Chapter 31: Just Give Me A Reason
A/N: Not to sound braggy, but I loved Olivia's character. So in the midst of the rough waters we're going through, I had to throw in an OIivia scene. Hope you like her as much as I do. Anywho, let me know what you think about this chapter and your thoughts on what might happen next! PS: someone asked for some side Staubrey so there is a *wink wink* at that.
Beca woke up with a sore back and aching head. She appreciated Jesse and Benji's hospitality, but good lord, that couch was not ideal for sleeping. After getting up and stretching, realizing the couple was still asleep, she made her way to the kitchen to cook them breakfast as a thank you. She took a peek at her phone and saw a couple messages.
Chloe: morning...hope you slept well. Miss you…
That made her smile. God, she missed Chloe too. And not just because she didn't stay in the bella house last night. She missed the way they were. She desperately wanted that back.
Beca: Jesse's couch sucks. Miss you too...be home in a little while. Can we talk?
Chloe: yeah totes.
Beca could sense Chloe was nervous about "the talk" but Beca didn't want to do it over text. Then she opened her other unread message.
Aubrey: will you be home soon? Was going to that bakery you liked...wanted to get you a peace offering for being a crappy friend...
Aubrey: we missed you at the party, we should have a re-do
Beca: yeah, I'll be home soon. Just making a thank you breakfast for Jesse. Be home in a bit. Thanks
Aubrey: okay, see you later. I'll keep Amy away from your apology pastries.
Beca: haha thanks, that's brave.
That made her smile too. Even though she was still frustrated with Aubrey, it wasn't often that Aubrey apologized or admitted to wrongdoing. And they'd had their fair share of squabbles in the past, and Beca was pretty sure this wouldn't be the last one either. She'd never had siblings or anything and figured this was what it was like having a sister you sometimes butted heads with.
Beca was feeling a bit more optimistic about the day. She was actually looking forward to getting back to the bella house. Once she was done with her "gratitude breakfast" she'd head home. But she wasn't 100% optimistic, she still had that bad feeling in her gut. She and Chloe had a big issue that wasn't just going to go away overnight and she needed to figure it out.
As she was whipping up a bowl of pancake batter her mind wandered off to a memory of the last time she made pancakes while with the Beales over Christmas.
"Auntie Bec." Olivia came toddling into the kitchen in her adorable disney princess nightgown with her stuffed monkey in hand. "Can I help make bweakfast?"
"Sure thing, kiddo." Beca set down the bowl for Olivia to stir as she reached in the fridge to retrieve the bacon and eggs. When she looked back down she had to bite back a laugh. Olivia was standing on her tiptoes, tongue hanging between her lips in concentration, as she slowly stirred the mix that was nearly out of reach.
"Here, let's make it easier." Beca lifted her up, earning a little giggle from the four year old, and held her over the bowl.
"I stuwr good?" Olivia looked at Beca hopefully as she swirled the wooden spoon around the bowl.
"You could get a gold medal in stirring." Beca nodded before setting her down. Olivia smiled proudly.
"Can I lick spoon?" Olivia's tongue ran along her lips as her eyes stared greedily at the spoon.
"Fine, but we gotta use another one to pour the batter into the pan. We don't want your cooties." Beca playfully dabbed some batter on Olivia's nose, making her squeal giddily. Beca didn't think she'd ever get tired of the little noises Olivia made.
"Auntie Bec." Olivia whined and wiped her nose before messily licking all over the spoon. "Not nice."
"How about I make it up to you by putting some chocolate chips in the pancakes?"
"Yes! My favorite!" Olivia bounced up and down before tossing the spoon in the sink. Beca chuckled as she pulled the bag of chocolate chips out of the bag and sprinkled them into the bowl. She grabbed a new spoon to start pouring the mix on the pan.
"They're your Aunt Chloe's favorite too." Beca grinned as Olivia yanked on her arm to hold her while she prepared the pancakes.
"What's my favorite?" Chloe appeared in the doorway with a goofy grin watching Beca and her niece. It startled Beca a little and her body jolted in surprise. The batter that was in the spoon went flying, most of it hitting Olivia right in the face. Not that the toddler was complaining. In fact she started giggling uncontrollably.
"Auntie Bec, you made mess!" She wiped some batter off her face and spread it on Beca's cheek. Beca gasped in feigned offense.
"Oh, you're gonna get it missy!" Beca set her down and grabbed the batter spoon while Olivia raced to hide behind Chloe's knees.
"Save me, Aunt Chwoe!"
"I think Aunt Chloe is looking a little too clean, don't you think, Livvy?" Beca grinned mischievously, stalking forward.
"Don't you dare." Chloe raised a finger at Beca.
"Get her, Auntie Bec!" Olivia squealed as she ran to hide behind the table.
"What are you going to do about it?" Beca asked innocently as she was close enough to splatter the mix all over Chloe's face.
"You don't want to find out." Chloe narrowed her eyes. "And thanks, traitor!" She turned to glance at Olivia right before Beca smeared pancake batter on her cheek. Beca stepped back, biting her lip, trying in vain to hold in her laughter.
"Oh you're dead!" Chloe shrieked as she lunged after Beca. Beca and Olivia started running in circles around the kitchen while Chloe tried to catch either one. She finally wrapped her hands around Beca's waist and held her still. Beca caught her breath as she slowly turned to face Chloe, both of them having pancake batter on their faces.
"Hey." Beca smirked as she slid a finger along Chloe's cheek. She scooped some batter on to her fingertip and slowly licked it off. It sent heat straight through Chloe, but wasn't too risque of a move in front of the four year old.
"Hey yourself." Chloe whispered as she performed the same act on Beca. "Mmm!" She smacked her lips. "You make good pancake batter."
"And I just added the chocolate chips, too."
"You're too sweet." Chloe brushed her nose against Beca.
"Ew. Don't kiss." Olivia covered her eyes with her fingers spread so she could still see them.
"What's wrong with that?" Beca asked as she wrapped her hands tighter around Chloe's waist.
"It's icky!"
"Well, close your eyes." Beca smirked turning back to Chloe. She leaned in and placed a quick chaste on Chloe's lips and then smacked her own. "You're sweeter."
"So cheesy." Chloe rolled her eyes playfully.
"Ewwww!" Olivia twisted her little face up in disgust. Beca and Chloe finally separated and asked Olivia to help finish breakfast with the promise of no more 'icky kissing.'
Beca held the bowl of batter and felt like she had one of those movie moments Jesse liked to talk about. The type where you see your life or what your life could be in a moment and you're just magically struck with the nerve or desire to make what you want happen. The music builds, the main character ends up running somewhere. Usually running for the person they want.
And Beca realized how much she wanted Chloe, how much she wanted Chloe's family. And the time the two of them spent with Olivia together? Hell, she might want one of her own. With Chloe. She saw the picture of her and Chloe with their own little Olivia making breakfast together and her causing shenanigans with her kid. Chloe would definitely be the responsible parent. Beca never thought she'd want kids, but all of a sudden it hit her like a slap in the face. And nothing was worth losing that future life over. She shook her head as she finished making their breakfast. She couldn't get back home to the bella house soon enough.
"Thanks, Beca." Jesse said as he picked up the dishes. "Breakfast was awesome. Feel free to spend the night anytime if that's our reward."
"Yeah, well your couch killed my back, so don't get your hopes up." Beca smirked as she tossed a napkin at him.
"Maybe next time we could have a Star Wars marathon!" Benji interjected excitedly.
"Benji, I love you, but I can't put Beca through that torture." Jesse laughed as he turned the faucet on to start scrubbing.
"I thought you said you loved Star Wars…" Benji sounded mildly dejected.
"I do. It's one of the greatest scored movies of all time. The music alone is enough to make me love the movies. But Beca? She'd lose her mind."
"He's right." Beca shrugged. "A Star Wars marathon sounds more like a punishment to me."
Just when Benji was about to defend his favorite movies, the door suddenly knocked with surprising quickness and forcefulness. Beca had never heard a door knock sound uptight, but somehow this one did. She took the liberty to see who the person behind the door was. As she swung it open she was surprised to see Aubrey.
"Hi, Beca." The blonde smiled nervously. "Just thought you might want a ride back to the house. Didn't want to inconvenience Jesse any more."
"She's not an inconvenience." Jesse said defensively, knowing the story of the previous night, protecting Beca from any more Aubrey abuse.
"That's-sorry, that's not what I meant." Aubrey rubbed her forehead. "I just wanted to give you a ride home. Plus your mixture of donuts, danishes, and muffins are fresh in my front seat. Thought I might try to pick you up before Amy got her eyes on them." She laughed nervously.
"Um, yeah, that's nice of you. Just let me grab my stuff." Beca smiled briefly before scurrying to pack her bag she had brought back to Jesse's. Jesse quickly stepped into the space where Beca vacated. Benji glanced over the kitchen counter to watch Jesse, making sure he didn't do anything embarrassing. Aubrey and Jesse stood eyeing each other briefly before Beca came jogging back over with her things.
"Alright, let's go. Thanks again, Jesse!" She gave him a gentle nudge away, sensing the tension and walked to the car with Aubrey. They sat in silence for a moment before Aubrey motioned at the box for Beca to take her pick. Beca scanned the box, and Aubrey wasn't lying. From her favorite bakery, there were all her favorites in the little pink box. She settled for a strawberry filled glazed donut to start with. And oh God, that first taste, Amy definitely wasn't getting her paws on these.
"So fucking good." Beca broke the silence with a satisfied mouthful moan.
"Glad you like it." Aubrey laughed as she focused on the street ahead. There was another few moments of awkward silence until Beca decided to break it.
"Alright, real talk. What's it going to take for you to stop jumping my ass for everything. You make me feel like I'm doing everything wrong and when I do something right, then its like 'okay cool' or its a combined bella effort. I just don't get why when something goes even a little wrong you pounce on me like I'm some wounded gazelle and you're a heartless lion." Beca spit it all out and felt a heavy weight lifted off her chest, but still felt like she was holding something back at the same time.
"Beca." Aubrey sighed and pulled off to the side of the road about a mile from the house.
"Is this where you kill me? Sweeten me up with pastries and then end it?" Beca asked, half joking, half mildly scared.
"No. If I were to murder you, this is not where I'd do it." Aubrey rolled her eyes.
"Do you have a spot in mind?" Beca asked, swallowing the last bite as she watched Aubrey's facial expression. "Oh my God! You do!"
"Shut up." Aubrey gave her a playful but firm nudge. "Look, I just want to talk about last night and apologize." When Beca didn't say anything, Aubrey continued. "I know I am hard on you. And sometimes my insane competitiveness gets in the way of real friendship and I take things out on you. I see so much potential in you and I put so much hope in you for bellas that when things don't go perfectly, you're just my easy target for my own disappointment in myself. The bellas were good before you, but you've taken us to a whole other level that I never would have been able to. Part of me is jealous, and part of me uses you as a punching bag when things don't go as planned. That's not fair to you. And I hate that I am always having to tell you I'm sorry, but I really am. You're a bella and you're my sister. And if I have to buy you a baker's dozen from Mimi's every time to say I'm sorry, I will. Just please don't quit the bellas."
"I'm not quitting the bellas." Beca said softly. "Thanks for apologizing. I know I don't make it any easier by pushing your buttons."
"And I'm not going to jump down your throat or get mad, I promise, but are you and Chloe going to be okay? I mean, that was one of my fears when you got together was that something would happen and it would make the bellas awkward. And yes, Chloe's my best friend, but I care about you too. And you're both hurting. It kills me to watch."
"Yeah, its, uh...it's been hard for awhile. But I had some time to think at Jesse's. I actually was going to talk to Chloe when we got back. You know, real talk, not the walking on eggshells we've been doing."
"Is this a good talk?" Aubrey asked nervously.
"I hope so." Beca scoffed out a laugh. "Think you could take us home and give me and Chloe some space to chat?"
"For sure." Aubrey nodded and started the car up again. "I'm rooting for you two, you know. All the bellas are."
"Me too." Beca smiled slightly as she pulled out a danish.
Beca knocked on the door to Chloe's room. Aubrey had offered to take the bellas that were in the living room to the mall so Beca and Chloe could have a bit of privacy, even if just for a short time. Chloe opened the door and tilted her head in surprise at her visitor. And that felt weird, because a short time ago Beca would come and go as she pleased and Chloe too. Now they had to knock on each other's door? Chloe hated it.
"Hey." Chloe smiled weakly.
"Hey." Beca shifted her feet awkwardly. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah, totes." Chloe repeated what she had texted as she stepped aside for Beca to enter. Beca stood uncomfortably in the middle of the room as Chloe sat on the edge of her bed. The silence was tense and awkward as had become the usual over the past couple months.
"Okay." Beca clapped her hands, barrelling through the walls of tension and joining Chloe on the bed. She grabbed Chloe by the hand and took a deep breath. "You are...the most important thing to me. I never knew I could love someone with like every fiber of my being and that sounds so cheeseballs but dammit its true. And the past couple months have been killing me. Literally, I think they've taken a year or two off my life."
"Don't say that." Chloe rolled her eyes with a nudge to Beca's shoulder.
"I don't want to lose you, Chloe. And I feel like we're in a stalemate. One of us has to make the move. So, I'm going to tell my dad. I'm going to tell him I'm gay and I have a girlfriend and shit, I'll even tell him we have sex!"
"Beca." Chloe bit back a laugh at Beca's eagerness, and tried to interject.
"Because if I had the choice of what family I got to have?" Beca continued on. "I'd choose yours, 1000%. I love your family. I love you. And holy cow, I love your little niece! I was actually thinking about that morning we made pancakes together over Christmas while I was at Jesse's and that's when it hit me that I didn't want to lose that. I can lose my dad. We never had a great relationship anyway. And if he can't support me and my life then why would I fight so hard for him over you?"
"Beca. I'm flattered that you'd want to choose me over your dad. And if you had said this a few weeks ago, I'd be over the moon. But with time to think about things, I've realised I don't want it to be a make it or break it decision, I wanted you to want to tell him. I never wanted this to become some dealbreaker ultimatum. I don't want you resenting me someday for whatever happens with your dad. It was selfish of me to basically ask you to come out to him and imply we'd break up if you didn't."
"You never said we'd break up…" Beca shrugged.
"I know. But didn't it feel like that's where we were headed?"
"I guess. But-"
"Beca. I love you." Chloe turned to face Beca fully. "I want to be with you. But I can't ask you to come out to your homophobic father just to save our relationship. That's a decision you should make for yourself. And I'm sorry for pressuring you."
"I needed the kick in the pants." Beca said quietly as she reached to grab Chloe's chin. When she tilted Chloe's face back up to meet her eyes, she could see tears glistening in the baby blues she'd grown to love. "Hey, don't cry."
"I don't know how to fix this." Chloe choked back a cry.
"Chloe, look at me." Beca demanded as she grabbed both of the redhead's cheeks. "I want to tell my dad. I want to get it over with because otherwise what am I going to do? Get married and have a life that he doesn't know about? Have him stumble upon the truth from someone else? And what kind of life would I tell him I'm living? Just pretend to be single the rest of my life and get some cats? Cuz you know I'm not getting a boyfriend. Beard or no beard, I couldn't be with a guy."
Chloe let out a little giggle at that.
"I want to tell him with you." Beca continued on in a whisper. "And whatever happens, whatever he says, I want you there holding my hand and promising me that everything will be okay. I can handle my dad disowning me or yelling or being angry. I can't handle losing you. There's no one else I would trust to stand by me as I tell my dad probably the most devastating thing he'll ever hear. I'll need someone to love me in that moment. That moment my dad will probably stop loving me at least a little bit. I'll need someone to help me through that. I want you there, Chloe. Please?"
"Promise me this is what you want." Chloe sniffed and let out a sigh. "Promise me that you're not doing this just because I wanted you."
"I promise." Beca said without hesitation.
"Okay." Chloe closed her eyes and rested her head on Beca's shoulders.
"So...you down for a road trip over Spring Break?" Beca grinned as she rubbed Chloe's back.
"That's next week!" Chloe shot up.
"I know, but I thought we should make it something fun. Sort of a reuniting thing too. Road trip. Good times. Have a terrible confrontation with my dad. Then back on the road for more good times!" Beca spread her arms out with sarcasm like it was the funnest idea ever.
"I'm nervous." Chloe gulped and ran a hand through her hair. "I mean he's obviously going to hate me. How bad do you think it will be?"
"He won't hate you. He'll just hate that we love each other as more than gal pals." Beca rolled her eyes. "I honestly don't know what to expect. He might yell. He might cry. He might be completely silent in shock. The only thing I'm sure of is he won't approve. I can only hope he'll still want me in his life though."
"I want to support you. If you want me there for when you come out, I will be there." Chloe grabbed both of Beca's hands. "And I will be so proud of you. And if you back out at the last minute and don't want to tell him? I'm still yours."
"No more stupid fighting?" Beca inched closer, wrapping her arms around Chloe's waist.
"We're done being stupid." Chloe whispered back as their noses brushed. They hesitated for a moment, inches from each other. Beca thought of all the little pecks they've shared over the past couple months and how much she missed getting to kiss Chloe for real.
"I've missed kissing you." Beca barely spoke audibly as she looked down at Chloe's lips, which quickly turned into a smile. Chloe leaned in slightly to close the distance just before they heard the front door slam open and jumped in surprise.
"We'll come back to this later." Chloe patted Beca's cheek as she stood up from the bed. Beca grudgingly followed to see what the commotion was about, but was annoyed that their little make up make out session was stopped before it could start.
They walked into the kitchen together to see Fat Amy and Flo raising hell over a tweet sent by the northeastern regional acapella champions, The Sedoctaves. There was a picture of a frowning group of bellas holding the second place trophy for the southeastern regionals. The caption said "Bye bye bellas" in reference to them singing "Bye Bye Bye." The group gloated that they would have an easy time dethroning the Barden Bellas as National Champions, and Flo and Amy were not taking the trash talk kindly. Flo was in the middle of a tirade that no one really understood since it consisted of mostly spanish cursing when Chloe stepped in.
"Bellas! Bellas!" Chloe clapped her hands, entering captain mode. "We can't let immature social media postings get us this riled up. We'll be playing right into their hand."
"Those little twat-waffles don't realize the beast they've awoken." Fat Amy shifted nervously in place as if she were a wild animal waiting for her prey to come into view. "They think they have a shot at beating us at Nationals? Over my dead and decomposing body!"
"Help me come up with something to get back at them. About how we've beaten them once, we can do it again or something." Flo's hand with her phone shook nervously as she emitting similar energy to what Fat Amy had.
"How about we just have a bella night out?" Beca suggested calmly. "Get our minds off of it. We can stress them out by posting something about a bella bonding night. No mention of acapella or rival groups. Show them we don't care." Chloe looked at her with such pride in that moment. Beca usually the emotional-in-the-heat-of-the-moment person was calmly redirecting the rage of her friends. Her plan was smart too. It would get under the skin of the immature groups who were teasing them on social media when the bellas didn't respond to their jabs.
"Is the Beca Mitchell actually suggesting a bella bonding night?" Stacie appeared from around the corner.
"Give me crap about it and I'll change my mind." Beca narrowed her eyes. The bellas present all raised hands in surrender with knowing grins passed.
Aubrey and Chloe were putting on the finishing touches to their makeup before their bella night out at open mic night at a small barbecue restaurant that had a bar and lounge.
"So you apologized to Beca?" Chloe asked as she took a swipe of mascara to her eye. "Sincerely?"
"Yes." Aubrey rolled her own eyes at Chloe's clarification. "I got her Mimi's and we had a chat after I picked her up from Jesse's. We're good. What about you two?"
"I think we're good too." Chloe couldn't hide her smile. "She wants me to come with her to her dad's. She's going to tell him."
"She finally caved, huh?" Aubrey's voice was a little muffled as she applied her lipstick.
"I made sure she knew I didn't want her to do it for me though. She's doing it for her. She said she couldn't keep it from him anymore and wants someone there who will help her when her dad reacts in a negative way most likely. I was so scared for awhile that I pushed her too far away. But we both grew from this. I'm just worried now about being there to tell her dad. I mean, its what I wanted. But, I don't know if I'll be able to stand it if he does or says something to hurt her just because of her sexuality."
"You can't prevent that." Aubrey said sadly as she zipped up her make up bags. "Judging by how averse Beca was to telling him for so long I'd be shocked if there was a positive outcome for the two of them. But I think its more important now for you to be there for her. Her choosing to do that is really brave. But she's still Beca. She's fragile; more than she'd ever admit. She'll need you."
"I know." Chloe sighed, feeling strangely proud that Beca Mitchell needed her like that but also heartbroken that Beca's own family would likely turn their back on her.
"Okay, enough with the heaviness. Let's go party." Aubrey grabbed Chloe by the shoulders and gave her a confident shake.
The bellas had pushed a few tables together and were enjoying watching some local artists play at open mic night. Fat Amy was devouring a plate of ribs and had sauce all over her face, but proudly smiled with all her teeth when Jessica pointed her camera for a picture. She was in charge of making a collage of the night to post on social media as their passive aggressive retaliation. While not every photo would get chosen, she was pretty sure that one was for sure going to be in the collage somewhere.
The bellas could tell that the atmosphere surrounding Beca and Chloe had greatly improved. They were sharing the little looks and touches that had once been commonplace that had all but disappeared in the past couple months. Beca could feel that tingly feeling she had been missing every time Chloe bumped against her. And Chloe felt her heart have that fuzzy feeling when Beca would get up to refill her drink or bring her napkins or anything she needed. Beca would demand Chloe stay seated as she jumped to fulfill any request. The bellas watched with intrigue, not wanting to say anything and jinx the good vibes.
"I'm going to snag a spot for open mic." Chloe gave Beca's knee a squeeze under the table as she got up to go sign her name on the list. Beca couldn't help but watch her walk away, feeling relief at how they seemed back to normal. When she finally looked away she saw Stacie and CR staring at her with goofy grins before looking away quickly when she made eye contact.
Chloe's turn had come up and she nervously took the stage as the music started in the background. Beca immediately looked up, recognizing the song right away. It was Pink, after all, one of Beca's favorite artists.
Chloe took a nervous breath and sung the first lyrics, "right from the start you were a thief you stole my heart and I your willing victim." Beca couldn't take her eyes off the redhead and watched intently as Chloe finished the first verse. When Chloe hit the chorus, the bellas started getting a little emotional. Beca even had to swallow hard as Chloe sang, "Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough, just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again." Chloe smiled, fighting away her own tears as she held out her hand nervously for Beca to join her. The bellas all watched her intensely as Beca stood up and made her way to the stage.
Beca sang her part, not taking her eyes off Chloe. And as they reached the second chorus, their harmonies were more in tune than Beca could ever remember them being. Chloe was pouring her heart into the song and Beca followed suit. As they reached the final chorus, with limited background music, they sang straight to each other "Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough, just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again." Their bodies swayed as they sang, but their eyes never left each other.
As the music came to and end, Beca couldn't hold herself back any longer. The moment she wanted to share in private ended up happening on stage. She pulled Chloe in for a kiss, firmly holding the back of her head as Chloe quickly responded by wrapping her arms around Beca's waist. There were cheers and whistles and applause. But Beca didn't hear any of it. She finally pulled back to get a breath.
"I missed that." She let out a laugh before looking down at her feet.
"Me too." Chloe whispered as she ran her thumb along Beca's cheek.
The bellas were the loudest in the whole restaurant. Fat Amy chanting "bloe" much to the confusion and dismay of fellow patrons. Stacie had her fingers between her lips, whistling loudly until Beca and Chloe finally realized they were in the spotlight. They returned to the table hand in hand. Jessica quickly wiped her eyes as she looked at her phone at the video she had taken of the two. Emily was nearly a sobbing mess while Flo dabbed at her eyes blaming jalepeno juice got in her eye. Aubrey just looked at them both like a proud mother.
"So...you're back together?" Fat Amy inquired once the ruckus had died down.
"We never broke up." Beca corrected.
"Right." Flo rolled her eyes along with most of the rest of the table.
"We aren't fighting anymore." Chloe grinned as she looked at Beca and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Thank all the gods in all the heavens." Fat Amy lifted her arms in the air. "I can cancel my fasting for your relationship."
"You fasted for us?" Beca nearly shrieked at her friend's statement considering Fat Amy once broke a window when dinner was served too late.
"Well I cut out my post-lunch snack. It was a sacrifice." Fat Amy shrugged as she took a bite out of her stack of ribs.
"So what happened? Who caved?" Stacie put her elbows on the table, making the rest of the table eager to hear the story too.
"We both did, I guess." Beca shrugged. "We realized we were being dumb. Me especially. And, um, Chloe's actually going to come with me to tell my dad...about us. We're going next week."
"Holy shit!" CR's eyes widened. "That's soon."
"Yeah." Chloe laughed nervously. "But I'm proud of her. And I can't wait to be there for her."
"Wait, we were going to go to Orlando over break." Aubrey said, trying not to sound selfish and whiny.
"Oh, crap, I didn't know." Beca leaned away from Chloe. "You don't have to give up your plans."
Before Chloe could respond, Stacie interrupted.
"I can take her place." She bumped her shoulder against Aubrey's. "I mean if you can handle a week of me in a bikini." She added on an extra wink just to see the blush rise in Aubrey's cheeks.
"Um, uh, yeah, sure, I mean, I can-that's not-" Aubrey started stuttering and fiddling with her straw.
"I think that sounds like a good idea, Stace. Thanks for biting the bullet." Chloe stepped in to save Aubrey from her rambling.
"Not a problem." Stacie smiled proudly. "Maybe I can get help this one relax a little." Stacie rubbed the back of Aubrey's neck dramatically only making the blonde blush harder.
"Cool. Great. Just glad the ticket won't go to waste." Aubrey mumbled as she took a long sip of her tea. Chloe peered curiously at the flustered Aubrey which seemed to go unnoticed by the rest of the bellas due to the celebration over her and Beca being back to normal.
"Okay, laptop. Check. Headphones. Check. Toothbrush. Check. Charger-" Beca ran through her list as she triple checked her suitcase.
"Beca, sweetie, you've double and triple checked your suitcase. You have everything. You're just nervous." Chloe interrupted and put her hands firmly on both of Beca's cheeks. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can make the most of a fun road trip while we can, okay?"
"Okay." Beca closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "We'll have fun. It'll be fun. Then we rip off the band-aid and we're fine." Her voice rose to a higher pitch at the end of the sentence as if she wasn't sure of it.
"Your dad has a beach house right?" Chloe asked, trying to find some positives in the trip.
"Well a house...really close to the beach."
"So we drive up the coast, spend some time on the beach. I bought an extra skimpy bikini just for you, too." She gave Beca her best flirtatious wink. "And maybe we can find a hotel on the way back? You know, for privacy." She bit her lip, looking not so innocently into Beca's eyes.
"Oh." Beca gulped, knowing exactly how long it had been since they'd last been intimate. "That um...uh, yeah."
"I'll make it as good of a spring break as I can for you." Chloe leaned in and whispered against Beca's ear, rendering Beca nearly incapacitated.
"How bout starting off with a bang?" Beca gave Chloe a nudge on the hips when she regained power of speech.
"No." Chloe patted Beca's cheek as she escaped her grasp. "We have to hit the road. That...will put us way behind."
"Tease." Beca grumbled as Chloe flashed her a quick smile before heading out the door. Beca was a little jealous at how Chloe could turn it on and off fairly quickly.
"Be ready to go in five or I'm dragging your butt to the car!"
Beca closed the trunk to Chloe's car with their luggage before running back inside to grab their oversized purses and to say goodbye to Stacie and Aubrey, the only bellas remaining in the house.
"So when are you two heading out?" Chloe asked as she waited by the door.
"A little after you guys." Stacie shrugged.
"I wanted to leave 2 and a half hours ago." Aubrey rolled her eyes. "But she insisted on waiting to see you guys off."
"Whipped." Beca whispered, earning a playful smack from Chloe.
"There's no need to leave so early." Stacie tilted her head toward Aubrey. "The hotel check-in time isn't till three."
"But its a six hour drive, not including stops. And knowing you we'll probably have to make a few stops. If we had left at 8am sharp, we would've made better time." Aubrey shot back, trying not to be annoyed.
"Okayyy…" Stacie again rolled her eyes, trying to see what Aubrey's issue was. "So we check in a couple hours later than official check in time. We will still have fun on the road. And still have plenty of time to get ready for our first night out."
"That's not the point." Aubrey huffed. "I made an itinerary."
"So?" Stacie folded her arms with a smirk on her face. "I prefer spontaneity. I'm hoping to loosen you up a little during this trip." She gave a little wiggle to her shoulders.
"I can have fun." Aubrey stated defensively.
"I'll be the judge of that." Stacie shot back immediately with a wink.
Beca and Chloe watched the back and forth, while sharing a glance with each other. Chloe wasn't about to say anything about the interaction, due to fear of fully embarrassing Aubrey. But she could sense something about the duo. She wondered if it was what people felt around her and Beca before they got together.
"Well, we're going to head out. You two have fun and try not to kill each other." Chloe interrupted as she gave them both hugs and snatched her purse from Beca.
"Yeah, see you when we get back." Beca also engaged in awkward side hugs with the taller women before following Chloe out to the car.
Beca and Chloe stopped by their coffee place drive thru before they really got on the road. Chloe grabbed her drink from the barista and handed it to Beca to put in the cup holder.
"Let me guess, some mocha-latte-sugar drink?" Beca grabbed the frozen drink from Chloe and put the straw in for her before setting it in the cup holder.
"Yep!" Chloe said cheerily as she handed Beca her own drink.
"Enjoy your diabetes in a cup." Beca playfully rolled her eyes.
"Enjoy your nasty hot bean water." Chloe nodded at Beca's black coffee.
"Don't knock black coffee!" Beca put a hand around her cup, protectively.
"Then don't knock my sugar high." Chloe put her sunglasses down as she grabbed her own drink to take a heavy sip. Beca just watched her with a huge grin on her face. Despite the whole purpose of this trip being heavy and possibly depressing, Beca was more than happy to have Chloe at her side to make the absolute most of it.
After a little bit on the road and the coffees gone, Beca broke the silence.
"So what's with Stacie and Aubrey?"
"Omg! I don't know!" Chloe nearly squealed as she turned to look at Beca for a moment before focusing back on the road. "I thought I was just reading into things!"
"Oh, no." Beca chuckled. "There was something there."
"Can you imagine them two? Like actually...together?" Chloe fought back a grimace as she imagined it.
"I don't see them being together. I see them being more of a fling thing." Beca said absentmindedly as she opened a pack of gummy worms and popped one in her mouth.
"I could see Stacie taming the wild beast that is Aubrey."
"Did you just refer to Aubrey as a wild beast?" Beca nearly choked as she laughed.
"Not what I meant!" Chloe snatched a gummy worm to throw it at Beca's face.
"She is kind of a beast though." Beca ducked to evade another gummy worm flying at her head. "But if anyone is worthy and capable of taming her I guess it'd be Stacie."
"Can you imagine, not one but TWO bella couples?" Chloe beamed as she squeezed the steering wheel.
"Okay, don't go getting your hopes up."
"We could go on double dates!"
"Chloe!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just nice to think about. Putting a pin in it for now, though." She made a zip motion along her lips to signify the ending to her musings on the matter.
"Alright let's get some good tunes going." Beca snatched Chloe's iPod and started scrolling. "How the hell do you have FIVE Taylor Swift playlists?!"
"Because my girl Taylor has a wide range of emotions in her songs." Chloe glanced over to Beca as if she were the crazy one.
"Good lord." Beca shook her head. "Happy T-Swift, Sappy T-Swift, Sad T-Swift, Fun T-Swift, T-Swift covers. There's no way you need this many."
"There's some overlap." Chloe shrugged. "But they are all unique playlists. Hit the Fun one."
"I'm not listening to Taylor Swift all the way to my dad's house."
"Party pooper." Chloe quickly snatched the iPod back from Beca's grasp. She scrolled quickly like she was on a mission, glancing every other second back up on the road. She clicked a song and tucked the iPod beside her out of Beca's reach. Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" started playing and Beca's eyes grew three sizes.
"Turn this shit off!" Beca flailed her arms toward Chloe before slapping her hands over her ears. Chloe couldn't contain her laughter as she fumbled to retrieve the iPod and drop it in Beca's lap.
"Taylor Swift doesn't sound so bad now, huh?"
"I hate you." Beca quickly hit play on the Fun T-Swift playlist before the Billy Joel song went any further. She put on her best grumpy face, but her acting skills needed work since Chloe knew she wasn't even remotely mad at her. Chloe just flashed her a smile as she reached over to hold Beca's hand in hers.
Beca and Chloe stopped at the "Welcome to South Carolina" state sign. Chloe had to twist Beca's arm, but eventually got her to cave. Chloe took her picture first, spreading her arms out wide with the biggest grin beside the sign. Beca took a few pictures, unable to hide her smile at her goofy girlfriend. Chloe then gave Beca a shove and told her to pose. Beca put on her best disinterested look before flashing a small smile for the sake of Chloe. Then Chloe ran forward and took a selfie.
"We're cute." Chloe bumped against Beca as she scrolled through the pictures. "You wanna drive?"
"Sure." Beca caught the keys.
They were on the road again, listening to a Beca-approved playlist, Chloe's feet up on the dashboard twirling her hair. Beca knew this little tick to be a tell-tale sign that Chloe was overthinking and nervous. Beca reached over to take Chloe's hand in hers and lace their fingers together before resting their joined hands on her thigh.
"There's a little fair that comes every spring break to my town. I went a few times as a kid and loved it. What do you think about going and making ourselves sick on cotton candy and funnel cakes? And maybe I could win you one of those lame stuffed animals that I could probably just buy at the dollar store?" Beca stroked her thumb across Chloe's knuckles and grinned when she saw Chloe's head turn, flashing her beaming smile.
"That sounds amazing!" Chloe bounced in her seat. "And maybe a kiss at the top of a ferris wheel?"
"Ugh...fine, only for you." Beca acted all put out, but leaned over for Chloe to kiss her cheek, and hum happily.
After a couple hours on the road, lots of singing, junk food eating, and hand holding, Beca realized they were getting close. She felt the tightness in her chest and anxiety about finally confronting him about this issue. She was mad that it was even an issue. Chloe's family just accepted her into their home like she was one of their own. They didn't even bat an eye that she was a girl.
"So what did you tell your dad about us coming up?" Chloe asked, as if she could see the wheels spinning in Beca's mind.
"I said I wanted to come up for Spring Break. Or part of it. And that you had nowhere to be and I thought it'd be nice to bring a friend to the beach and what not."
"Just a friend?" Chloe joked, then immediately regretted it. "Sorry, just joking. I know you wouldn't just tell him over the phone."
"I wish I had planned it more, ya know?" Beca let out a breath as she turned down a familiar street.
"Maybe its best to go in a little blind. Do what flows naturally? I've found that conversations that are overly planned out end up going poorly."
"Yeah I just hope I don't blurt out something I'll regret in the heat of the moment. I'm glad you're with me, though." Beca looked over and smiled at Chloe. "We're almost there. You okay?"
"I'm good. We're not telling him tonight, so we can just take a breath and relax, right?" Chloe breathed out too, trying to calm her own nerves.
"Right. And we'll have fun tomorrow. Take you to the fair. Show you around my childhood town. We'll barely have to see my dad at all." Beca smiled all wide and fake.
"We'll be fine." Chloe nodded and kissed Beca's hand. "And we can talk about a vague plan tonight."
"Right. When we're sleeping in separate beds." Beca glanced sidelong at Chloe, waiting on her reaction.
"Beca…'friends' sleep in the same bed." Chloe rolled her eyes. "I won't try getting fresh with you."
"Getting fresh?" Beca let out a snort. "Besides my dad will probably set you up in the guest room."
"Do you not want me to stay with you?" Chloe asked, sounding disappointed.
"No, I do. I really do. I just don't want him to walk in on anything, you know?"
"Then you just need to behave." Chloe shrugged and flashed her a wink. "I don't want to spend any more time apart from you than I have already."
"Same." Beca sighed. "We'll see how it goes. Just be natural." She gripped the steering wheel as they pulled into a nice looking neighborhood. Chloe looked out the window at the big houses and could feel the ocean air and wondered what it must have been like growing up here.
"Has your dad always lived on the beach?" Chloe asked as she watched the big houses slowly go by.
"Yeah. We go to our Maine summer house for vacation though."
"So, you're loaded?" Chloe smirked. "Does that make me a gold digger."
"You're a dork. And no, we share it with other crazy family members. I mean, my dad's well off, but he's not loaded-loaded." Beca shook her head. "But it was nice growing up here. Like, I had everything I ever needed or wanted, but I never felt spoiled. Oh crap, I just realized, what if he cuts me off? How am I going to pay for college? How will I pay for anything?"
"Becs, calm down. We'll cross that bridge when we get there okay?" Chloe bit her lip, struggling to restrain her own nerves. "Just focus on showing me around town and spending time with your girlfriend. We'll make the most of it. And whatever happens, you'll have me, okay?"
"Okay. Okay." Beca nodded, trying to convince herself.
She finally pulled into the driveway of an elegant two story house. It wasn't quite worthy of being called a mansion, but it was nice. The lawn was impeccable. You could see the beach from the street. And there was a little gate in the backyard that Chloe could see opened up to be able to walk down to the sand. She would have loved growing up here. Here parents would have had to fight her everyday from running out to the beach.
"Alright, let's do this." Beca shut off the engine and grabbed her luggage out of the back, Chloe taking hers too. They walked slowly to the front door like they were walking towards their doom. Beca took a deep breath and gave Chloe a weak smile, then rang the doorbell. It was only a few seconds, but Beca's heart was racing until the door finally swung open.
"Hey, dad."