expression on her face.
"So… Where's your dad? If you don't mind me asking." She stuttered quietly, hoping she hadn't crossed a line with Chloe.
"Not at all. Him and my mom weren't working out so he left a few years ago. I see him a couple of times a year, we kinda get on but he doesn't really know me anymore…" Chloe replied, her voice trailing away with a hint of sadness. Beca reached out and briefly touched Chloe's arm, she knew exactly how Chloe felt, which surprised her, sometimes she forgot she wasn't the only person with divorced parents. Chloe smiled at Beca's gesture before continuing talking, she felt compelled to share more of her life with Beca, hoping that it would make it easier for the brunette to open up to her.
"My mom seems okay with it now though. I mean, she struggled a bit when it first happened but she's a lawyer so she just threw herself into her work."
"Has she dated anyone since your dad left?" Beca asked, curiously.
"She's been on a few dates but nothing permanent. I think she works too much to even consider it, no matter how many times I tell her she should get out there." Chloe replied lightly, as they fell back into a comfortable silence.
After a while, Chloe built up the courage to start asking Beca about her past.
"So what does your Aunt do?"
"Oh she works for some marketing company, this promotion has pushed her pretty far up the ranks so it wouldn't surprise me if she's running the place soon." Beca told her, unmistakeable fondness in her voice as she thought about her Aunt Shelley.
"You miss her." Chloe's words weren't a question but Beca chose to answer them regardless.
"Everyday. I know it's only been a week but god yeah I miss her so much." Even though she was slightly taken aback by her own honesty she decided to continue talking. There was something about Chloe that just made her want to talk, and god it had been so long since she'd had someone her own age she could talk to.
It was like the floodgates had been opened and she couldn't stop.
"Andrew left when I was nine, it was just me and my mom and then she lost her job. We could never reach him to try and get him to pay child support for me, and we didn't have the money to hire a lawyer so we had to make do. My mom got a job at a diner, worked as many shifts as she physically could with having to look after me as well. God we were such a fucking cliché." Beca stopped for a moment, trying to collect herself as more memories of her mom come flooding back. Chloe remained silent, not waiting to disrupt Beca's train of thought, instead she gently took one of Beca's hands in her own, giving it a small squeeze. Letting her know that she was here for her.
"I was 13. It was November 13th, the roads were frozen over." Beca tightened her grip on Chloe's hand, the only other person she'd talked about her mom with was Aunt Shelley. Taking a deep breath she continued, fighting to keep her voice steady.
"She was driving home from the late shift, she'd rung me just before she set off. I'd made dinner. We were gonna watch NCIS when she got back, we joked about how much we loved DiNozzo and that it was a travesty he hadn't ended up with Kate. That was the last conversation I had with her. Some idiot came speeding around a corner about five miles from our house. Went head on into my mom. She died straight away." Tears flowed freely down Beca's cheeks and turning to look at Chloe she saw her blue eyes shining, full of love and sympathy. Not knowing what to say, Chloe pulled Beca into a hug, relief filling her as she felt the smaller girl relax against her body.
Gently stroking Beca's hair, Chloe held her as she sobbed. Her heart ached for the girl she held in her arms. She deserved so much more, the injustice made Chloe want to both sob and scream in frustration. She lost track of how long they lay there and she eventually felt the slowing of Beca's breathing and knew the girl had fallen asleep.
As her own eyes began to droop she made a silent promise that she was going to be there for Beca. Be the friend she'd never had. The friend she truly deserved.
