When they finally get back to Barden, Jesse offers to help carry her gear but Beca insists she has it and he gives her a hug before she walks back to the dorm with Chloe. "Seriously," he whispers. "Think about what I said."
Beca just rolls her eyes and slings her laptop bag over her shoulder. She does think about it, though, despite her best efforts not to. She thinks about it so much that when they make it back to the dorm - Chloe's right hand still tucked safely in Beca's right - Beca realizes she probably shouldn't stay the night.
"I should probably get back to my dorm now," Beca says once they reach Chloe's door. She doesn't really want to go back, but Jesse's encouragement, the performance high that still hasn't fully dissipated, and the way Chloe looks in that dress are a dangerous combination and Beca's not fully prepared for the potential fall out.
"What? Why?"
"Well I'm sure Kimmy Jin misses me."
"Oh yes," Chloe replies, holding back her laughter as she moves to unlock her door. "I'm sure she's been absolutely distraught over not having the white girl to be inconvenienced by."
Beca laughs and shakes her head. "Seriously, though, I've been intruding on your life and your space long enough. Now that the worst of the worst is over, I feel like I should go."
"If you leave, then I'll miss you," Chloe says as she steps inside and holds the door for Beca to come in as well. It doesn't escape Beca's attention that her tone isn't the light and playful one from just a moment before. "Stay."
"Are you sure?" Beca places her bags on the desk. She loosens her tie and toes off her Chucks, ready to change into something more comfortable for bed.
"Certain," Chloe says, grabbing Beca around the waist to pull her closer. "If you were invading my space too much, I'd tell you. I like it though."
"Okay."
"So you'll stay?" Chloe asks, running her fingertips along the small of Beca's back, and Beca simply hums in agreement. She's fairly certain she could fall asleep like this, standing up and all.
"One condition," Beca says, finally pulling back. "Breakfast in bed. But not until lunch time."
"I think I can handle that," Chloe agrees.
They move apart to change, and Beca's so exhausted right now that she can't even find it in herself to mind that she's stripping down right in the middle of Chloe's room.
"You were really amazing tonight, Beca."
"Thank you. For everything."
"You're worth it," Chloe says, curling up against Beca's side and resting her chin on her shoulder. "Plus you looked super hot in that outfit tonight. You should wear ties more often."
Beca laughs lightly and tilts her head to the left so their foreheads are touching, a slight tilt of the head away from kissing. I really want to kiss you right now. Beca can hear herself say it in her head, but can't seem to verbalize it.
"Your heart's racing," Chloe whispers, looking up at her.
"Yeah," Beca murmurs. Because of you. "The show, I guess," she lies, turning her head to stare up at the ceiling. Even in the darkness, Chloe's eyes are so beautiful that Beca finds herself falling even more. "You know how it is."
"Mmmm... yeah," Chloe says, resting her head on Beca's shoulder again, but something about the way she says it makes Beca feel like she doesn't believe her. "G'night, Beca."
"Night, Chlo."
As she drifts off to sleep, Beca thinks about her conversation with Jesse and wonders if maybe, just maybe, he could be right.
-xxx-
"Someone looks exhausted this afternoon," Jesse teases when Beca drags herself into the station around three in the afternoon. Beca just gives him the finger and starts stacking CDs. She and Chloe had slept all morning and didn't wake up in time to have their breakfast in bed before Beca had to be at the station. As a result, Beca was foodless and coffeeless, which made her a little grouchier than normal.
"So what? Did you take my advice and get a little lady lovin' last night?"
"Oh my god. Seriously? I'm not even justifying that with an answer."
"So you did."
"Telling you about my feelings for Chloe was not a pass to tease or question me about it. Drop it, okay?"
They work in near silence for a while, the only sound being the music playing from the booth, until Beca speaks again. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I mean, I meant what I said about, but I'm sorry I was a dick about how I said it."
"It's cool," Jesse says, trademark grin plastered on his face. "I was being inappropriate."
"So, uh, about what you said last night," Beca says, not looking up from the cart of CDs she's putting back on the shelves. "You really think it's true?"
"Well she hasn't told me or anything, but yeah, I'd be really surprised if it wasn't true."
"I just... don't get it," Beca says with a shrug. "When she made me sing in the shower with her, she was hooking up with some dude in there. She was making out with some dude from the High Notes at initiation night. Why me?"
"I don't know, Beca. Because you're you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Beca asks
"Why do you like Chloe?"
Beca thinks about it for a minute, trying to pinpoint what it is she likes so much about Chloe, and finally decides that the answer is simply Because she's just Chloe. "Okay, fine," Beca sighs. "But Chloe is... not me."
"Stop over thinking it, Bec. You're never going to know unless you ask her."
-xxx-
Once their shift is over, Jesse walks Beca to Bellas' rehearsal on his way to his own with the Trebles. They laugh and joke - well, Jesse jokes and Beca kind of laughs - the whole way there and Beca realizes it's the first time since New Year's that they've been back to normal.
"Alright," Jesse says as they stop outside the rehearsal space. "I should go, Aubrey's probably put some protective spell to keep me from getting any closer, anyway."
"I wouldn't doubt it," Beca agrees, smiling when she sees Chloe walking toward them, waving eagerly.
Jesse turns to see what beca is smiling at and gives her his own mischievous smile. "So... me and you, tomorrow night?" He asks when Chloe gets closer. "You bring dinner?"
"Yup."
"Great! It's a date," he says, flashing her a thumbs up and giving her a wink as he walks away. "See ya, Chloe!"
Chloe looks... well, Beca's not sure what she thinks of how Chloe looks. She's smiling, but it's not a typical Chloe smile. It looks strained, really, like she's forcing it, and Beca's definitely not used to that. "Hey Chlo!"
"Hey."
"Uh, are you okay?" Beca asks, weirded out by the sudden mood shift in the past 15 seconds.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. So what are you and Jesse up to tomorrow."
"Just dinner and a movie. I promised him an uninterrupted movie night after our last little... misunderstanding."
"Cool." Chloe nods and walks past Beca into the room.
Beca stares at her, trying to process what just happened. She pulls out her phone and types a quick message to Jesse.
You're an ass.
Jesse's response is immediate, as if he was watching his phone and waiting on her to text.
Did it work?
She's being weird. She's all... not Chloe like. Beca types back as she walks in and takes a seat.
It's called JEALOUS, Becaw.
But why now?
Because I said date?
Ass.
Beca locks her phone and tosses it in her bag, wondering if what Jesse said is true. She watches Chloe as she stretches and warms her vocal cords, notices how easy she laughs with Stacie and Fat Amy when she was so off with Beca moments before. Maybe Jesse was right, but Chloe had said she was Beca's date the night before, so she had to know that date didn't have to mean anything romantic. Unless... had Chloe wanted to be Beca's date date? Had that request of stay meant something more that Beca missed out on due to "over thinking it," as Jesse had pointed out?
Ugh, Beca thinks, sighing deeply. I suck at feelings. It took me how long to figure out my OWN and now here I am trying to figure out Chloe's?
Thankfully, Beca doesn't have any more time to think about it, because Aubrey walks in at that moment, ready to start their practice. She shakes her head and takes a deep breath, attempting to her mind of all thoughts of Chloe or jealousy and focus on hand motions and maintaining an upright position in heels. It's a little bit of a work in progress.
A/N: I know you guys are all dying with anticipation, if the reviews/messages are anything to go by. I promise I won't keep you waiting too much longer. :)