The sun shone through the open windows of the small Spanish hotel and Chloe relished the breeze that drifted into the room. She stood before a long mirror in the small room and stared at her reflection. The redhead smoothed down the front of her light floaty top, the third top she'd changed into that day. She was a terror for changing her outfits, particularly when she didn't have her housemate around to ask the opinion of. She'd only ever admit it to herself, but it mattered to Chloe what Beca thought. Because everything she was, every way she dressed, every decision she made…it was all for Beca.

Around six years ago, on the first day of her senior year of college, Chloe had first laid eyes on the young woman who would one day become her best friend. The one person who her heart would ache for more than any person she had ever known. Beca had been a freshman who Chloe had noticed walking around the societies fair. There had been something about the 18 year old's long dark hair, petite body and dark eyeliner that had made the redhead's heart skip a beat, and she immediately suggested to her co-captain and best friend at the time, Aubrey, that they invite the alt-girl to audition for their acapella group, The Barden Bella's. Aubrey had been dead against the unusual looking girl joining their group, but Chloe, desperate to get to know the beautiful young woman, thrusted a flyer at Beca getting her to stop. Chloe still looked back now and cringed at how over-eager she'd seemed when talking to the girl, desperate to impress her. She still remembered how her heart had sank when Beca had told her how lame acapella groups seemed and that she didn't sing.

Chloe had spent the following few weeks thinking about the mysterious girl nonstop and even more so thinking about her own sexual identity. Since joining Barden University three years prior to meeting Beca she had identified herself, as she always had done, as heterosexual. Sure, she had seen women around and noted how attractive they looked in their own way, but the moment she had laid eyes on Beca, the moment she had seen her smile, well she had never felt attracted to another woman before Beca. And hadn't since. The following few weeks after meeting the brunette Chloe had been looking out for her everywhere on campus, imagining different scenarios in which she could meet her and get to know her. But never could she have imagined the situation when they finally did meet again.

Now singing had been something that Beca had lied to her about, because as Chloe fooled about with her on-off boyfriend in one of the women's showers on campus late one night, the sound of a woman's singing voice drifted around the large area, causing the redhead to freeze. Making her guy wait for her in the cubical, she slowly walked, naked, in the direction of the beautiful voice, her heart in her mouth. Whoever the voice belonged to didn't matter, they had to audition for the Bella's. She stopped outside the cubical and peeked through a tiny crack in the curtain. Chloe's heart skipped a beat as she saw the figure of the beautiful young woman she had been looking for since meeting her a few weeks ago. She was so overcome with joy, and excitement, and surprise, that she found herself pulling the curtain open, startling the eighteen year old who had sprung for the shower curtain to cover her naked body. To many, being naked in front people would be weird, but not the twenty one year old, who believed that being naked was freeing.

Two minutes of startled talking and a spontaneous duet that had seemed to melt the icy walls of the alt-girls frosty demeanour and Chloe had persuaded Beca to audition for The Bella's. Chloe had remembered how eager she had been to attend that audition and prove to Aubrey that the girl she had originally sneered at for being too alternative for their acapella group was everything they needed to succeed. Chloe remembered how heartbroken she had felt when she noticed that the mysterious girl had not completed an audition form, nor had she turned up. Just as she was about to lose all hope, the girl had appeared at the end.

Chloe remembered how she had had to force her breathing to become steady and reserved as she had watched Beca sit comfortably before them and perform a song she had never heard before, using nothing but her voice and Chloe's favourite yellow cup that she had asked to borrow for the performance. Aubrey had conceded that afternoon that Beca had certainly been the best of a bad bunch, but Chloe in her heart knew Beca was far more than that. She was the best. Full stop. And to her delight the alt-girl that she had so quickly fallen for became a member of their acapella group. The rest, as they say, is history.

Chloe walked over to the open window, picking up her wireless hair straighteners from the small table beside it, and was about to leave the room when she heard the familiar voice of her Australian friend talking to someone she presumed to be Beca out on the terrace below, "Hey I'm sorry to hear about you and Jesse."

Chloe's stomach twisted at the mention of his name. That total douchebag who Beca had been in a relationship with throughout college and a half a year following. The man who had spent years envisioning his life with Beca, the two of them following their dreams by moving to LA together and becoming successful in their own fields. The douchebag who had dumped Beca the moment she had suggested to him that they move to NYC instead of LA. She had known how uncomfortable Beca had felt about the idea of dubbing him the guy she was going to spend the rest of her life with, far more uncomfortable that he had ever been, and it was a good job she had.

Chloe had always been polite towards Jesse for Beca's sake. He had been after-all Captain of the other renowned Barden University acapella group, the Treblemakers, and actually a good guy. And throughout college he had been so kind to Beca, something that Chloe had hated. In those days she'd imagined so many moments when Jesse had been a total dick towards Beca and she'd dump him before declaring her love for her instead. But Jesse had rarely, if ever, been a dick. And Beca had given no indication that she loved her or held any feelings for her in fact. So Chloe had just relished any moment she had had with Beca during their time together in college, secretly miserable, crying herself to sleep at night as she battled with the unrequited love she held for her best friend. Until one day, six months after graduation, Chloe had finished a busy shift at work and checked her phone to see a message to The Bella's Whatsapp group that would change her life.

Chloe took a great sigh of relief as she stepped out of the small coffee shop and felt the warm sun on her skin. As much as she enjoyed the social side of working in a busy little coffee shop in her hometown in South Carolina it was still a relief when she finished work. The redhead pulled out her cellphone and noticed a hive of activity from the Bella's Whatsapp group. Her heart jumped into her mouth as she read the top message from Beca:

"Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know, Jesse and I have split up. All gd here, for the best. Hope you're all ok. B."

The send-receipt read 1500hrs. It had been two months since the end of their US victory tour, and Chloe could only remember too well the strain that distance had put on her best friend and Jesse, both of whom were living two states apart from each other as it was. Without a moments hesitation the redhead called the woman she so desperately wanted to hear from to check that she was okay.

"Hey Chloe" the tone of Beca's voice was somber and Chloe's heart felt like it had broken to know how sad her best friend must be feeling.

"Oh Beca I'm so sorry to hear about you and Jesse! And I'm so sorry that I'm only just calling you! I've been at work all day and you sent this an hour ago and you must think I'm the worst friend in the world and-" Chloe was panicking, feeling so awful that she had left her best friend alone having just broken up with her long-term boyfriend.

"-woah Chloe slow down!" Beca said, with a quiet tinge of amusement in her voice, "you're far from the worst friend in the world. In fact…you're the only person who's called me after finding out."

"Really?" Chloe had to admit it, in a terrible way a small part of her was thrilled to have been the first person to call her. Perhaps she wasn't such a terrible friend after all..

"Yeah. And if I'm honest…" Chloe held her breath as her best friend paused, as though thinking carefully about her next choice of words, "…I'm really pleased it was you." The redhead felt her heart soar as she felt the rare tidbit of affection from the occasionally prickly twenty three year old.

Chloe began to hear how Beca had been offered a promotion within the company she'd been interning at, Residual Heat, and that she was required to move to New York as part of the deal, where the new company headquarters were. Chloe had been both thrilled for her and disappointed that she would be moving even further from where she lived now (which had conveniently only been a three hour drive from Chloe's parents' house). The twenty six year old had been sad to hear the change in tone of the conversation when Beca revealed that she had been dependent on Jesse sharing the rent of her apartment when they moved to NY but Jesse had had other ideas and explained that it was better if they split up instead.

"And now…I have no idea what to do Chlo. I can't afford to rent a place on my own and it's too much of a risk to live with a total stranger as New York is so far from home!" Chloe felt awful. She hadn't heard Beca feel this hopeless in…well ever! "I think I'm going to have to turn the job down and hold out until I've saved enough money to maybe rent somewhere near NYC on my own and hope that work still have a position like that available."

Chloe stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk of her little town and furrowed her brow in deep thought. Suddenly, as if a light had shone on her, she turned on her heels and began making her way back to work, "Beca I just need to make a call, but I'll call you back very soon."

"Oh…okay…" The brunette had sounded surprised but if Chloe's idea would work, her best friend would be surprised for a whole different reason.

"Promise me one thing though Becs, don't turn down your promotion just yet." And with that, Chloe stepped back into the coffee shop she worked at, ready to do some bargaining.

After speaking in length with her boss at the coffee shop, then in length with her parents, Chloe had been able to call Beca straight up and tell her that she would be going to New York with her. They had now been there for eighteen months, living in a sweet little apartment that Chloe's parents kindly paid a third of the rent for each month.

"It's cool. I mean the chances of a college relationship lasting post-graduation is low so… I guess our breakup was pretty inevitable." Chloe could sense the tone of Beca's voice. She'd said what she'd said to Fat Amy in a way that she wanted to sound like she didn't really care, but Chloe had a feeling that hearing Jesse's name still really hurt her best friend. The redhead turned to leave the room and dash downstairs to save Beca from a tirade of questions but she paused again, intrigued by what the brunette's answer for the next question may be:

"Sooo… you got your eyes on anyone else?"

Chloe edged towards the windowsill, placing her hands on the ledge as she listened intently to Beca's long sigh, "I don't have time to be looking for someone else."

"Not even for someone saaay with long red hair, blue eyes, and a dazzling smile? Someone who you share an apartment with maybe?" Chloe froze, her mouth dropped open as she heard the Australian describe her. It had been no secret over the years that Fat Amy had quite openly advocated that Beca and Chloe would make the perfect couple. And while this had secretly absolutely thrilled Chloe to pieces, Beca had too often rolled her eyes at the Australian's suggestion, reminding her that she had a boyfriend. That boyfriend who had at one point been unfortunately in the room when a drunk Fat Amy had suggested it during their penultimate year college party.

The kitchen of the Treblemakers frat house was bustling with life in the early hours of the final Sunday that the acapella college students would be in the house before going their separate ways for the summer. Not one person was sober. Chloe stood with her back against the fridge-freezer, swigging punch from her favourite yellow cup. She loved nights like this. Tonight, much like any night that she went out drinking with The Bella's, she stood watching, glancing, dancing, laughing, and hugging Beca. Her very best friend, her co-captain, and the woman she secretly harboured feelings for. Chloe swayed slightly to the beat of the music pumping around the house. She was drunk, she knew it. Maybe tonight was the night she told Beca how she really felt about her?

Chloe looked up from her cup and, stood on the opposite side of the kitchen to her, was Beca, equally drunk, and leaning up against a tall cupboard. The redhead gulped as she saw the petite brunette looking at her. Did Beca fancy her? Did Beca feel the same way?

"Guys, if I had a bottle right now, I'd spin it. I would. I would spin it for you," Chloe watched as Fat Amy pointed at her, "and I would spin it so it landed on you." And the drunk Australian pointed at Beca. "Because you guys you…you both love each other yeah?" Both girls just smiled at each other, Beca yelling a big "wehey!" while Chloe gave Beca a seductive drunk wink and thumbs up. "That way you girls can finally make out...like…I know…I know you've both secretly wanted to for...three years." Fat Amy slurred, and Chloe watched as Beca brought a finger up to her lips in a "shhhing" motion and whispered loudly "shh! It's a secret!" before giggling loudly.

All of a sudden Chloe quickly felt herself sobering up, as she watched Fat Amy pick up and point an empty bottle at her, before spinning around messily and pointing at Beca. The surrounding Bella's and few Treblemakers cheered as Beca held her arms up victoriously and walked slowly towards Chloe. The redhead's heart was racing, a drunk smile washing over her face as she saw Beca approach her. Chloe's mind began spinning as she felt the petite frame of her best friend press up against hers, and she wrapped her arms around her waist whilst Beca put her arms around the redhead's neck. Chloe's body felt numb and the world felt as though it was moving in slow motion as she saw Beca close her eyes with a smile and draw her lips closer to hers. The redhead could feel a smile on her face as her heart raced, the anticipation of the one thing she had so desperately craved since they had first met finally coming true.

To her dismay she saw a figure appear behind Beca, and watched as Jesse pulled his girlfriend away from her by her waist. Chloe had stood frozen to the spot as the people around her booed and Beca yelled at her boyfriend, seemingly fuming at the ruined moment.

"What the hell dude?" the brunette had screeched.

"What do you mean what the hell? You were about to cheat on me with her!" Chloe felt embarrassed as she saw Jesse motion angrily over at her. She'd always known he'd disliked her. At several parties in the past she and Beca had been together dancing, or laughing, or drinking and he'd looked on disapprovingly, no matter how drunk or sober he was. But tonight was the first time he'd physically separated them.

"I wasn't going to cheat on you! I was just going to kiss her! It's the rules of spin the bottle!"

"You weren't even playing spin the bottle!"

Beca looked even angrier at Jesse's last comment but not as angry as Fat Amy who called out to the squabbling couple, "Oi! They so were playing spin the bottle and you ruined it!" The Bella's booed again while Beca lifted her hands with an "I hope you're happy" expression on her face.

To Chloe's horror Jesse turned on her, drunkenly pointing an accusing finger at her, "You know what, you need to stop sniffing around my girlfriend! I mean it Chloe! I don't care how much you may love her or whatever, it's never going to happen because she loves me, and she's with me!" But at his final few words, a fuming Beca threw her hands in the air and stormed out of the kitchen, pushing past several Treblemakers in the process. Jesse ran after her, leaving Chloe to stand in the same place she had always been standing, completely stunned.

"Dude…" she heard Beca hiss in response to Fat Amy's suggestion.

"What?" Chloe felt slightly uncomfortable as she listened to the Australian's reasoning, "Oh come on! She's high maintenance, highly organized, bubbly and anxious. You're low maintenance, sloppy, moody and laid back. You're perfect for each other! Bhloe forever!" Chloe felt a lump in her throat as she heard Fat Amy desperately reason with the petite brunette and Chloe could imagine Beca's facial expression at the mention of Amy's favourite nickname for them. It would've likely been an angry glare. Much like the one given a couple of years ago when the Bella's had gone to a boot camp ran by the graduated Aubrey, organised by Chloe, and reluctantly attended by her co-captain Beca.

"I've got more important things to do!" Beca yelled out to The Bella's in frustration as the women around her began to disperse, sensing the negative atmosphere that was building around the Captains.

"What could be more important than this?!" Chloe screwed her face up in disbelief, breathing heavily with frustration, trying to keep back the tears that so often welled up when she believed something to be unfair. Right now she was stood face-to-face with Beca, both exhausted after an uncomfortable restless night sharing a cramped tent between all ten of the Bellas, and a long day of team building activities.

"Nothing! Forget it."

"No, you don't think that we haven't all realised you've been a little checked-out lately?" Chloe confronted Beca, uncharactistically, and she watched one of their fellow Bella's approach behind Beca, giving her a nudge, "Come on, Beca, just tell her"

Chloe's heart plummeted as she stared at her best friend expecting her to react in some way, but the brunette had turned her head away from her and towards Fat Amy, who had taken one look at Beca's expression and gulped loudly at what she had just said. Chloe wanted to cry as she choked out her words, angry and heartbroken that Beca clearly hadn't trusted her enough to tell her her secret, "I heard that. Tell me what?"

"Oh you misunderstood me, I clearly said rum-pum-pupper-meh-schmerer..." Chloe screwed her face up, noticing Beca turn back towards her, shaking her head in disbelief as the Australian stuttered, clearly feeling guilty that she had caused a large rift between her two captains, "Listen, I don't want you guys to fight. You're Beca and Chloe. Together you're Bhloe. And everyone loves a good Bhloe."

Despite a screwed up expression, Chloe couldn't help the slightly bemused grin that whispered across her face as she looked over Beca's shoulder at Amy. If she wasn't feeling so confused and angry right now she would've squealed a bit internally in excitement at the thought of sharing a nickname with her best friend, the woman she loved. That young woman turned to her, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself and Chloe waited with baited breath, having no idea what could come next. Had she been sneaking off to be with Jesse more? Was she…pregnant?!

"Okay, I've been interning at a recording studio and a legit music producer wants to hear my work, God forbid I have something going on outside this group!"

Chloe paused for a millisecond. An overwhelming sense of relief and joy washed over her, thrilled for her best friend and the amazing opportunity she had been offered. Of course she hadn't been sneaking off to see more of Jesse, not that it would warrant sneaking off for, instead she'd been making waves within the music industry outside of the Bella's. Something that, for some reason, she felt Fat Amy could've handled knowing about better than her. In a flash she couldn't quite understand why Beca had been sneaking off to her internship instead of being open with them, or at least her, "Okay. So why would you keep something like that from us?" The redhead asked, making sure she phrased her sentences as though she was offended that Beca had hidden it from the Bella's rather than just her.

"Cause you're obsessed! You all are!" It was like a bullet to the heart to hear Beca criticise her so specifically. She always thought the Bella's had meant something to Beca. She always thought SHE had meant something to Beca. What Beca was saying though, how she was saying it, that wasn't the way someone who cared about Chloe should talk to her, and the redhead was on the cusp of crying as Beca continued, "We're graduating and the only person thinking about life after the Bellas is me!"

Chloe felt anger bubbling up in her unlike any anger she had felt in the past few years. This was what happened when anyone criticised the Bella's or her attitude towards her acapella group. "What is so wrong with being focused on the Bellas? This has been my family for seven years!" She yelled at Beca, trying desperately hard to hold back her tears, trying to get her best friend to be kinder by knowing just how much the Bella's meant to her.

"Yeah, cause you're too scared to leave, sack up dude!" Part of Chloe wanted to burst into tears because she was distraught that her best friend, the woman she loved, was criticising her life decisions. The other part of her wanted to burst into tears because this was far from how she had envisioned this trip to be like. This had been the trip that she hoped would open Beca's eyes up to her, to really make the most of their final couple of months left of college together. But the petite brunette had been her usual huffy stubborn self, and it had killed Chloe over the past few months to see just how distracted she'd become. Beca had lied to her, and from the sounds of things she was also going to be leaving her in the lurch to face Captaining the Bella's at the World Championship alone.

Chloe was both terrified and furious, "Okay so you've been lying to us for the entire year and now you're just gonna flake out? Now you're gonna flake out when the Worlds is, like, right after graduation?"

"Oh my God enough about the worlds! I…I'm out of here!" Chloe rolled her eyes, typical Beca, walking away when the tension got too high.

"Okay, you're just gonna leave now?" She called after her.

"We all have to eventually Chloe, it might as well be now!"

Chloe froze, her heart racing. Part of her wanted to run after her best friend, grab her by the shoulders and shake her vigorously until she calmed down. The other part of her wanted to run away in the opposite direction, finally giving herself the opportunity to burst into tears like she so desperately wanted to. In a dramatic twist of fate, however, as Beca stormed away she suddenly became trapped in a net that left her swinging above the ground.

"She's my best friend!" Chloe released a soft smile as she heard Beca's counter argument. If Beca still trusted Fat Amy with secrets like she had done in college, then the brunette now had the perfect opportunity to reveal how she really felt about Chloe.

"Okay, ouch…"

"One of my best friends," the brunette quickly rectified. As Beca paused, Chloe held her breath, her heart racing as she strained her ears, just in case Beca whispered her confession to Amy. But she didn't. Nor did she confess anything. "Just because you've made up a nickname for us does not mean that we are meant to be together!"

And there it was. The very confession that Chloe had so very much dreaded to hear. She had been expecting it, but for some reason it had still hurt. Even six years on from first meeting Beca, six years on from realising just how in love she was with her. Just over five years on from realising that in reality Beca would always choose her music before her, she would always choose guys before her, just like she'd chosen Jesse…

"Exactly! You're best friends! So you've already done the hard work!" Was the last thing Chloe heard the Australian exclaim, as she turned to leave the hotel room and make her way downstairs. Chloe took several deep breaths. It was normal for her to feel like this. To feel let down by Beca. Then she would feel guilty for feeling let down because it wasn't really Beca's fault. It was her own fault for feeling this way. For harbouring unrequited love for her best friend. But a long time ago Chloe had decided that she would live for the moments where it was just the two of them. She lived for their quiet evenings alone in their little apartment in Brooklyn. Where Beca would be her real self. Kind, gentle, funny. Where the brunette wouldn't think twice about Chloe resting her legs on her lap while they watched TV or mind sitting on Chloe's bed while she tried a million different outfits that could work as a travel outfit. Recently Beca had been more affectionate, in the best way that Beca knew how, even going as far as asking one evening when she'd got home from work if Chloe wanted to practice plaiting her hair again. Something that the redhead had jumped at the chance at.

"Dude! Inappropriate!" She heard Beca hiss at Fat Amy, as she stepped out onto the terrace. The sun was bright and the redhead sighed slightly. Her freckles were going to appear on her face very quickly at this rate. She had always been self-conscious of her freckles since she had been a young child, hating the way they collected around her nose and the tops of her cheeks. Fortunately since finding make-up as a teenager she had found a way to cover them if they ever got too out of control.

"What are you guys talking about?" Chloe asked as she approached the two women on the sun loungers to her right. They immediately dismissed talking about anything and the redhead let out a small suspicious smile. She'd known exactly what they'd been talking about and she felt herself get a bit giddy as she watched Beca quickly glance down at her laptop in front of her as her cheeks flushed red. She was never going to tell her about what she'd heard. Instead, in an attempt to save the brunette from further embarrassment, Chloe drew her attention to the straighteners in her hand,

"Would you mind straightening my hair at the back? You know, that wavy lock of hair that I can never seem to reach?" She saw Beca nod, her expression relaxing, and Chloe noted how different the young woman was now, unlike how she had been when they had first met. Back then Beca wouldn't have ever agreed to go anywhere near Chloe's hair, let alone straighten it. And to be honest, back then Chloe wouldn't have trusted anyone to touch her hair, let alone straighten it.

However, just as Chloe made to hand her straighteners to Beca, Fat Amy stood up with an obvious sigh, "Alright, alright, I'll do it Chlo, no need to pressure me."

The redhead froze, surprised by the offer having never intended for Amy to come anywhere near her hair, and she looked back at Beca with surprise. She could see the brunette smirking at her from her position down on the sunlounger.

"Take a seat Red, I've got this aaall under control" the Australian encouraged. Chloe reluctantly handed over her favourite hair straighteners before making her way over to Beca's sun lounger and gently taking a seat opposite the brunette. She recognised a brief look of surprise on her best friend's face, but as she crossed her legs she saw Beca reach down to put her laptop on the floor beside them. Neither of them shuffled their body positions, despite their knees touching, and Chloe relished this opportunity to try to read her best friend's body language.

Chloe knew that Beca hated any form of physical contact when out in public, particularly around Fat Amy. That was why she had purposefully sat on the armchair beside Beca's sofa in the hotel lounge last night instead of lacing her legs over the brunette's lap on the sofa with her, which is what she would have done had they been there alone. Chloe felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw the dark blue eyes of her best friend look at her. She noticed Beca glancing at the bridge of her nose, a small smile growing on her face, and Chloe could feel herself blushing slightly as her own smile grew. "Okaaay, of course you'd want to be with her…" she thought she heard Fat Amy mutter, but she didn't care. The two didn't break eye contact even when Fat Amy approached the women, muttering under her breath "I kinda expected you to sit on my sun lounger but whatever, I can make this work…"

A brief wave of fear washed over the redhead's face as she sensed Fat Amy approach behind her and take hold of the wild lock of red hair. Beca must have sensed her change in expression as Chloe heard her best friend let out a small bemused laugh, to which the redhead automatically reached out and slapped her playfully on the thigh. It was a very normal interaction for the two, particularly as Beca so very often teased Chloe, or gave her a teasing look that warranted the other woman to playfully tell her best friend off. As the two held eye contact Chloe thought she noticed Beca gulp, but before she could think to much about it, or think about the fingertips of her hand that still lightly lay on Beca's thigh, their Australian friend muttered an "oops" from the end of the sun lounger.

Chloe's stomach lurched with dread as she saw Beca's once relaxed eyes widen in horror, while she felt the once tightly pulled lock of hair release itself from her scalp.

Thanks for the follows guys!

Hope you enjoyed this second Chapter :)

Reviews always appreciated xx