Prompt: "Imagine you and I…"
A/N: A little angsty, My Friends
"Shit," Chloe swore as she stubbed her toe on the leg of the bed frame while zipping up her dress. She froze then, looking at the occupant of the bed and then sighing in relief when he didn't stir.
Yes, Chloe Beale was sneaking out after a one-night stand. The guy's… she didn't even remember his name, if she'd even known it at all… apartment was tiny, kinda like the one she shared with Beca and Amy, except he lived alone, and she quickly gathered her stuff together, stuffing her hose into her purse as she slipped her shoes on and crept out.
The sex had been pretty mediocre, and she didn't want to see him again, so making a quick escape was really her only option. She quietly shut the door behind her and trotted down the stairs to exit the building, only to be floored when she stepped out into the bright sun to find her best friend waiting for her, holding a cup of coffee.
"Beca… what… how…?"
"We have our locations shared… just in case," Beca said with a shrug. "Remember?" Chloe blinked. "When I woke up this morning and realized you hadn't come home, I tracked you here." Chloe blinked again. "I was just about to call you to make sure you wouldn't be late for work." The redhead's mouth opened, then closed again. Beca went on, nonchalantly sipping from her cup. "Was he cute?"
"Uh…" Chloe swallowed. "Bec, why did you come here?"
The brunette sighed and shook her head. "I'm worried about you, Chlo," she said quietly.
The redhead's eyebrows shot up. "Worried? Why?"
Beca reached out a hand, then seemed to think better of it and let it fall to her side. "You know I'm not a prude but… you've been having a lot of sex with random guys lately." She looked down. "It's not like you."
Chloe snorted a little and shook her head. "I'm fine," she said airily. "Just having some fun."
The younger woman nodded. "I miss you," she said quietly. "And I want to…"
"It's not like we're dating, Beca," the redhead interrupted, somewhat bitterly. "You made it very clear that THAT wasn't going to happen."
"Chloe," Beca sighed. "I'm sorry… I…"
"Look… you don't have to apologize," the redhead replied softly, feeling guilty for her tone. "I made a mistake in hoping…" She looked away. "Anyway… I'm just blowing off some steam… and I'm using birth control. Everything's fine." Chloe didn't admit that sleeping next to Beca was too hard after the younger woman had dodged her attempt to kiss her two weeks previously. She looked at her watch. "I have to go. I can't be late for work. I have patients to check on."
Chloe started to walk away but Beca caught her arm, stopping her dead. "No, wait." The redhead paused and turned, eyebrows raised. "I'm a chicken shit," Beca said as an ambulance approached, siren blaring.
"What?" Chloe asked, leaning closer.
"I'm a chicken shit," Beca said louder. "You're my best friend and I was too scared to…"
"WHAT?" Chloe interrupted loudly.
"Oh fuck it," the brunette muttered, wrapping her hand around the nape of Chloe's neck and pulling her into a kiss right there in the middle of the busy street. People diverted around them like a river around rocks, but it was brief because the redhead jerked back in shock, blue eyes rounded.
They stared at each other as the ambulance went on its merry way and turned a corner. "Beca," Chloe said, taking a shuffled step backward. "What the hell was that?" she demanded then, hands perched on her hips.
Beca stared awkwardly back, swallowing hard as her hand dropped from the redhead's neck to her own side. "That was me… finally trying to make a move on you," she replied, cheeks dusted with a blush. "Because I acted like an idiot when you tried to kiss me. I got scared and you know I don't deal well with fear like that. I know I hurt you and I'm sorry, Chloe. Truly."
For a long span of heartbeats, the older woman didn't say anything. Then she shook her head. "I need to go to work. And I need to think. I'll see you later." She turned and walked away, leaving her best friend staring after her.
Xx
Chloe couldn't stop thinking about what Beca had said. She thought about it while she was taking a shower at the practice, while doing nail trims on dogs, when she was doing spay surgeries on cats and while she was taking x-rays of a snake whose owner suspected it'd swallowed a Lego minifig. She just couldn't get the look on Beca's face out of her mind. It wasn't fair. She'd had her heart broken by her best friend and she could still hardly breathe when she was around her, yet… Beca had finally showed up. Apologized. Admitted her feelings.
"FUCK!" she exclaimed, throwing a metal kidney tray at a wall, then wincing as it bounced noisily off everything possible as it clattered to the ground.
"Doctor Beale, everything ok?" her tech asked, sticking her head into the exam room.
"Yes… No… Yes," Chloe squeezed the bridge of her nose and shook her head, fighting back tears. "Sorry, yes, everything's fine, Jenna."
"Forgive me," the young woman said gently. "But you don't seem fine."
Chloe swallowed hard, then took a seat on the bench attached to the wall. "I'm confused," said softly. "I know how this will sound but…" She sighed and took a breath. "I've been in love with my best friend since college. We live together, and I tried to kiss her two weeks ago after we shared what I thought was a moment, but she refused me… and now this morning, she said she was wrong to refuse me and kissed me instead and… I don't know if it's a guilty kiss to try to fix things in our friendship or… URGGHHH!"
Jenna was quiet for a moment before she smiled softly. "It's Beca you're referring to, not Amy, right?"
"Right," Chloe sighed, rubbing between her eyebrows tiredly.
"And you've really been in love with her for that long?"
"Maybe since the first moment I met her ten years ago."
"I think I've loved you that long too," a new voice said, making Jenna and Chloe look to the door. Beca was there with a bouquet of roses in her arms and a blush dusting her cheeks. "Definitely since that smile you gave me at the Bellas audition." She cleared her throat gently. "Sorry, the lady at reception said you were in here."
Jenna chucked a thumb over her shoulder. "I'll let you two… um…" She squeezed Chloe's shoulder and ducked out.
Beca stepped inside, closing the door behind her and laying the bouquet on the examination table, but making no attempt to invade the vet's personal space. "Chlo… this isn't me lying about how I feel just to fix things between us. I've daydreamed about you and I being together. I've imagined what it would be like to kiss you and make love with you. But every time I thought about it, I got scared. Because I need you in my life and I was terrified of losing you completely if it didn't work out." Tears crept down her cheeks. "But now… you barely look at me and you hardly come home… so I may have lost you anyway."
Chloe's heart broke all over again but, this time, because of the anguish in the face of the woman she loved. "Just…" she said. "Just tell me something?"
"Anything," Beca whispered emotionally.
"Can you imagine you and I loving each other and making a relationship work? Can you believe for me that we could have a beautiful life together?"
"Sometimes, I can't think about anything else," the brunette replied, wiping at her tears. "Sometimes I feel like I might die if I can't kiss you, Beale."
A broad smile lifted Chloe's lips as she got up and crossed the room, pressing her hands to Beca's neck and stroking her thumbs along her jaw line. "It's my turn to kiss YOU now, Mitchell. No more running away, ok?"
"Never again. I promise," Beca whispered as she rocked a little closer.
Chloe believed her as she leaned in, teasing her with a flick of her tongue before fully capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. And no longer had to imagine how it would feel to be really kissed by the woman she'd wanted for so long.