COLLINS GROUP, DOWNTOWN, LOS ANGELES
Beca was still in shock due to Alex's revelation. "Did Chloe really come here? Did she tell you all of that?"
"Yeah." Alex casually replied. "She's leaving for Italy today though. Did you know that?"
"What?" Beca asked. "No. I didn't know. She didn't tell me."
"Well, it seems like Chloe is indeed full of surprises huh?" She shrugged. "She's leaving this morning. She was such in a rush. If you want to see her, I guess you have to get going now?" Alex chuckled. "Time is running." She pointed to the wall clock.
Beca was startled. She didn't have much time to process things but she needed to see Chloe. She wanted to ask why the redhead had to tell Alex everything. "I- uh.." Beca walked away but went back in to give the blonde a hug. "Thank you, Alex."
"Don't thank me." Alex laughed. "Thank Chloe." She grinned. "God, you two have so much feelings for each other it's making me sick." She tried to laugh it off despite the hurt. "Go on. Go see her."
LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Without anything else to say, Beca acknowledged what Alex told her. She decided to hurry and drive to the airport. She tried calling Aubrey and ask about the flight details but she was out of reach. Stacie and Chloe too.
Beca was good with roads that's why she managed to avoid traffic jams causing her to arrive at the airport just in the nick of time.
Of course, she didn't go unnoticed by the crowds-she kept her sunglasses on and kept her cap on, but her mere presence made heads turn.
As usual, the airport was awfully crowded-it was hopeless to instantly spot the redhead. She continued to walk around to look for the flights bound for Italy.
"Chloe, please pick up." She mumbled. She tried to get through once more. "Please."
"Hey, Becs!"
"C-chloe!" Beca was in between breaths, she was still going around the check in-counters just to see a glimpse of the redhead. "Where are you?"
"Uhm… About that…" Chloe trailed off. "I-I'm in the airport."
"I know you're in the airport!" Beca exclaimed. "I'm here." She continued to make it through the crowd.
"What?" Chloe asked. "Beca?"
"I have a few questions to ask you, you know." Beca replied. "So can you please tell me where you are now?" Beca snickered. "I'm dying here." Before Chloe could give the brunette her exact location, Beca already spotted her. Chloe was still on the phone, her phone in her ear. "Chloe?"
"Yeah?" Chloe replied. "Sorry, I couldn't hear properly." The redhead also tried to look for the brunette. "Can you please repeat what you said?"
"Never mind." Beca giggled. "It's okay. I found you."
"What?" Chloe was on guard-she told Aubrey and Stacie about Beca's presence in the airport. Beca figured it out since the redhead was whispering to Aubrey and Stacie, and the two were also on guard. "Where are you?"
Beca was smiling at how Chloe was subtly looking for her. "Here." She muttered. She slowly walked over to where Aubrey, Stacie and Chloe were standing. Aubrey and Stacie already spotted her walking closer to them. She winked at the two-a signa; to keep quiet.
"Here what?" Chloe asked. "Beca? What do you mean here?" Chloe giggled.
"Here. As in here." Beca reiterated. "Turn around, you." She instructed the redhead.
Chloe didn't like to believe what Beca told her, but she at least had to try. There was nothing to lose anyway. She slowly turned around-there was Beca, smiling back at her, her phone still on her hand.
"Hi." Chloe blushed as the brunette approached her. "You really are here."
"I am." Beca giggled.
"You told me you have questions to ask?"
"Yeah." Beca nodded. She took off her sunglasses and let it hang on top. "Not much, actually."
"Well…" Chloe lifted her passport and her boarding pass. "You have to ask them now since I'll be leaving in a while."
"I'll go straight to the point." Beca laughed. "Why did you do that? I mean, go to Alex."
"It's true anyway. It's entirely our fault, remember? It was all because of my dad that's why we had to put up a scheme like that." Chloe replied. "I had to tell her-you don't have to be blamed for a mess you didn't create."
"Chloe. I also agreed to it, remember?"
"I know. But you had no choice." Chloe shrugged. "It was all or nothing back then. It's all good now, isn't it? You're friends now?" Beca nodded in response. "Awesome. I assume it was Alex who told you about my flight today, huh?" She playfully shoved Beca's shoulders.
"That is my second question." Beca stated. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"
"I was going to tell you when I get on the plane." Chloe admitted. "I wouldn't want to make you feel pressured or anything. I didn't want to give you an ultimatum. If you went out on that date we had with you knowing that I would be leaving the next day would make me feel like you only agreed to it in the first place out of pity." Chloe explained. "And, I didn't want that."
"So… you're heading back there, huh?" Beca tried her best to hide the sad look on her face but it was Chloe who she was talking to-Chloe knows her too well.
"Yeah. I have to finish a few scenes." Chloe turned to see Stacie who was calling her attention. "I'll be back though, don't worry. I have a reason to finish all of them as fast as I could." She winked at the brunette.
"Right." Beca swallowed hard. "Uhm… Thank you, Chloe." She blurted out.
"Don't mention it, Beca." Chloe stated. "It was my mistake, I have to be responsible for it at least."
Stacie walked over to Chloe and whispered in her ear. They were already asked to proceed to their gate. "Y-yeah. So, we'll talk, okay? I meant it when I said that I'm going to make things right. Keep that in mind."
"You guys take care, okay?" Beca replied. "Take care of yourself."
"Don't worry about me, Beca." Chloe giggled. "I-I have to go." Chloe didn't want to leave upon seeing Beca but she had to finish her responsibilities in Italy.
Beca hated herself for being bad with words, but she wanted to make Chloe feel that everything between them was going to be okay. She couldn't find the right things to say.
Chloe followed Stacie after hugging Aubrey-she glanced at Beca for one more time before falling in line.
However, she was taken by surprise when she felt someone take her by the hand, and pulled her closer for a hug. "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but, I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too, Beca." Chloe took in Beca's scent. She still smelled like Vanilla.
"Don't take too long, okay?" Beca let go and fixed Chloe's collar.
"I won't. I also won't forget to make my way back to you." Chloe stated.
"Oh, really?" Beca laughed.
"Yeah. I won't." Chloe promised. "All the roads lead me back to you, anyway." She grinned.
COLLINS GROUP, DOWNTOWN, LOS ANGELES
Alex needed someone to talk to that's why she called Amy into her office-she had to tell her what happened since she'll go crazy if she'll keep everything to herself.
"So, what? You just let Beca go to see Chloe?" Amy asked. "I thought you like her. Man, you were crazy for her."
"I do." Alex replied. "But, I won't force myself to her. You and I both know that they still have feelings for each other. And I won't destroy something special like that."
"Gosh, you are so genuinely nice…" Amy scoffed. "They should give you an award for being a saint or something."
"It's true though." Alex grinned. "I do hope they sort things out. I'd be happy if they work it out-they belong to each other."
"Now that you mentioned it…" Amy paused and thought things over. "Yeah, they have this chemistry between them, I just thought that it was due to old times but no."
"Exactly my point, my friend." Alex sighed. "Beca's heart belongs to Chloe. We should respect that."
"Wow. I thought it was just something people would say, but I think it's true." Amy blurted out. "The quote from How I Met Your Mother? The one Ted used to say?"
"Ah yeah!" Alex exclaimed. "I didn't expect it to be true, too. And most of all, I can't believe that it's happening to me."
"I kinda forgot how it goes though…" Amy shrugged.
"Let's not talk about it, please." Alex laughed. "It hurts if I ponder on it too much."
"I understand." Amy nodded. "But you know…" She hugged her friend from behind. "You and Jesse look good together, too." She grinned.
"Amy!" Alex swatted her friend's hand away. "Don't!"
"Come on, Alexandra." Amy laughed. "You both like the same girl, and you both are genuinely nice. Try to think about it." She winked. "I'll also let Jesse know!" She exclaimed.
MILAN-MALPENSA AIPORT, MILAN, ITALY
It took almost 13 hours for the flight back to Italy.
Stacie and Chloe were tired but Chloe's face didn't show a sign of stress or anything else-she was glowing.
She had this smile on her face during the duration of the flight-Stacie had to point it out that it was already getting creepy, but Chloe didn't mind.
The redhead was happy and Stacie couldn't blame her-she had a good start with Beca, and she hoped that everything too, would fall into place.
They deserve it,
They were headed back to the set-it sucked that Chloe had to work immediately but she was keen on finishing everything too. It was all a part of her work, anyway.
"Chlo?"
"Hmmm?" Chloe turned to her friend who was still staring at her. "What?"
"Don't your cheeks hurt from all the smiling?" Stacie laughed.
"I just finished sending Beca a text message. Gosh, I'm just really happy, Stace." Chloe grinned. "It looks like the trip was worth it after all."
"You think so?"
"Uh huh." Chloe kept her phone-she didn't want to watch it light up and wait for the brunette's reply. She considered the time difference too. "I know that I shouldn't be complacent, I still have to work hard but I feel like we're going somewhere, you know?"
"That's good to hear." Stacie yawned. "I'm happy for you, Chloe. Really. Looks like the three days we spent back in L.A. did you something good. Like, you know, all the senses were knocked into you and Bam!" She acted out an explosion with her hands. "You've matured."
"I still have something to fix though…" Chloe signed as she stared at her phone. She thought it was Beca's reply that came in, but it was from someone else.
"Huh?" Stacie kept her eyes closed but was still attentive to her friend. "My eyes are closed, but I'm all ears." She added.
"My dad just texted me." She browsed through the text message. "He sure had a copy of my schedule. Did you give it to him?"
"No. No." Stacie was surprised that James Beale found out the exact date that Chloe was back. "You know your dad. He has connections, or maybe, he even went to the set and asked it himself."
"Yeah." Chloe locked her phone again-she was in deep thought. "He might have done that."
"What did he say?"
"He told me that he has been here for a few days now. He wants to see me before he heads back to L.A." Chloe shared. "I agreed."
"You did?!" Stacie was surprised that Chloe finally agreed to meet her dad. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Chloe nodded in response. She stared at the window and tried to contemplate whether she did make the right decision. "I've been putting it off for a while now. You know that." Chloe stated. "I think it's time that I see him. Face to face."
BEL AIR ESTATES, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
"That was something." Aubrey appeared into the living room where Beca was binge watching The Great British Bake-Off.
"What?"
"It may have been yesterday, but I wanted to make sure that what I saw was real…" Aubrey sat opposite her sister and even reached for Tostitos on the table.
"What are you talking about?" Beca asked.
"Your great appearance at the airport, bug." Aubrey laughed. "Stacie and I watched from the sidelines, and I have to admit, I felt like it was a real movie scene unfolding before me."
"Shut up, Bree." Beca dismissed her sister's comment. "I'm watching my show."
"So what? Are you like together or something?" Aubrey pressed for more questions. "You have to tell me as your manager and your sister. So, are you?" She moved closer to Beca to annoy her even more. "Tell me. Come on."
"We aren't!" Beca laughed. "But…"
"But, what?" Aubrey snickered.
"I have seen Chloe's effort-the little things, you know?" Beca turned to her sister who was listening intently. "I think we could work it out? "
"You think you could work it out?" Aubrey repeated Beca's response. "You don't even sound sure." She added. "What do you really want?" She asked.
"I don't have to answer that." Beca giggled. "You know what I want."
"It's different if it's coming from you."
"Beca shrugged."Are you fishing for info so you could tell Chloe?"
"No." Aubrey replied. "I just want to know if you both are on the same page."
"Well…" Beca sighed. "Chloe's been better, you know. And, I really feel like we're headed it that direction. So she better sort her issues out and head back here." She joked.
"So?" Aubrey nudged her sister.
"I want to start over with Chloe." Beca smiled at her sister who was too eager to wait for her response. "Like Chloe, I also want us back." She smirked.
HILTON HOTEL, MILAN, ITALY
"She agreed to see me tomorrow." James grinned. He pocketed his phone after reading the text message.
Richard Harris put his wine glass down and poured himself another drink. "There's your chance, Beale. I guess it's already time for you to face your daughter since she's already going to meet you."
"I'm afraid that she won't even hear me out." James sighed.
"You fool!" Richard laughed. "Chloe's your daughter. She will. She's a smart woman, you see. She'll hear you out. Look, I even listened to you when you came to visit me in my office, and look where we are now? We've moved past it, the merger is still pushing through." He stated. "Chloe will listen to you, you just have to bear with her since you caused her a lot of pain."
"I remember that day…" James also poured himself another drink. They were delegates to a business conference and they found each other in the carousel bar. "I felt like I had to come and see you since the kids broke up. But you…" He patted Richard's shoulder. "You made me realize that I was more concerned of the merger instead of my own daughter."
Richard sighed. "It's ironic how someone as successful as you could be a horrible father."
"I already know, okay?" James snickered. "Makes me really feel bad though. Really."
"There are better things than money, James. The best things in life are free. Cliché but, true." Richard stated. "In your case, it's your daughter-Chloe."
"I better get some rest then." James politely excused himself from the bar. "I have a big day tomorrow." He patted Richard's shoulder. "I'll see you around, Harris."
"It will be alright, James." Richard replied. "We were able to sort things out between us. You and Chloe will, too."
The next day…
HILTON HOTEL, MILAN, ITALY
Chloe didn't know what to feel.
It has been a while since she saw her father-she cut off communication by not responding to any calls or texts, and even missed important business meetings.
She prepped herself for this moment though, but she didn't know how to properly deal with all the emotions flooding through her veins.
"I'm here." Her father's text read.
She had to read it over and over again to mentally prepare herself for what's to come.
"Are you okay?" Stacie broke her out of her trance. "You look pale."
"Y-yeah." Chloe stood up to get her coat and sunglasses. "He's here." She sighed. "I-I just don't know how to face him, Stace."
"Hey…" Stacie rubbed her friend's shoulder. "It's going to be tough to be seeing him once again after everything that happened but this is the time to face him. You were not given the chance to give a say on anything before, but this is your chance now. Who knows, right?"
"What if he wants to start over?" Chloe asked.
"Do you want to?"
"Yes. Maybe. I don't know." Chloe shrugged. "It depends."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Chlo." Stacie replied. "As of now, do what you want to do, and that is, face your father."
The restaurant was packed. But, it wasn't difficult to spot James Beale.
He was too busy with his phone in his hands-oblivious of the fact that his daughter was already a few steps away studying him.
He looked the same at first, but Chloe studied him even more. He smiled at people who would greet him, but his smile isn't the one Chloe used to see-it was forced.
He looked fine but, his eyes-his eyes were sad.
It made Chloe wonder.
She must have been staring for a while since her father found himself staring back at her. She wanted to run away, but she knew she needed this. Her father had been reaching out, and thus, he needed it too.
They needed to talk-it has been long overdue.
James shyly waved at Chloe, but she didn't wave back. Instead, she slowly made her way to her father who looked so happy to see her. Again, she didn't really know what to feel.
"Chloe." James wanted to kiss his daughter on the cheek, or even give her a hug, but he knew he couldn't. They were not in good terms. "Hi." He breathed out. "I'm so glad you made time to see me. I couldn't get a hold of you. Stacie told me you were very busy." He grinned.
"What do you want, Dad?" Chloe frankly asked. "Don't act like you're very concerned about me now."
James expected Chloe's reaction-she's his daughter, after all. "I knew you would go straight to the point." He signaled the waiter to serve them house champagne. "I guess, I would do the same thing too. I want us to fix our relationship, Chloe."
"Why now?" Chloe scoffed. "Have you lost everything?"
"No. I didn't lose everything. Actually, I have everything…" He smirked. "Except you." He added.
"Wow. What a realization." Chloe continued to be difficult. She couldn't help it. "Did you hit your head or something?"
"Chloe…" James tried to calm his daughter down. "Please."
"Do you think that after what happened in the past year, you could come and meet me and act like what you did was nothing major?" Chloe whispered. She tried her best to keep it low despite her anger rising. "Reality check, dad. It was something huge. It changed my life, did you know that? I had to drag Beca into your whims. I didn't want to do it, but what did you do instead of understanding me? Instead of hearing me out? Did you listen to me, dad? Did you?"
"No." James immediately replied. "I didn't."
"Exactly!" Chloe noticed that she might have attracted attention, thus, she kept her voice down low. "You didn't. What did you do? Despite of my pleas, you even threatened to ruin Beca's career if I didn't accede to your demands. What choice did I have? I had nothing, Dad. Nothing."
"I know, Chloe. It was too late when I realized it." James stated. "I was too focused on building our own empire that I have forgotten my daughter. I thought it was something that would help me take care of you. But, I was wrong. It got the best of me."
"You treated me like one of your businesses, Dad." Chloe swiftly wiped her tears away. "I needed you. I only thought I lost mom, but in the long run, I lost you too."
"I'm a horrible father."
"You are."
"I hurt you, and I even took Beca away from you." James stated. "I was too blind to see that Beca was the one who made you whole. I was too selfish, too engrossed in wealth, too insensitive… You can call me all that, I would definitely take it. I can't blame you. I know you're really angry at me, you have the right to. But as I said earlier, I want to us to fix what we have. You're all I have, Chloe."
"It took you so long to realize that." Chloe pointed out. "You can't expect me to hug you all of a sudden now that you've appeared in front of me."
"I'm not expecting that. I know that rebuilding our father-daughter relationship will be a lot of work, but I am willing to go through it all, name it. I want to make up for lost time with you, Chloe."
"You hurt a lot of people, did you know that? Not only myself."
"I'm very much aware of that..." James nodded. "I'm not only going to make amends with you, Chloe. I'm going to own up for every mistake that I have made to everyone else."
"Including Beca?" Chloe looked unconvinced.
"Most certainly, including Beca." James replied. "I want us to start from scratch."
"How could you think that everything is so easy, huh?"
"I know it's not easy, Chloe." James replied. "But, believe me. I'm going to be the best father that I can possibly be. I hope it's not too late."
A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! BeChloe seems to be moving forward, huh? Alex finally gave up on Beca-she knew how the latter felt.
Anyway, what do you think should Chloe do with her father?
Your thoughts are very much welcome. So, yeah, let me know. x