Beca found Chloe on a bench just outside the building. She looked at the redhead's tear stained face with concern.
"Hey," Beca said with a smile. She sat down and turned towards Chloe. "This is not how this weekend was supposed to go. Me causing all this crying..." Chloe smiled a little. "Come here," Beca said and gave her a hug.
Chloe still didn't say anything. "Chlo, I get why I upset you last night. But this one, this one you're going to have to explain…" Beca waited for a reply, but was met with nothing. "Was it the kiss?" She prompted. Chloe nodded. "I'm sorry if it was too much. I got a little carried away."
"It's not that," Chloe said. Beca waited for further explanation. "The kiss was... The kiss was... perfect." Beca looked at her quizzically, wondering what then was the problem.
"Bec, if that was all for show, I can't do this anymore. My heart can't fucking take it." Chloe had never looked so fragile, as if Beca's answer to this could break her.
Beca looked down at her lap. Then forced herself to look up and make eye contact, before replying. "It wasn't," she said quietly. "It wasn't just for show," she repeated, more confidence in her voice this time.
Relief washed over Chloe. But she needed more. After nearly a decade of this back and forth she needed to know. "We've done this long enough. You gotta take me, Bec, or leave me," she said with a smirk.
When Chloe put it like that, so clearly, so cut and dry, Beca couldn't have been more certain of the answer. She could never leave Chloe. "You are such a dork," Beca said with a grin.
"But..." Chloe said, grinning now too.
"You're my dork," Beca replied. "And I love you." No one watching this time, Beca leaned in for another kiss, one that was just for them.
They stayed on that bench for almost 10 minutes, lips locked, hands roaming, when finally Beca pulled away. "We should probably get back inside. Check back in with the team. Go get ready for the party..." Beca said, a hint of sadness in her voice. Chloe pouted. "I promise, we'll talk more about... all of this, later."
"You know I usually am all in favor of forcing stoic Beca Mitchell talk about her feelings but that's not really what I had in mind for later..."
Beca laughed and playfully hit Chloe's arm as they walked back to the auditorium. The Bellas didn't even need to ask for an update when the two returned. From their grins to their slightly messed up hair, the girls knew all was well with Bechloe.
"Did we win?" Chloe asked.
"Nope," Emily said. "We came in second."
Chloe shrugged. "Second is respectable." Although normally competitive, she really couldn't not have cared less about the outcome of the tournament at this point.
"Plus we got an honorable mention," Stacie added, mischievous smile on her face.
"For?" Beca asked.
"Steamiest duet," she replied.
"You guys!" Chloe laughed, assuming they were teasing.
"No really," Aubrey said. She held up a silly paper certificate that said "2020 Aca-Tournament, Steamiest Duet, Chloe Beale and Beca Mitchell, Bellas". Chloe burst out laughing. Even Beca, although embarrassed couldn't help but hide a small smile. Chloe took it from Aubrey. "I'm going to frame it!" She announced.
"Like hell you are..." Beca replied, reaching for the paper.
"What are you going to do about it Mitchell, huh?" She asked, holding the paper high above her head.
"I know exactly what I'm going to do about it." Beca put her hands on Chloe's waist and gave her a quick kiss, confirming all of the Bellas' suspicions.
Chloe put her arm down and let Beca snatch the certificate from her. "I had a feeling that would work," Beca said smugly.
"Yeah, yeah," Chloe said. "Just wait until I try that on you."
"Alright, alright. Really it's time to get back to the house. People are coming over to the party in" Aubrey looked at her watch, "18 minutes!"
Beca rolled her eyes but followed as Aubrey led them all back home.
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When they got back to the house, a bit of awkwardness set in. Chloe began obsessing. What now? She was, thankfully, confident that they were doing more than fooling around but where exactly were they? Do they act like the couple, that they've basically always been, that's been together 10 years? Do they act like two people who have just begun dating? No, that would be too weird. And what's next? They were flying back to different coasts tomorrow.
Chloe could not stop these thoughts from running through her brain. And because of that, she was uncharacteristically tempted to keep her distance.
She and Beca spent a while hanging out on the couch, practically on each other's laps, chatting with a few older Bellas they'd met at ICCAs. But a little while later, when Chloe got up to get another drink, she meandered a bit, taking a detour outside to look up at the stars.
"There you are," Aubrey said. "What's up with you? Go be with your other half. You sure as hell waited long enough." Chloe didn't respond and Aubrey's face softened. "Are you okay?"
And at rapid-fire speed all of the concerns that Chloe had been thinking about came tumbling out. "Whoa, there," Aubrey replied. "Slow down." She took a deep breath. "Chloe, why don't you just try to let tonight be tonight?"
"Because tonight ends, Aubrey," Chloe snapped back. "And I want tonight to be forever."
Aubrey sighed. "And you're afraid saying that'll terrify your emotionally stunted DJ," she said, putting the pieces together. Chloe nodded. Aubrey raised an eyebrow, reconsidering her initial opinion. "Then take it slow."
"But I don't wanna..." Chloe whined, putting her head on Aubrey's shoulder.
Aubrey laughed. "I know sweetie. I know."
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"Bold move, Mitchell," Jesse said proudly, as he sat down next to her on the couch. She rolled her eyes. "Nah I mean it. You deserve your happy ending."
"Are you trying to make me gag?" She asked.
"Shut up. We both know you're a big softie," he teased. "So," he continued, "what's next?"
"What's next?" Beca repeated with confusion.
"Are you doing the whole long distance thing, is one of you moving, if so, would you share a place..."
Beca's eyes widened, as the reality set in. Jesse immediately regretted his words. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Don't you dare retreat, Beca. This is what you want. I promise. You can figure out the details later." She nodded hesitantly. "Do you understand?" He asked seriously.
"Ugh, yes Jesse. I'm not 18 anymore. I'm capable of coping."
"There we go. There's my snarky-bordering-on-rude, Beca."
"C'mon dude, let's go grab a drink."
They ran into Emily by the drinks. Her phone was ringing but she was just staring at it. "It's Benji," she explained.
"Boyfriend trouble?" Beca asked.
"Not anything serious. Just wish he were here."
"Shouldn't you, um, pick up the phone then?" Jesse asked.
Beca glared at him and moved away, occupying himself by the chip bowl.
"I know he has to start his internship Monday but I don't know... Long distance is hard, man," Emily confided.
Beca nodded, her thoughts again turning to Chloe, her future and all its uncertainty.
She patted Emily on the shoulder. "I know Em," she comforted. "I'm sorry."
When Emily's spirits seemed to have raised a bit, Beca snuck off upstairs.