Guys, seriously, these reviews are the sweetest.
'Sakura Martinez', 'Yoyo24', 'spashleyforever23' - Thank you so much!
There was a lot of dialogue going down in this Chapter when I re-read it, so had to bulk it out a little ;)
Hope you all enjoy!
(and for what it's worth, I was listening to 'Carry You' by 'Novo Amor' whilst writing this Chapter which is a gorgeously chilled and romantic song which is well worth a listen to if you get the chance! Especially if you can imagine BeChloe finally having their first kiss at the 3min mark of the song...)
There was a slight chill in the English air as the two Barden University alumni stepped out of the little bistro that they had been eating at. Beca was surprised at how many people were still milling the streets past eleven PM on a Tuesday night, but then she remembered that most of the cities she'd been to had been a hive of activity at all hours of the day, particularly New York, where she and Chloe lived.
Ahh Chloe. "Oh come on" the redhead said with a giggle, "are you telling me you're sorry I walked in on you in the shower to force you to audition for the Bella's?"
Beca grinned as she slowly began walking up the street towards their hotel, a couple of paces behind Chloe, reluctant to return to reality after what had been the perfect date, "That's not what I said! I just meant it was a surprise. As any self-respecting freshman would think!"
"Oh relax, you loved it!" Beca's heart skipped a beat as Chloe looked over her right shoulder at her and gave her a flirty wink and a dazzling smile. She was twirling the yellow gerbera between the fingers and thumb of her left hand and Beca was relieved that the flower had gone down well. It was Chloe. Of course it would. Beca couldn't help the smile that had grown on her face. How the hell had she got this lucky?
"You're so weird." Beca chuckled as she caught up to walk alongside her best friend and her heart leapt as the redhead nudged her left arm with a cheery "Thanks!"
The two fell quiet as they slowly made their way up the street. A small group of lads passed them on the opposite side of the street, clearly on some sort of pub crawl, and uttered wolf whistles at the two women. But neither of them seemed to notice, both walking in an almost trance as their minds thought about how wonderful it was to finally have had the chance to reveal their feelings to one another.
Beca could feel Chloe's right arm occasionally brush against her left. As the effects of the wine and the three shots she'd consumed over dinner took effect of her actions, Beca's heart rate began to increase while she remained her attention on the street life ahead of her. Slowly she reached her left hand out and gently took Chloe's hand. She knew the woman well enough to know she wouldn't object, after all Chloe was the more physically affectionate of the two of them, and she heard the redhead take a deep breath as they entwined their fingers. Neither of them looked at each other as they continued to slowly walk back to the hotel that could now be seen at the end of the street. They just walked slowly, hand in hand, with broad smiles on their faces. Beca's heart was ramming against her chest. This felt…right.
"You know what?" She heard Chloe say softly, "This doesn't feel so weird…"
"I was just thinking the same thing." Beca said, turning to look at Chloe. She could see the beautiful woman beaming at her, obvious excitement apparent, and Beca couldn't help the broad grin plastered over her face. They both looked ahead again, still walking slowly, still hand in hand, their fingers entwined. Beca noticed the hotel fast approaching and her smile dropped slightly as she began to feel a bit sad that this would soon have to end. That she would have to let go of Chloe's hand and act as though she didn't care much about her when in reality she really did.
"And for what it's worth, this has been the best first date I've ever had." The redhead said.
Beca grinned, turning to give Chloe a suspicious look whilst giving her a wink, "Ahh I'm sure you say that to every person you go on a first date with." Her heart soared again as she heard Chloe let out a loud giggle, gasping at the audacity of Beca's comment,
"I'm serious!" The redhead cried with another giggle and Beca felt her hand squeeze in hers to emphasise how much it had meant. This form of personal affection wasn't feeling uncomfortable at all and the brunette couldn't help the smile that grew on her face again as she and Chloe each stole glances of each other while they approached their hotel. Reluctantly Beca let go of Chloe's hand and they stood, face to face, at the foot of the steps that led to their hotel. Beca looked into Chloe's eyes with a nervous grin as the redhead beamed at her, "Well I guess this is it." She found herself saying quietly.
"I guess so." Chloe replied with an equally quiet tone. There was a brief pause as the two stared at each other, still in disbelief that they had just been to dinner together as more than friends. "Thank you for a nice date."
"Thank you."
Beca saw Chloe swallow loudly, looking down at the yellow gerbera she rolled about between her fingers and thumbs, clearly plucking up the courage to say something more, "Maybe…we could go on another date some time?"
Beca grinned as she saw the redhead look up at her, remembering Chloe's response when she had first asked her out earlier that day, "Are you asking me out on a date?"
"Yeah?" She saw Chloe smiling at her somewhat nervously, as though terrified Beca may say no, and Beca couldn't understand how she could possibly think that.
"Alright. Second date it is."
Beca's heart soared again as she saw that broad dazzling smile stretch across Chloe's face and felt thrilled that, not for the first time that night, she had been the reason to put it there. The brunette looked at Chloe's lips. The bright red lipstick that hadn't faded. And she took a deep breath, toying with the idea of kissing her. But just as she looked up to gauge what Chloe may be thinking, and whether kissing her full stop was a good idea, they heard the doors to the hotel open with a squeak, making them jump apart.
The two women began hastily walking up the hotel steps only to realise that the person who had opened the hotel door was Aubrey. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you two!" Beca noticed Aubrey's expression change as she looked from the brunette to Chloe and back again, clearly surprised by how well they were dressed. Her stomach knotted and she wondered if Aubrey twigged that they had just been on a date.
She could sense that Chloe was wondering the same thing, as the redhead sounded nervous, "What's up Aubrey?"
The three women began walking into the lobby of the hotel, "We need to talk through our set-list for tomorrow's performance." Aubrey said in an authoritative tone, "There's always ways in which we can improve on the last performance."
Beca let out an inaudible groan. Aubrey had always been like this. Always insisting that the Bella's be the very best they possibly could be. Beca had always had a 'what will be will be' kind of attitude about the Bella's performances, something that Chloe had always supported her with as her co-captain. "I guess I'll go and get my laptop then?" The brunette said with another sigh and Aubrey appeared to nod her approval at the suggestion.
Beca reached to her left, placed her hand into the back-right pocket of Chloe's jeans pocket, and pulled out their hotel key that was attached to the red keyring. Whilst walking out of the lobby the brunette took the chance and glanced over her shoulder at Chloe who was watching her leave with an expression of one who still couldn't believe what was happening between the two of them. Beca grinned, choosing to ignore the suspicious look on Aubrey's face, as she headed up to the hotel room alone.
...
So between the time that Beca had gone up to the hotel room to grab her laptop, returned to Chloe and Aubrey in the lobby, and sat for over an hour while Aubrey discussed with (told) them everything that could be done to 'improve' the Bella's next performance, something had changed. Beca stepped into the elevator in silence, knowing better than to be bothered to have any say when Aubrey was involved. Her changes weren't so drastic that they warranted Beca to get stubborn about them. The alcohol that she and Chloe had consumed earlier that evening had worn off over the past hour and the two stood side-by-side as Aubrey joined them in the elevator, turning her back on them, choosing to face the closing doors instead. Beca used this moment to glance at Chloe who returned the glance and gave her a small shrug. Aubrey had given no indication that she was angry with them about anything, so her behaviour seemed all the more unusual.
The elevator 'pinged' as they reached their floor and the three women filed out one by one. Beca pulled the red keyring out of her pocket as Chloe walked alongside her and to her surprise she saw Aubrey look over her shoulder at them with a knowing grin. The brunette swallowed loudly, forcing a closed grin as the blonde stopped outside her hotel room. The two women continued walking up the corridor as Aubrey said in a calm voice, "Goodnight you two."
They reached their room two doors down as they called out "Goodnight" to their friend, who stepped into her hotel room and closed her door behind her. Beca could feel Chloe looking at her as she unlocked the door to their own hotel room and they both walked inside, "I still don't know why she insists on changing our set-list at every new location we go to." Beca said with a sigh as she shut the hotel room behind them.
"You know Aubrey," Chloe said as she shrugged off her jacket and heels, delicately placing the yellow gerbera on the bedside table on her side of the bed, before walking through to the ensuite to take her makeup off, "she wants everything to be perfect."
"You always want everything to be perfect too, the difference is you go the right way about it." Beca said as she wandered over to her side of the double bed, plugging her laptop in to charge. She really hadn't needed to get it earlier. Aubrey had already made the decisions before they'd bumped into her. Beca paused, glancing around at the state of their hotel room as she slid her heels off. There were clothes littered everywhere and it occurred to her that Chloe had had to get ready alone this evening, without asking Beca's opinion on her outfit choices.
"Hey how's your Dad doing?" Chloe asked from the ensuite and Beca reached into her suitcase to pull out her pyjamas.
"I dunno, I guess he's alright?" She said nonchalantly as she perched on the edge of her side of the bed, taking her earrings out.
"You should really call him. He'd like that."
Beca rolled her eyes with a small smile at her best friend's suggestion. Of course she'd say that. Chloe really struggled to understand why Beca didn't get on so well with her father. Her mother she got, the woman having walked out on her and her Dad when she had been an early teen. But as far as Chloe was concerned Beca's father could do no wrong. And she would never admit it, but that was one of the things Beca loved about her. Her ability to always see the good in people. "I know, but…he's busy, I'm busy…"
"My Mom and Dad are always busy and I still find time to call them." The redhead said before beginning to clean her teeth.
Beca knew only too well how often Chloe called her parents, the redhead speaking to them over FaceTime at least twice a week. Usually in the evenings. Usually around 8pm. Usually just after Beca had got in from work and she and Chloe were lounging on the sofa after dinner. Beca was usually scrolling through Instagram with a beer in hand. Chloe would usually turn the phone towards her so she could wave an awkward "hello" to Mr and Mrs Beale. She owed the couple a lot. They had provided Chloe with the financial backing to move with her to New York. To help Beca make a go of her career in the music industry. They paid a third of their rent for them. And they often sent the two of them a food hamper as Sue Beale feared that Chloe and Beca didn't feed themselves properly. The Beale's were better parents to Beca than Beca's own parents.
"Hey by the way, did you ever thank them for me? For my awesome headphones?" Beca called out to her best friend who remained in the ensuite. She heard Chloe spit toothpaste out into the sink,
"The ones they got you for your birthday?"
"Uh-huh." Beca responded as she heard Chloe rinse her mouth out with water before spitting again,
"Yep."
Beca watched the redhead walk out of the ensuite and towards the large wardrobe, now makeup-less, avoiding the inevitable look from the woman sat on the double bed. Beca had to walk into the ensuite to stop herself from staring at her best friend's beauty, and so made her way from the bed to the bathroom with her pyjamas in hand, closing the door behind her to give Chloe the privacy to change into her own pyjamas. She reached out for the makeup removal wipes that sat beside the sink and stared at her reflection as she began wiping off her makeup that she had spent a long time trying to perfect earlier that day, wanting to look as good for their date as possible.
"Oh, Mom and Dad invited us to the lake house next month when we get back from the tour." Chloe said from the bedroom. Beca furrowed her brow slightly, pausing her makeup removal as she processed what her best friend had just said.
"They invited both of us?"
"Yeah, why?"
Beca took one last wipe to finish removing the remnants of her makeup, "Just…with things going the way they are between us at the moment will it not be weird us both going to your parent's lake house?
"It'd be weirder if it was just you."
Beca heard the smile in Chloe's voice as she joked and the brunette let out a small chuckle as she placed the used wipes in the bin provided, "I dunno, Jerry and Sue love me!" It was true. Chloe's parents did love Beca. She'd overheard them say so on a number of occasions.
"So did you want to go?" Chloe asked hopefully as Beca began cleaning her teeth.
Beca straightened out her folded pyjamas, draping them over the door of the ensuite shower, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She held the toothbrush out, "I can't imagine work letting me have any more time off Chlo…" Beca said before resuming her teeth cleaning.
"Are you sure? It's not really like this has been a holiday." She heard the redhead call out to her from the bedroom while Beca rinsed her mouth with water.
"Try telling my boss that." Beca said sarcastically, finishing her teeth and she took her clothes off then pulled her pyjamas on. It had taken her a lot of effort to get the time off to go on this tour. She had assured her boss it would be great promotion for Residual Heat, which had been enough for him to give her the go ahead to go on the tour, and so Beca had tried her hardest to mention the company in every interview that she and The Bella's had to do during their European Tour.
With one final look at her reflection, in which she grimaced at how drained she looked without makeup on, Beca made her way out of the ensuite, chucking her used clothes in a pile on top of her suitcase. She noticed that in the time she had been out of the bedroom Chloe had tidied up, got into her own pyjamas, and was now laying in the double bed that Beca had been so nervous about when they had first arrived at the hotel earlier that day. Now the brunette paused briefly at the foot of the bed, a small smile on her face, her heart racing. Chloe lay on her back under the bedsheets, her arms over the top as her hands lay on her stomach, and her eyes closed. Beca couldn't believe how beautiful she looked.
The brunette made her way round to her side of the bed, the motion of her peeling back the bedsheets being enough for Chloe to open her eyes and turn on her right-side to face her. Beca clambered into the bed, meeting Chloe in the middle, and the two best friends faced each other, Beca propping her head up on her hand as she looked down at Chloe. The room was silent, though Beca felt sure that the woman beside her would surely be able to hear the sound of her heart ramming against her chest. She felt as though she was getting lost in the bright blue eyes that looked up at her, and she could smell the distinct smell of Chloe's sweet perfume that suited her so much. A smell that made Beca feel warm all over. With a deep breath Beca reached out and gently took Chloe's left hand, stroking her thumb across the soft skin, and she saw a soft smile grow on the woman's face.
"What do you think your parents would say if you told them we were dating?" Beca asked quietly, a slight smile on her face.
"You mean what will they say when I tell them?"
"We've only been on one date…"
"Yeah and we're going on a second soon…"
Beca felt her stomach flip as she looked into Chloe's eyes and considered what the redhead was saying. The word dating sounded so serious. But then, she had been in a relationship with Jesse for three and a half years and at no point had it ever felt like this. Never had she felt this right being in Jesse's company. As though this was how it was meant to be. Life. Just laying here with someone she felt so comfortable being around. Her heart had never felt like this. Her body had never felt like this. And over the past twenty or so months Chloe had been everything she needed. They had celebrated each other's successes and commiserated each other's losses. Chloe had provided that safety net she had needed whenever she came home after a particularly long day and she hoped she'd done the same for her. And suddenly the word 'dating' didn't seem so daunting anymore.
"I don't know what they'd say. They'd probably be surprised." Beca smiled slightly as Chloe continued talking, giving her hand a little squeeze as she did so, "But they know you and like you, they wouldn't send you birthday presents or cards if they didn't. And they wouldn't ask me how you were all the time. Or invite you to the lake house either!"
"Yeah but they like me as your housemate, not as your gir-" Beca froze, catching herself before she finished her sentence. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she watched Chloe's eyes open wide, "Don't!" She said quickly as a massive smile swept across her best friend's face.
"Were you about to say girlfriend?!"
Beca immediately let go of Chloe's hand and brought her own hand to her face in embarrassment, "Dude, don't make this weird!" She mumbled into her palm but she felt Chloe affectionately poke her stomach, the tone of her voice reflecting how elated the redhead clearly was,
"You were! You want to be my girlfriend!"
"Right I'm leaving…" Beca said as she brought her hand down and made to get out of bed. She had to get out of here. She was mortified at the Freudian Slip.
But she felt Chloe grab her hand to stop her from leaving whilst the redhead giggled at Beca's reaction, "Beca wait! Come back! Come back." And Beca reluctantly resumed her position, holding her head up with her left hand, letting out a heavy sigh, the heat in her cheeks still apparent as Chloe held her right hand, "It's okay. You're not freaking me out."
"Really?" Beca said, raising her eyebrows to emphasise just how uncomfortable she felt, "Because I'm freaking me out!"
"Why?" Chloe asked happily, a smile still on her face as the two laid opposite each other.
"Because! I don't do feelings." It was one thing she was renowned for. Jesse had even said it himself one time. He had pretty much spent their entire relationship wondering how she was feeling about him. She just always struggled to put it into words because she'd never got around to finding out what she felt for the guy. "There's so much of me that's changed over the years that I've known you and…it freaks me out sometimes."
"Liiike?" The redhead asked. Beca was aware that there was only one person on the planet who was able to keep probing like this and it was the woman before her.
"I don't know…" Beca said quietly with a shrug, "like…I like marmite? Used to hate marmite but love it now…"
"What's not to love?"
"Exactly! And…erm…this" Beca held her hand up that was currently entwined in Chloe's, "you've worn me down with all your affection over the years. I even congratulated Fat Amy with a hug last week!"
"Oh you love it!" Chloe said with a giggle as she squeezed Beca's hand and the brunette smiled,
"Yeah that's just it, I don't hate it anymore! And that freaks me out sometimes…just like the idea of calling you my girlfriend does…"
Beca noticed Chloe swallow loudly and their eyes remained locked as the redhead said quietly, "I'm not freaked out…about that…"
"Right…" Beca found herself whispering. The two women stared at each other with soft smiles on their faces. Beca glanced from Chloe's eyes down to the bridge of her nose, loving the collection of ginger freckles that collected across the bridge and splayed out over the tops of each cheek. She couldn't understand why Chloe insisted on covering them up with makeup when she looked just as beautiful without. The brunette's heart began to race again as she noticed Chloe's chest rising and falling nervously. What was crazy was that they were essentially having a conversation about whether to label themselves as each other's girlfriend's when they hadn't even kissed yet. Beca found herself glancing at Chloe's lips. They were no longer bright red, the lipstick having now been removed. But they still looked as tempting to kiss as ever.
Beca looked into Chloe's eyes, "There's something I forgot earlier." She said quietly, and she noticed Chloe freeze, though her chest began rising and falling faster. Beca let go of Chloe's hand and reached out to push back some of her red hair behind her ear. Then ever so slowly, Beca brought her face to Chloe's, feeling her minty breath the closer she got. She delicately glossed the tip of her nose with the tip of her best friend's nose, and she felt certain she could feel the redhead's heartbeat as she took a sharp intake of breath and gently lowered her lips onto Chloe's.
The kiss was tender as years of tension was slowly and finally released. Beca's mind went blank, the feel of Chloe's soft lips on hers far softer than any kiss she had ever had before, yet she couldn't help but notice that the redhead didn't seem to be kissing her back. So, reluctantly, Beca pulled away with a grin as she noticed Chloe had her eyes closed and lips opened slightly, seemingly frozen in shock.
"That bad?" Beca found herself asking quietly, though she hoped it wouldn't have been. Chloe's eyes fluttered open and the redhead cleared her throat with a small smile, as though unable to believe what had just happened, "Definitely not"
Beca laid her head down on the pillow so that her face was a mere inch from Chloe's and the two women looked into each other's eyes in disbelief at their greatest wishes finally coming true. This time Chloe brought her hand up to Beca's face, stroking her cheek gently, and the brunette almost wanted to melt, closing her eyes with a deep breath at her soft touch. Beca could feel Chloe adjust her body and suddenly she felt the woman return the kiss, gently, as though not wanting to rush the moment.
Beca brought her right hand out and began slowly swirling her fingertips across Chloe's back while Chloe delicately tangled her fingers in Beca's brown hair. As their lips parted again Chloe didn't back away and the two remained in their embrace, their foreheads touching as they both grinned. Beca could feel her heart racing and she returned her lips to Chloe's, slightly firmer than either of them had done before, and she could feel Chloe's hand lace itself around the back of her head, pulling her closer as the two women both took deep intakes of breath while their kiss intensified.
Ugh I frikkin' love writing these two together! Though I'm highly aware it's on the verge of Fluffy-town haha!
I hope this Chapter was worth the wait!
I'm going to be writing an added chapter tomorrow instead of what was going to originally be Chapter 11 because I've had a couple of ideas during the read-through of this Chapter.
Thank you again and again for the reviews!
If you need something to tide you over until tomorrow get on Tumblr and look at that glorious search word 'BeChloe'. Seriously the gifs and fan art is to die for!
Catch you tomorrow gang xx