CHAPTER 10
I WANT TO THANK THE FEW OF YOU THAT ARE STILL WITH ME. THANK YOU ALL FOR LEAVING REVIEWS/PM'S. YOU REALLY HAVE BEEN HELPING ME PAST THE WRITER'S BLOCK AND MOMENTS OF PURE LAZINESS. FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A PM OR A REVIEW OR SOME SUGGESTIONS OR… ANYTHING REALLY^^ I THOUGHT I HEARD A FEW CRICKETS AFTER MY LAST UPDATE. LOL
BUT FOR THE FEW OF YOU WHO ARE STILL READING THIS, I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU HANGING. HAPPY DAYS ARE COMING ;]
ANYWHOO! ON WITH THE STORY…
One week later-
Aubrey and Beca were finally on the same page. Aubrey finally accepted that she was wrong, and apologized to both Beca and Chloe. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Aubrey had planted the seeds of distrust in her best friend and there was no turning back.
But, Aubrey Posen was never a quitter, and she wasn't about to start now…
Beca rushed through the doors of the restaurant, anticipating an ass-chewing from the blonde lawyer. Aubrey was all about punctuality and Beca was about 30 minutes late….which really meant she was about 45 minutes late.
"Reservation?" A waitress asked as Beca approached the front desk.
"Yes, ma'am. Under Posen, I believe."
"Ahh. Right this way," The waitress smiled knowingly as she led Beca to her table.
"Wh- what are you doing here?" Chloe stood from the table as she saw the brunette approaching.
Dark blue eyes met light blue eyes and both women were left speechless.
"I, uh….Aubrey said…to m-meet her here." The brunette stammered as she took in the redhead's beauty (even though she looked as if she wanted to bite Beca's head off). It had been so long since she had seen the woman and she was trying to figure out her feelings in the moment. They were somewhere between love and downright rage.
The waitress dismissed herself quickly as she noticed the tension in the air.
"What?! Why? She told ME to meet her here…," Chloe argued. Her brows furrowing in confusion as she spoke.
Beca checked her phone for the time. Aubrey was late. VERY late. Uncharacteristically late. As in ,"later-than-Beca, who-was-already-30-minutes-late" late.
Chloe was the first to catch on. Aubrey had to have done this intentionally. She and Beca had been talking behind her back. Plotting…scheming… lying to her.
"What's going on here, Beca?" Chloe's words were like acid. She knew Beca had to have something to do with this.
"I don't know!" The brunette shrugged, her voice raising almost an octave as she pleaded her case. Why couldn't Chloe ever believe anything she told her.
"Oh, I bet you DO know…" Chloe growled, gaining the attention of nearby customers. "You're good for being sneaky and USING people."
Beca's face dropped noticeably, but she wouldn't let Chloe see how much that hurt her. She shook her head turned on her heel. On the inside, Beca's heart was aching. She'd never felt pain like this and she was almost ashamed that she gave anyone the power to cut her that deep… to bring her to the verge of tears… this made her even more upset with the redhead. All Beca ever did was shower her with love and affection. All she ever did was give her the benefit of the doubt and prove her love to the artist EVERY DAY and this is what she got.
Beca started for the glass doors of the diner's entrance, ignoring the whispers and murmurs of startled onlookers.
"There you go!" Chloe called after her, her voice cracking with emotion. "There you go, walking away from me again. I'm glad this relationship means SO MUCH to you!"
At this, Beca only walked faster. Bursting through the doors without chancing another look at the redhead's glossy blue eyes.
Beca found herself on Aubrey's door step that night. She appeared to be so small… not at all like the bad-ass image she portrayed. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself as she stood, shivering in the evening chill. Her face was black and wet with tears and mascara.
Aubrey gasped when she opened the door and saw the state Beca was in.
"Come in," She offered, quickly pulling the woman inside and leading her to the living room. They sat in silence by the fireplace, watching the flames for what felt like hours.
"You really do love her, don't you?" Aubrey asked quietly as she watched Beca fiddle with her thumb ring. She remembered how excited Chloe was when she bought it for the brunette's birthday.
"More than anything," Beca sighed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her thighs as she wiped her eyes. "God…this fucking sucks."
"Hey…"Aubrey reached out and cupped the bagger's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. Beca met her gaze and Aubrey knew she had to do something. "She'll come around. I did..."
Beca only grunted in response.
Chloe and Aubrey were seated on the futon watching a movie when the redhead's phone began to ring. The artist pulled her phone from the pocket of her sweats and set it down on the sofa after taking one look at the screen.
Aubrey bit her tongue as she watched her friend ignore yet another one of Beca's calls. She wanted to say something, but the redhead was still sour on the topic.
But she couldn't blame her. Aubrey knew this was her doing.
The phone began to vibrate again, making this the fourth call of the night.
"Chloe…" Aubrey started. Her voice soft and sympathetic. "Maybe you should just hear her out…"
Chloe said nothing. She only turned to face the blonde with a look that could only be described as a warning. So she dropped it.
The lawyer's gaze fell to her lap and she said no more.
Chloe's eyes went to the painting on her ceiling and she couldn't stop her mind from wandering to happier times. She remembered painting the ceiling a dark navy with Beca and peppering the blue with small stars. She remembered what led them to start that project.
"So, where are we going?" Chloe asked excitedly, as Beca moved a hand from the steering wheel to link her fingers with Chloe's.
"You'll see. Patience, Chlo," Chloe smiled as she felt her hand being lifted from her lap to the brunette's lips. She was blindfolded, but she could practically hear the smirk on her girlfriend's face.
They rode in comfortable silence for the next few miles. Chloe's fingers still interlocked with Beca's… the radio low and soothing as some random mix played from Beca's IPOD…
After a while, the blazer slowed to a stop and Chloe could hear gravel crunching under the tires.
Chloe removed the blindfold and took in their (lack of) surroundings.
"Where are we?" Chloe breathed. Beca chuckled at the redhead's confusion. The way her copper brows scrunched in the middle… the way her lips puckered in the faintest pout…
"Damn, you're cute," Beca smiled as she released her hold on the artist's hand and got out of the car, making her way around to the passenger's side. She opened the door with a smile. "Relax… this isn't a lifetime movie. And no, I'm not about to throw you in the trunk. Not alone, at least." Beca joked, sensing her girlfriend's nervousness.
Chloe was still confused, but decided to just go with the flow. She hopped out and eyed the brunette, searching her soft blue eyes for a hint of some sort. She sighed in defeat when she only found more amusement.
"We're always going to galleries and these fancy restaurants… or I'm always coming over to your place," Beca started. She tugged the redhead towards the trunk. "And you're always saying you wish I'd let you in more…so I thought, maybe we could just do something simple tonight."
And with that, Beca opened the back door, revealing her many pillows and comforters laid out in her trunk.
Chloe froze as she took in everything. The clarity of the starry sky… the calm breeze…the surprisingly comfortable looking bed in the back of her girlfriend's car.
Beca grew anxious as she waited for Chloe to say something.
"This… IS okay, right?" Beca asked, her voice slowly losing its confidence.
"This is perfect," She smiled as she wiped her eyes. Memories began to flood her mind and she could feel all the emotions associated with those memories. The good and the bad.
Beca helped Chloe get situated in between the covers before climbing in after her. They snuggled up against each other as they looked out at the stars.
Beca sat with her back against the seats as Chloe snuggled into her side and pulled a blanket over their laps, letting her head fall to Beca's shoulder. She threw an arm across Beca's lap and linked their fingers once again. After a few moments, Chloe was the first to speak.
"You know…," Chloe began to fiddle with the ring on Beca's thumb as a smile overtook her features. "I used to do this all the time when I was little. Me and my parents out in our backyard… before… everything."
Beca only response was a reassuring squeeze of the hand and a kiss to the top of her head. She understood. She knew all too well those bittersweet emotions that came with the memory of her childhood. They sat in silence, listening to the sound of the wind and the many night time critters among them.
"…I'm really glad I can share this with you, now." Chloe added, lifting her head to get a better view of the woman she loved.
"Me too," Beca smiled genuinely as she met Chloe's gaze. Her eyes seemed to sparkle even more in the dark of the night.
Chloe remembered thinking there was no one else in the world she'd rather share it with.
"Why are you so good to me?" She whispered as if she would ruin the moment.
"Because you're cute," Beca joked, laughing when Chloe shoved her playfully and her jaw dropped in mock offense.
"I'm kidding, babe." Beca spoke again once she composed herself. Her voice softened as her hand came to the artist's sun kissed cheek. "You're always showing people the beauty of the world, but I don't think you realize how beautiful YOU are."
Chloe melted at the sincerity of Beca's words and the tenderness with which she spoke. She only closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to Beca's in a gentle but firm kiss, taking the woman's soft lips between hers as she silently expressed every emotion she was feeling in the moment.
Chloe was brought from her thoughts as she heard a knock on the door. She eyed the blonde, expectantly.
"What? This isn't my house," Aubrey shrugged defensively.
Chloe rolled her eyes and started towards the door, yanking it open grumpily, only to find herself face to face with her mother.