It's silly, really. Beca shouldn't let it bother her as much as it does. It's not that she's insecure, she isn't, and it's not as though some base part of her lizard brain is claiming ownership.
She just really doesn't like it when people hit on her girlfriend. Especially when she's right. There. Which, whatever. If they're just sitting next to each other, she can't fault people for not knowing they're together, but when they're sitting alone and Chloe practically has Beca's earlobe in her mouth and a hand halfway up her thigh, and some guy comes over and asks if they can buy Chloe a drink, well.
Beca gets a little bit annoyed.
And it's not that some vain part of herself is pissed at not being noticed as much as Chloe. God, no. It's that these people just pretend she isn't there. A non-entity they neither need to address nor even look at on many occasions. No, all they have eyes for is Chloe and Beca can't exactly blame them for that.
She's beautiful, truly, in every sense of the word, and there's a certain kind of glow that emanates from her because of that. That let's people know her outer beauty is matched equally within. It draws people to her. Her bubbly, sunny exterior has its own gravitational pull, bolstered by pretty red curls and devastatingly blue eyes.
Even Beca - then a surly, jaded freshman who didn't want anything to do with anyone and just wanted to keep her head down and make it through the year - had been pulled in. If it had been anyone else at that activities fair or in her shower stall at midnight, well, Beca might have eventually called campus security. But, it had been Chloe. And Beca had arrived at the a cappella auditions with several handfuls of reservations and the niggling feeling that this was something she needed to do.
For reasons.
So, Beca gets it. The draw, the appeal. The fact that you can spot Chloe from across the room and feel like you're gliding on air as you approach her.
Ugh, gross.
The point Beca would like to make, is that you shouldn't approach Chloe at all if she has her tongue down someone else's throat. And Beca knows that half of the guys that come up to them think they're putting on some kind of show to appeal to all the red blooded males in the room, which makes Beca want to throw several drinks in their faces and then set them on fire.
Which, okay, is maybe a little extreme, but is it?
And it's not just guys. Oh, no. Chloe has her fair share of women flocking to her as well. Usually, it's mostly when they're frequenting an establishment that caters to that kind of clientele, but not always. Usually, the women will approach when Beca isn't within Chloe's immediate vicinity and Beca, returning from the bathroom or wherever, will be subjected to the sight of another woman peppering seductive little touches that linger too long on the bare skin of her girlfriend's hand or forearm.
She'll watch as Chloe inevitably lets them down gently, undoubtedly breaking their heart a little as she explains that, "Sorry, I'm here with my girlfriend." Most will leave at that, sad but resigned, though there have been a few instances where the other woman has told Chloe that she doesn't mind.
"The more the merrier."
That's usually when Beca sees red and closes the distance between them. She'll sling an arm around Chloe's shoulder, press a kiss to her cheek, and send the woman a pointed glare before asking Chloe who her new friend is.
It's usually enough to get them to leave.
Beca doesn't particularly like this side of her personality. She doesn't enjoy feeling jealousy bubble to the surface until it's boiling over and threatening to set things aflame. She can't seem to help it, though. She isn't even sure what, exactly, the issue is.
Is it that they're blatantly ignoring her often obvious place in Chloe's life? Is it that they're usually very attractive and might actually sweep Chloe off her feet and away from Beca?
No, she doesn't actually believe that.
...Maybe she is a tiny bit insecure and she's just in denial about it.
"Hey," a soft voice beside her says, breaking her out of her reverie as a hand gently squeezes her knee. "You okay?"
"That dude's been staring at you for like the last ten minutes." Beca doesn't blink as she stares back, but the guy isn't looking at her.
"What?" Chloe asks, bemused. "Who?" She looks around and Beca knows the moment Chloe has made eye contact with him, because he smiles in a manner that she supposes is intended to be charmingly disarming and starts to walk over.
And that's another thing about Chloe; she never notices this stuff. She's always surprised when she blinks and finds someone smiling at her, flirting before they've even opened her mouth, obviously interested in more than just a friendly hello.
Beca had asked her about it once.
"How do you not see them? They're literally drooling all over you. I'm surprised the puddles don't get your feet wet."
"Gross, Beca."
"What? It's true!"
"I guess I'm too busy paying attention to other stuff. Like, my super hot girlfriend."
"Yeah?"
"Mmhmm. You take up a lot of my attention. It's a wonder I notice anything else at all."
Out of the two of them, Chloe's the more consistent smooth talker. She knows just what to say in order to tamper Beca's jealousy and get into her pants. It's definitely a multi-use skill.
"Hello, ladies." He drawls, an uncommonly southern accent wrapping around the words. "Ain't seen you 'round here before. Thinkin' I'd remember if I had." He winks at them, leaning against the floor-to-ceiling pillar that's probably more structural than it is decorative. "Was wondering if I might be so bold as to ask to buy y'all both a drink."
Despite the fact that this guy doesn't appear to be a raging asshole, Beca feels her blood start to boil. What's his angle here, anyway? Sleep with both of them? See which one of them seems to be the easier of the two and go home with her?
Beca opens her mouth but Chloe's hand, now lying just below the hem of Beca's skirt, squeezes again.
"That's really sweet of you," Chloe preens, smiling to show teeth as the lights overhead catch her eyes and glitter in the dimness of the club. She moves her hand, intertwining Beca's fingers with her own. "But we're already set." And she lifts their joined hands up above the table. Southern Boy sees this and ducks his head with a smile.
"My apologies," he tips an invisible hat, "I didn't mean to interrupt. You two have a wonderful evening." And with that, he leaves.
"Huh," Beca says, following a long moment of silence in which they'd watched the man retreat into the crowd. She can feel Chloe's eyes on her, questioning. "That's just, like… the most polite interaction I think I've ever had with a guy in a club."
"Oh?" Chloe's tone is teasing and Beca turns her head to look at her. The lights are still dancing in her eyes. "Want me to go get him? Ask him to come back? I'm sure he wouldn't mind us tag-team-"
"Oh my god, Chloe, shut up!" Beca lunges across the short distance, wrenching her hand out of Chloe's and slapping it over Chloe's mouth. "Don't be gross." Beca warns, a small frown creasing her forehead as she tries to rid herself of the mental image Chloe has just provided her with.
But Chloe's eyes continue to twinkle and a second later Beca feels the warm slickness of a tongue brushing the inside of her palm. For a second time, she pulls her hand away from Chloe, staring at her in disbelief. She doesn't know if she's put off or turned on by the action.
"You're cute when you're jealous," Chloe chuckles.
"I wasn't jealous," Beca insists, looking down and wiping her hand across the lower half of her dress.
"You were. When you thought he was just staring at me."
"Well, people stare at you a lot, okay? Like, I get it, obviously, but jesus." Beca glances back up to find Chloe wearing a soft smile. "What?"
"Let's go home," she says, suddenly. Taking hold of Beca's hand again while picking up her glass to drain the last of her drink with the other. Beca does the same as she follows Chloe, who stands and starts making her way around the table.
"How come?" Beca asks, letting Chloe lead her by the hand through the throng of people and out into the crisp night air. Once outside, she quickly turns on Beca so that they're standing almost nose to nose. Beca's breath hitches. Chloe smirks.
"Because I want to take you home and show you exactly why you have no reason to be jealous."