Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pitch Perfect or any of its characters nor do I have the rights to the franchise. All rights go to Universal Studios. Any Copyright infringement was not intentional, if required then send me a message and the story will be deleted. Sorry for any inconveniences.
Excuse me?
When they tell you showbusiness is hectic they downplay it tremendously. After 2 years being a music producer Beca still wasn't used to the pace of things. Don't get her wrong, she loved being a producer – music soothed her soul, meetings on the other hand…
She had spent way too many days sitting in a room with executives. It hardly made anything prosperous come out of it. Too many voices for so little of an idea. After each meeting she found herself in a small café a few blocks away. It was littered in plants, real and plastic, with tan walls creating a warm aesthetic. Beca particularly loved their caramel latte, not that she would admit it to the outside world. To them she had black- like her soul.
Nobody knew she went there.
Even the employees at the café knew to keep quiet. They didn't know her name but they weren't blind. They had spotted the casual riches embedded in her outfits. The latest headphones paired with a basic white tee or a call made on the finest mobiles while she chewed nervously on her hoodie strings. But her tips persuaded them to keep to keep her coffee full for the five hours the would spend glued to the laptop- headphones full blast- and not mention a thing.
It soon became a routine for the 'goth girl', as they called her, to come in every Thursday, order a coffee, sit in the corner booth and become absorbed in her music. Nobody questioned it. Hell, they kept the booth clear when they could.
It wasn't until goth girl arrived early they knew something was up. She was never seen before twelve. Until now. Now they get to see her yell into her phone. A sight that had their newest hire worried.
Chloe had only worked there just over a week. This was her first ever Thursday on shift. So, seeing a woman dressed in a high-end suit, yelling into a new phone, she was just waiting for the *snap snap* of her fingers to summon a manager. Imagine her surprise when the woman, once it was her turn to order, apologises and snaps her phone shut. And orders a simple caramel latte. No extra shots or a certain degree for the milk.
Chloe was even more surprised when Aubrey -stick by the status quo- Posen looked happy that the woman was there, even hand delivering the coffee. She didn't even seem disturbed when the woman became more invested in her phone screen, or the mumbled curse she said towards it. The woman, 'goth girl' if Aubrey's squeak when the order went through was to be accurate, simply nodded her thanks and slipped a note back to the blonde before sprinting out the door. Literally sprinting.
Aubrey didn't even blink. She only turned around a little wide-eyed. "Didn't know she owned a suit." Then turned around to go back towards the machines. They were understaffed enough for her to step in as barista while Chloe was in training.
"Who was that?" The redhead breathed. She hadn't meant to be rude but their usual clientele tended to be more on the hipster side of the podium. Not the 'Cat Grant' businesswoman.
Aubrey looked at her, smirking with an inside joke. "No clue." She looks towards the clock. "She's early though. On Thursdays she gets here at 3." It was spoken with a curiosity and awe that she hadn't heard from the typically composed manager.
"So, she's a regular then."
"Only on Thursdays. Why so interested?"
"She's… different." Was all that Chloe could verbalise while staring at the door. While she was usually a people person but no-one had those cobalt eyes. They were strong enough to drown in. She didn't know why but she wanted to.
Chloe tried to remove Goth girl from her mind, but each week she was given a shift on Thursday, 9 to 5. She could never escape those eyes. But, unlike before, she was dressed more casually. And, like Aubrey said, arrived at 3 sharp. Sitting at the same booth with the same coffee. Neither uttered more than was required for an order the first few weeks.
The redhead grew bolder over time. Opting to start each of their interactions with an, admittedly, cheesy one-liner. To begin with Goth girl would stare at her with a strange expression. As if she were trying to get a read of the redhead, to know if she was cheerful or just crazy. Soon though, a few weeks give or take, the woman would start to smile at them. Even a few of them received a chuckle.
It wasn't until a particularly bad day for Chloe arrived. Her car had broken down making her late, the rain started to soak through her clothes and her phone charger had stopped working throughout the night. Despite her best efforts it hurt too much to put up a happy façade that day. She managed a smile but her pep was not in it that day. The lunch rush didn't help her either.
The customers hadn't eased up much since 1 o'clock so they were still running behind on orders. Both Aubrey and Jessica, their actual barista, were manning the machines. Chloe was stuck piling more orders on top of the ones that were already there and having to take the snide remarks from those collecting an order. She barely had time to breathe never mind look at the clock through it all. So after yet another order coming through, imagine her surprise when it turned out to be her 3 o'clock. Ordering the same thing.
The woman, seeing the queue, opted to sit down at her booth during her wait. Claiming that they should 'take their time,' she wasn't in a rush that day. And for the next hour they filled any/every other order, leaving Goth girl's til last as a discarded ticket. It was only found when they were cleaning up slightly and only because Chloe had looked out and noticed her lack of cup. The woman hadn't seemed perturbed about it and was patiently waiting on her laptop but it was a kicker that the redhead didn't need. They had let down their regular.
So, she added a bear claw for good measure. It wasn't much but it at least had apology written all over it. Chloe decided it was better if she took it out to them in person. Soften the blow and hopefully keep the shouting to a minimum.
Each step took an eternity for her, the typical pitter patters her footsteps typically made felt more monstrous. She vaguely wondered if the others could hear the thunder that had followed her. She didn't like confrontation. The moment she reached the table words flooded out of her at an alarming rate. Goth girl looked at her in shock, barely able to understand her if her look was anything to go by.
It seemed like a solid 5 minutes before the redhead stopped speaking with a muttered apology. Seeming to understand that she might have made it worse with her blubbery outburst. The woman looked at her with wide eyes before taking a sip of her coffee, just stopping herself from recoiling at the burning heat of the coffee and responding with a simple "Better latte than never."
Chloe guffawed. This woman was never what she expected her to be. During their entire conversation, no matter the day, she had never uttered a pun. "You made a pun!" Chloe couldn't stop a smile from spreading itself upon her face.
The woman smiled shyly as she passed her a tip. "Thank you, Chloe." It was the first and last time Chloe heard her speak in puns, but the woman had left an impression. That day no longer seemed so bad, and the redhead kept a smile on her face as she went back to the counter. She didn't know why they made it but it felt purposefully done for her. She loved it.
This day was much like any other until the brunette rushed in as a hurricane. She was early. It was only 1 in the afternoon. Fortunately for the woman there was no queue that day, only one person in line. The girl could hardly stand still. Her constant twitching would no doubt create wrinkles in her shirt but she could hardly pay attention to it. Her hand would flick upwards to reveal the clock in her phone.
When it was finally her turn, she ordered her usual. Which Chloe had prepared, glad to have the forethought to let Aubrey know that Goth girl had arrived. The girl's eyes widened in surprise before switching to satisfaction and thankful when she took a sip.
In her opinion, it should be illegal to be that cute. Even when rushing she slowed down long enough to crinkle her eyes in content while her body relaxed in on itself. It didn't escape her attention that there was a little sigh that was released when she finished her sip.
The woman looked up, her smile stretched into authentication. Her eyes held only love and adoration when she gazed upon the barista. Her eyes flicked behind the redheads before widening.
"Shit!" Goth girl placed her phone down and raided her pockets, the coffee cup still held in her vice grip. She franticly patted herself down before slipping a note out. She hardly noticed that she had placed down a $20 note before running out the door.
Chloe was stuck watching the cartoon smoke that was left in her haste. For such a short person they managed to move with such velocity. It wasn't until a customer walked through the same doors that she snapped back into work mode. Placing the note in the till and leaving the rest in the tip glass – they had never splurged into getting a jar.
The redhead turned to face the next customer, both hands in front of her leaning slightly into the unit that she felt it. Looking down towards her left hand she saw the last thing she wanted. A phone. Looking closer she noticed how expensive it was.
It was Goth girl's phone.
And she was fucked.