Prompt: "Ok, this is getting fucking ridiculous…"
It was just too much. Beca's eyes filled with tears when Chloe kissed that girl again. They'd talked and made out at the last few parties the Bellas had been to, and Beca had the feeling that Chloe actually liked this one and wanted to pursue a relationship with her.
She took her solo cup of beer and wandered out onto the back patio, then sat on the edge of the pool letting her bare feet dangle in the water. She was maybe just a tad tipsy. Seeing Chloe kiss that girl had sobered her right up.
The first time had taken her by surprise because Beca had always thought… or assumed really… that her best friend was straight as an arrow. But when she thought about it more, it made sense. Chloe was affectionate and flirty with everyone. She was kind and touchy to the point where it used to really bother the brunette. But now… now Beca was used to it, even craved it; craved her best friend's affection.
"Phew! It's hot in there!" Chloe said suddenly as she crossed the paving and sat next to Beca, setting her yellow cup next to her thigh with a bright grin. Her chest was glistening with sweat, and she leaned back on her hands to let the light breeze cool her down. "I see you escaped out here too."
"Mmmm," Beca replied with a light shrug. She took a sip of her beer, refusing to look her friend in the eyes because she just… couldn't.
"Is everything ok?" the redhead asked. "You seem upset."
"Everything's fine," Beca replied, shrugging again.
"Becs…"
"I'm going to get another drink." The brunette got up and fled back into the house, leaving her stunned best friend behind.
Xx
Chloe had been officially dating that girl for a week now and she seemed happy. Part of Beca was glad for her but a bigger, less understanding part, was pissed off. She was avoiding Chloe and she knew the redhead could tell, but didn't know why.
Chloe had tried to ask her what was wrong, but Beca had brushed her off each time. And Chloe was no longer allowed to visit her at night to snuggle in the brunette's bed when she was having trouble getting to sleep. Beca's door was locked now.
"I don't know what I did wrong," Chloe said as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Do you, Aubrey? Has Beca said anything to you?"
Aubrey looked down at her hands and let out a sigh. "She hasn't said anything, but I think I might know what's wrong. When did her demeanor towards you change?"
The redhead frowned as she tried to figure that out. "I… I'm not sure… I think it was around the time I met Kat maybe?"
Aubrey sighed again. "I thought so," she murmured.
"Aubrey, if you know what's going on, please tell me?" Chloe begged. "I can't go on like this. I miss her so much."
"Honey," the blonde said softly. "I have no solid evidence to go on but, have you ever thought that maybe… maybe Beca has feelings for you? And that seeing you dating Kat is too much for her?"
The redhead blinked and her eyebrows slowly lifted. "You think Beca… loves me?"
Aubrey smiled. "I know she loves you but maybe she's… in love with you?"
Chloe felt like all the air had been sucked out of her and she shook her head a little. "I…" She swallowed hard. "I don't know what to say."
"She probably doesn't either," the Bellas co-captain responded. "You know she's not great at verbalizing her feelings."
The redhead nodded. "I never thought for one second that she might…" She looked at her friend, bottom lip quivering. "Aubrey, I…I…"
"I know," Aubrey said softly, reaching out to take Chloe's hand and squeeze gently. "The alt girl has had your heart for a while now, huh?"
And Chloe just nodded.
Xx
A few more weeks passed, and Chloe broke up with Kat. They'd had fun together, but there was something missing in the relationship. It was mutual and they'd agreed to stay friends. The redhead had hoped that it would have fixed whatever was broken between herself and Beca but still, her best friend remained distant; found excuses to not be in the same room with Chloe; excuses to not be near her in any way.
Beca sat on her bed with her headphones clamped securely over her ears. She'd heard that Chloe and that girl had broken up but she didn't know what to do to fix things with her best friend; didn't know how she'd be able to handle it when Chloe began dating someone new. So, she'd just stayed away.
She should have known that Chloe wouldn't let her forever.
"Ok, this is getting fucking ridiculous," a voice full of tonesaid from her doorway. "I've given you space and you haven't come back to me, Beca. Now I'm just mad."
The redhead did indeed look mad. She was wearing low-cut, navy sweatpants with a light blue Nike t-shirt, and her hands were fisted on her hips. She was also scowling. Beca's heart beat a little faster at how sexy she looked. Things had apparently come to a head earlier that evening when Beca had just walked out of a room Chloe had entered without even bothering to offer an explanation as to why.
Dark blue eyes rolled but the brunette lifted her headphones off and let them hang around her neck. "What do you want, Chloe?" she sighed, scratching her cheek tiredly.
That just made Chloe angrier, and she strode across the room to repeatedly stab her finger in the direction of her friend's chest. "I want you to tell me why the hell you've been avoiding me. What could I POSSIBLY have done to make you treat me this way?"
"Oh, I dunno," Beca replied sarcastically. "Maybe I just got to the point where I couldn't stand how ANNOYING you are anymore!"
Chloe physically recoiled and her eyes filled with tears of frustration. "I'm annoying? I'M ANNOYING?! I'm not the one who just checked out, Beca! I'm not the one who's throwing away an AMAZING three-year friendship… because she's JEALOUS!"
Beca got up off the bed, going nose to nose with the older woman. "JEALOUS?!" she exclaimed. "What the FUCK do I have to be jealous about, Chloe?"
"KAT!" That girl. Beca winced internally, even as she seethed.
An incredulous little laugh tumbled from the brunette's chest. "You think I'm jealous of HER? I knew you two wouldn't last long. You have the attention span of a gnat, Chloe Beale. Everyone calls you Easy-Come-Easy-Go-Chlo!"
The slap was so unexpected that Beca just stood there for a moment, hand pressed against her cheek with eyes wide as she gazed at her friend. Chloe's stinging hand went to her mouth, and she backed away a couple of steps. "Oh my God… Beca, I'm so sorry," she gasped.
But Beca just let out a sigh and sat down on her bed. "No," she said softly. "I deserved it."
Chloe moved to her and knelt in front of her, placing her hands on the younger woman's thighs. "No, you didn't. I pushed you and… you lost your temper."
Beca smiled just a little. "So did you. I've never seen you slap someone before, Chlo. I'd be impressed if it wasn't me on the receiving end."
A little pained laugh was the redhead's reply but then she leaned closer and pressed her forehead against her friend's. "Talk to me, Becs?" she said. "Is this about my dating other people?"
Very slowly, Beca nodded. "It hurts, Chlo," she whispered honestly. "Because I want to be that person."
Chloe grinned like her whole year had just been made, and she leaned a tad closer to tilt her head and kiss the younger woman chastely on the lips. "Jesus, Becs. Why didn't you just say so sooner?" she chuckled. "I waited like six months for you to make a move."
Dark blue eyes rolled. "Why didn't you just make a move on me?" the brunette asked.
"Because I didn't want to scare you away forever," the redhead replied seriously.
Beca nodded. She knew herself well enough to understand why Chloe might have thought that. "So." She cleared her throat. "Does that mean…"
But Chloe just kissed her again, pushing them both back onto the mattress to lie down, and deepening the kiss as Beca's arms came around her and a gentle hand laced into her red hair. A while later, when they eased apart, eyes half-lidded and breathing ragged, the redhead whispered her reply.
"Yeah, Becs, it means."