Ashley nudged Jessica and motioned to someone knocking back drink after drink over in a back booth. "Jess, is that Beca?" They agreed that it looked suspiciously like their friend's girlfriend, and she was certainly intoxicated.
As they got closer, they agreed it was indeed Beca and decided to play a little guardian angel tag team. Jessica slid into the booth next to her co-worker, sandwiching her against the wall, while Ashley sat across from them. "Hey Becs, how ya doing?"
Beca squinted long and hard at Jessica trying to figure out if she knew her. "Ummmm still imathirsty. Neeeed alkyhaul." She tried to push Jessica out of the booth so she could get out. When the blonde wouldn't budge, Beca pushed her belly against the table a bit then quickly slipped to her knees. She crawled across the gross floor and popped up on the other side before either woman could react.
"You don't need any more to drink Beca. Time to get you sober." Jessica tried to keep her at the table by grabbing her by the arm.
"Gerroff me!" Beca slurred. "I'm ash sober ash 'm gonna git. And nuffink you can do boutit." And she stumbled back to the bar for another beer.
Ashley followed her and caught the attention of the bartender. She silently pointed to Beca and drew her finger across her throat indicating Beca should be cut off. The bartender certainly looked relieved. But Beca was having nothing to do with this. She crawled on top of a barstool to reach over the bar. She fumbled until she got her hands on three shot glasses. "Vodka," she announced. When the bartender refused, Beca's attitude turned indignant. "I not drunk howdareyouIm the mostest soberest girl in dis room!"
While her attention was elsewhere, the bartender filled the shot glasses with water and pushed them towards Beca. Ashley grabbed two as Beca clutched the remaining one carefully in both hands as she staggered her way back to the table. "Hersh to nuttin" Beca held her shot glass up before downing the water, not even noticing the lack of alcohol.
Together, Jessica and Ashley wrestled Beca back on the other side of the booth hoping she wouldn't be able to escape again. Jessica texted Aubrey who was out with Stacie. The couple agreed to come provide back up. Stacie knew that drunk Beca was quite a handful despite her small stature.
"Imsickofhershit." Beca haphazardly threw her hands around in a random manner. "Wannanudder shot!" Again, Beca tried to push her way past Jessica then tried to crawl under the table again. Ashley grabbed her hand from across the booth.
"I'll get this round Beca." Ashley flashed her a smile and went to the bartender for 'another round' of water shots. She also got a few bottles of water to try to get Beca hydrated. Jessica smirked when Beca slammed back her shot and smacked her lips in satisfaction.
"Lemmetellyou. Wait." Beca fumbled in her pocket and pulled out her phone. "'m ba hrorible person." She pushed some buttons, jammed her fingers against the screen trying to unlock the device. She pressed and pushed then started to beat her phone against the table.
Jessica grabbed her phone to keep Beca from shattering the screen. She grabbed the project manager's wrist and splayed out her fingers so she could press Beca's thumb against the home button to unlock the screen. She slid the phone over to Beca who looked at it wide-eyed before leaning over the screen.
"Kooe!" She shouted at the device. "C'mdrainkwifus. Koooe!" She looked at Jessica and Ashly, confused. "Whhy ius sihe o noot ansqwering?" Beca banged her phone with her fist. "Wake pu. I need hto fsay I'm hsorry. hi suck." The tiny brunette leaned against the wall with a forlorn look on her face.
"Glad she hasn't figured out that she has to actually dial the number," Ashley whispered to her blonde friend. They kept Beca flush in water shots until Aubrey and Stacie arrived. "You two arrived just in time. At some point, we were going to get enough water in her and she'd realize these aren't vodka shots."
Stacie reached over and pulled her intoxicated friend out of the booth. Beca tried to settle on her feet and looked her friend up and down. "Whoa. I sweahr io'm noqt tringlq pto hit on you couz youaremyfriend. Butulook hot."
"Where do you want your package ma'am?"
Chloe haphazardly motioned to the couch as Stacie flopped Beca's body down. "God she's deadweight heavy for such a tiny woman. You need any help?"
"Nope." Chloe shook her head. "Thanks for bringing her by. I think. Explain why you brought her here again? You know she's not talking to me, right?"
"Yeah. Well something must have happened today. Jessica and Ashley happened to see her at the bar, drunk as a skunk. They kept serving her 'shots' of water until Bree and I got there. Apparently Beca was telling her what a horrid person she was. She tried to call you to go drinking with them but forgot how to use her phone. She passed out on the subway, so I had to carry her like a sack of potatoes over here." Stacie flexed her arm muscles. "Glad I got these guns. Thanks for taking her in. I know you you've had a rough go of it the last week or so."
After Stacie left, Chloe just glared at Beca's limp form. She was tempted to leave her laying just as she landed. Then she gave in to her caring side and took off Beca's boots. She unbuttoned her jeans but there was no way to get her body out of those skinny jeans so she just placed a pillow beneath her head and tucked a blanket around her.
Beca eased opened her eyes the immediately slammed them shut the moment the streaming sunlight hit her face. When she tried to sit up, her splitting headache caused her to fall back to the couch, groaning.
"There's ibuprofen and water on the coffee table." Chloe's voice came from the bathroom.
Beca felt around for the bottle then found the pills through barely open eyes. She drained the water bottle and gave a sigh of relief. Then she realized where she was. "Ummm Chloe, how did I get here?"
Chloe stepped out of the bathroom. "Apparently you were totally wasted at a bar. Jessica and Ashley came across you, luckily because no telling where you would have ended up. You kept begging them to get me to come drinking with you or something like that. They called Stacie. You passed out on Stacie, and she tossed you on my couch." Chloe put her forefinger on her chin and looked up thoughtfully. "Yep. I believe that about covers it."
"Errrr Chloe I'm …"
"I don't have time to talk right now Becs." Despite being glad Beca was there, Chloe's voice was short and matter of fact. "I've been trying to talk to you. I even came to your office yesterday. But today… no."
"Oh."
"Don't look so sour Beca. I have a meeting and don't have time for this drama." She finished glossing her lips then walked over to her table to gather up her belongings. She dropped a single key on the coffee table. "This is my spare. Just kick it under the door when you leave."
The redhead was dressed rather professionally, unlike Beca had ever seen. "You look nice Chloe." Beca's voice was low.
Chloe gave a small smile. "Thanks Becs." She walked towards the door before pausing and turning back. "Dinner?"
The project manager stood up and faced Chloe. "I'd like that."
"Let's shoot for 6:30 – 7:30. Text me a place. … that is if you've unblocked my number." With that, Chloe left.
Beca flopped back on the couch as she tried to recall what happened last night. The last she remembered was going to the bar for a few drinks. Next thing – waking up on Chloe's couch, some place she would have never imagined, especially after how things ended with the redhead's visit to her office the day before.
She grabbed her phone off the coffee table and made sure she unblocked Chloe's number, realizing how ridiculous she had been for blocking it to begin with. The project manager was jonesing for a shower but with her nasty smelling clothes, a shower would be futile. As she went to at least wash her face and give her hair a good brush, she noticed Chloe had left a stack of clothes on her bed. Beca was relieved to see an old t-shirt and sweats she'd left at the apartment before. After the nice shower which cleansed off the bar grime, she slipped in the clean clothes and got ready to leave.
Right before she left, Beca looked around and took in all the pictures she had framed for the apartment. At least Chloe hadn't taken them all down. Nostalgia hit her in the chest. Hard. Maybe she had a chance for redemption after all. Then Beca's mind started spinning downward. Was she in need of salvation for discovering Chloe had been lying by omission? Or was Chloe the one who needed forgiveness for not talking to Beca about her choosing a residency that she hadn't even told Beca she'd been accepted to.
With one more glance around Chloe's apartment, Beca closed and locked the door then kicked the key under the frame.
"How do you think things are going at Chloe's?" Stacie plucked a strawberry slice from the dish and presented it to Aubrey who gently took it in her mouth.
"Chlo had a meeting today." She checked her watch. "She's probably already gone. How did she seem last night? Must have been a shock to her for you to dump Beca on her." Aubrey snagged a grape and tossed it at her girlfriend's mouth. Stacie expertly caught it in her mouth like the couple had been playing this game for years.
Stacie's phone went off, alerting her to a message. She held up a finger to Aubrey as she checked her phone. "That's Beca. They didn't talk this morning but are meeting later for dinner. God save us all."
"That should be an interesting dinner. Chloe's meeting today… is with her residency supervisor."
"That situation… is a whole clusterfuck." Stacie ran her hands through her hair. "Beca is absolutely torn up about things."
"Mmm, Chloe, too." Aubrey leaned over and kissed the brunette. "We can't get ourselves get caught up in their business right now Stace. Things have their ways of working out. I know Beca confides in you just as Chloe talks to me. I'm so glad that we agreed to be as neutral friends as possible. I'll be glad when this is over."
"You and me both."
Beca arrived at the restaurant a little early. Despite her still being angry at what she had seen in Chloe's apartment what seemed like forever ago, she missed the redhead. And no matter what Chloe had hidden from her, the redhead did not deserve the treatment she got yesterday.
As silly as Beca felt, she pulled Lil Red and Toad from her pockets. She didn't really consider taking Lil Red from Chloe's apartment theft since she was Toad's sister after all. The project manager had asked for a table for three and had arranged the two beanie babies at the setting. She hoped this little bit of Chloe-silliness would help the woman relax a bit
She saw Chloe coming in and stood to wave her over. Beca pulled out Chloe's chair for her before sitting back down herself. The redhead put a bag next to her chair and motioned the server over. Neither woman spoke through the first glass of wine nor until after placing their order. The silence wasn't exactly comfortable as neither woman knew what to say.
"Ummm how was your meeting?"
Chloe nodded her head. "Good." She gulped down half a glass of wine before continuing. "I met with my residency supervisor." She kept her eyes glued on her wine glass.
"You must be exhausted Chlo. New Haven is quite a haul from here. Four hours on the train. Thanks for having dinner with me tonight." Beca was trying to keep neutral as she spoke about the residency that her girlfriend had chosen.
"I think it's time we talk about all this. Get everything in the open." She reached down to her bag and pulled out a familiar looking manila folder. She pushed it towards Beca.
Beca felt her stomach clench as she recognized the file as the one that she'd accidently knocked from Chloe's coffee table the other day starting this whole mess. "Hey Chlo, we can wait, you know. Enjoy our dinner?"
"We don't have to talk about everything right now, but I want to show you something." Chloe's voice and demeanor were flat. She flipped open the folder. The first two pages were the acceptance letter and agreement from the New Haven residency.
"Yeah, I know." Beca's voice was dejected as a familiar ache settled in her chest. Despite her brief glance at the acceptance and agreement letter from New Haven, they were branded in her mind as they had haunted her in her sleep for days.
Chloe pulled out another sheet of paper. "This is my rejection letter from the clinic on the Upper East Side." There was one final page. She took it out and gave it to Beca, choosing to not say anything.
"What's this?" Chloe motioned for Beca to read. "Newark? It's an acceptance letter for a residency at a clinic in Newark?" The redhead's smile was smug as she nodded.
"Notice there's not an acceptance agreement. And the signed agreement for New Haven is still in the folder."
"I'm confused."
Chloe reached back into her bag and pulled out a doctor's jacket and pointed to the embroidered name. Dr. Chloe Beale, PT, Newark Pediatric Therapy Center. "I didn't take the position in New Haven Becs." She gathered the pages to put back in the folder and put the folder and jacket back into the bag then reached over to hold Beca's hand. "I know we need to talk. A LOT. But I couldn't go through this whole dinner with you thinking I was going to be spending the next year an hour and a half, two hour train ride away from you."
The tension level between the women was much more comfortable as the server placed their meals in front of them. Neither woman spoke much as Beca was processing what she'd just been told, and Chloe was watching Beca process. Yet now that the women had started to reconnect, neither seemed to want to let go. Chloe kept her grip on Beca's hand light but steady while Beca's foot hooked around the redhead's leg for steady contact. They enjoyed their dinner almost like the past several days hadn't happened.
"This was nice Beca. I've missed you. This." Chloe was perusing the dessert menu. "I am totally craving some ice cream."
Beca reached over and took the menu out of Chloe's hand. "I have some ice cream at my place. As nice as dinner has been, I think we have some more talking to do. This isn't quite the setting for that." She motioned to the server for the check.
Back at Beca's place, she scooped up ice cream for both women while Chloe settled herself on the couch. "Coffee?"
"A big glass of milk sounds yummy." The redhead was sitting on one end of the couch with her feet tucked beneath her.
The brunette handed Chloe her bowl and glass then Beca settled down next to her with her own. "And now let the real conversation begin. Why didn't you tell me Chloe?" Beca blurted out what had been on her mind all night.
"I'm not sure Beca. When I got the acceptance letter to New Haven, Aubrey told me I needed to tell you … about all three residencies. I thought I had time to figure it out while you went on your trip. I didn't want you to worry about things while you were oceans away from me. I felt that was a lot to lay on you."
"Even Aubrey knew?" Chloe nodded as Beca absentmindedly wrapped her own hair around her fingers in a nervous gesture. "We were gone over two weeks Chloe. You had plenty of time to tell me then. And then after we come home, I find out by accident."
"I was going to tell you… that day you found the folder."
"But you didn't Chloe. Day late and a dollar short." The silence between the pair was unmistakably thick. "How am I supposed to trust you?"
"Yes I know about the trust issues. And I know your trust issues go as far back as high school – the jerk teenagers in your Sunday School class. I know we've both been through a great deal Becs." Chloe reached her hand out to Beca. When the project manager didn't grasp her hand, Chloe tried to hide the hurt she felt. She breathed deeply a few times to clear her mind. "During our time apart the past week or so, I reflected on my therapy at the university when Aubrey was trying to save me from myself. What it means to believe that I am good enough and that I am worthy of other's love. When I told you that you are the first person I've cared for in a long time, I meant that with all my heart."
"Chloe, I know you care about me. That's never been in question. But this roller coaster ride I've been on… has been real. My emotions have been bouncing all over the place since the day I accidently read your acceptance letter from New Haven."
Beca remembered Chloe's visit to her office the day before, the root cause of her epic drunk fest. She felt the heat of her flush as it crept up her neck. Pulling her knees to her chest, she wiped her eyes on her jeans. "I've never felt more out of control."
"For what it's worth Beca, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong not telling you about my residency offer. I take full responsibility."
The brunette tried to keep her reaction in check and choked back the reaction she wanted to give. "I just don't understand why." Chloe shrugged. "Okay if you can't me why you didn't tell me, why did you sign the New Haven acceptance letter then go with Newark?"
By now, Chloe was fighting tears as she felt she wasn't getting across to Beca. Her positive energy was quickly subsiding. "I talked to Aubrey…"
Beca leapt up and started to pace. "Why is Aubrey playing so much a part in this story? You know who is missing from this story? Beca. Me! I should have been more of a player."
The redhead's voice was quiet as she looked around the entire apartment except at Beca. "I'm sorry Becs. Aubrey's been my friend forever, since undergrad. You know she saved me… from myself. I wanted to make the right decision so that I wouldn't disappoint you. But you made it crystal clear yesterday that I disappointed you anyway. And what's even worse, I lost her confidence, too. The two most important people in my life are upset with me."
Beca's agitation was beginning to rise and it showed in her raised voice. "That's not my fault Chlo."
"I never said it was. I've already told you this was my fault. Completely. Can we get back to why I changed my mind?" Chloe quickly checked her snippy attitude hoping Beca hadn't noticed. Beca was leaned up against the breakfast bar with her arms crossed, her eyes bearing into Chloe's. "I can't do this with you standing like that. Will you come back?"
Beca rolled her eyes and returned to the couch. "I made application to three clinics, but New Haven was always my first choice. They are a premier pediatric clinic with high ratings." The project manager started to talk but Chloe placed a hand on her knee in a silent request to let her finish. "I did sign the acceptance letter but never sent it in. The time we spent together on my surprise vacation made me realize that there's no way in hell I could move away from you. The train to Newark… is only twenty minutes. This way, I get the job and the girl."
The project manager closed her eyes, calming herself then reached over to pull the redhead into her for a one-armed hug. "Chloe, I won't lie to you. I am torn up about this entire situation. I want to trust you. I really do. I just… hurt, and I don't know how to get past that."
The pair talked for a bit longer before Chloe decided it was time for her to head home. In her heart she had wanted Beca to ask her to stay but her mind told her that would never happen. Beca walked her to the door. "Text me tomorrow?" Chloe's voice was tentative. Surprisingly Beca nodded. The redhead leaned forward to give Beca a kiss, but the brunette turned her head so the kiss landed on her cheek rather than on her lips. Chloe tried not to react as she plastered a smile on her face and waved good night.