C: Hi. I know we haven't talked since our date, but I wanted to reach out to you one last time. I don't understand why you haven't talked to me. I thought our date was wonderful, and I'm really confused as to why I haven't heard from you. I was hoping to talk to you at semifinals last night, but you weren't there. What happened? If you don't want to see me anymore, please just tell me. I feel like I deserve to know if I've done something wrong.
"What do I do, Mom? She thinks I don't like her."
"Just explain what happened."
B: It's so good to hear from you. I'm so sorry about everything. It's too long a story to text. Can we talk soon? I promise I have a good reason. You haven't done anything wrong. I'd prefer to talk in person.
C: I'd like to talk. When will you be available?
B: I'm not exactly sure. My mom is in town and I'm staying in a hotel with her for a few days.
Realizing her pain medication was kicking in, Beca quickly sent another text before Chloe could respond. The medicine usually knocked her out pretty fast.
B: Going to bed. Good night, Chloe. So glad to hear from you. I'll text you tomorrow.
C: Good night.
Beca was shocked to have finally heard from Chloe. She was glad Chloe would be willing to talk. She fell asleep soon after sending the last text, hopeful that she'd get another chance.
Chloe looked at the time. It was only 9:30. Maybe Beca isn't feeling well, she thought. That would explain why she hadn't been up for talking right away and possibly why she hadn't been at semifinals.
She knocked on Aubrey's door.
"Come in!" called Aubrey.
Chloe walked in to see her best friend smiling. "So, judging by the smile on your face, I guess things went well?"
"Yeah, Stacie and I had a good talk. She'd also been interested in something beyond a hookup, but she'd been afraid to ask me. Thanks for the push."
"Anytime," said Chloe.
"So, did you hear from Beca?"
"Yeah, she responded. I'm not sure what's going on, though. She said I hadn't done anything wrong, but she wants to talk in person."
"That's all she said?"
"She mentioned her mom is in town and she's staying with her for a few days, but she cut the conversation just after that."
"That's strange, but I guess it's at least okay news."
"Yeah, I guess so. I'll give her a couple days and then maybe I'll check in with her again," said Chloe. "So, when are you and Stacie going out?"
"Tomorrow. I don't even know what she has planned."
"You're letting her plan things and not tell you what they are? Who are you and what have you done with my control freak best friend?"
"She was so excited, and I can't say no to Stacie."
"That's exactly what started this whole thing with her," Chloe said with a wink.
"If that's what it was, then I'm glad I can't say no to her!" Aubrey said, laughing.
Chloe was thrilled to get a text around 8:30 that morning.
B: Morning, Chloe. Sorry I cut things off so quickly last night.
C: Morning. U ok?
B: Haven't been feeling my best, honestly.
C: Is that why you weren't at semifinals?
B: Yes. Can we meet today? You can see me at the hotel or my mom can drive me somewhere. I'd rather talk in person.
C: I would like to meet today. You're not contagious, are you?
B: No. Promise. I wouldn't ask to meet up if I was.
C: Where are you staying?
B: Comfort Inn on Santa Monica Blvd. Room 412.
C: 10 am in your room ok?
B: Yeah. Thanks for agreeing to see me.
C: Sure.
Aubrey walked into the kitchen to see a smiling Chloe.
"I got another text from Beca this morning. She said she hasn't been feeling well, and that's why she missed the semifinals. It's probably why she cut things off last night. I'm going over to her hotel room this morning. She's adamant that we talk in person."
"Oh my god, Chloe, you're so naive. She just wants to get into your pants. Sure she's staying in a hotel room with her mom."
"Aubrey, stop. I told you Beca hadn't been on a date before me, and she hadn't kissed anyone. I doubt this is a ploy to sleep with me. Besides, the hotel room was my idea. She offered to have her mom drive her somewhere to meet me."
"I can't believe you're falling for that. The awkward and adorable thing you think she has going for her has got to be a front."
"It's not."
"Whatever you say. I still think she's going to be tearing your clothes off the minute you set foot in that hotel room. Don't come crying to me if she hurts you again."
"You don't even know her, and do I need to remind you of how things started with Stacie?"
"Well, that's different."
"How?"
"She's not some little street performing alt-girl."
"No, she's a leggy brunette you met at a party. You played spin the bottle, made out with her, and then disappeared for the night."
Aubrey turned red at the memory. It had been so many years ago, and she and Stacie had been hooking up almost on a regular basis since then.
Chloe continued. "Besides, Aubrey, I'm an adult. I can make my own decisions, and I don't need your approval. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get dressed so I can meet Beca."
Chloe walked out of the room, leaving Aubrey in stunned silence.
Beca smiled at their text conversation. Chloe had agreed to meet her. She was surprised Chloe wanted to talk in their hotel room, but she was relieved that she wouldn't have to ask her mom to take her somewhere. She was still sore from the surgery, and she didn't have much of an appetite.
"It's good to see a smile on your face," Ellen said to her daughter as she came out of the bathroom. "I take it Chloe texted you back this morning?"
"She did. She's coming here at 10 so we can talk."
"Do you want me to make myself scarce?"
"I don't know. I guess."
"Think about it. Are you feeling up to breakfast?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Do you want me to bring you some toast and maybe a drink from the breakfast buffet?"
"Yeah, I think that would be okay. I just hope I don't throw up all over Chloe!"
"Is your stomach bothering you again? Should I call the doctor?"
"No, I'm just a little nervous."
"It will be okay, honey. I know you think she hates you, but she wouldn't have texted you if she did. She definitely wouldn't have agreed to come here either. Did you tell her anything?"
"Just that I haven't been feeling well. I'd rather explain the long, involved story in person."
Ellen gave her daughter's hand a squeeze. "I'll be back up shortly with breakfast. Why don't you take a quick shower and get dressed? Just remember to try and keep those stitches dry. I'll help change the bandages once I come back up."
"Thanks, Mom." Beca took her time taking a shower. It was the first one she'd taken since the day she'd had the surgery, and she felt pretty gross. She was just stepping out of the shower when she heard her mom coming back to the hotel room. When she heard the door to the hallway shut, she wrapped a towel around herself and called her mom into the bathroom.
"Hey, Mom, I just got out of the shower. Can you help with my bandages?"
"Sure." Beca's mom changed the bandages after looking quickly to make sure the incision looked okay. "There. All set."
"Thanks." Beca put on a clean t-shirt and a pair of clean sweatpants and dried her hair as best as she could with the hotel blow dryer. She pulled it back into a ponytail. She didn't have any makeup with her, but she hoped she looked okay.
She sat at the small table in the room and ate her toast.
Around 10:00, she heard a light rap on the door. She opened it, and her lips broke into a huge grin when she saw Chloe.
"It's so good to see you!" Beca exclaimed. She sort of expected a hug, but she got a tight smile from Chloe and a small wave instead.
"Hi, Beca."
"Hi, I'm Ellen Mitchell, Beca's mom. You must be Chloe."
"It's nice to meet you," said Chloe, shaking her hand.
"Do you know the actress in Bushwick looks like a blonde version of you? Beca saw it when we were flipping channels and she-"
"Okay, Mom, that's enough," Beca said, not wanting her mother to tell Chloe about her reaction to seeing the Chloe look-alike on TV.
"Oh? Do tell," said Chloe, grinning like a Cheshire cat at Beca.
"Maybe later," said Beca, blushing. "My mom was just leaving, right?"
"Message received. Text me if you need anything," said Ellen. She grabbed Beca's plate and cup on her way out of the room.
"Bye mom," called Beca.
Beca led Chloe to the table and chairs in the room. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.
"When I got back to my room after our date, my roommate broke my phone. I lost your number, Chloe. I'm so sorry. I really wanted to talk to you again. I loved our date. I didn't mean to hurt you. I even tried contacting my cell provider, but they had a system glitch that meant they couldn't pull up the information. Anything sent while I was without a phone just disappeared. Voicemails were down too. I never set up the cloud backup, so the number was just gone. I didn't have enough money to pay for a new one, and it took me a little over a week to convince my dad to help me out," said Beca. She was so relieved to see Chloe that she ended up just rambling out the whole story once she finally had her chance.
"I guess that's why I couldn't leave you a voicemail the two times I tried calling you. So, if I'd just texted or called you again sooner, we'd have gone on another date?"
"Yeah, unless, of course, you didn't want to. I'd still like to go on another one unless you're seeing someone. Oh god, are you seeing someone? Because it's okay if you are, but I really hope-" Beca couldn't believe she was still rambling. She felt like such an idiot.
"Beca, relax. I'm not seeing anyone," said Chloe.
Beca smiled. "Okay, that's good." Beca's face had a worried expression again. "So, can you forgive me?"
"Yeah. I wanted to text you earlier, but Aubrey had me convinced I shouldn't."
"Why is that?"
"She said I was being pathetic, and she tried to get me to move on. I tried, but I just couldn't. I've felt drawn to you since I heard you singing at the pier. I don't know why, but I just felt like you were special and my heart wouldn't let me give up on you."
"I really am sorry about my stupid phone breaking. I wanted so badly to see you again, but I didn't know how to contact you. I really, really appreciate you giving me another chance."
"Tell me you have my number saved now."
"I do. I had someone show me at the store when I got my new phone. It backs up every night, and I saved you in my contacts."
"That's good. Don't worry too much about Aubrey. I'll handle her. She's just protective of me, sometimes to a fault. So, what happened with semifinals? You said you haven't been feeling well?"
"Yeah. Shitty day. I came out on campus with the QA for National Coming Out Day. I'd had stomach pains most of the day, but I thought they were nerves. Well, they weren't. Long story short, I no longer have an appendix."
"Wow, really?"
"Yeah, Fat Amy even missed the performance because she was worried about me. That was what made me finally forgive her for breaking my phone."
"Was your captain mad?"
"Amy said she was mad at her, but not at me. I haven't talked to her, actually. I just got out of the hospital yesterday. My mom flew down to see me, and she brought me here when I got discharged. Neither one of us wanted me to stay with Amy alone while recovering from surgery. I have no idea what she would have done, but it definitely wouldn't have been helpful."
"So, are you feeling better?"
"I am. You caught me last night right after I took my pain medication. It made me sleepy, so I cut off the conversation real quick. I probably look awful today. It's been rough."
"You look cute."
"I'm not cute. I'm badass!"
Chloe laughed so hard she snorted. "Sure you are."
"I am," said Beca. She glanced down at herself. "Okay, maybe not in sweats, a damp ponytail, and no makeup."
Chloe reached across the table and grabbed Beca's hand. "So, maybe after finals, we can go on that date? I want you to be recovered first. I don't know about Resonance, but we have quite a few more rehearsals when it's closer to finals."
"We probably do as well. I think that's a good idea. I'll keep in touch before then. I promise I won't lose your number this time!"
Chloe smiled. "I hope not." She glanced at her watch. "I should get back. I've got to get to rehearsal."
Beca stood up and began to walk Chloe to the door. "Okay. Thanks for coming to see me."
"I'm glad I did. Before I go, there's something I want to do."
"What?"
"This," said Chloe, putting her right hand up to cup Beca's cheek. She planted a soft kiss on Beca's lips. Beca felt her knees go weak as she sighed into the kiss, loosely wrapping her arms around Chloe's neck. God, she'd missed this. She'd only kissed Chloe twice, but it had been magical.
The two girls were interrupted when they heard the hotel room door open. "Oops, sorry!" said Ellen, shutting the door.
Beca turned red as she broke the kiss. "My mom's timing sucks," she said.
"It's okay," said Chloe. "Bye, Beca." She walked out the door and called, "Bye, Mrs. Mitchell!"
Ellen walked back into the hotel room. Her daughter was still blushing. "So, I guess things went well?"
"Yeah," said Beca. "We're going to go on a date after the ICCA finals are over."
"How was the kiss?"
"Mom!"
"You are so easy to embarrass."
Beca folded her arms. "Stop."
Ellen tousled her daughter's hair. "Just messing with you. I'm glad you worked things out with Chloe. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"Thanks. So, do you think this is how things were supposed to work out?"
"I sure do."