Author's Note: I may or may not have confused some people in the previous chapter hopefully it's leaning more toward the latter. Just to be clear as much as I'd like bechloe to happen during some epic road trip where they drive off into the sunset together-their whole roadtrip isn't as grand or as long as you might expect. The Voice setting is still on so don't worry Be cool, get cool, Bust cool or something like that.
maybe next time, Cruisin Is Made For Love I Love It When We're Cruisin Together (again with the long title lol) or just plain Cruisin is made for love that could be the title of my next fic.
So sorry i guess, if ever I did cause some confusion. Here's the next part-i had to split it into two since it was too long. Hope you aren't too disappointed, one update right after the other oh my.
but I've been rambling...on with the story
Roadtrip huh, more like a mini-road trip or just a whole day exploring the town...you don't really care. Any amount of time no matter how long or short, any chance that you get to share with Beca is more than fine with you.
At the start though you'd let your imagination run away with you...What did you think that you'd drive off into the horizon, that somehow she already felt something for you and she was willing to sacrifice everything for you even leave her career and you'd escape to some far off distant land and live together away from it all... surviving only on your love for each other? A beautiful picture right, truly believable.
Yeah, you did believe for a second there admit it.
It takes all but 17 mins to get from Culver City to the City of Angels
Of course Beca wouldn't take you very far, she just wanted the rest of the day off and she'd found someone to distract her in you,
You appreciate Beca showing you around, you've never seen this side of the La la land before...you avoid the typical tourist attractions, cause that would just be disastrous. It was the drive itself that had been special, with the two of you belting out to some really fitting classic drive songs Duran Duran's "Drive By," Sheryl Crow's "All I Wanna Do" and more.
Sometimes it's not the where but who you're with getting there.
You think the entire day is just full of happy, light, fun times,
One particular experience when you stop for food at a Burger King drive thru is truly hilarious
She gives out both your orders, an Angry Whopper for you, and a Double Cheeseburger for her.
When she drives up to pick up the order the lady behind the glass practically screams "Holy Lord, It's Beca Mitchell-" Going into hysterics "Beca Mitchell is at my drve-thru window...Lord be praised! "Tina, Tina come check out...Miss Mitchell I'm a huge fan..." You're actually afraid she'll faint, the woman's overwhelmed by Beca's very presence. You know the feeling.
Beca puts her finger to her lips. The server, Leigh, nods understandingly getting a hold of herself-glad to favor the Beca Mitchell.
All the while Beca is glancing around maybe hoping that some paparazzo who had sonic hearing who maybe wasn't deaf yet-hadn't been alerted and hopefully, by the time word does eventually get out- that she will be long gone and they won't find her there.
Someone comes, presumably Tina and she too starts screaming.
"Beca, can I get a picture-no, no wait I need to call Shay...she is so gonna flip! It was supposed to be her shift tonight" She's on the phone in a second jabbering away to Shay about her regretting choosing to stay home sick today of all days for the rest of her life.
Word has spread quickly and there are a lot of people swarming by the window. You wonder idly, who's left serving the one's dining inside.
All the while Beca is charming and polite agreeing to many favors, talking to Shay saying that she was sorry she missed work and to get better soon -here you inwardly swoon-as well as giving out her autograph to almost all twenty servers-here the ladies scrambled for any blank surface for her to sign on; papers, tissues till they settled on some of the empty cups, another lady gets out her own Beca Mitchell poster.
What- does she just go around carrying that poster- just in case?
They almost went ballistic when they forgot they needed a pen as well for that kind of thing and with all the hustle and bustle of looking for papers the pens had gone missing.
You have one to offer, saving the day as they all grab for the pen- that's the only time out of the whole full eight and a half minutes that they notice you, giving you curious stares wondering what exactly your association is with Beca. Maybe even wondering if you too are famous.
Well you aren't... at least, not yet. The first few Voice Auditions footage had already gone out but others wouldn't be coming out till next week, yours probably the week after that.
It's even sillier still as they all try to stretch out of the window to get a picture taken with Beca. They finally just squeeze themselves by the window and they face you as you take their picture together with Beca who had quickly climbed out of the car for it and just as quickly got back in.
Now even the customers are gathering around the car, there are cars starting to beep behind you guys.
You've now seen first-hand how much a commotion Beca can single-handedly cause.
Okay people settle down there are other customers,Jeez she's a normal person like everyone of you. But come on give them a break, if it were you just last week and Beca had just rolled up to your window out of the blue you'd have done the same thing. No, you wouldn't have had the self-control, you'd have tackled her. Man Aubrey was right, You are crazy.
"Okay ladies, sorry but I gotta go-it usually takes the paparazzi less thanten minutes to hear about where I am and five more minutes to actually find me... It was nice meeting you all. Have a nice day. Thanks for the extra fries Leigh! "she screams over her shoulder as she finally pulls out of the drive-thru.
"Is it usually that bad?"
"Are you kidding me this is tame compared to what I normally run into, I can't even go into a bathroom without getting swarmed. They were nice though, they didn't call the paparazzi on me" she says looking at you from over her sunglasses that have slipped a bit, her nose a little shiny.
It was weird... but you think you liked her most like this looking almost ordinary- make-up free, her hair wild blowing freely in the wind her face unguarded but like many Hollywood beauties even at her worst she would still be so heart-stoppingly gorgeous.
The California sun has been bright but not obtrusive through ought the afternoon. But now, its a beautiful orange signaling the closing of a day, a long beautiful magical day with the girl of your dreams.
You continue from where you left off with the game you were playing earlier but she changes up the rules a bit. A while ago you were asking each other basic things favorite colors (yours: blue and red, hers: blue and black), favorite rap song (yours: "Gangster's Paradise" by Coolio. hers: Get it Together by the Beastie Boys) food (yours: Anything sweet, hers: Anything taco Bell) and guessing each other's answer but that was too easy she says- probably being a sore-loser since you were winning- that you most probably read some off the stuff about her which you denied vehemently... though it was the truth.
It's your turn to ask the questions. You get 5 each and it's supposed to be rapid fire type, and obviously you aren't suppose to stop and think about your answers but Beca is being difficult.
"Favorite Dog Cartoon? "
"Where do you get your questions, do you just randomly pull it out from some imaginary hat?"
"Who is it?"
"ah...Clifford"
"Aw, mine's Lady-and the Tramp, No... the whole 101 Dalmations"
"You and Disney huh, couldn't have guess that one" her tone sarcastic her expression deadpan
"Okay next one, favorite one liner from a movie?"
"Why are your questions so hard?"
"What- it's movie lines Beca, how can that be hard?"
"It is, when you don't watch them"
"What? You don't watch...movies? That well that's-different"
"You don't think it's weird?"
"Your words not mine- isn't-" your boyfr-...your fiance...your pers..."-Jesse doesn't he do movie soundtracks?"
"Sure I listen to them, I happen to be a very supportive girlfriend but I can't stand movies...I just get bored halfway through, no..I'm lucky if I even get that far...I try for him really I do- cos that guys such a movie nut." She's not looking thankfully when you roll your eyes at the end of her sentence.
"You have movies-and don't you go to premiers?"
"Yes and yes, I can work with the whole acting film-making aspect of it but sitting though one is another matter...I can survive one when it's required but I don't need to like it."
"Well mine's... Our love is like the wind you can't see it but you can feel it."
"That sounds lame-"
"It's from one of my favorite movies..."
"A Walk to Remember? Don't look so surprised I may not watch romantic films but I am aware of them and their sappy corny lines. Wait, there's one I remember..." her eyebrows are wriggling. Funny. A walk to remember remember-you get what she did there.
"What?"
"Ma, the meatloaf!"
"Wedding Crashers huh?"
"Will Farell is genius I tell ya-I'm not completely opposed to fun, smart... okay not-so-smart comedies, I don't fall asleep as much when i'm laughing every other second."
"Noted...Okay, moving on Favorite Nsync member?" You ask Beca
"You did not just ask me that" her face is almost pained, like she can't believe you even thought of her as that kind of girl
"Answers only."
"What made you think i even liked Nsync or any Boyband for that matter?"
"It's almost impossible for any girl to not like one of them-there were so many of them Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, Boyzone, no wait you liked the Brits Take That!"
"Oh God I think I just lost my respect for you.." You simply raise you eyebrow at her "-argh fine, it was Lance. JT had everything going for him of course, but when I met them Lance was the sweet one- the least egotistical one. Well he was the only one who didn't try to get me to go out on a date with him and now i know why."
"Oh poor you, were you heart broken when you found out he played for his own team?" You say winking at her
"No-like I said I was never obsessed as some girls were-well still are about a group of boys singing together-"
"You gotta admit the One Directioners are pretty cute and talented, and their songs are really catchy, hey can we play their new song Best Song Ever?"
You can't help thinking about your own song, but that song won't be on the radio anytime soon-won't be heard by anyone's ears but your own and Aubrey's.
"Aren't they being presumptuous, Who names their song the Best Song Ever... I don't regret that i don't have that song-"
"Then it's a good thing we're using my ipod..." Their song is near the top of the most Recently played list the rest are all Beca's DJ Mitchell mixes.
"Argh kill me now-" she gives in but as the song progresses you notice her bobbing her head a couple of times and later on she's even mouthing the words you can tell she's trying to stop herself, but she can't help it
"Ha! You've fallen into the One Direction trap!" you say after she mouths her way through the entire chorus her hands tapping the beat into the steering wheel.
"It is I admit quite catchy, in radio terms those kinds of tracks are what they call "sticky" the kind that you may not like, but after hearing it over and over again it just sticks in your mind and you can't help not singing along later on, it's a curse-like when "Call Me Maybe" came out, I wanted to shoot myself whenever i sang along."
"Isn't it just the Best Song Ever?"
"I hate you.."
"You hate the song but you love me."
"Whatever...okay ask me another Chloe Beale random question, like my favorite ear piercing or tattoo or something..."
"Ooh that's interesting we can go with that!"
"I was just saying things off the top of my head"
"Chloe..."
"Beca..."
"fine...my bug tattoo"
"Hey I have one too, mine's a ladybug! Why do you like it best?"
She's shaking her head at you good-humoredly" You're like me little brother Ben with all his Why this, why that."
"I'm curious about a lot of things. You don't get answers or just anything if you don't try asking for them."
"I don't doubt that, you being able to get whatever you want."
"Oh you have no idea-what I can get-" who I can get, " -when I put my mind to it. "
You are content to stay in this car, cruising with her forever
The places you've seen along the way were very magical and special. Where she takes you at the end of the day- the California sun is gone, the moon's a full one -however is...dodgy at best..from all you can see- it's a dark alley way "We are here"- she says. You gape at her as she parks the car and then kills the engine. okay she's serious, you do hope that you are in for a pleasant surprise and not some scene from a date gone horribly wrong slasher kind of movie.
Come on it's Beca, you are totally safe.
"Okay, I know this line is overused, but did you take me here to kill me?" doesn't hurt to ask.
"It may be a little secluded-okay maybe a lot secluded." she says taking note of the scoff of disbelief you make, the expression you have on your face "-but i sorta need the privacy sometimes, you know? Also sorry about dragging you along, seemed like a good idea... at the time and I only now realized that someone might've been missing you, looking for you. We've been gone for quite a while, but hey we've been having fun right... and we're here now... And i wanted to show you something."
She's leading you to the back door of some building, she takes out a key and unlocks it...she turns on a light inside what good it did, all it does is cast eerie shadows around the parts not quite lighted inside the building.
She motions for you to step inside, and you do so no matter how hesitant you may be, Beca gives you a reassuring smile-it gets your heart pumping in a better way. There's not a lot of space it's a pretty narrow hallway-so much that she has to reach over you to lock the door again, you back up against the wall try to give her as much space as possible-but her body still has to press, drape across yours for a moment.
In the semi-darkness your senses are more alive. Everything about her invading your senses, you feel her hair brushing your skin, you breathe in her scent -vanilla mixed with a spicy scent a kick of cinnamon delicious , and she does look it. Your heart is thudding with sheer want. Her eyes are just glowing piercing you.
You are suspended in this one moment-time stands still with you but for her it all moves along at a normal speed-completely oblivious and immune to that magical moment, she quickly locks the door back from the inside, the noise echoes all around.
You gulp, not any less scary.
"Do you usually act out like this, go all crazy, take random girls you barely know out on a secret getaways-" she's chuckling to herself, you don't know why but you can't help feeling like you're missing out on something.
All the while Beca's leading the way, you follow her up some narrow flights of stairs you think it's the fire exit, into an old fashioned freight elevator, which looks stable enough...they did use these things for cars and what not. She pushes some buttons and you head up..to the tippity top. It's only the Fifth floor-you think you see candles at the entrance as soon as you get of.
"-is this for some cult thing are you into that kind of thing? " With that out of your mouth she laughs even harder, a while ago her laughter was soothing making you feel warm all over, delicious almost like melted chocolate.
But this time its a full out belly-laugh it echoes around doing nothing to soothe your already tight-wounded nerves.
She recovers quickly when you remain serious, and somewhat scared.
"No, not the cult thing and no girls, really but hey you're the exception Chloe. I'd like to think that we do know each other in a deep sense-but please, I mean while we're here we can still work on that..." She goes into another room you think it has a fuse box because a moment later, the whole room is lighted-and it's not the scary torture chamber that you'd imagined or even some scientist's lab or just an empty room filled with crates- it's a recording studio, and a pretty kick-ass one at that, wall to wall with musical instruments, recording equipment and such.
Wow this was a musicians dream crib, everywhere you look is just W-o-w one side has all the equipment- the other side's a make-shift apartment complete with kitchen, dining area-a living room complete with a comfy plush sofa and television set.
"okay...wow-this is wow," you fail to find an appropriate word and settle for- "impressive"
"Thanks, I've been going here to record as long as I can remember and I recently had it renovated. I gotta admit I splurged on this a little bit, more like a lot. This place means the world to me...a lot of my songs inspiration happened right here and I wanna share that. I'm hoping to make this the place... open to young musicians- all kinds talents who want to start out but who haven't quite caught the right break. Preferably kids, troubled teens who use music as a channel, an outlet for self-expression.
"That's just beautiful, you're perfect" Shit you did not just say that out loud.
"Oh it's nothing,"she says, taking the compliment in stride, like it's nothing, but you say it with far more conviction... meaning it more than anyone who had ever said it to her, "-music has given me so much I want to do the same, maybe do little good and help others"
If you meant it then, you mean it even more now,
You both are silent for a bit, it's not an awkward silence, you don't feel the pressure to talk. You realize that somewhere along the way, you've grown comfortable around each other.
When she does start talking it's not for the sake of just talking-she seems really really interested in you-your life, its flattering... is this the kind of treatment that all the contestants get?
"So you go ahead, tell me other things about yourself something you didn't tell me already." All the while dusting off some chairs for both of you to sit on which she pats for you to do so.
"I go to Barden, I mean I went there, I actually just graduated from graduate school." She's walking to some closets at the end of the hall, opening the fridge getting some drinks and some food as well.
"Barden huh Atlanta right, I was supposed to go there." She gestures to some soda or juice-you point at the soda, she takes the juice and you meet her halfway and carry the food and your drink back to the grand piano because Beca says it's so much cooler eating on top of it than any plain old table.
"Really-why didn't you, I mean what happened?" You're curious and yet you hold back not wanting to overstep wanting her to want to share these kind of things with you willingly.
"Well if my father had gotten his way, I would've been in my junior year studying something like I dunno philosophy or something useless like that"
"hmm"-is your only reply, a non-committal noise, it's safe. You've heard of the strained relationship between father and daughter, showing that no one was exempted, no one's life was without drama,"-and I wouldn't be doing" as she motions to all her equipment "-all of this so... overall I think I made the right choice, don't you?"
"Yeah, you have every music award known to man-kind."
"But that's not it though, I never really went into it all for all of that, sure it feels good to be recognized, to get respect in such a competitive field-but it was all about me wanting to create really good music."
"What got you started, I mean everyone knows that you got your break when you got into that one Broadway show when you were just nine."
"Funnily it was my Dad-he shared his love of music with me, he introduced me to the classics. It was him who gave me my first guitar, then my Dj-ing equipment and to top it off some singing lessons-he always said I had such a big voice for such a little girl."
Beca's telling this tale about her past, opening up about something so personal,
You're sure she doesn't do it very often, baring herself to you-to anyone. Sure there are plenty of Interviews about her, with her probably recounting this very same tale but to be told so in confidence, like you guys are actual "friends" it means the world to you.
You feel honored getting to see this side of her.
It's different, you think, not just looking at her-her backs turned to you bent over the Mixing console fiddling with some knobs here and there-but being able to really listen to her speak. You take note of every lilt in her voice, the changes for each different emotion as she tells you things.
"I had such big dreams for myself and he never once doubted me. He said i had it in me to go far and my dream came true when i got in the show, he became my manager , he was my hero- and i worshiped him," her voice sounding wistful and happy for a moment,
but just as quickly it turns bitter, and angry .
"and then the classic tale of a man in a midlife crisis, he left my Mom and me for another woman, never once glancing back and I've cut off all relations with him ever since"
"Except that he's working with the Studios for The Voice...so that must be... hard...for you, i mean."
"An unfortunate, irrelevant little detail-he doesn't exist for me, i don't care what he does, so he shouldn't care about what i do either. And he can't think that he can start bossing me around like some authority figure...he lost the right to all of that a long time ago. I can act professionally if he can, but if worse comes to worse between us and the management has to choose, the management would pick me over him any day, if it came to it.
You thought you knew everything about this girl, but you realize this was the real getting to know her in all her "normal" human experiences,
"Sorry about that unwarranted outburst-i'd blame it on alcohol but there's none so- i'll just have to say it's my time of the month sooo there."
You thought it was hard to say something to her a while ago but now you're stumped, you've been pretty speechless at times whenever you just looked at her. Right now you are almost blatantly staring, eyes wide.
She seems to realize what she just said you think she realizes that was a bit too much cos she blushes a bit, but she shakes her head at you "I'd think we're past the whole holding back with whatever thing, might as well put that out there...and we've had an entire conversation- right outside a washroom i might add, on bodily functions and such before"
"Yeah..."
"So Chloe serious topic, i'll ask you while i still can-once we do get back to the city, we have to be more careful about our "talks" and also i'm the competition so... "
"Fire away"
"Do you have previous experience singing, vocal training, your own music video up on Youtube ?" Her voice business-like," -or even tried other ventures modeling perhaps?" Beca says giving off a more playful aura maybe, if Chloe wasn't imagining it, an almost flirty one.
"No, I was busy getting my education-" you answer as though for a College or a Job Interview.
"I just knew you were a smarty pants." Really you think most of your interactions involved less talking and more embarrassing yourself
"So nothing- you're just a good girl, I must say... iIm quite disappointed. I thought gingers were supposed to be fiery, I'd imagined a lil more bite in you." Beca's drawl was accompanied by her trademark smirk.
"Well I do have a bit of a streak of pride, also I'm very protective to the point that I get physical when people try to harm the people closest to me. And once someone loses my trust, my respect for them- its very hard for them to gain it back." Your voice carrying conviction, trying to make Beca see how serious you are... how tough, that you have what it takes to survive in the business, that you aren't just this naive girl she penned you to be.
"And well I wasn't completely lacking of social life experiences, there was the Barden Bellas."
"Hmm I'm sure- I'm supposed to know what that means."
"It's an all-girl acapella singing group, we were practically the top of the Acapella hierarchy."
"Ah I see- so what does that entail actually no instruments...so you only make music with-"
"Our mouths." , you say completing her sentence for her.
"Yikes, so... how was that?" You think she sees you getting all worked-up, all excited about Acapella and she truly wants to understand.
"We've actually sang back-up for prince once-and we've done covers of your songs."
"Wait a minute. Bella something... weren't you that group with the girl who upchucked during a performance?"
"Yeah-How did you, you've heard of that?"
"Well it had zillions of hits on you tube...it was so awful, but I couldn't look away. You said you were at the top of the Acapella hierarchy, I bet the person who caused that mishap regrets tarnishing your reputation-in that one incident gone is your entire Acapella credibility. I've seen some people in the business hit rock bottom and successfully comeback but that was just...gruesome." Her tone's unforgiving, judging more like a celebrity- than you've ever seen her.
Man she was being very insensitive, like she didn't hear you just say you got protective of the people you care the most about in this case you had to defend "You know what stop right there. Aubrey the girl who 'ruined our entire Acapella credibility' as you so colorfully put it, is my friend-my best friend."
Your voice breaks but you push on raising it even more to make up for it being so unsteady. You don't know why you're getting so emotional all of a sudden.
You feel yourself pull back a bit, the feeling of annoyance, betrayal settling in so strongly- " She has this condition it only acts up whenever she's nervous she couldn't help it. She gets really pressured during our performances, and Margot our captain, wasn't really helping."
"Woah." She's backed away from you, her hands held up in mock surrender. She looks torn between looking surprised and fearful "-there's that fire we were talking about earlier."
"Chloe- " she says trying to get your attention you can't even look at her anymore which is new for you who usually can't get enough.
" Sorry I wasn't thinking about what I was saying. I'm sorry for being so... thoughtless." Her tone's softer, hesitant stepping through a minefield. She's saying it all good-humoredly but you can tell she's waiting for you to let her off the hook, to accept an apology she gives so rarely.
"It's... alright"
"Wooh" it's a sigh a sound of relief, her smile gives away how anxious you made her. It melts at you-melting away anything negative that had been growing, the air clear once again.
"I just really loved that group, I gave so much to it you know? It gave me so much. Especially when it was just me and Aubrey. We never once won a championship, we were a good team-I think we could've been truly great. But it never stopped us from trying doing our best. We were true to ourselves-we continued even until we left, leaving more than capable girls to continue our legacy."
"No, I know exactly what you mean..." Her eyes are holding your gaze steadily, the room feels warmer, safer.
Of course she would. At the moment you know, that you both understand exactly what the other is saying... what they're felling. That's what attracted you to her in the first place you share, an almost spiritual love of music, the same dedication the same passion.
"So it's all good."
"All good."
You are both comfortably settled on the sofa several minutes later, the flow of conversation between you guys becoming less and less, even halting from time to time. You glance over at Beca, she's nodding off a bit-her mouth open, you think you see drool... and instead of turning you off, it thugs at your heartstrings. Cute, figures how Beca Mitchell could make even drooling look nice.
You're yawning before you even realize it-you try cover it up...but you do it a second time. The whole day has been kinda tiring, with all the feels taking so much out of you
She jumps a bit, momentarily shaken, a burst into consciousness "Heeey... wow what time is it?" she glances at her watch "It's late-do you want a ride home?" her words are punctuated by her own yawns.
"Uh, it's a bit out of the way..." Your eyes are closing on their own accord
"No, it's alright. C'mon." but she makes no move to leave the couch, you don't even bother to open your eyes anymore
"Let's just stay here...for a bit."
"For a bit, night Chlo."
Beca's voice echoing is the last thing you hear before you sleep...You drift of with the comforting warmth of Beca's body curled into yours. You'll rest maybe for a few minutes that's it, no problem.
-maybe after that, a few more
A/N: that turned out far longer than i intended but once i started i couldn't quite stop. So what did you think, is that enough Bechloe for you, no of course not theirs never enough Bechloe, never too much. And I'm just happy to oblige!
Up Next: The Voice Competition Battle Rounds preparations-which is still Bechloe heavy-well it is a story about them :))
