Chloe had rushed into the kiss, making no attempt to gauge if Beca wanted it too. All rational thoughts were gone; her cautious plan for this week, their uneven recent history, this tension between them today; she thought about none of it. When her awareness finally re-engaged she realised that Beca had not recoiled, she was kissing her back. But still Chloe felt it appropriate to apologise for her abrupt behaviour.
"I'm sorry, I really hadn't intended to do that," she said sheepishly though without adding any explanation. Beca just smiled, with her arms now wrapped around Chloe's neck, the words having no impact on her. She leaned in towards Chloe again.
"Wait Beca, this isn't you rebounding after Alex, is it? I don't want to take advantage of you like that again. I want to know you want this too."
"You really don't need to worry about that. You have no idea!" Beca said.
They kissed again, less tentatively this time. Beca grabbed fistfuls of Chloe's hair them combed her fingers through it, while Chloe's fingers trailed down Beca's shoulders and back. But it was already getting close to 3 o'clock, when they would have to meet the others back at the house, so Chloe ended their make-out session. She gestured towards the clock.
"We have to get back to the house for 3."
Beca smiled contentedly and nodded. "Ok, we'll get back to this later."
They walked back to the house in an almost comfortable silence. Chloe wanted to talk about it but she assumed Beca wasn't ready for that just yet. Chloe was preoccupied with the thought that they really needed to resolve what this was, but they would have time, they had several days together ahead of them. Knowing that Beca didn't respond well to being pressured, Chloe just needed to be patient.
oOo
Back at the Bella's house Beca and Chloe explained what they had decided for the performance and everyone agreed without hesitation. They knew they couldn't have figured it out as well as these two, but Beca and Chloe's excess enthusiasm about it was unexpected. They clearly had enjoyed their assigned task after being abandoned in the auditorium.
To someone paying close attention, like Stacie, the interaction between them had changed significantly. The tension of the previous night and at breakfast that morning was gone. They were closely watching each other speaking, and they touched each other on the arm to interrupt and take over explaining their ideas. Stacie wasn't even listening to them, she fixated on the dynamic between Beca and Chloe, and her silence and furrowed brow were not inconspicuous.
"Stacie, what's wrong?" Chloe asked.
"What? Nothing, that all sounds perfect. Good job, you guys. It's just, I've thought of something that might be quite useful for us to have this week. I'm going to go check it out."
"What is it?"
"You'll see. I should be back in plenty of time for afternoon drinks."
They all watched her grinning as she left the house.
oOo
Stacie returned within the hour and proudly threw several sets of keys on the kitchen table. Everyone heard the noisy jangling sound and gathered around.
"Stacie! We are not having a key party!" Chloe said.
"Relax. Of course not," Stacie replied.
"Ok, so what are all these keys for?"
"They are for a bunch of apartments on campus. I know a lot of you have work to do while you are here, and I figured you might appreciate having someplace quiet, away from the bedlam in this house. So I went to the accommodation office and got these."
"How did you persuade them to do that?"
"It wasn't that hard. I just reminded them what these Bellas have done for Barden, and demanded a bit more luxury for us on out triumphant return."
Stacie's outwardly thoughtful gesture was well appreciated, as many in the group had anticipated spending several hours a day on the phone or online with their employers and colleagues during this week. Chloe, who was on summer vacation and obviously not in that category, stepped forward first and picked up one of the key chains.
"Thanks Stacie. What a great idea. Hey Beca, you wanna share with me?"
"Yeah sure," Beca replied casually.
"I know I don't really need to work this week, but it makes sense for Beca and me to share, in case we have to work on any issues with the set. And I'd really like some quiet time too, anyway, and these apartments should be big enough that we both would have enough space."
Chloe couldn't stop her mouth running, despite her brain's message, Chloe, just shut up. She glanced at Beca who was staring at her and whose face seemed to be sending the same message, Chloe, just shut up.
Neither of them looked at Stacie, who was smiling to herself.
oOoOo
During afternoon drinks, Beca got a call from work and she stepped outside to take it. After hanging up she turned to go back inside, but saw that Stacie had joined her on the stoop. She was holding two bottles of beer and she handed one to Beca.
"Beca, I wanted to talk to you about something."
Beca felt a slight tightening in her chest, Stacie was another person who could make her feel uncomfortable when she chose to.
"Sure," she replied, taking a swig of the beer.
"It's about you and Chloe."
Beca almost choked on her beer and began to cough and splutter. Stacie just laughed as Beca was recovering. "It's Ok Beca, I think it's fantastic you two getting together."
"What are you talking about?"
"Really? You're going to deny it? Come on Beca. I've seen you two."
"What? What have you seen?" Beca asked. The words came out too fast and too high.
"Let's see! So last night, you were weird around each other, one minute super friendly, the next avoiding each other. Then this morning, you completely ignored each other at breakfast - you couldn't even look at each other. And this afternoon in the auditorium, when the rest of us were leaving, you both looked worried, like really worried." Stacie chuckled as she recalled that delicious moment.
"And now, this afternoon after you've spend some alone time together, it's completely changed. You're best friends again. I don't know, it was like you had released some tension, somehow?"
"Right," Beca drawled, conceding nothing yet.
"And that bizarre over-explaining from Chloe about sharing an apartment with you? What the hell was that about?"
Beca realised the game was up. "When did you figure it out? Wait, did you hear us at Cynthia Rose's wedding?"
"What? It's been going on since then? I figured it out for sure about an hour ago, but I only got suspicious last night. You were with Chloe that night way back then? I had no idea. It explains a lot about the next day."
"You were in the next room. You didn't hear Chloe singing, or anything else, later?"
"I didn't hear singing but actually yeah, I did hear some unexpected noise from the direction your room, but I just assumed you were watching porn and getting drunk." Beca just chuckled, as Stacie continued processing the information.
"And if Chloe and Ben were never a couple, does that mean that at Amy's ...?" She trailed off.
"Yes, we got together that night too."
"Such a dark horse, Beca."
"Look Stacie, do you think anyone else knows?"
"I doubt it, but is that a problem? I think everyone would be really stoked about it."
"Well I think it's best for now to keep it quiet, until we figure out, I mean, until we know what it is, what we are doing. We haven't really talked about, what this is, between us, yet."
"Ok, sure, if that's what you want. For now, I promise my lips are sealed Beca." Stacie gave her another over the top wink as she led both of them back inside the house.
oOo
That night, after dinner in the Bella's house they sat around chatting for a few hours. Beca impatiently and repeatedly looked at her watch and exchanged glances both with Chloe and with Stacie. The former smiled brightly each time their eyes met while the latter grinned widely, sometimes accompanied by her familiar exaggerated wink. Chloe was unusually quiet during the evening and spend much of the time staring pensively at the key chain in her hand. It was only 9 o'clock when Beca stood up to leave.
"Ok, I'm beat. I need an early night, especially after getting so smashed last night. Chloe? keys?"
"Oh! I might as well come with you now, Beca. See you all at rehearsal tomorrow morning at 10, ok?"
They were both up and out the door in an instant. On the stoop they caught a look in each other's eyes and without any words being exchanged, they started walking rapidly towards their apartment. They were kissing as soon as the door of the apartment shut behind them. They moved quickly to the bedroom leaving a trail of discarded clothes.
oOo
Chloe gave her heart easily and knew what it was to feel that uncontrolled happiness. But this was different, it was more than that. Maybe she was in a temporary bubble of love, and maybe their future was pretty foggy right now, but so what? She was with the one she loved and this time there was no drunkenness as a possible reasoning; this time was the first time they were being completely true to their attraction to each other.
Some hours later, they were lying together in the bed they would share for the next five days. Chloe was lying on her side with one arm draped across Beca's stomach. Beca held it in both hands.
"I didn't tell you everything Chloe, what I said about Alex and our breakup."
"That's Ok Beca, you don't have to tell me about that."
"Except, I want to, because some of it is about you."
"Ok." Chloe replied softly, thinking of the hint Beca had given about his jealously the night before. She eagerly anticipated what might be coming; that Beca could be about to admit the same feelings for her.
"When I told him about us, I mean about sleeping with you, he did ask for all the dirty details too."
"Well, of course he did. And you didn't want to talk about it, right?"
"Not really, but that wasn't the only problem. When he said that, he misunderstood what and why I was telling him. I was a bit angry actually. It wasn't just some anonymous casual sex story." She paused and Chloe restrained her smile - she loved watching Beca awkwardly struggling for the right words. "I wanted to tell him it was a special, unforgettable experience that I wasn't going to cheapen for his amusement."
She groaned after she said it. She let go of Chloe's arm and grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. Chloe leaned over, and kissed Beca's neck. Chloe didn't care that it made Beca cringe to say it. To Chloe that just added rather than diminished the sentiment expressed.
"You said that, Beca?" Chloe said as she gently pried the pillow from Beca's hands.
"Well no, I didn't, not to his face. I was worried it would make him question me even more, and I didn't trust how I would respond. But then we started arguing all the time, and he said some things that were really hard to face.
"What I'm saying is that it was me too that couldn't deal with it, when he kept challenging me about it, about my feelings you."
There was a moment of silence but Chloe didn't interrupt it, she desperately wanted Beca to continue opening up to her like this, and say what exactly those feelings were.
"I really thought I was in love with him, but I think maybe I just really wanted to be."
Beca sighed and rolled onto her side, with her back now to Chloe. She took Chloe's hand and pulled it in to her chest. Chloe inched closer so that their bodies were pressed together tightly. Chloe had an urgent question on her lips, but she bit her tongue and relaxed into their embrace, repeating her 'be patient Chloe' mantra internally, as they both drifted off to sleep.