A/N: I'm so sorry if you got notifications that I posted a new chapter. But my mouse is broken (I replaced it now) and it messed up the document. Here should be the correct chapter now.
CHAPTER 2
Later that same weekend, she called Aubrey. And interpreting Aubrey's reaction correctly, she was only moderately surprised to discover that Beca was now living in New York. It was almost like it had been obvious from the beginning that Beca would eventually go where Chloe was relocating, even though Beca's original plan was to move to L. A.
Why would Beca even do that? There was no reason at all.
"A mere copycat, at best. It seems obvious to me that the reason for her sudden envy is because she heard about your satisfying lifestyle in New York," Aubrey said, chuckling nervously because even she knows that Beca doesn't get envious of others. Let alone copy other people's lives.
When they were in college, Aubrey and Beca often clashed; it wasn't until Beca had steered them to victory that Aubrey finally began to pay her the respect she deserved. However, despite this, Aubrey seldom said anything unkind about Beca. When discussing their successors, most notably Beca, Aubrey tended to keep a level head and an impartial stance, as if they were two teachers talking about a former student.
After hearing this, Aubrey deflected the subject as if she didn't want to talk about Beca at all. Chloe presumed that since Beca's ex-boyfriend, Jesse, was exhibiting a romantic interest in Aubrey, she could feel guilty about it. Was there any bad blood between Beca and Jesse after they broke up? Did they keep in touch with each other? Does Jesse seem like the kind who would discuss his ex with his current flame? Most notably, if the two women were formerly co-members of the same a cappella group?
Unfortunately, at Bella's next checkup, another veterinary student, this time accompanied by Dr. Han, will be doing the examination. Chloe has to examine a Golden Retriever that needs preparation for surgery in another exam room.
When she's finished, she heads to the front desk and acts busy by browsing patients' records on a tablet. Every once in a while, she glances up to see if any pet owners are exiting the patient rooms, and if they do, she immediately perks up since Dr. Han often chats with the clients before moving on to the next patient.
But Beca doesn't exit from any of the exam rooms.
Disheartened that she might have missed Beca, Chloe checks Bella's file. It turned out to be a Feline Upper Respiratory Infection, and after receiving antibiotics, she is feeling much better now. Just knowing that is enough for Chloe. After double-checking, she concludes that Beca does not reside very far from Chloe's place. Seventh Avenue Park is close by.
Chloe won't go so far as to stalk clients. This is hardly a professional manner of conduct.
She sets down the tablet on the counter and turns around, only to be scared half to death by seeing Beca, who has just emerged from the restrooms, balancing a pet carrier in one hand.
Beca sees her and walks up to her, greeting her with the type of grateful expression you would give to the veterinarian, who provided the medical treatment that healed your pet. Her behavior as a whole does not suggest that she knows who Chloe is. Certainly, she remembers Chloe by now. The only discernible difference between Chloe now and her younger self is the passage of time. Her hair has long since grown in, and she has slimmed down a little, considering how she has maintained a healthy diet and exercise schedule despite the demands of veterinary school.
There's a fair likelihood that Beca's feeling of bitterness at Chloe for letting them drift apart is the real reason she acts as if they don't know each other.
"Thanks again for treating Bella," she says, looking very happy. Back then, it was so rare to see Beca genuinely smiling, that kind of smile that lit up the eyes. "Her sneezing has subsided, and she's got back her appetite. Next week, we'll have to come back for another checkup. And next month for the shot."
"I'm glad to hear that," Chloe says, returning a smile.
"I hope to see you next week," Beca says casually and overly politely, so out of character of the Beca Chloe used to know, "Bella wasn't too friendly this time to the other vet student. I feel a bit bad."
"We're used to minor attacks. It's common in this job." Chloe chuckles and shrugs. Scars mark her hands and arms from animals' frightened reactions to her unfamiliar scent and the new environment. That's pretty normal in this job.
"All right, then." Beca places the box on the table beside her, stepping aside in front of the counter. "Got to pay the vet fees. Bella never fails to drain my bank account."
Chloe hunches forward to greet Bella through the box on the table and smiles at the feline. She lets her nibble on her finger, and Bella begins to purr and meow.
"Aww, nice to see you, too, Bella," Chloe says softly. "You look better today."
Beca casts a dumbfounded glance beside her.
"Seems like this cat does have a thing for you, huh?"
*,*,*
Chloe dangled her feet over the edge of the pool while looking at the drained bottom. They had just completed battling in the riff-off challenge there, which was the first one the new Bellas had ever taken part in. And Chloe's last. She felt a pang of melancholy and huddled closer to herself as the cold air enveloped her. This would be her final academic year at Barden, and who could predict what the future might hold for her?
"You okay?"
Chloe looked up beside her, and Beca sat down with her. "Yeah, you were really good earlier. Looks like Jesse has a thing for you, huh?"
The two of them had stayed behind a little, while the other girls had long left. And everyone else, who had been present hours ago, too.
"Jesse is an obnoxious weirdo," Beca told her, "And I'm not into obnoxious weirdos."
"Beca," Chloe said teasingly, "you're like his perfect match."
"Gross, no." Beca looked up at the dark sky and sighed. "If he stops being so lame, then maybe."
"I knew it."
After a moment's silence, Chloe asked, "Do you think we'd still be friends in 10 years?"
"Dude," Beca scoffed, "we're not even friends now. We still won't be friends in 10 years."
Chloe pouted. "But you love me already, right? Like, more than you love Jesse?"
"Of course, I love you more than Jesse; you're a less obnoxious weirdo than him."
"Aww."
"Stop that, or I'll push you down the pool." Beca grimaced and laughed.
"I love you, too, Beca."
*,*,*
Chloe didn't abruptly cease caring about the Bellas and cut off all contact with them. In the beginning, they were only putting off their planned get-togethers, but eventually, they never got around to having those meetups. Then, instead of calling back, she began sending generic text messages, particularly on birthdays or successive championship victories. Chloe rationalized her actions by noting that veterinary students often had to study until far past midnight to meet the rigorous academic requirements of vet school and prepare for clinical rotations. At least, that's what she did. They'd understand. It wasn't a personal issue.
Because growing up sometimes demands sacrificing your social life for your own career. Right?
Given this, Chloe has not been to Atlanta, Georgia, in the past five years to pay a visit to her pals from college there. Her parents in Portland, Oregon, were the only other people she had gone to see.
Aubrey was the only one she stayed in contact with. Because Chloe's former co-captain would not allow her to get estranged from her and continued to show her tough love, despite the passage of time and the distance between them. If it weren't for Aubrey, Chloe wouldn't have been able to recover from her depression.
Sometimes, it's true that "Love is louder."
Chloe's daily routine involves a stroll to the coffee shop, where she eats breakfast, usually sitting in her preferred booth and pulling out a textbook to do some light studying before heading off to work. As she struggles to concentrate, she reaches for her iPhone and enters a previously memorized number. Breathing evenly through her lips to compose herself, she quickly deletes it, throws it back in her purse, and makes another attempt to refocus her attention. Her hands start tapping on the table in a nervous tic.
The fact that she had to change numbers after losing her previous iPhone was another reason she stopped talking to her former schoolmates, but she never once thought to ask Aubrey to pass along her new contact information. She despises herself for being such a jerk, feeling guilty by imagining what they must be thinking of her. Someone who had become a self-absorbed workaholic with an inflated sense of self-importance and, thus, had to move on with her life.
She scans the other patrons and spots two males in their mid-twenties at the bar, both staring and suggestively nodding at her. If Chloe paid the slightest bit of attention to them, one of them would approach her. She knows the drill. She would have to give them a certain look if she were interested in a hookup right now—smile back, wink, play with her hair. However, she does neither. She periodically looks out the window while acting as if she is waiting for someone.
Once again, she pulls her iPhone out of her purse and inputs the phone number she has committed to memory. This is insane; she can't do that. That's just plain old cyberstalking right there. But she can't hold back her insatiable curiosity.
Instead of calling the number, she saves it to her phone contacts. In her WhatsApp, she tries to see if the profile picture is visible to the public.
And surprisingly, it is.
Using two fingers, she zooms in on the photo to see the face of the guy holding that petite brunette woman beside him.
"What?" Chloe mouths, feeling guilty for her actions. He seems familiar; wasn't he the manager at the radio station where Beca interned her first year? It's Luke. When exactly did they start dating? It couldn't have been that long ago that she and Jesse broke up. Perhaps no longer than two years… which is long enough to start a new relationship.
As for Beca, her facial expression suggests that she is happy. Chloe zooms in until Luke disappears from the picture, smiling cheekily and feeling like a psychopath. Those aggressive blue eyes Chloe was used to staring into every day during her senior year. How she'd taken that for granted... Beca's hair is styled in the same butterfly cut as it was back in college—or maybe it's an old photo—like she was sitting on his lap, her face pressed against Luke's stubble cheek, and she looks infatuated.
Chloe's thumb hovers over the delete button, hesitating whether she should delete the number from her contacts, as she didn't ask Beca for permission to save it. Then she proceeds to delete it.
"Hey, dude!"
Chloe lets out a startled scream and flings her phone over her head to hide her flushed face in her hands. Heart racing, she glances up and finds herself staring into the dark blue eyes of the woman she has been cyberstalking only seconds before—as though coming to life.
Beca, carrying a cup of coffee in one hand, looks at her, befuddled.
Beca retrieves Chloe's phone, which miraculously didn't get damaged from the fall. She won't be able to afford a new one so soon.
"Thank you," Chloe says when she reaches out for it.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Beca says apologetically. "A little jumpy, are we?"
Looking now at Beca, Chloe doesn't know whether her old friend does, in fact, not recognize her. Because it can't be. Beca might be holding a grudge against her for not keeping her promise.
"How are you, Miss Mitchell?" She gives it her best go with a fake smile, hoping that her professional demeanor won't come off as cold, "how's Bella doing?"
Beca furrows her brows in confusion. "Dude, we're not at your work; what's wrong with you?" she says, smirking sardonically, "You fucking weirdo lost your memory after these few years? Did living in New York fry your brain?"
"Beca," Chloe sighs in relief, suppressing the urge to shoot up and smother her with kisses. So, she instead squeezes Beca's free hand. Chloe's learned over the past few years to rein in her touchy-feely sentiments around others, or maybe because she hasn't found someone worthy of her impulsive feelings. "Hey, I can't believe it's you."
"Yeah, I was surprised to see you, too," Beca says, chuckling uncertainly.
Chloe motions for her to join her at her table for a chat. The guys at the bar turned their backs on them but sometimes peeked over their shoulders as though they were discussing them. But Chloe doesn't care.
As soon as Beca takes a seat across from her, Chloe's whole attention shifts to Beca.
"So, you live here in New York now?" Chloe asks without skipping a beat. She sips her coffee and tucks her hair behind her ear, unable to hide her excitement.
"Yeah, why? You been stalking me?" Beca laughs, teasing her. She drinks her coffee, watching Chloe closely.
Chloe feels her face blanch.
"I mean, I wrote my contact information on Bella's health questionnaire," Beca says absently.
"Yeah, I noticed that," Chloe says, feeling beads of sweat on her back.
"I got a job right after graduation at Hexagon Music Inc.," Beca explains. "it's nice."
"Wow, you've always wanted to work in the music industry. Congratulations, Beca." Chloe beams, feeling genuinely happy for her. "So, L.A. just wasn't for you after all?"
"No, maybe someday," she chuckles, "and thanks. Congrats to you, too. You looked really hot in that white doctor's coat." And with Beca's playful winks and quips, it's like old times have come around again, warming Chloe's insides. She is overcome with nostalgia as she remembers how much she loved their playful teasing. It's been a long time since someone said she looked hot, despite the fact she'd get hit on quite often. Even though Beca was just joking. While sipping her coffee, she checks the time. "Hey, maybe we can catch up some other time. What do you think?" Then her brows furrow, and she smirks when she adds, "Or do you intend to vanish off the face of the planet again the moment I leave the shop?"
"Beca, please, don't be like this," Chloe says, her chest tightening. "See, I had to get a new number after losing my phone. You can call me whenever it's convenient for you." She scribbles her number on a tissue and hands it over to her.
Beca takes it from the table and gets up, smirking. "Okay, and do I have to wait 3-4 days to text you?" Implying the arbitrary three-day rule to text a girl after getting her number. She winks for emphasis.
"Beca," Chloe giggles and swats at her arm. Beca's sense of humor didn't change all these years, and it's refreshing to feel so happy again—even if it's just for a moment. "Text me anytime." She gets up and hugs her this time, unable to resist any longer. Hugging her feels like home.
"Dude, you should let go," Beca says, tensing up. "I think that dude at the bar also wants your number." She chuckles.
Chloe peeks over at them. "No," she whispers. "I don't have the nerves for that right now. Don't leave me, please."
They leave the coffee shop together. Chloe hooks her arm with Beca's, and Beca raises her brow at her.
Chloe rolls her eyes, grinning. "Just this time, okay?"
*,*,*
Chloe is in the kitchen preparing dinner when her phone begins to buzz on the counter.
'Hey, cutie, you gave me your number the other day,' the message says, 'What are you wearing right now? ;)'
Of course, Beca doesn't know that Chloe has saved her number (again) and thus, knows who sent the message. She giggles and plays along.
'Hey. Is this Tyler, the surfer, or Mike from the bookstore?'
'Um… How many dudes have you lately given your number to?'
'You're number 6. ;) Anyway, I'm wearing just my underwear and cooking dinner. Wanna come over?'
'Dude! It's me, Beca. Seriously. Wtf?'
"Haha, I know. Relax. You were the only one I gave my number to. ;)' Chloe giggles and stirs her curry absently. 'What's up? How is Bella doing?'
'She's good. [image] And she says hi. Do you have time this week for a coffee?' Beca attached a picture of Bella sitting beside her and licking its paw. It's adorable.
'I miss her. Yeah, I have time on Thursday if you like. :)'
'Sounds good.'
After texting back and forth, Beca told Chloe that her boyfriend was on his way home and that she should probably go and heat up his dinner. It's strange to think of Beca Mitchell as the stereotypical subservient girlfriend to a guy. Beca used to be so independent and strong; she pushed Jesse once when he had tried paying for her meal at the cafeteria.
But something else is amiss. It could be a hunch that Chloe can't shake, but it's there. And she's never been mistaken about her gut feelings before.
It's in Beca's eyes.
*,*,*
"Hello, Bella," Chloe says, extending her index finger to point at the feline's nose. Bella sniffs at her and allows her cheek to be petted by bumping Chloe's hand with her head. "Good to see you, too. Looks like you're completely well now. No temperature and congestion." She allows herself to pick up the feline from the table to carry. Bella clings to her shoulder and purrs.
"That little beast," Beca says affectionately, still not believing that someone else gets along with her pet, "she usually hates being carried by strangers. Or being touched."
Chloe chuckles and strokes the cat's back. "Maybe she knows I'm a former Bella, so…" she makes light of the situation, and Beca chuckles. She gently places the feline on the weighing scale. "10 pounds. That's an ideal weight for her age."
Following the checkup, they have a chat at the reception desk while Beca takes care of paying the veterinarian's bill.
"You still good to go for coffee later?" Beca asks her under her breath, not looking at her.
Chloe scrolls through her tablet, smiling secretly. "I will text you later with the time and location." Then, while extending a hand for Beca to shake, a bit louder she says, "All right, Miss Mitchell. Take good care of Bella. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us."
Beca suppresses a smile and nods, shaking her hand gently.
