A/N: This is Chloe's POV, so naturally, it's a bit fluff. :)
CHAPTER 7
Everyone on campus is aware of Chloe's reputation for attracting the attention of the college's male students. She'd been told that a lot. And she's confident about this fact. Most men either try to pick her up or ask for her number whenever she and the Bellas go out. She would be the center of a great deal of attention. Right behind Stacie.
She remembers that they went clubbing after one of their shows. And while they were there, the girls bet on which one would be asked first for their number at one of the establishments they visited. And to everyone's surprise, even though it shouldn't have come as much of a shock as it did, Lilly came out on top. Chloe was still in a relationship at the time, which is why she did not make any effort to win the bet the girls had made among themselves. But usually, she'd be first to get asked.
On the other hand, Chloe does not try to one-up her friends regarding their physical attractiveness. She regards them with profound affection as if they are her family. They are all beautiful, each in their own unique way.
Her point is that despite being popular during all her years in school, she is relieved to find that her popularity has not diminished in the least bit now that she is in college. She had been ignorant and a bitch at one point in her life, as she played games with the boys to acquire what she wanted with only a single crook of her finger.
Chloe Beale will not pursue a man unless she is head over heels in love with him. The situation was as it had been with Tom.
While in high school, she took advantage of the romantic feelings of a few males, whether it was on doing her school projects or assignments. Then, once she is done using them, throw them away like old tools. The thought of it has always made her feel a twinge of shame.
And then, all of a sudden, Beca Mitchell comes along.
When Beca treated Chloe with the "cold shoulder," she thought it was the first time she had ever been rejected in her life. From someone that she actually liked. Maybe she's a little overdramatic, but that was the most agonizing experience she had ever had to go through.
One thing that adds to the severity of Chloe's suffering is that Beca was utterly unaware of the harm she was doing to Chloe throughout that whole week. Like how Chloe was unaware of the degree to which she may have hurt her admirers in the past.
Beca is her karma.
You were wondering what the problem might be, only to return to campus and find the person you enjoy spending time with, together with the person you don't like, and watch how affectionately they are acting toward one another. You start to speculate that this might be why she hasn't been responding to your messages any longer, and it makes you wonder….
Because she had been keeping herself occupied with her new boyfriend.
Chloe couldn't bear watching them any longer, so she had told Tom the lame excuse that she had forgotten her Russian textbook at her place, even though she barely used it.
The other girls were conversing in the next rooms or dispersed among their own bedrooms as a chick flick played in the living room, and Chloe spent the time reading articles online. Stacie walked over to where Chloe was sitting on the couch and plopped down in front of her, resting her head on Chloe's legs. Soon after, Ashley joined them. Stacie and Ashley watched a movie for about an hour while munching on popcorn and nachos. When Ashley eventually fell asleep on the other end of the L-shaped sofa, Stacie switched off the movie, turned on the television, and started flipping through the stations. Neither the chick flick nor the show Stacie was watching at the time has stuck in Chloe's mind.
But she does remember the online article on "Reincarnation" she had been reading. This referred to the concept that a non-physical essence of a living entity survives the death of its physical body and begins a new existence in a different physical form or body after death by natural causes.
However, in this fascinating article, instead of rebirthing in some living creature like a chimpanzee, you reincarnate in another universe as a different manifestation of yourself. Despite this, everything you've ever known and experienced will be gone. Although your conscious memories of your current existence will be lost, you will retain a sense of who you are through your instincts and the reactions you have to other people, events, and things.
You have vivid recollections of your previous life.
This might be why as a result of her encounters with the mysterious brunette, Chloe's memories of, presumably, a past self, have been triggered by everything she does with Beca. Possibly that version is either living in another universe or has died there. However, that's something Chloe prefers not to consider.
For the record, Chloe is not a genius, nor does she grasp the significance of all this. Her goal in researching this topic is to learn more about the phenomenon and determine whether she is a reincarnation of her past self or herself from a parallel universe. Or whether she possesses superpowers or is simply developing a mental disorder after meeting Beca. Which doesn't seem too far-fetched after all.
She hasn't discovered any immediate answers or explanations yet.
But instead of pondering this aloud, she asks Beca, "Are my nodes visible?"
She strokes her throat and catches a weird look from her friend, who sits cross-legged in front of her.
Once she has placed her pint next to her on the ground, Chloe rotates her entire body such that her legs are on one side of her and that she is facing Beca directly while resting on one arm. Typically, she will sit in a manner befitting a lady.
She is entirely at a loss for words as she watches the brunette dance with her upper body, appearing to be in complete and utter rapture over the fact that she has triumphed in this silly game. It is just too adorable to behold. A game that Chloe has never been defeated at because she is aware of practically every detail of her closest friends. She is aware of the appropriate questions to ask, which will prompt them to reveal personal information and open up. She is aware of so many shady particulars that the mere thought of them causes her to redden.
"No, they aren't visible," Beca replies after her victory dance, scrunching her nose at the odd question. "I just guessed."
"How on earth could you possibly know such specifics about someone–" Chloe ponders aloud as she brings her index finger to her chin, "–that you barely know based on absolutely nothing?"
"Oh, I know you," Beca says, winking at her, "you're always blabbering about everything."
Chloe rolls her eyes. "That's something I've never mentioned to anyone," she mutters, rolling her eyes and glancing beyond Beca to gather her thoughts. She knows she didn't mention this to anyone, "not even to my parents, not Tom, Aubrey, or even Stacie."
"I'm sure you have," Beca says, persistent. Chloe is having difficulty identifying what it is about her friend that intrigues her so much. But she is so flustered by that deep blue gaze that she cannot focus.
"No, I didn't, Beca. I'm sure that's something I wouldn't mention lightly, as it would affect my career as a Bella, being an a cappella singer, and all." Chloe sighs deeply because this whole thing is, admittedly, freaking her out. "So, how did you know?" She takes Beca's hands and stares at her intently.
Beca's body sags. "You won't laugh?"
"Have I ever laughed at you?" Chloe asks indignantly, dragging a finger over Beca's thigh absentmindedly, drawing circles on it. "I'm serious, Beca, tell me. Please?" She pulls the corners of her lips down.
Beca groans in irritation. "Fine, just quit doing that," she grunts at Chloe, who immediately removes her hand. "No, I mean your puppy dog face."
Chloe smiles. "I didn't even notice." She places her hand back on Beca's thigh, as Beca clearly doesn't mind. She's sliding absent-mindedly her palm along the jeans texture and to Beca's kneecap.
"Let me just take a quick bathroom break, 'kay?" Beca requests, "because if you keep doing that, I'll eventually pee myself."
Chloe laughs and watches as Beca leaves the room, staggering on her feet. She uses the bathroom after Beca returns, and when she comes back a few minutes later, Beca is sitting at her desk, clicking through albums of playlists, and looking through songs.
Chloe seizes the moment and rummages through her bag to retrieve her pajamas. However, she cannot reach the zipper of her dress when she reaches behind her since she has had too much liquor intake and is not as supple as she was earlier in the day. When Beca hears the noises behind her, she turns around.
"What are you doing?" she asks in horror.
"Could you lend me a hand? I can't get the zipper..." she demonstrates by reaching an arm behind her, staggering.
Beca, now standing, complies with the request and begins tugging at the zipper. Chloe spins around to face Beca again and plants a kiss on her cheek as she does so. Then she removes the garment by shrugging it off, yanking it down, and stepping out of it.
In front of Beca.
She watches as Beca quickly looks toward her shelves as if she's never seen her belongings there before. "You could use the bathroom, you know?"
"Why?"
"Seriously, why?" Beca echoes.
Chloe smirks sweetly as she says, "I'm really confident about... all this." As she motions down her body. She moves her body in, what she assumes, is a sexy motion.
Beca then slowly turns her eyes back to her, and suddenly, there's this strange yet reassuring sensation again. Chloe is there, standing in her crimson-laced bra and her matching red underwear.
And Beca looks directly into her eyes as she slowly responds, "You should be..." with some degree of hesitancy.
As Chloe watches Beca, she can't help but notice that her gaze briefly wanders. Along the length of her frame. Her stare washes over Chloe's body, causing it to tingle in the process. After that, her ears turn red, and she looks away again.
"Seriously, put something on," Beca urges, covering her eyes. Then the magic is gone.
Chloe obliges and slips on her shorts and shirt.
Beca groans, "Yeah, that's certainly better." She rolls her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her words. "By the way, your phone was ringing." Beca hands it to her. It was lying on her desk.
Chloe checks it. Massages flood her inbox, and the first message is from Stacie. 'Are you okay? How's your date going? Text me ASAP. If I don't hear from you, I'll call the police.'
She quickly replies as the text has been sent an hour ago. 'I'm fine. And I told you it's not a date. Xoxo'
Jessica wrote her, too. 'Chlo, Stacie says you weren't replying. Should we come and get you?'
In addition, there are multiple missed calls from Aubrey, which is the equivalent of "missed calls from mom." Which is seriously a bad thing.
Chloe makes the snap decision to phone them right away and let them know where she is. Despite this, Stacie is adamant about finding out more about this friend of Chloe's, but Chloe chooses not to mention Beca's name. The following day, she would eventually explain part of it. Once she has sobered up, she is going to delegate the responsibility of dealing with the Bellas to future-Chloe.
When she hangs up, she asks Beca, "Where am I even sleeping?" She wonders aloud as she takes out her pillow and tucks away her phone.
"Well, the floor is quite comfortable." Beca looks at her as she turns her chair to face Chloe.
"Beca, I won't risk getting a backache in the morning when I have a rehearsal to lead." She looks over to Kimmy's bed, pointing with a thumb. "Do you think she'd mind if I slept there?"
"If you want her to skin me alive?" Beca moves to her cabinet, takes her pajamas out, and then walks to the door. "You can sleep with me. If that's okay?"
Chloe glances in her direction to determine whether she is sarcastic, teasing, or joking. But Beca is completely serious.
"Sure, why not?" Chloe utters while maintaining an unaffected facial expression. Not until Beca has left the room does she finally let out her suppressed excitement.
When Beca returns to the room, she's dressed in a basic top and 3/4-length pajama bottoms. "Are we going to sleep now? Because I haven't yet brushed my teeth."
"No, the party's just going to start." Chloe winks and sits on the bed, patting the side on her left.
Beca follows suit. She sits awkwardly beside Chloe, tugging on the pajama bottoms and brushing the invisible creases out of them. "So, how did you know?" Chloe starts.
"Damn it. I was hoping you'd forget."
"Nice try." Chloe leans back on her arms and watches Beca's back while she does so, her long brown hair creating slight waves. The fact that Beca is seated in an upright position and her shoulder muscles are slightly trembling contributes to the impression that she is tense. Her posture conveys an air of alertness. "Beca...?" Chloe urges softly, bumping her with her knuckles.
Beca, jerking in response, takes a deep breath before she speaks, "I-I dreamt about you."
Chloe sits upright again to look at Beca, thinking she didn't hear correctly. And those dark blue eyes move fleetingly sideways, "It wasn't a... dirty dream, ha-ha. No, we were, like, really close friends. And you. Told me. About the nodes." Beca rubs her neck, and the same arm sags before her.
"Just that? You dreamt that I told you about my nodes?" Chloe echoes dumbly. She is reminded of one of the articles she'd read that suggests that according to quantum theory, we exist in a universe of limitless possibilities, made up of an infinite number of bubbles, each containing distinct timelines or realms. It's possible that some of our dreams come from different timelines or realms. And maybe Beca had also been experiencing this phenomenon. "That doesn't make any sense," she tells Beca instead.
"Well, believe it or not, I don't care." Beca's ears flush crimson, and she has difficulty holding eye contact with Chloe. She watches Beca twiddle her thumbs and act suspiciously like someone trying to protect a secret.
"Beca, what else was there?"
"I swear, just that conversation," Beca says, too defensively, too forcefully. Everything is in the details when it comes to convincing a person to believe a lie. Add something absurd to make it sound plausible, and you have the telltale sign of a liar. And Beca is a terrible liar. "Well, nothing really important happened. That dream transitioned to another dream. We were, close friends still, as I've said. We were, um, singing karaoke, and I was really, really bad. At singing. I couldn't hit the notes right. And I felt embarrassed. That's all."
"Nothing else?" Chloe arches an eyebrow; she can't help but wonder why Beca would fib about this.
"Nothing else."
Unless it's something, Beca is extremely self-conscious and feels embarrassed about, which only happens when it's related to a specific subject matter. And the next piece of evidence lies before Chloe's eyes, as she sees that Beca's ears reached the darkest of red, and the blush spread to her cheeks. And Beca's tenseness.
Chloe places a hand on Beca's thigh. "How dirty was it?"
Beca stiffens. "NO!" she shrieks, arms flailing wildly and covering her face. "For God's sake, no, just that. You told me about the nodes, and we sang karaoke." The lie is robbing Beca her energy, so she drops backward and hits her head against the wall in the process. She yelps as she holds her head. "Ugh. I deserve that."
Chloe props on her elbow beside Beca to look at her profile. She notices that her friend's cheeks are all the way blushing furiously. "Beca Mitchell, not hitting notes, in karaoke," Chloe recaptures, sighing audibly.
"It was only a stupid dream, Chloe." Beca is hiding her face behind her hands. "Dreams amplify your insecurities and worries. That's all. Now, stop it."
"So, how amazing was it?" Chloe fights the urge to laugh as she watches Beca assume a fetal position and turn her back on her. Beca is clearly embarrassed. "Beca, you should not feel bad if you have wet dreams about your friends. I've had some of them with mine. They are completely meaningless." Beca swats behind her and hits Chloe's thigh just for Chloe to stop talking. After that, Chloe takes mercy on her because, obviously, the situation appears to be extremely uncomfortable for Beca. She continues more solemnly, "I've experienced something similar like that. Like, how else did I know about your equalizer bar tatts? It really is quite bizarre, isn't it?"
Beca hums in agreement, then she mumbles in her hands, "Do you think... Do you think, your insanity is wearing off on me?"
Chloe laughs and pokes Beca's side, at which the brunette jerks and groans her annoyance. She reaches behind her again blindly and smacks Chloe repeatedly. Chloe keeps laughing.
Beca's shirt slid up her back as she moved. And Chloe glances at it, the skin on her waist, her spine, and her lower back. She's experiencing flashbacks of that other Beca again, singing in the shower with her nude back to Chloe. But this is a different Beca. While most of this Beca's tattoos are identical to those of the other Beca's in Chloe's daydreams, she still wants to double-check, whether they are identical in every way possible. And the proof will be in this final tattoo. Chloe has no choice but to look now, as she has no other means of discovering the truth.
It has piqued her interest before and even now as to whether this Beca, who exists in her Universe, is also her soulmate, given the profound connection between them. That they run into one another in each other's dream worlds should be some distinct cues, but Chloe wants to be 110% sure.
The uncontrollable reach of Chloe's palm brushes Beca's skin, causing Beca to give an involuntary jerk again. She's tinkering with the hem of her friend's shirt, attempting to raise it higher and higher. She's not even paying attention to the protests Beca is mumbling under her breath, into her hands, now behind a pillow. As the shirt rises, Chloe can feel her heart pounding furiously in her chest.
But Beca rolls on her back. "Dude, what are you doing?" Her face is flushed, and she's giving Chloe a confused look.
Chloe snaps out of it. "I-I don't know. Sorry."
Beca stands up and grabs the tequila bottle from the floor. She fills their pints with the liquor. "I need another drink. You, too?"
"Yeah, sure." Chloe's eyes are beginning to feel heavy due to the large amount of alcohol they have been consuming throughout the evening. She watches as Beca passes over her pint. It's not even 10 o'clock yet; the night is still young. The previous drinking game consisted solely of forcing them to drink at regular intervals. The brunette then begins to click away on her laptop while simultaneously navigating through the music on her playlist using the mousepad.
The music has changed, and a new song is now playing. Beca clinks her pint with Chloe's and then downs her shot. Chloe follows suit. As Beca basically seems oblivious to Chloe's sudden mood swings, no tension exists between them. Chloe has no idea what she has been doing as she reached out to touch Beca like that. When she made her advances, what impression did she, if ever, leave on Beca?
As the evening progressed into the late hours, Chloe noticed that after they had chugged down their second shot, Beca had suddenly become much more communicative, and her inhibition threshold had considerably decreased. And it's clear to her now, as she watches Beca rapping the lyrics to "I Don't Like It, I Love It - by Flo Rida" * perfectly and dancing to the song's beat.
She's dancing and singing in front of Chloe.
"All out, turn the beat up
Hey now I'm glad to meet ya
Turn up girl, blow the speaker
Yeah up, think about it now, blow the speaker…"
Beca reaches for Chloe's hand amid the lyrics, continuing to rap the rest of the lengthy verse. She's making wild gestures with her arms reminiscent of a hip-hop dancer, and she encourages Chloe to sing with her.
It's as if the Universe is finally pointing it out to her in a way that's unmistakable and unequivocal, slapping it in her face like a bucket of ice water.
Beca is the one thing missing from Chloe's life; she can finally feel like everything is coming together and making sense. And it is not necessary for her anymore to see any specific tattoo to prove that.
This is her Beca. In this Universe and all the others.
Chloe sings the chorus parts as Beca presses herself against Chloe's back, as they dance together rhythmically as if they've choreographed the moves together.
"I don't like it, I love it, love it, love it, uh oh
So good it hurts
I don't want it, I gotta, gotta have it, uh oh
When I can't find the words, I just go..."
The song changes when they reach the ending, and they are both out of breath, breaking apart. Beca is giving her a look filled with pride, awe, and fascination as their voices have harmonized so beautifully.
In Beca's aggressively blue eyes, she's seeing how her usually blunt emotions light up like a firework in the dark sky.
Chloe leans against the desk behind her to exercise self-control and prevent herself from leaping at Beca and passionately kissing her in the manner depicted in all those sappy romance flicks after such an epic event. Because although she is inebriated and has a strong desire to kiss Beca, the last thing she wants is for Beca to freak out again. Chloe does not intend to put herself through that ordeal ever again.
She will be Beca's best friend. Because that's what Beca wants.
"That was fun," Beca pants, out of breath, her arms flailing with excitement, "I didn't know you could sing like that."
"Seriously?! You didn't believe it?" Chloe asks incredulously, nonetheless, crossing her arms and frowning. "A-ca-scuse me, but we've performed at the ICCA Finals at the Lincoln Center. More than once."
Beca shoots back, "Yeah, yeah, you mentioned that, but that doesn't mean anything," and she follows this with a sneering grin. That's when Chloe realizes that Beca has just been teasing her. She has been mocking Chloe by mimicking her own words back at her.
Chloe grabs the throw pillow off the edge of the bed without thinking, hitting Beca squarely in the face. The brunette's expression transforms into bewilderment as she grabs a second pillow and hurls it toward Chloe. It lands squarely on her face, sending the cushion crashing to the ground milliseconds after the impact.
After having a pillow and tickle fight for around ten minutes, they eventually become completely exhausted and fall over on the bed while highly inebriated. They concur that it is time to call it a day and start getting ready for bed. Chloe heads to the bathroom first.
When Beca returns from the bathroom, Chloe is already lying on the bed. She then locks the door behind her and turns off the light. She looks at Chloe's way with a curious and uncertain expression. Then she is making her way toward the bed when Chloe asks whether she would rather sleep inside or outside of the bed.
"Inside," Beca answers and crawls to her.
And in her head, she asks whether Beca prefers to be "top" or "bottom," but she bites her tongue. She'd done enough teasing for today, and there was only so much for Beca Mitchell to handle.
As Beca is making herself comfortable beside her, Chloe realizes:
They have to share only one blanket. They are in a room that is exclusively theirs for tonight. Both of them have consumed a significant amount of alcohol. Their friendship has moved considerably fast within a short period. They have pushed each other's boundaries before. And they have already shared a passionate kiss once.
Most lesbian porn start like this, Chloe muses—not that she'd watched any before, but she could imagine. And if there weren't so much tension between them right now, she might almost laugh.
"Is this okay?" Chloe asks Beca, moving away, so there's space between them. Beca nods. The moonlight is the only light source in the room, shining through the window and reflecting in Beca's dark eyes.
"I can see why people bond over this slumber party thing." Beca slings the blanket over her shoulder and flips it, so she is lying on her side. However, to face Chloe. "Thank you for today. It was a much-needed change, and I should be good to go by the beginning of next month."
Chloe widens her eyes in panic. "What? No, so you won't see me for a whole month?"
"I didn't say that, Miss Clingy." Chloe sees Beca roll her eyes and laugh. "I'm just wondering why... Why it's not draining me? When we spend time together. Usually, human interactions drain me to the core. But it's different with you."
"Aww, Beca," Chloe coos, "I love it when you're drunk and turn into this emotional and actual human being."
Beca spanks Chloe's bare thigh under the sheets, and she releases a loud squeal. Laughing as Chloe tickles her, Beca tries to shove Chloe away from her with playful punches. It wasn't until Chloe was pinning Beca to the mattress by her wrists that their eyes met...
And then there's that. When it seems as though time is standing still and everything around you goes eerily silent. Not even the sound of crickets chirping or the wind blowing across the window, and certainly not the chitchat of people outside the dorm room. There is merely the sound of heavy breathing from both of them together. And the deafening thumping that Chloe's heart is making in her own chest.
Chloe soon moves down from Beca once it dawns on her what position they have assumed as a result of their actions.
"I'm sorry," she mutters as she shifts closer to the side of the bed and looks up at the ceiling.
Beca, however, moves closer to Chloe and cuddles up to her, surprising Chloe in the process by placing an arm and a leg over her. Chloe is the one who tenses up this time due to the unexpected proximity that Beca has initiated.
"Chloe?" Beca says against her shoulder.
Chloe hums. She brushes at Beca's hand mindlessly and waits for her to go on.
"Do you remember when we were caught amid a thunderstorm?" Beca inquires, her voice drowsy, "Under that canopy to wait for the rain to pass?"
"Yes?"
"When we waited there," she proceeds, "why didn't you talk to me?"
Chloe has to ponder this question intently. She is trying to relive that event from her mind as she sifts through her memories. And she remembers. "Do you want an honest… or a truthful answer?" she asks and turns her face to Beca.
"Dude, that is basically the same thing," Beca retorts. She props up on her elbow to study Chloe.
"No, being honest implies not uttering lies," Chloe explains, "and being truthful is to tell the whole truth about a subject or situation."
She watches as Beca's eyes move, and her brows furrow in concentration as she processes that. "Aha, okay," she then says, "then give me a truthful answer."
Chloe turns her gaze to the ceiling, projecting her memories there. "That moment, I've been thinking about how many times I've run into you," she explains, her lips forming a smile, "and I was wishfully thinking that you were maybe just stalking me. But, given the circumstances and the locations, that couldn't be." She giggles and interlaces her fingers with Beca's. "We ran into each other on two separate nights by the abandoned pool. And then the few occasions days and weeks following that. I felt overwhelmed. And that moment, when the sky burst with thunder, and you stood before me, I couldn't believe my eyes because it happened again." Like it was meant to be, she finishes in her head. Then she shakes her head to dismiss her emotions. "It's weird, right? Hearing all that. But you wanted me to be truthful."
Chloe turns her head at Beca as the brunette has fallen silent, thinking she might be constructing some snide remarks to use against Chloe as that's what she'd said is so sappy and so typically her.
"To be honest," Beca chuckles, "I have actually thought the same thing that moment. With the difference, I thought how annoying you were to keep stalking me." She squeezes Chloe's hand. "Yeah, it's really weird."
Chloe maintains eye contact with Beca and watches as Beca repositions herself on her cushion to face Chloe. Beca looks down at Chloe's lips, and her face breaks into a smile of adoration. "I guess we're both weirdos now, huh?" she comments wryly, staring back into her eyes.
Despite this, Chloe laughs and pinches Beca's side, at which she jerks and retaliates by biting Chloe's shoulder. Chloe squeals and instantly feels the spot tingle and the sensation traveling to her stomach, causing the butterflies to flutter. "You're always ruining moments like this," she says accusingly, her giggle subsiding.
"What moment?" Beca asks, quite perplexed. As she buries her face in Chloe's shoulder, she adds drowsily, "By the way, why did you change your screensaver?"
Chloe recalls that Beca must have seen it when the Bellas had been trying to contact her while Chloe was in the bathroom. "Yeah, now it's a picture of the Bellas and me at the Bootcamp."
"It's a nice one."
"I'll take one with you next time," Chloe suggests; her heart is still pounding fast, and she can feel Beca's breathing against her skin.
"If you want me to push you off the second floor?" Beca threatens, "I'll give your friends something to worry about."
Chloe laughs and squeezes her hand.
And the next moment, Chloe hears Beca softly declare, "You're my best friend, Chloe," as she snuggles up closer to her, referring to Chloe like that for the first time, "I love you."
Chloe feels her insides melt, hearing this from Beca. "I love you, too," she replies, caressing her arm.
But Beca has already fallen asleep.
*,*,*
"I hate you so much! I hate you!"
Beca mumbles angrily while she has her face buried in her pillow. "Why are you doing this to me?"
As Chloe checked her phone's clock, she realized she had awakened later than usual. Beca was still soundly sleeping even though the time was 9:14 in the morning. Chloe was the only one who had turned over during the night and woke up draped around Beca. Beca has not moved an inch during the night.
Beca's slumber was disrupted by movement and mumbling as Chloe attempted to move away from her. She got herself ready for the day, went to the bathroom, and followed her morning routine. When she got back to Beca's room, her friend—or best friend now—was still sleeping.
Chloe then recalled that Beca had previously mentioned that she worked from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. twice a week and that one of her workdays was on a Saturday.
She had woken Beca up, telling her the time, and asked her whether she was going to work.
While Chloe was grabbing her belongings and tidying up a bit, Beca quickly got up in a panic, removed her shirt, and went to her cabinet to get fresh clothes.
Then Chloe remembered that today is, in fact, Sunday.
"I hate you, Beale!"
In her haste and frustration afterward, Beca didn't put her shirt on. She has dropped to her bed, face-forward on her pillow, whining for having gotten up "so early" on a Sunday morning.
"I'm sorry, Beca," Chloe tells her, rolling her eyes.
While Chloe is kneeling in front of her bag, she realizes that Beca is currently lying face down on her bed—shirtless—other than in her bra. If Chloe stood up, she would have an unobstructed view of Beca's entire bare back. Therefore, she deliberately and slowly makes her way toward Beca while gazing at the lithe physique of the other woman.
And Chloe's gaze is drawn right to Beca's equalizer bar tattoo.
That is positioned in the middle of her back.
The sensation Chloe has is comparable to the one you would have if you discovered that the numbers printed on your lottery ticket were the same as the winning numbers shown on the screen before you. And that everything in your life will now undergo profound changes.
It's the equivalent of sweeping four world championships in a row while at college and coming away with the bragging rights that come along with it.
Chloe tries very hard to hide how ecstatic she is feeling. She moves closer to Beca, or more accurately, she hovers closer to her as if flying through the air on the proverbial cloud nine. She then sits on the bed next to the slender body, examines Beca's back as if it were a masterpiece on the wall, and gazes at it admiringly.
And she is completely unaware when her hand goes on its own again and touches each and every bar on the equalizer. Beca responds to her touch by flinching and tilting her head to the side.
"Um...?" Beca hums, bewildered.
"I was right about it," Chloe states airily, "this tattoo. I was right."
"Yeah, that's some fucked up mind trick."
"Well, you knew about my nodes," Chloe points out, now brushing with her flat hand on Beca's back. Beca arches up her body slightly. "So, it's kind of the same."
Beca then turns while still keeping her shirt pressed against her chest. She is covering herself by preserving her modesty by holding the shirt in place. "Do you have to leave right away?" Beca inquires of her while presenting an unhappy expression.
"Now, who's Miss Clingy?" Chloe laughs.
Beca shoves her and hits her thigh playfully. As a kind of retaliation, Chloe grabs her shirt and yanks it away from her, then throws it behind her back. Beca lets out a high-pitched cry as she reaches for it desperately, clutching her chest in an embarrassed manner.
"What the fuck?"
"That's for always hitting me," Chloe tells her, laughing as she scoots closer to Beca. She can't help and stare at Beca with pure admiration. "Oh, come on, you've seen me in my underwear," she reminds Beca.
Beca grabs the blanket to cover herself with it. "I didn't ask you for it; you just suddenly stripped in front of me," she exclaims in disbelief, her voice reaching its highest peak.
Then Chloe leans forward, and Beca surprisingly follows suit to give the brunette a peck on her cheek. Beca doesn't recoil or stiffen at that. "I'll text you later, Bec," Chloe says.
"I still hate you!"
"And I love you, too."
*,*,*
Chloe and Aubrey developed a strong friendship throughout their first three years of college. Their bond took its time maturing, but once it did, they became inseparable and extremely close to one another. Chloe was typically there to offer consolation to Aubrey whenever their former captain, Alice, put too much pressure on her. And Aubrey never left Chloe's side, especially when Alice was being cruel to her for no apparent reason or placing the blame for their failures on her shoulders. They shared a foe in this beast, which served to enhance the connection that existed between them as a result of their joint efforts to defeat it.
When Chloe and Tom first started dating in their third year, she would frequently spend the night in his dorm room due to Tom's parents' financial capacity to afford a single room for their only child. And Chloe needed these breaks from her beastly captain. She spent most of her spare time with Tom having either wild sex or just lying in bed together and watching movies. Of course, they would also hang out with Tom's friends once in a while.
When Chloe introduced Aubrey to Tom, it didn't take long for them to become good friends. Because Tom's personality was so endearing, it made it easy for them to bond quickly. Chloe did not feel jealous of Aubrey as a result of this fact since she trusted Aubrey and knew that Aubrey would never do anything to hurt her. And Tom would never have intentionally done anything to hurt his girlfriend.
"He's a good guy, Chloe," Aubrey had once told her, "never let him go, or I'll kick your tight ass."
Aubrey was the only member of the former Bellas that Tom had ever met and made friends with. When the Bellas had things to accomplish in preparation for a performance, Chloe usually spent her time in the Bellas House and focused on rehearsals. But those times were pure torture.
Now, the new Bellas are living in the sorority house, and Chloe bonded with them quite quickly. And if Chloe were to secretly rank them by friendship level, Aubrey would come first, then Stacie, and Jessica, then the rest. However, she'd never admit that aloud. She considers them all her best friends, but Aubrey is her closest and longest one so far. She had proven to Chloe several times before that she was loyal and reliable in every aspect of their relationship.
This is why disappointing Aubrey by telling her that she'd broken up with Tom was a hard one.
Chloe returns home to the Bellas' House. She closes the front door quietly, assuming that some girls might still be sleeping except for Aubrey and Stacie, who usually get up early to do their workouts.
Aubrey often went running on the weekends in the early hours, and then she would shower at about 10:00 in the morning. Stacie may often work out with her home gym equipment in the living room. Though now, neither the machine sounds nor the TV nor even Stacie panting someplace can be heard. Thinking that the tallest Bella might still be asleep—though this assumption is far-fetched—Chloe sneaks upstairs to her room.
The sound of running water clues her in that the bathroom is currently in use. Even more alarming, she sees that the doors of the rooms of Jessica and Stacie, whose bedrooms are directly opposite her own, are wide open. Stacie is on a yoga mat, stretching while Jessica reads in bed. Jessica's go-to nighttime reads typically involve soppy love stories, heartbreaking tragedies, and other titles guaranteed to bring tears to the reader's eyes.
Chloe also has reason to be wary of Stacie since she hears music coming from Stacie's room, even though Stacie always listens to music using wireless headphone earbuds, yet the music is playing in the background at a low volume. The fact that she isn't listening to music or podcasts through headphones suggests that she wants to be attentive to her surroundings.
As Chloe stealthily approaches her bedroom, she is utterly oblivious to the creaking floorboard that she unexpectedly steps on. And both of her friends' heads snap toward her.
Jessica rolls out of bed and is the first to reach her; with her head turned slightly over her shoulder, she summons the other Bellas without taking her eyes off Chloe. Her eyebrows are knitted together, and her arms are folded across her chest. For Chloe, it's unsettling to see Jessica, who is always so kind and peaceful, acting angry.
"She's home."
Stacie comes up behind her and drags Chloe into Chloe's room, where she places her on the bed by the shoulders. At some point, Chloe dropped her beach bag. Maybe at her door.
"Who is he?" is her brunette friend's first question, also crossing her arms. Stacie's towering posture is very intimidating when seen from a seated position.
Jessica is right behind Stacie. "Where have you really been?"
And now Amy and Ashley are also in her bedroom. "All I want to know is: how big, 'n how good as gold is he?" Amy blurts out, arms throwing dramatically in the air. When Amy is in a very animated state, it's sometimes difficult to completely grasp what the Australian woman is saying, as though she's not even speaking English.
"I texted Aubrey," Ashley informs them as she clutches her phone, reminding Chloe as if she'd texted their mother, and now Chloe was in big trouble.
Cynthia Rose has emerged from somewhere, presumably the bathroom, as her hair is damp, and she has a towel draped around her shoulders. She's standing by the door. "What's all da commotion about? Chlo's back?"
Lilly is the lone voice that remains silent. But the pinnacle on top is what she does. She has extracted the empty tequila bottle from Chloe's bag and is holding it up as if it were the most essential component of evidence at a crime scene. Everybody is staring from the tequila bottle back to Chloe, gasping dramatically in chorus.
The Bellas are flabbergasted and appear equally bewildered as they exchange a look with each other. Chloe is on the receiving end of a reproving headshake from Stacie. "Without us?" she whines as her green eyes turn glassy, the corners of her lips turning down.
"I told you I went to a friend," Chloe says in defense. "It was just the two of us."
"Since when did you have sneaky meetings with Tom?" Jessica demands to know. "You never made it a big deal before."
"I even heard 'em doing the bloody nasty once," Amy comments with a dirty smirk, "here in her room." She makes a disgusted face as she tries not to touch anything Chloe and Tom might have had sex on. "I bet 'cha if Aubrey knew…."
"No, not Tom. I met with someone else."
"But, like, you're not cheating on your boyfriend, right?" Jessica poses the question with an air of concern in her voice.
Chloe can only sit there and gaze at each of them, completely baffled by the unfolding events before her eyes. After all, this wasn't the first time she'd spent the night in someone else's home. The fact that she used to stay in Tom's dorm in the past was known to the Bellas, to Aubrey. But maybe because Chloe is making such a huge deal out of it may be contributing to their annoyance.
To begin with, by failing to tell them of her sleeping arrangements. Second, either not answering the phone immediately or answering it later than is customary. Third, to sneak back in and appear like a distressed teenager. Fourth, referring to a presumed "friend" but refraining from naming specific details, not even the said friend's name. Five, by keeping the news of her breakup with Tom a secret, which leads them to believe that she's unfaithful to him.
It's because she doesn't know where it's going or what it really is that she's maintaining a low profile when it comes to Beca, which is why she's acting so surreptitiously about her. Before entrusting them with the information, Chloe must first determine the answer for herself. If her friendship with Beca were ever to shatter—God forbid—in the whole process, she would still be able to tell her friends that she once had a "friend" who she mistakenly believed to be a potential love interest in her life. But right now, she feels so confused as to where to start…
It has been over a month since she and Tom broke up; she owes them at least this explanation.
"No, I'm not," Chloe mumbles, only barely noticing the footsteps ascending the stairs. " Tom and I, we, um, we broke up."
The girls gasp in unison as if in utter disbelief, surprise, and incomprehension at this new revelation. But from somewhere in the hallway comes a louder, distinguishable gasp.
"What?"
And the air freezes.
The attention of each of the Bellas in the room is drawn to the direction of the voice that is speaking. It's Aubrey! As she approaches Chloe from the hallway, the Bellas move to the side to make room for her, much like how they do in those mafia movies, when the boss enters the room, Chloe muses and tries to hide her smile. However, Aubrey has the potential to be even more terrifying. Only Stacie holds her ground and maintains her position close to Chloe while watching her other captain stare at Chloe.
"Chloe, what happened?" Aubrey asks. Her voice is both filled with concern and disbelief.
"You heard right, Tom and I are no longer together," Chloe explains, her voice doesn't break. "We're just friends now. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
Aubrey's face twitches in anger as though she doesn't believe what she's hearing. She's about to unload her wrath on Chloe, it seems. Stacie jumps between them, palms facing defensively towards Aubrey, as though the strict and uptight captain is about to inflict corporal punishment upon Chloe for her utter stupidity, and Stacie is trying to protect her. Aubrey, however, would never cause Chloe physical harm or any harm at all. Stacie knows this, too. Everybody knows this. This is nothing more than Stacie's protective instinct taking over.
"Stacie, what the A-ca-hell?" Aubrey tells her, her arms flailing. "This is none of your concern. I need to speak to Chloe."
"Just be mindful, Captain," Stacie says as she steps aside, "they've just broken up, and Chloe is drowning her heartbreak with tequila." She furrows her perfect brows down at Chloe. "Without us," she repeats.
"I tell yah, bitches," Fat Amy chimes in, "a rebound sex is always the bloody best medicine."
"What?" Ashley turns to her, confused, "Didn't she say she went to a girl friend?" she corrects her.
"Ohh, stupid, dumb, naive Ashley," Fat Amy says, placing an arm over her shoulder and shaking her head. Then she snaps her head back at Chloe. "Wait a second, or did 'cha switch teams?"
"No, wait, what?" Chloe asks, now understanding the confusion, "I didn't... we broke up over a month ago." Then she adds, with her eyes downcast as if she owns the girls, especially Aubrey, an apology. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."
There are arms around her, blonde hair in the corner of her eye, the scent of Aubrey's perfume, and then another set of arms, this time with brunette hair, and finally, the rest of the Bellas. If that's possible at all.
"You didn't have to go through all this alone, Chloe," Aubrey says softly, "I'm here for you. We all are."
After a brief hug, Aubrey is the first to pull away. She claps her hands as she stands up to command everyone's attention. "Ladies, this is CODE: A-ca-RED," she yells.
"WHAT? NO!" Chloe exclaims. That's when everything happens too fast.
As a dramatic effect, all of the Bellas ooh and aah to each other and nod their heads in accord. This is because they all have practiced and mastered every hypothetical CODE scenario. Everyone knows what to do if a specific code color is declared; it does not matter who declares it or when it is declared; you should be aware of what to do and what role you take for the individual in need. There is no relevance to your current location or activity in this regard. If a Bella calls a code color, you have to obey.
Ashley and Jessica declare simultaneously, in a fairly absurd manner, "We get the ice cream!" They salute and seem emotionless as they do so. After that, make a hasty exit.
"Captain, I fetch the bloody grog," Fat Amy, stepping forward and volunteers, also saluting, and dashes off. She yells, "We still got some tequila, right?" from her perch in the space between the stairway railings. Then, when no answer is forthcoming, she dashes down the stairs.
"I get the movie," Cynthia Rose declares. And when she straightens her body, the towel placed over her neck slips off and falls to the ground.
"Stacie–" Aubrey exchanges a look with the tall brunette, nodding once, "grab her!"
"No, wait," Chloe whines, but she is already being dragged by her tall friends, each grabbing an arm and pulling her from the bed.
Lilly removes everything in their way and, once downstairs, takes the duvet from the couch to drape it over Chloe.
Stacie places herself with her back between Chloe's legs. "I'll hold her in place," she declares, looking at Aubrey, who is on the other side of Chloe to hinder her from fleeing.
So, Chloe can't move, and her protests land on deaf ears.
Then, Ashley and Jessica return, and the first thing they do is put a plastic bag on the table, inside an ice cream container. They report that they have contacted Denise to come over ASAP as this is an "emergency."
Shortly after, Fat Amy returns with a bottle of tequila, and Cynthia Rose puts a movie in the DVD player.
"Guys, this is not necessary," Chloe tells them. "This isn't CODE: A-ca-RED." She rolls her eyes at how ridiculous it sounded and groans, trying to get up, but Stacie holds her down. "I broke up with him. He's at no fault at all."
"What?" Aubrey shrieks for the second time. "But, sweetie, why?" She looks confused. She doesn't understand the world right now.
"Do we get to eat the ice cream anyway?" Amy asks from behind the couch. "I mean, it's there. 'n it'd be bad if it goes to waste."
"Bellas, may I have a word with Chloe?" Aubrey tells them. Her eyes ask them to leave. "Stacie, you, too."
"But I'm her best friend, too." Stacie grabs Chloe's legs and makes a pulling movement, to state her point.
Aubrey acts out of character by responding petulantly, "Yeah, but I'm her number one best friend." She pulls at Chloe's arm.
"Guys, the ice cream?" Amy reminds them again.
"Just take it, Amy," Aubrey barks at her, arms gesturing in frustration. Her voice is stern and demanding. "All of you, leave!"
Stacie surrenders and gets up. "Call me if she gets annoying," she whispers to Chloe, at which Aubrey only groans.
When the freshmen Bellas leave the living room, Aubrey asks her again. "Honey, what happened?"
"Bree, I know you liked him. But... I didn't love him anymore, and I thought it was unfair of me if we stayed together," Chloe explains in a ragged breath, her eyes staring at her lap. "So I broke up. That's over a month ago."
"Did–did you meet someone else?" Because, of course, that's the only plausible conclusion of someone breaking up with a guy Chloe had been head over heels with. A practically perfect guy. Good-looking, to say the least.
"There's no one, really," Chloe tells her, but she doesn't know whether this is true.
"Last week, I thought you looked really sad and didn't seem quite yourself." Aubrey is referring to the event that occurred when Beca shut Chloe out. Chloe had been acting in a manner that was not typical of her, and she could not concentrate on their rehearsals whatsoever—missing several of the choreography's entrance and exit steps as well as its vocal inflections. "Was it because of the breakup? Some breakup PTSD?"
Chloe shakes her head. "That didn't have anything to do with it." But she can't tell why. "It's fine now. Really, it is."
"You look so happy now," Aubrey states, brushing a strand of Chloe's hair away. "Quite different than before." Then she inspects her closely. "This new friend of yours, who is it?"
"Yes, well..." Chloe scratches the back of her head, averting the blonde's gaze, "it's just really a friend. It's Beca."
"You mean Jesse's new girlfriend?" Aubrey asks incredulously. And for some reason, this question hits Chloe like a stab in the chest. "They are always together. And I thought she's quite the bitch."
"They aren't dating," Chloe explains, "they are just friends."
"Yeah, but Jesse is so into her. He mentioned her a few times even though I didn't ask. And she seems to like him, too."
"Yeah, so be it." Chloe sighs, pulling her legs up and folding her hands on her knees.
"We can still have a movie night together and eat ice cream," Aubrey suggests.
"Too late for that, bitches." Fat Amy emerges from the kitchen. "Someone ate the whole container."
The remainder of the Bellas is found along the corridor. They have been waiting there, so they have most likely heard the whole conversation.
"Sorry, but we needed to make sure that Aubrey wouldn't strangle you," Stacie says as she moves beside the couch. Then she drops elegantly backward and lands in a sitting position in front of Chloe.
"That girl is quite a personality. This girl, Beca, I mean," Jessica states. She is standing behind the couch.
"I think she's nice if ya get to know her," Cynthia Rose comments, who took the spot on her favorite stool in front of the fireplace.
Lilly lifts a hand and whispers something. But nobody understood. However, she did mention Beca's name.
"How do you know Beca?" Chloe asks, looking at Cynthia Rose.
"She's in English Lit wit' me and Jessica," she explains, "she acts all bitchy 'n stuff, but I saw her a few times going out of herself to help another person."
"And that's the one you went drinking with?" Stacie asks. "I mean, I think she's nice. I only met her once."
"You met her, this secret friend of Chlo? You met Beca?" Aubrey exclaims, her voice reaching a high-pitched tone. But she is staring at Chloe. Her expression is that of hurt and the ultimate betrayal.
"Because I'm her BFF now," Stacie remarks with crossed arms, leering at Aubrey. Aubrey shoots up to grab at her collar, but Chloe throws herself between them.
"Guys, no, Aubrey, stop!" Chloe intervenes, "they only met because Stacie ran into us once."
And at that moment, something began to flash in Stacie's eyes as she became aware of something. She gives Chloe a knowing glance and gives a single nod, followed by a concentration-inducing furrowing of her brows. Chloe's intuition is telling her that Stacie will talk with her at a later time.
They watch the movie together, but Chloe refuses to drink alcohol again. Therefore, they did not. The bottle is going to be put away for the next get-together. Aubrey makes a wholehearted suggestion that Chloe invites Beca over to meet her. But knowing Beca as Chloe does, the younger woman would most likely decline the invitation since she does not enjoy attending parties. Or meeting people in general.
When Chloe is back in her room later, she quickly texts Beca, 'So, what are you up to? Or will you be ghosting me again for another week? ;)' Weirdly, she can laugh about it now; it's been horrible while it happened.
A knock at the door, and Stacie walks in. "You got a minute?" Then she flops down on the bed. "Is it Beca?" She gives a fleeting glance at Chloe's phone.
"Yeah." Chloe doesn't look at her and places it on the bed beside her. She feels it vibrate again but ignores it and gives Stacie her full attention.
"Beca. Is she... Are you two..." Stacie begins as she falls back on the bed and props herself up on her elbows. "I mean, I'm cool with that, you know?"
"What? No, not like that." Chloe feels her head heat up.
"Chloe, I could literally see the sexual tension between the two of you," Stacie tells her, "so stop denying."
"Literally, Stacie?"
"Yes."
"To be honest, I don't know what you're talking about. No, she's just a friend. And it's not like that," Chloe repeats.
"But you'd tell me, right?"
"Yes, of course, but nothing is going on. She's just a friend. I do the same stuff with her, like with you or the other Bellas." Except for the kissing and the rather too-sexual body shots. Too sexual for just two friends. Except Chloe's stomach flutters with a swarm of butterflies when she's with Beca, and she's tongue-tied and nervous. When she looks at Beca, she knows they have a special bond. Except for all that she doesn't do or have with her other friends. Not even with Stacie, and they are both very affectionate with each other.
But Chloe doesn't tell her. At least not yet.
"Alright, then, goodnight." After leaning forward and kissing Chloe on the lips, Stacie then leaves the room, seeming quite contented.
She checks her phone for Beca's reply. 'Might consider that.'
She types a response. 'As long as I get to lick the salt off from your belly button next time. ;)'
There's no reply for another five minutes or so. Then, Chloe takes a shower and gets ready for bed. She sees the new message when she returns to her room.
'I dare you. ;)' Beca wrote. Beca usually barely uses emojis, but in this one, she did, which Chloe is sure she's teasing back. Chloe can feel her heart start to race.
She doesn't believe what she's reading. 'You're such a tease. ;)' she replies.
'I'm the tease? Ha-ha.'
'It was enjoyable with you, Beca,' Chloe writes, laying on her bed and pulling her blanket up to her stomach, 'you think we could do that again, though?'
'Well, we still have a bottle of tequila here...'
'I'm excited. Btw, the girls want to meet you.' Chloe throws in without any warning.
'I don't want them interrogating me with questions, no. And I'm not going to have a slumber party with them.'
Beca would find it extremely difficult to handle the pressure of meeting a bunch of new girls in a single day. For an introvert like her, this is an unreasonable amount of expectation to place on her. However, this is a wish that not only the Bellas want—Chloe does as well. She is eager for her Bella family to get to know the person who has become important in her life, and she wants this to happen as soon as possible.
'The slumber party will just be our thing, Beca ;)' and she adds quickly, 'But they want to meet you. And I'd really love that.'
'Oh fuck, no. You can't force me. I'm free to decline and decide for myself. Thanks.'
'Please, for me?'
After another five minutes of waiting and browsing her social media sites, Chloe is left with the impression that Beca will not respond to her message this time. Ignoring it until it becomes forgotten.
Still nothing after ten more minutes of waiting and checking her inbox. Chloe has gone too far. She has put too much pressure on Beca.
Then Beca's message pops up.
'Fine.'
A/N: *Song used in this chapter was released on March 31, 2015. Pitch Perfect 1 (story's plot) takes place in 2012. I took the liberty and included this song in this story, anyway, because you know, this is a parallel universe where the timeline is different? XD
How will the Bellas react after meeting Beca? How will their interactions be? What do you think? And since Tom and Chloe are still friends, do you want to see them getting back together? Stupid question, I know. XD Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. :)