Chapter 21: Fine Line

Chicago woke up in his apartment, his arms wrapped around Stacie as he looked around the room. The young NFL star yawned before sitting up and looking at the empty walls around him. They were leaving for Seattle today. Everything was packed in the moving van they had rented, and was already on its way to Seattle. He looked at his watch that sat on the bedside table, the time read 7:45.

Stacie began to stir when she felt Chicago moving around. She turned over onto her side and slowly opened her eyes, squinting as they adjusted to the light in the room. "Hey," she murmured softly.

"Hi," Chicago mumbled before yawning again. He continued to look at the room around him. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, looking out of the window towards the city of San Francisco.

"Mmhm. What about you?" Stacie said, letting out a little yawn after she finished speaking.

"Yeah, I did." Chicago answered. His phone buzzed, so he picked it up. "Looks like the moving van is now in Washington. It'll get to the apartment around the same time our flight lands." He said, stretching and standing up.

"Oh, that's good," Stacie said, sitting up in bed and stretching as well. "What time is our flight again?" She asked.

"It's in three hours." Chicago said. "Coach Carroll booked our flight on a private jet. I know that seems like too much, but it's just for this move."

Stacie's eyes widened. "Wow, that's really nice of him. Does he have a private jet just, like, sitting around?"

"I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he did," Chicago laughed. He then got up and went into the bathroom to get changed.

Stacie got up and headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee while Chicago got ready. The sweet smell of coffee filled the air by the time Chicago was done. "Thank you," He said when she filled up the to go mug that he had in his hand.

"Are you excited to play for the Seahawks?" Stacie asked.

"Excited but nervous," Chicago replied, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. "I've always wanted to play for my hometown team. I don't want to let anyone down, though."

"Chic, you've never been known for letting people down. I'm sure you're going to be great." Stacie said, pouring the coffee in her to go mug before getting her jacket on.

"I know, I just can't help but worry about it. The Seahawks gave up two first round draft picks for me. I need to prove that I was worth the trade," Chicago stated. He then put a beanie on and held the door for Stacie.

"Chicago, you were a first round pick. You were on fire with the Niners until you got hurt. You'll be great," Stacie reassured him.

The football player smiled softly. "Thanks, Stace. I can always count on you to help me get back in the right mindset," he mentioned.

"You're the father of my child, I'm always going to be in your life; I might as well be a positive part." Stacie grabbed her suitcase and walked through the door. "Seattle, here we come."


Beca and Chloe arrived at the brunette's house after nearly six hours of driving. Much to Beca's chagrin, they had woken up early to leave but could now relax for the rest of the day. "Man, it feels good to finally be back."

"You've been away for a long time." Chloe said, setting down her bag by Beca's bed. "How long has it been since you actually slept in your bed?"

"Too long," Beca chuckled. "But I'm gonna go swim in the pool for a bit first. I'll be crabby if I just sleep for the rest of the day."

"Would you mind if I joined you?" Chloe asked.

Beca shook her head. "Not at all. I just need to get back in shape. I didn't do much exercising while I was away," she mentioned before as she went to her room to change.

Chloe changed in one of the guest bedrooms. When she went out to the pool, Beca was already there and swimming around. "How does the water feel?" The redhead called out to her girlfriend.

"Great. It's not very cold." Beca said before putting her goggles back on. She had a nice long pool in her backyard, and it was easy to swim laps in. Despite not having worked out in a while, Beca swam laps with ease. Chloe joined her and they swam laps together.

After swimming laps for a half hour or so, Beca and Chloe decided to just float around the pool for a bit. "This is nice, isn't it?" Beca sighed happily.

"Very, I could get used to this," Chloe said with a smile. "Maybe your workout room could be my gym so I can cancel my over expensive membership at Gold's," she laughed a moment later.

Beca smiled too. She had always loved Chloe's laugh. "You're always welcome here, Chlo. You don't even need a reason to drop by."

"I know, but now I can get rid of that gym membership and we can be workout buddies." Chloe mentioned.

"In more ways than one," Beca joked before swimming over to her girlfriend.

Chloe turned her head when she heard Beca swimming over to her. The redhead was still floating on her back. "Hey baby," she giggled.

"Hi," Beca said with a smirk. "What kind of songs do you think Harry and I will write?" She asked curiously before picking Chloe up and spinning her around.

Chloe put her arms around Beca's neck and laughed as she was spun around in the water. "Well, I'm sure there will be some love songs on the album."

"He's no stranger to love songs, that's for sure. There will probably be a song or two about sex, Harry's never been shy to talk about intercourse during his songs," Beca mentioned.

"Oh I know. What's that one song where he talks about how a girl 'feels so good' to him?" Chloe thought aloud. The answer came to her not long after. "'Carolina'! That's it."

Beca couldn't help but laugh at her girlfriend's adorable mannerisms. "Yeah, you're right." She then moved her hand further up Chloe's back so she could get a strand of hair out of Chloe's beautiful face.

"I'm so excited to hear what you guys come up with. Will I get any sneak peeks?" Chloe asked, biting her lip a little.

"I do have an idea for a song, but it's rather naughty." Beca bit her lip to hold a smirk in.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at this comment. "Oh really? How does it go?"

"Well, I don't have the lyrics yet, but it's going to be about female pleasure since Harry and I both like girls," Beca said, still trying to keep a straight face.

Chloe caught Beca's drift. "Ah. So you'll be speaking from personal experience while writing?"

"I usually write about my personal experiences, but this will probably be the most sexual song I've ever written or helped write." Beca mentioned, slowly untying the bottom tie on the top half of Chloe's bikini.

Chloe instantly noticed this. "What are you doing?" She asked, though she absolutely knew what was going on.

"Oh, nothing," Beca said in a funny voice. "Maybe I'm about to show you what this song is going to be about."

"I thought so," Chloe giggled. "Go right ahead, by all means," she quickly added, untying one of the ties on the bottom piece.

"I figured you might say that." Beca said before continuing.

About fifteen minutes later, Beca and Chloe were laying down on a beach chair in the covered area of the pool, covered in a couple towels. Chloe's head was on Beca's chest, and Beca's hand ran along Chloe's sides. "That's going to a good song," Beca said.

"Mmhm," Chloe hummed in reply, smiling as she felt Beca's fingers running along her skin.

"Yup, it's going to be really good, considering it's about you." Beca started. "And your body. Well, a specific part of your body." She bit her lip.

"Not everyone can say that a song is going to be written about their…" Chloe trailed off, giggling. "And I bet there are very few people who can say that song will be sung by the one and only Harry Styles," she added.

"Mmm, I can't wait to write this album," Beca said, nibbling on Chloe's earlobe before picking her up and carrying her inside to continue.


Once Beca had been home a couple weeks, she and Harry decided to meet up at the studio to start working on ideas for the album. Beca already had a couple thought, and was excited to share them with the Harry Styles.

"It looks like you've done a lot of brainstorming," Harry chuckled, referencing the big notebook Beca had brought with her.

"What can I say? I'm excited." Beca said, chuckling along with Harry before handing the notebook to him.

Harry took a couple minutes to flip through the notebook. He paused on one page, continued for a moment, then went back. "This one jumped out at me," the Brit stated, showing Beca the page he was on. "Canyon Moon" was written at the top.

"Okay, cool! Do you want to start with that one?" Beca asked, glad that Harry had already found an idea of hers that he liked.

"Sure. Did you have a particular melody in mind?"

"I actually thought you could lead on that." Beca said. She then walked over to the piano. "I have piano parts in mind, but I want you to come up with something."

"Alright, I can work with that," Harry said. He listened to Beca play her ideas on the piano first, then he took a crack at creating a melody for the song.

"Canyon Moon" - Harry Styles

"Gotta see it to believe it, sky never looked so blue

So hard to leave it, that's what I always do

So I keep thinking back to a time under the canyon moon

The world's happy waitin', door's yellow, broken blue

I heard Jenny saying, 'Go get the kids from school'

And I keep thinking back to a time under the canyon moon

I'll be gone too long from you."

Beca stopped playing, smiling over at Harry. "That's all I have so far, but your melody worked really well. How do you like it?"

"It's great," Harry said, smiling back at Beca. "I can already tell this is going to be a fun song."

Beca scratched her head. "Before we continue, I want to ask you something."

"Go right ahead," Harry said.

"What do you want the theme of this album to be?" Beca asked.

"Well, I don't think there's going to be just one theme," Harry started. "I want this album to tell a story. The story starts with meeting someone new and what most people call the 'honeymoon phase' of a relationship. However, like most relationships, the one in this story is not a walk in the park; there are highs and lows. I want there to be a few songs that touch upon the sadness following a breakup, then the process of finding yourself after a heartbreak," he explained. "If I had to pick an overarching theme for the album, I would say it's this: that regardless of what may happen, at the end of the day we'll be alright."

"I like it," Beca said, pausing for a moment. "Actually no, I love it. Do you have any ideas for the first song?"

"I do, actually." Harry pulled out a sheet of paper from his bag and handed it to Beca. "It's called 'Golden'. I finished the lyrics and know what the melody is going to be, but I could use some help with the instrumental parts."

"Let's get to work then." Beca said.

The two of them then started spitballing ideas, coming up with ideas for the first few songs. Beca brought up the idea she had discussed with Chloe, and it was no surprise that he loved it.

"Are you sure you'll be okay with me singing a song about your girlfriend's...you know?" Harry asked with a chuckle.

"I am. Because it doesn't just have to be about her, at least when you sing it," Beca stated. "When we come up with the lyrics, it'll be about enjoying giving a girl oral. For you, it can be about any girl you want. But for me, it will always be about my girlfriend."

Harry nodded his head in understanding. "So, I'm thinking we go about this using metaphors. We describe it indirectly so people will know what it's about, but it's not too obvious," he said.

"Brilliant," Beca said. "Now, what is something that perfectly describes it?"

The two musicians sat in silence for a minute. Then, Harry's head popped up and he had a smile on his face. It was as if an actual light bulb appeared on his head. "Do you like fruit?"

"Yeah, why?" Beca asked, wondering where Harry was going.

"Hear me out," Harry said. "It's sweet like fruit, so maybe that's the metaphor we use." He then took out a piece of paper and jotted down a couple ideas. After about two minutes he read his idea out loud to Beca.

"Watermelon Sugar" - Harry Styles

"Tastes like strawberries on a summer evening

And it sounds just like a song

I want more berries and that summer feeling

It's so wonderful and warm."

"How does that sound?" Harry asked after he finished reading.

Beca smiled at the Brit. "I love it. Let me take a stab at the next part." She replayed Harry's lyrics in her head a couple times before taking the piece of paper from him and writing down her own ideas.

"Breathe me in, breathe me out

I don't know if I could ever go without

I'm just thinking out loud

I don't know if I could ever go without…"

The brunette trailed off, not knowing where to go from there.

"That's fantastic, we just need to start thinking of a melody." Harry stated.

"Yeah, I agree. Let's work on the melody of the verse before we do anything else." Beca said.

Harry turned around and grabbed one of the acoustic guitars that was in the room. "I'm gonna start playing some chords. Let me know if anything sticks out to you," he said before he began to strum the guitar.

Beca was impressed with Harry. Considering he'd only started to learn how to play the guitar a couple years ago, he was already pretty good at it. The young woman listened carefully, trying to pick out some chords that would work. "Hang on, try putting the capo on the sixth fret," she suggested Once Harry did, Beca continued. "Try these chords: Am, Em, G, and D."

Harry played those chords, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he listened to the melody. "I really like that," he said before running through the chords a few more times to get the hang of it.

"Now we just need to figure out the time of the lyrics," Beca said.

They settled on a time for the lyrics after a half hour of practicing the lyrics and chords at different speeds. "The last major component of the song that's left is the chorus," Harry said while they were taking a short break.

"Yeah, since we've kind of used the fruit metaphor in the verses, do you want to continue using that on the chorus' as well?" Beca asked, taking a sip of her water after she finished speaking.

Harry nodded. "I'll run through the lyrics again and see if I get a sudden burst of inspiration." He picked up the guitar and began playing the chord progression Beca had suggested earlier.

"Tastes like strawberries on a summer evening

And it sounds just like a song

I want more berries and that summer feeling

It's so wonderful and warm

Breathe me in, breathe me out

I don't know if I could ever go without

I'm just thinking out loud

I don't know if I could ever go without…"

Harry glanced over at Beca, and the brunette knew by the look in his eyes that he had an idea.

"Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar!"

"Love it," Beca said. "We could add layers of harmonies with your band, that would sound absolutely killer."

"You keep on saying more brilliant things, why haven't I asked you to work with before?" Harry said with a laugh.

Beca chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me, man. I'm grateful to be working on this album, though — I can tell it's going to be something very special."


After they finished for the day, Beca drove to Chloe's apartment, picking up some food on the way. She knocked on her girlfriend's door and waited with a smile on her face. The young musician was so psyched to tell Chloe about her day.

The door opened less than a minute after Beca knocked. "Hey babe," Chloe greeted, giving her a kiss before stepping aside so she could come in.

"I came bearing food," Beca said with a smile on her face. "I have so much to tell you, Chlo. Today was awesome."

Chloe loved how excited her girlfriend was. "What's Harry like?" She asked.

"He's honestly one of the nicest people I've ever met, and one of the best-looking too. I'd totally be crushing on him if I wasn't gay," Beca began, smiling when Chloe laughed at the last thing she said. "Anyways, he's so creative. We only worked on a couple songs, but it was some of the most fun I've ever had while songwriting."

"That's amazing, Beca. I'm so happy for you," Chloe said, squeezing the brunette's hands.

The two women then got ready for dinner. Beca grabbed plates from Chloe's cupboard while the redhead put some napkins and silverware out on the table. "How was work today, love?"

"It was good," Chloe replied, smiling at the thought. "Your boss at the studio was really excited about some of the pieces I was bringing in. We worked on a couple classical pieces and a couple that I wrote myself."

"That's so exciting! When will I get to hear those pieces?" Beca asked enthusiastically.

"Soon, I hope. We only have a couple more to record then my first album should be done," Chloe mentioned, her heart melted at how excited Beca was for her. "What songs did you work on today with Harry?"

"We started with a song I wrote called 'Canyon Moon,' then we wrote one together that we're probably going to name 'Watermelon Sugar.' The latter is the one I was telling you about the other day," Beca answered, throwing in a wink at the end.

"Oh really?" Chloe said with a chuckle. "How is that one going?"

"Pretty good. I feel like it's going to be the song of the summer," Beca said before taking a bite of her dinner.

"'Watermelon Sugar' is an interesting title," Chloe commented, giggling a little.

"Harry came up with it." Beca said, laughing along with her girlfriend. "It is his album after all."


Beca was currently taking a shower in Chloe's bathroom. Chloe had cleaned up their dinner and was making her way to her bathroom when she heard Beca softly singing.

"Breathe me in, breathe me out

I don't know if I could ever go without

I'm just thinking out loud

I don't know if I could ever go without…"

Chloe stopped outside the door, smiling to herself as she listened to Beca sing.

"Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar high

Watermelon sugar!"

The redhead slowly opened the door and poked her head inside the bathroom. "I think you're right about that being the song of the summer," she said softly so she didn't startle her girlfriend.

Beca raised an eyebrow when she heard Chloe's voice before opening the shower curtain. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Chloe said. The two of them stood there for a moment, staying relatively quiet. "Are you contemplating whether or not you're going to ask me to join you?"

"Actually, I was wondering whether or not you were going to ask if you could join me," Beca said with a wink.

"I'm sure you already know my answer," Chloe replied, smirking as she started to undress.

This made the young singer smirk as well. She watched as her girlfriend's clothes started to drop towards the floor. "Damn," Beca said, biting her lip.

Chloe heard this, of course, since she was right there. "Like what you see?" She asked playfully.

"Love," Beca answered quickly, keeping the curtain open so her girlfriend could join her. "Thanks for joining me."

"Of course," said Chloe before she stepped into the shower. After Beca closed the curtain behind her, the redhead leaned in and gave the brunette a sweet kiss on the lips. "Mmm, I love you."

"I love you too," Beca murmured. She wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist. The hot water cascaded down their bodies softly. "You're very beautiful. I know I say that a lot, but you are."

"Thank you, baby. You're very beautiful as well," Chloe murmured back while leaning her forehead against Beca's.

"You know, writing that song about you and your…" Beca trailed off, looking down at her girlfriend's naked body. "...really has got me turned on," she muttered.

"Really?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow in a playful manner.

"Yup," Beca said with a smirk. Her hands moved to the dip in Chloe's back, she then backed Chloe up against the shower wall. "You down?" She asked, making Chloe laugh.

"When am I ever not down?" Chloe chuckled while putting her arms around Beca's neck.

Beca nodded her head, after Chloe's answer. "True," she muttered before kissing her girlfriends lips as the hot water steamed up the bathroom.


Beca climbed into Chloe's bed, and the redhead followed suit. "That was nice," Chloe mentioned, letting her girlfriend's head lay on her chest.

"Mmhm." Beca closed her eyes, her head rising and falling with each breath Chloe took. Then, a thought pops into her head. "I know this is probably still a little ways down the road," she started. "But would you ever want to have kids with me?" Chicago and Stacie's situation had got Beca thinking, so she thought she might as well bring it up.

"Well, I've always wanted to have kids and I'm pretty set on spending the rest of my life with you, so yeah," Chloe answered with a smile. "How do you feel about it?"

"I mean, I basically helped raise Henry and Hailee." Beca chuckled. "And I love them to pieces." She then thought about a little Chloe running around and the thought made her smile. "Yeah, I do want kids someday."

Chloe noticed the smile that had crept up on Beca's face. "What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"I'm just thinking about what it would be like with a little Chloe running around the house." Beca stated in a voice no louder than a whisper.

These words made the redhead's heart melt. "I would love that," Chloe whispered back.

"It would be pretty great, huh?" Beca said, suddenly pulling Chloe on top of her. "I guess that means you want to marry me someday too, right?"

"I do," Chloe said.

"Well then, I'll have some time to plan out the best proposal ever." Beca stated, making Chloe giggle and blush.

"I'm sure whatever you come up with will be amazing." Chloe leaned in and kissed Beca softly, pulling away after a few moments to gaze into her eyes.

"I'm going to marry you someday," Beca said, making herself all jittery on the inside. She couldn't get the smile off of her face. "I love you, Chlo."

"I love you too, Becs."


Awwwwww! Chills! Some baby and marriage talk going on here. There's still so much more to come so stay tuned!