Epilogue XII - Air Quotations

Beca laid on her bed, phone to her ear, wishing that the woman on the other end of the line was there with her right now. Actually that was a lie, she didn't want to be here at all with or without Chloe. Because right now she was stuck at her father's house for the next few days to 'celebrate' Christmas. The only thing was, The Mitchell's didn't really do Christmas. So this would essentially be like being imprisoned for five days until Beca travelled to the next state to see The Beale's for New Years. Five days time couldn't come soon enough.

"Do you want me to come over and we'll tell him together?" Chloe offered sweetly down the phone.

It was tempting, but Beca shook her head with a sigh. She'd decided before leaving New York last night that today would be the day that she would tell her father about her romantic relationship with Chloe. Five months into said romantic relationship wasn't too long to have delayed it right? Plus it was Christmas Eve. A time for family and happiness (apparently) so Beca hoped her father would be in the right mood to hear this news. She'd probably skip the part about Chloe's family having known for four months already...

"No, Chlo, really, it's ok…it'd be, like, 11 by the time you got here anyway and you know they go to bed at half nine." Like clockwork. Which is why Beca felt it'd be better to tell her Dad sooner rather than later. Tell him that she and Chloe were more than just best friends. More than housemates. Then the man could sleep on it and maybe, just maybe he won't flip-out like she expected him to. She couldn't care less about what her stepmother, Sheila, thought.

"Ok well…call me as soon as you're free to and we can talk about it if you want?"

Chloe knew her well. She knew this was a big deal for Beca. She knew that the brunette would probably have a blow-up with her dad and would need to vent about it to someone. The one. The one she'd always turned to over the past couple of years whenever she and her father had had a row.

"Alright. Call you in a bit." Beca said quietly. She was reluctant to hang up. Hanging up meant she had to face reality. She had to go downstairs, pull her father aside, stare him blank in the face, and just tell him.

"Love you." Chloe said softly and Beca felt her anxiety loosen everso slightly. She wished she was with her.

"Love you too"

..

"How was Chloe?"

Beca entered the large kitchen of the house her father rented as part of the terms of his contract of being a Professor at Barden University. The man was stood with his back to the door Beca had just entered through, and he was doing the washing up. He was always doing washing up.

"Alright." Beca said nonchalantly, but her heart was racing. She'd never felt so nervous in her life. Telling Chloe that she had feelings for her five months ago was easier than this. And Chloe had been the big deciding factor in all of it!

"Actually Dad, Chloe's what I want to talk to you about."

Beca swallowed loudly, holding her breath as she saw her father turn his head towards her, expressionless.

"Oh? Everything ok with the apartment?" He asked, turning back to the washing up in front of him. It wasn't the answer she'd been expecting.

"Huh? Oh…yeah everything's fine with the apartment. It's…it's not about the apartment…" Beca said trailing off slightly, and the kitchen fell quiet momentarily, while Beca gathered more courage. "it…um..you know how Chloe's my best friend?"

"Yeah"

"And we live together…"

"Yeah?"

"Well…we're actually more than that…"

"More than what?" He still didn't turn around. He just carried on with that stupid washing up. He didn't get where she was going with this.

"Housemates.."

"…how are you mo-…"

"-Do you really not see where I'm going with this…?"

Once again the kitchen fell silent, though this time Beca's Dad had stopped washing up. That was one of the many things Beca hated about this house. How quiet it was. Back home in New York there was always a background hum of traffic coming from somewhere, or the sound of Chloe humming or singing or talking. At Chloe's family's house, whether it be at the Lake House or their actual home, there was always the sound of voices or the radio, or the sound of Chloe humming or singing or talking.

Beca could feel her aggravation beginning to build, "Ugh! Dad, Chloe and I are dating!" Her words echoed around the room and she saw her father hang his head as she continued, "Actually…it's…more serious than that. We're in a relationship with each other. Romantically…" it was weird to say it out loud, in front of her father, in this house. She watched as the man before her turned on the spot to look at her, "...she's my girlfriend Dad."

Beca screwed her face up slightly, awaiting his reaction with baited breath. Her heart was racing as he looked at her. Then he sighed. Fucking sighed. He didnt look happy, he didnt look sad, he didn't look disappointed. And all of a sudden Beca realised something. He didnt believe her.

"Alright Beca, are…are you doing this to get back at me or something?" Her father said, a slightly irritated tone to his voice.

"Wha-…what?" Beca blinked for a moment.

"For the car. I'm not letting you have the car over Christmas so as pay-back you're telling me about this little thing with Chloe. Thinking I'll get mad-,"

"-No…"

"-thinking if I thought you were having a romantic relationship" okay the air quotations hurt, "with your best friend who conveniently lives with you thousands of miles from here that maybe I'd start letting you get away with more stuff?"

Beca could feel her anger bubbling under the surface. This was starting to become unfair. Why didn't he believe her?

"Dad I'm being serious here!" She didn't mean to sound so desperate but this was important to her.

"I thought your little stunt on Instagram was funny Beca. I thought, sure, get Chloe drunk, get her to declare she and you are in love" again, the air quotations were like a dagger to the heart, sure, llet her kiss you… that just screams serious romantic relationship Beca…"

"I didn't ask for that to be on Inst-" Beca protested, her voice rising as her anger did, trying to match her father who's voice was already quite loud due to his frustration with his daughter.

"…just, why now? Why on Christmas Eve? When your grandparents are here-"

"They're not my grandparents! They're Sheila's parents and I didn't ask for them to be here!" Beca knew she was beginning to yell and it would only be a matter of time before Shelia would come through from the lounge. Bloody Sheila...

"Either way, can you not make this Christmas worse for me by attention seeking!" Beca's Dad cried out, but that was the last straw for the petite woman.

"Attention seeking?!" Beca was livid, "Dad I love her and I had hoped that you may have had the tiniest scrap of selflessness to maybe be happy for me for once!" Beca was breathing heavily as her final words echoed around the room. Her father's next words were quieter.

"You love her huh? Like you loved Jesse?" Jesus, she knew he'd bring Jesse up in all this. The man couldn't let go of the fact that she and Jesse had broken up three years ago. Jesse had, according to her dad, been the perfect example of everything that would provide his daughter with the safety, security and guidance that she apparently so desperately required in life.

"I never loved Jesse. Not like this. Not like I love Chloe." Beca said quietly, yet stubbornly, almost defeated. "And I'm sorry if this" she gestures between them, "makes your Christmas worse Dad, really I am," and she could tell by the look on her father's face that this was the first time she'd apologised to him sincerely, "but I'm not fucking about here," she saw him wince at the swearword but she persisted, "because for the first time ever I'm happy. Like, really happy. Chloe gets me. She gets every bit of me. So yeah, I do love her. And not like I loved Jesse. Because I love her so much more."

There's a long pregnant pause as Beca scowled at her father. She always looked pissed off when she fought for something.

The man sighed, "It's a phase Beca," and Beca threw her arms in the air as she growled, which caused her father's voice to rise again as if trying to get through to her, "you're still going through that weird stage of testing my boundaries, but you're not sixteen any more Beca, you're almost twenty five! Whatever this thing is that you and Chloe are doing, it's just a phase." Beca was now shifting her weight from foot to foot, agitated, angry…no, furious. "It'll never last because you shut people out Beca. It's what you do. If Jesse was never able to break past that then there's no hope for anyone, especially not Chloe!"

Beca didn't want him to say her name. She hated the way he said her name. The way he said 'Chloe' was sharp, aggressive and unflattering. The way 'Chloe' was meant to be said was soft, serenely, and beautifully, like the person it belonged to. So Beca held her hands up, almost in surrender. Her voice was low and dismissive.

"Right, I'm done. I told you what I wanted to tell you and you're still unsupportive. Big surprise!"

Beca began to storm out of the kitchen and pushed past Sheila who was stood in the doorway staring at her in shock. She didn't know how long the woman had been stood there. She didn't care.

"Yeah walk away. Classic Beca!" She heard her father call after her. Had it been ten years ago, Beca would've turned on her heels and dashed back to him to continue the argument. But ten years ago she hadn't known what another family was like. How another family openly loved and supported each other. How another family would talk through any issues they might have instead of letting them build up. How another family would support their family member if she announced she was in a relationship with another woman.

Beca stormed into her 'bedroom', pulling together the few items she'd unpacked on the bed while she held her phone against her ear. She couldn't stay here any longer. She was calling a cab. She was going to stay with The Beale's.

Super short I know but I've barely had time to breathe this week let alone write!

Plus I miss writing The Beale's... (Oh Jerry come baaaaack!)

I will endeavour to update again in the next couple of days :) keep them reviews a'comin' xx

ALSO, EXCITING NEWS! I've mapped out like 35 more epilogues sooooo we could be in this for the long-haul gang!

(maybe not exciting news for followers of my fic 'Naturally' but don't worry i have several chapters lined up for that too - 8 more weeks and I'll be free as a bird to write write write!)

massive kudos to Laurathechef- I've LOVED your comments on ever four chapters or so haha! You've rocketed through this fic in a matter of days mate! Way to go! Hope it hasn't affected your social life too much x

and Eliley - you posted your review of the last chapter about 10 mins after I uploaded it and it filled me with joy! Thank you so much!