Chapter 2

Beca woke gradually, refreshed after her peaceful sleep. Her mind was a clean slate, stained only lightly by her newfound affection for Chloe. After rolling through her morning routine - Kimmy Jin had already left so she didn't have to worry about disturbing her - she sat down at her desk, a bowl of cereal in hand. She was at a loss. Today didn't particularly feel like a finish-an-old-mix day, nor did she have enough time to make sufficient progress on a new one. Her eyes wandered around the room, attempting to find something to do. CDs, textbooks, dishes… she fixed onto a glass, a small flicker of recollection sparking her mind into action. What was it that she had remembered? Beca spun around idly in her swivel chair, the world changing around her faster than she could remind herself of the previous day's events. Immanuel Kant, Pitbull…

She stopped abruptly as the memory of her unforgettable shower and, more precisely, Chloe, came flooding back to her. She ran her hands through her hair as her heart swooned. Something just made her feel so guilty and ridiculous, yet she couldn't help herself. Determined to suppress her emotions, she pressed on in her search. Eventually, she recalled what it was: when scrolling through her phone she'd seen a small-time Youtuber film some nifty percussion rhythms with various household items. Their cup beat had really taken her fancy. She rose to pick the glass up, her mind now slipping into a musical trance.

The morning passed quickly. With few distractions, Beca had gotten lost in the music. By lunch, she'd almost mastered the technique and had even managed to create a small mashup by pairing another niche song with it. She stood up, cracking her back as she checked the time. She was due to be at the radio station in 15 minutes. Within 5, she was already strolling across the quad.

When she arrived at the gloomy studio, she was somewhat surprised to find Jesse not there.

"Where's Jesse?" Beca asked Luke, who'd just come out of his booth to greet her.

"Oh, he said he had something else going on this afternoon. He didn't really tell me what."

As Beca moved over to the stack of CDs on the table, her phone pinged. It was Chloe. A warm sensation emanated from her heart as her mind drew up a picture of the redhead's face from yesterday, her features effortlessly framed in her mind. She pushed the image aside as she read the text:

Beca, where are you?? Auditions have already started!! Please don't let this ginger down :'(

Beca's heart broke as she cursed, an abhorrent sinking feeling washing over her. She felt horrible. Almost instinctively she rushed for the door. It clattered behind her as she sprinted out of the studio, driven purely by her adoration for Chloe. She never once questioned her feelings as she rushed through the empty courtyard; there was no way she was going to disappoint the Bella.

The auditorium doors burst open as Beca erupted through, startling some of the applicants. She was panting, out of breath from her small exertion. Bending over as she gathered herself, a tall, charismatic woman stepped toward her.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks," Beca said between gasps for air. "Are these the auditions?"

"Yep, they are. If you came to audition they're just through those doors over there," she said, pointing to the stage entrance. "Be quick though - they're nearly finished!"

Beca replied. "Cheers, umm…" trailing off as she gestured for her name.

"Oh, I'm Stacie." The woman was beaming, her face lit up with happiness.

"Thanks, Stacie, I appreciate the help."

As Beca started towards the stage entrance, she cleared her throat. Butterflies began thriving in her stomach. She hadn't yet warmed her voice up and, more significantly, she still didn't know what she would sing; the cacophony of thoughts swirling in her brain had somehow almost switched off her rational thinking. To add to all her jitters, she was performing for Chloe - this fact alone increased the pressure on her exponentially. A powerful voice finished belting their audition as Beca peeked around the door.

"Oh, wait, there's one more," a voice from the audience called. Beca's heart exploded with glee, a celebration now moving in full swing. She was surprised to feel such brilliant feelings. As she stepped out from behind the frame, she attempted to gather some confidence to help quash the nerves within her.

"S-sorry, I didn't know I had to prepare that song," Beca stammered, attempting to tame the eruption of emotion within her.

"That's okay, sing anything you want," Chloe replied, accompanied by a beaming smile. Beca could barely take her eyes off the redhead as she walked to the centre of the stage. An idea sparked in her mind as she caught sight of the cup-turned-pencil pot on the table.

Beca gestured towards the object as she sat down in front of the woman. Albeit puzzled, Chloe offered the beaker.

The DJ sighed, centring herself before her performance. The torrent of qualms was settled as she began singing her mix from that morning.

After she sang the last note, Beca looked up with a dissatisfied expression. Her performance felt mediocre: she was singing marginally offbeat, her voice had sounded slightly shaky and nothing about the song seemed to show off her vocals. Evidently, Chloe wholeheartedly disagreed: her face had lit up like a lightbulb as a genuine, encouraging grin bloomed. Her beautiful, sparkling eyes looked up passionately into Beca's. A smile of her own flourished as she was embraced by a reassuring sensation as loving as the warmest of hugs.

Feeling a tinge of awkwardness, Beca spoke up. "Do you want this cup back, or"

"And thank you for that little interruption there!" a voice called from behind her as the two hosts returned to the stage. Beca was ushered off, mentally still intoxicated by Chloe's alluring gaze.

The cool breeze of the quad helped Beca gather her excitement as she stepped out of the doorway. She couldn't quite get over the look of pure delight on Chloe's face when she had finished singing. With a spring in her step, she started off back to her dorm before someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She spun around, suddenly taken aback by the sight of Chloe and her radiant smile. Her hair shimmered elegantly in the sunlight, the ginger colour appearing a polished bronze. Beca was stunned, rooted to her place.

"That was amazing!" the redhead exclaimed as she opened her arms out for an embrace. Taken aback by the Bella's beauty, Beca simply stood there as Chloe's athletic arms cuddled tightly around her. Beca savoured the feeling, trying to absorb everything about the woman.

After Chloe retreated, Beca remained still, awkwardly admiring the woman's graceful features as she searched for something to say.

"Hey, you seem a bit lost. Everything okay?" the chirpy Bella asked.

"Yeah, no, I'm fine, really. Just a little overwhelmed. It's nothing, honestly."

Chloe looked her up and down, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Then, as if a lightbulb had just sparked in her head, her face illuminated before a knowing smirk flourished. Chloe had lived this life long enough to notice when someone had a crush.

"You can come round to mine tonight if you want. We can get to know each other before you're officially a Bella," Chloe teased with a playful expression and a wink.

Beca was lost for words. She was flustered, her face beginning to go rosy. She brushed her hands through her hair as she searched for something to say, battling the burst of joy within her.

"Uhh, yeah, of course, I'd love that!" she finally stammered.

"That's great! Meet me in the quad at 6-ish then; I'll take you up from there."

"Chloe, are we going to choose who's in our a cappella group today or are you going to chat for the rest of the afternoon?" Chloe spun around. Aubrey was calling from the doorway; she looked fed up.

The redhead turned back to Beca. "Don't worry, you're definitely in. Anyways, I've gotta go now. Aubrey doesn't look too pleased." Beca began to loosen up, glad that she could admire the redhead from a distance. As she turned to leave, Chloe pulled her back in and gave her a farewell kiss on the cheek.

"See you tonight!" Chloe called before she skipped back towards the auditorium.

Although Beca was speechless, her mind was a babbling brook of chatter. She felt like she'd just fallen into a bath filled with pure love and affection. Her heart had melted, glueing her feet into position as she relished the heart-warming sensation of Chloe's lips on her face. It felt like she'd just been blessed by an angel, a fanfare set in full motion at the touch of a button.

After what seemed like an eternity lost in heaven, Beca had finally calmed down enough to begin her journey back to her dorm. As she took her first steps, she looked up at the sky, the clouds and the trees, smiling gleefully as she did so. They all magically seemed so much more beautiful. With the parcel of euphoria now safely packed away behind her, a sense of absolute certainty washed tranquilly over her as she mused over the birdsong. She beamed wholly as she walked away, restless to be with Chloe again.