Chloe and Aubrey sat on the couch of their apartment after Beca left, for a long time too lost in their own thoughts to say anything at all. Each of them were just as shocked about what happened as Beca seemed to be when Chloe saw her tattoo. They were at a loss. Neither of them had ever expected to have another soulmate - neither of them had known it was possible. But now that they knew, it was impossible to forget about it. There was a piece missing from them - not from their relationship, but from their lives. Another piece to their whole. And she'd walked out without even considering them as part of her whole. Neither could say it didn't hurt. Neither could say they didn't care about Beca. Each of them were drawn to the brunette from day one. And now they knew why.
"Are you okay?" Aubrey was the first one to speak up. She looked at her girlfriend, huddled up and holding her legs on the other side of their couch.
Chloe cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you?" The answer was obvious. Neither of them were.
Despite that, Aubrey just shook her head in response. "She's so…"
"Scared." Chloe finished the sentence. "Have you ever noticed that she's just adverse to touch? I can't even hug her." Chloe pouted and pulled her legs closer to her chest, if that was possible.
Aubrey scratched the back of her head. "Yeah.. it's going to take time for her to really open up to us. I just think… we have to be patient."
Chloe stared at her. It was so easy for them to make eye contact - to talk without speaking a word. Beca had trouble meeting anyone's eyes. "You want to be in a relationship with her?"
Aubrey let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "She's our soulmate." Aubrey said in a low, almost breathless voice. "How can I not? You do too right?"
"Yes." Chloe whispered. Her eyes brightened with her smile. "I love you."
"I love you too." Aubrey half heartedly smiled back at her. "We just have to be patient with her, that's all."
"She's known since we met her." Chloe said and trailed off with her words, reliving the memory of the activities fair - of the shower. "It just hurts."
"I know. It hurts that she knew and didn't tell us.. but it hurts worse knowing she felt the need to keep it a secret because she didn't want to ruin our relationship. She's so scared of hurting us. She's hurting herself." Aubrey sighed. Beca was a fortress of walls. Just as they thought they were making progress, they had to take two more steps back.
Chloe laid her chin on her arms around her legs. "Do you think she'd ever have told us?" She asked. "Do you think she would've kept it a secret, silently suffering?" It broke Chloe's heart to consider it.
"Baby, don't go there. We know now. She belongs with us." Aubrey told her.
Chloe's shoulders fell. "What should we do? What if she never comes around?"
Aubrey stood up and put in a brave face. "She'll come around. I mean really, who could resist my charm and your flirting, hm?" Chloe smiled despite the pain still lingering in her chest. "Come on, we've got a free day. I want to take my beautiful girlfriend on a date."
Aubrey and Chloe tried their best to enjoy the day, despite the morning. Both spend the next day waiting for Bellas practice and waiting to see the petite brunette. On their date, they'd decided to take it slow, but at the same time act as they would with anyone else they might've dated. They decided they could flirt and turn on the charm. They decided they wouldn't stand idly by and let Beca slip away from them. They'd make an effort to get her to fall for them the way they'd started falling for her.
Beca was late to practice and told them she'd gotten caught up at the radio station. Which meant they didn't get the chance to talk to her before practice and had to wait till practice was over to get a word in edgewise. Of course, Beca didn't make it easy. She bolted the second Aubrey dismissed the Bellas, grabbing her bag from the bleachers on her way out. Chloe and Aubrey had to chase her down before she ran out of the auditorium. "Beca!"
Beca turned around like a child getting caught for sneaking out. Then she seemed to remember something. "Oh right," Beca walked back to the group of girls, all of whom enjoyed lingering around the gym. "Here," Beca pulled the newly washed clothes Chloe had given her the day before.
Chloe shook her head. "You keep them. Looks better on you." Chloe smiled and enjoyed the way the smallest comment seemed to make Beca blush. Had it always been like that? Or was it because Beca's secret was out?
Beca ran for the hills but Aubrey called after her, stopping her. "Beca, wait! Ladies, how do you feel about having a night in tonight at our place? Movie marathon?" Aubrey cut in and Chloe looked at her, just as surprised as everyone else. But she caught on quick. Talking the bellas into a night in meant talking Beca into coming over again. That seemed to be their best bet at talking to her. "Dance party?"
"On a Tuesday?" Amy asked, as if they all didn't know she'd party on any day. "Count me in." Many of the girls agreed to it behind her, chiming in on movie marathon ideas - Harry Potter, star wars, etc. The only one who didn't jump on it was Beca.
"Becs, what about you?" Chloe asked. Chloe couldn't hide her mischievous grin. "You in?"
"We'll be there!" Stacie said and Beca cringed.
Game set and match.
A few hours later, Aubrey and Chloe had the living room set for a movie marathon. They'd made the room a blanket fort and fit the couch and tv inside - moving the coffee table out of the way all together. They set out blankets, pillows, popped tons of popcorn, of course drinks, and put in the Harry Potter movie set in. In a matter of hours the pillow fort was filled with snuggling bellas, watching the first Harry Potter and quoting it with goofy voices - well everyone but Beca of course, who hated every second of watching. But she was there and Aubrey and Chloe had a plan.
"Beca, can we talk to you for a minute?" Chloe asked during a refill snack break in between movies.
Beca hesitated to answer. "Co-captains call!" Stacie pushed Beca towards the co-captains and Beca stumbled forward. Stacie winked at the co-captains and went off in another direction. Before Beca had a chance to turn back, Chloe took her by the hand Aubrey led them back to the master bedroom. Beca hesitated to even enter the room. She hardly stepped past the threshold.
"Listen, guys, I-"
"No, it's your turn to listen." Aubrey stated firmly. "We've listened to you and tried hard best not to step on your toes, but it's our turn to tell you how we feel." The blonde crossed her arms. Chloe and her had sat on their bed as soon they entered the room, comfortably arranging themselves for the conversation.
Beca opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Chloe took that as good enough to go on. Chloe pat the edge of the bed between her and Aubrey. Beca looked but didn't move. Chloe raised an eyebrow and did it again. "Come on." She said. Beca closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then joined them.
"Okay." Beca said, confirming their opportunity to speak. "Tell me."
"We care about you, a lot Beca. We've both had a crush on you." Chloe told her and Beca seemed entirely surprised by the confession. As if they weren't soulmates at all. "And nothing in this world is going to change Aubrey and I's relationship. And it's not your responsibility or your right to decide that we're better off without you."
Beca again opened her mouth to protest, but Aubrey cut her off. "We're not asking to go all in either. We know you're scared." Aubrey said. "But, neither of us can let you walk away without trying. So we propose that we take our relationship as slow as you want. Even as friends." Beca seemed to be with her so far. "But." Beca frowned, seeming to know there would be a but. "You have to stop closing yourself off and hiding from us. You have to let yourself feel your feelings and hang out with us, as usual." She let the words hang in the air for a long time to let them sink in. "And if by the end of the year you still want to be on your own.. we won't ask you to stay."
"Before you say anything," Chloe added. "You should think about the fact that we're not just your soulmates, you're ours." The words were so concrete that all three of them seemed dazed hearing them said out loud. "Which means you should give us a say in if there is something here. You don't just get to decide that because you're scared you won't have a relationship with us. Unless…" Chloe gulped before she finished. "Unless you can look me in the eye and tell me that you have absolutely no romantic feelings for Either of us."
Beca looked up, a deer in headlights look in her eyes. She was quiet for a long time as the words sank in. Her eyes were so beautiful. "I…" Beca stuttered. "I.. okay."
"Okay?"
Beca nodded, slowly. "You're right. I'm not the only part of the whole here… I don't get make that decision without you two. And…" Beca took a big deep breath and her two soulmates could see her entire chest expand. "I do have feelings. For both of you."
