A/N: Yep, I should have definitely revised for that maths test because I had it today and I'm almost certain I failed it. Ah well, I've never been a big fan of maths anyway :)
I don't own pitch perfect or any of that characters – just a little disclaimer – please review, fav and follow. Thanks to everyone reading, hope you enjoy!
The song for this chapter is 'Love Like Ghosts' by Lord Huron.
That night was the best night of Beca's life. She was able to forget about everything weighing her down – Chloe's cancer, her job, the rent – and just focus on Chloe and her. Nothing could get in the way of the undeniable connection between them; their bodies simply fitted together perfectly, and they got swept away in a sea of passion. Chloe and Beca spent most of the night awake, feeding on the undampened love that poured from them both.
They had both never experienced anything like it in their lives. Never had so much pent up emotion and admiration been released in such a fashion before – neither of them wanted it to end. Eventually, when Beca and Chloe where hot and breathless, they lay down on top of the duvet together, listening to each other's racing heartbeats.
"I love you so much." Beca whispered, lacing her fingers through Chloe's.
"I love you too." Chloe breathed in reply, utterly exhausted, but feeling happier than she had in a very long time.
They lay in silence for a while longer, until Beca noticed Chloe's breathing even out. Chloe fell asleep, her hand still intertwined with Beca's and her cheeks still flushed with desire. Beca smiled at the sleeping redhead before her and thought about how lucky she was to have someone like Chloe in her life.
It took Beca a while to get to sleep herself, but when she eventually did, her dreams weren't plagued by her usual demons - they were instead filled with Chloe's smiling face, flushed and alive as her and Beca basked in the pleasure of each other's company.
Beca's alarm woke her up early the next morning. Beca fumbled for her phone in the semi-darkness, reluctant to accept the fact that she would have to go into work and face the wrath of her assistant and boss. Beca tried not to flinch as Chloe let out a raking cough in her sleep, and began to get dressed; she pulled on the same clothes she had worn yesterday, her still mind foggy with sleep and lingering pleasure from the events of that night.
She kissed Chloe gently on the forehead before she stepped out the room, not noticing at the time how feverish the redhead was. Beca left Chloe's breakfast out for her as she did every morning and finally made it out the flat. When Beca got to work, she went straight to her office after deciding that if anyone had anything to say to her, they could come and find her. Beca found that she was more productive than normal that day, driven on by the thought of going home to a waiting Chloe and cherishing her as she had always hoped she would be able to.
Beca's day was ruined when her boss strode into her office. He was a tall, broad shouldered man with flawless chocolate skin. Beca had never seen him without his favourite dark shades over his eyes, and he always wore a creaseless grey suit that did a great job of accentuating his lean muscles. He stood behind Beca's messy desk and glared down at her over the top of his glasses, folding his arms behind his back.
"Beca, I have a proposition." He boomed, getting straight to the point, not wishing to waste any time on matter. "There's no denying that your attention on your job has been…elsewhere recently. And I understand that your friend is sick, but in an industry such as this, we cannot afford to waste time. Music is constantly changing, and we need to keep up with those trends. I need you to be working hard when you're here – I don't want you to be spending half your time at home. This is my proposition: you either prove to me that you are dedicated to your profession, and accompany me and a select few members of the studio on a three-week trip to New York, where we will be exploring the music trends there, or you quit your job. I need to see that you want to be doing this, and that you are prepared to leave home for a couple of weeks in order to give your undivided attention to this studio and its music. It's your choice, but I want your answer by this time tomorrow." He explained, offering only a curt nod as a goodbye.
Beca was left sat at her desk feeling more conflicted than she had in a very long time.
When Chloe woke up that same day, the first thing she noticed was that Beca wasn't next to her. Beca was rarely there in the morning, she had always gone to work by the time Chloe awoke, but that morning Chloe sensed her absence more than usual. Chloe's body still tingled with joy at the memory of last night with Beca, but the overriding sensation in her body was pain. Her ribs ached with how often and harshly she had been coughing and a pounding headache was building between her eyes. She felt weaker than usual, with not even enough energy to tuck herself back under the covers. Her and Beca had fallen asleep on top of the duvet, having been too hot to pull the sheets over themselves, but now Chloe trembled with cold - her limbs shaking uncontrollably, despite the small beads of sweat that trickled down her back. Chloe realised through the painful fog in her mind that she had a fever; along with her worsening cough, Chloe had a fever. She knew that she should tell someone about it – the doctors had warned that if Chloe got the slightest bit sick, she should go straight to the hospital - but Chloe didn't have the strength to reach for her phone. And besides, even if she was able to dial for someone, who would she call? Beca was at work, and she really couldn't afford to have even an hour off with her current workload that had built up during all her time off; Aubrey was at her Lodge of Fallen Leaves, too far away to help, and none of the other Bellas knew enough about Chloe's condition to be of any help.
Chloe let out a raspy sigh, closing her eyes and wishing that the ringing in her ears would stop for one moment. She found herself drifting in and out of consciousness for hours, feeling slightly more feverish each time she woke up.
Finally, at what she figured must be about lunch time, Chloe somehow managed to conjure enough strength to get out of bed. Her head pounded, she swayed where she stood and sweat glided down her face, but she was determined to do something with her day.
Chloe made it as far as the kitchen before the room started spinning quickly around Chloe. Her head felt detached from her body, and Chloe was barely conscious enough to register that she had fallen to the floor in the middle of the kitchen. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she had hit her head on the corner of the counter on the way down, although the only thing that made her aware of this was the thick dribble of blood than ran down her face. Chloe's vision began to go grey, but she tried her best to cling onto the last threads of consciousness that threatened to fade. Blood began pooling in a small puddle around where Chloe's head was resting on the cool tiles. Chloe tried to keep herself awake, afraid that if she was to pass out now, she might never wake up again.
Chloe tried to distract herself from the situation, anything to keep her awake, and found that her pain and worry vanished as Beca's eyes filled her thoughts. Chloe realised that she thought about Beca's eyes a lot when she was worried – she found that Beca's deep, stormy gaze calmed her. Chloe forgot about the blood pooling on the floor, she forgot about the coughs that ripped through her body and the fever that sucked the strength from her limbs – all she could think, feel, see: was Beca.
Chloe slipped from the grasp of consciousness, hoping with all of the strength she had left that she would be able to see Beca's beautiful, midnight eyes again.
'Yes, I know that love is like ghosts,
Oh, and the moonlight baby shows you what's real.
There ain't a language for the things I feel…'
