Chapter 8:

Beca and Chloe stayed in each other's arms in silent comfort until they both fell asleep. They woke up the next morning sprawled awkwardly on the couch in each other's arms. They both looked confused at each other, then realised what had happened. They didn't stay there for long though, because nature called.

Chloe found some clothes for Beca that were a little big, but not too bad at all really. Once they were both dressed and had breakfast they knew it was time to talk about yesterday. Chloe started by letting Beca know that Jesse wasn't going to worry because they had talked yesterday. Beca was a little surprised at that, because she had been gone all night after all, but then realised that Jesse would have been working, so may not have noticed until later today anyway.

Beca and Chloe decided that an outing today was in order. They both called in sick to work, which wasn't too hard since they were both working at "On Pitch" today. Since they were the bosses, and there was no recording today, it was just a matter of telling the others not to expect them in today. They then decided to go for a drive and see where they ended up.

While they were driving, they had the opportunity to ask the questions that had been running through their heads last night as they revealed their pasts to each other. It was actually quite therapeutic to ask and answer the questions. They spent most of the day doing that. When it was time for lunch they stopped for burgers, then turned around and drove back towards Chloe's place. It was quite an amazing day really, because Beca forgot about food for most of it. She would have missed lunch had Chloe not wanted it today, which was unheard of.

When Beca was finally feeling hungry, she realised it must be about dinner time. She knew it was time to go home to Jesse. Chloe knew that too. They were close and sometimes ended up in odd situations, like the couch last night, but they were friends and Beca was married. Chloe was happy that Beca had Jesse, she wasn't jealous. Sometimes she wished that she had someone for herself, but it wasn't happening yet, so she was ok with that.

Before they parted, Chloe remembered to ask Beca about hanging with Aubrey and Stacie for the weekend. They both agreed that it was exactly what they needed. Chloe gave Beca one last hug, encouraged her to talk to Jesse about her past and pushed her out the door.

Once Beca was gone, Chloe started to cry again. It had been an emotional day, and she was exhausted. Forgetting all about dinner, she crawled into bed, pulling the sheets tight around her. She curled up into a ball and waited for sleep. She knew tomorrow she would be fine, but she just needed a little longer away from the world before she was.

Beca took her time walking back home. She wasn't sure what she would face when she saw Jesse. She wasn't really scared, she was sure he wouldn't ever hurt her, but how he would react to her being gone was not clear. She gathered herself enough to open the door and walk in.

Jesse wasn't in the lounge room though, so there was no one behind the door. She wandered through their place. She checked Jesse's studio, and he wasn't there either. Beca was about to give up looking and just go and buy some food, when the door opened and Jesse was there with dinner. It was Taco Bell, her favourite. For Beca, it was the equivalent of him coming home with a whole bunch of roses and telling her how much he loved her.

She ran to him, jumping into his arms. He dropped the dinner, but luckily nothing was spoiled. They just held each other for a while until they were ready. Instead of making it to the table to eat, they had a picnic on the lounge room floor. After that they spent the rest of the night talking in each other's arms. When Beca was too upset to talk, he just held her and told her it was all going to be ok.

She was amazed that he didn't hold it against her. That thought had worried her for years. She knew that she should have told him before now, and some aspects of it she had. She had told him enough, but now he knew it all. Now she knew it all too.

Instead of the dread and pain that she had experienced for many years, she had a feeling of relief and closure. It was time to be finished with her ex. He had tormented her enough. There was no reason for him to have any power over her anymore. In the morning Jesse and Beca were going to find anything that was from him and have a little bonfire. The burning of it would bring the end. They fell asleep curled up into each other and for the first time in a while they felt at peace again.

Beca considered all that had happened as she lay there in Jesse's arms. It seems that by being honest with each other about their pasts Beca and Chloe had become closer as friends. It helped Beca and Jesse's marriage as well, so it was a win-win. As strange as it was for Beca to express feelings, and share them, she knew that it would be something she would need to improve as she went on. She was still unsure of how she and Chloe fit together and where exactly the lines were. She knew that she would have to work on that another day. For now though, she was going to sleep, then tomorrow get on with the working week so they could enjoy the weekend.