What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell
Author's Prompt: Beca can read minds. Music can usually drown out the thoughts but sometimes that doesn't work.
A/N: Portions in Italics are the thoughts Beca hears.
Beca rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the headache that was coming on. She put her headphones on and turned up the volume.
"Ahh," Beca sighed as she sat back and allowed the music to drown out all the voices she was hearing inside her head.
Beca learned early on that she had a special 'gift' as her mother liked to call it. It was fun sometimes because she could hear answers to test questions. Or she'd hear what one friend was thinking about another. She tried to ignore most of the things she heard; the test answers came in handy a few times. But she never tried to use things her friend's said to her advantage or to hurt anyone with what she heard.
As she got older she was better able to zero in on one person's thoughts in a crowd, but it always gave her a headache. She also learned early on that when she was thrown into a massive crowd, as she was in now, it became overwhelming and the headache was worse.
Today, Beca Mitchell arrived at Barden College as an incoming Freshman, Class of 2015. She made her way to her dorm and entered her room.
"Oh, um, hi," Beca said as she slipped her laptop bag off her shoulder. "I'm Beca. You must be Kimmy Jinn."
Great, a white girl. How exciting.
Beca smirked. "It's nice to meet you."
Beca dry swallowed a couple of pain relievers and started unpacking, and setting up her desk. She could hear her roommate's thoughts and knew she was intrigued by her set-up.
"Oh, hey, do you like music?" Beca asked.
She held back a smile when she heard "Music? I live for music."
"Yes, I like music," Kimmy said.
"Do you mind if I play some while I finish unpacking?"
"Go ahead," Kimmy said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's your room, too."
"Thanks," Beca said and started a playlist she had put together.
She glanced over at Kimmy and saw her bopping her head to the music.
Wow! The white girl has good taste in music.
~ 2020 BeChloe Valentines - What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell ~
After an awkward visit by her father, Beca left her room and went to the Activities Fair. She put her headphones on and started a playlist so she didn't have to listen to the many thoughts that college students had on move-in day.
Just as a song was transitioning from one to the next, Beca heard a feminine voice say, "Damn, she's hot!"
Beca chuckled, wondering who was talking and who they were talking about. She decided to look around, more from curiosity than anything else.
"What about her?" Beca heard the same voice say, only this time it was not in her head. She looked slightly to her left and the air left her lungs.
Beca's eyes raked up and down the beautiful redhead that came into view. "Wow," Beca thought and made her way over to the girl, standing in front of a booth that said, Barden Bellas.
"Any interest in joining our acapella group?" the redhead asked as she shoved a flyer at Beca.
"Oh, this is a thing now," Beca said, moving her headphones down to her neck and looking down at the flyer.
"Chloe has got to be kidding," Beca heard the blonde standing next to the redhead.
Other voices started invading her brain, so Beca tried to concentrate on Chloe.
"I'm Beca," Beca said, introducing herself. "And you are?"
"Totes interested."
Beca couldn't help smirking, having heard Chloe's thoughts.
"I'm Chloe," the redhead said. "So, are you interested?"
"Oh, God. Chloe's flirting with her," the blonde thought, shaking her head.
"I'm very interested," Beca said with a smirk. "But not in joining your group."
"Thank, God," the blond thought. "No. Wait. Is she interested in Chloe?"
"Score one for me," Chloe thought. "Why don't I give you my number and we can talk about it over dinner tomorrow?"
The blonde rolled her eyes and moved away to talk to another girl who had stopped at their booth.
"I'd like that," Beca said, pulling out her phone. "Put your number in here and text yourself so you have mine, too."
Chloe bit her bottom lip and Beca's mouth became dry. She licked her lips and noticed Chloe looking at them.
"I bet she's a good kisser," Beca heard and tried not to smile. "Maybe I'll find out tomorrow."
Chloe handed Beca her phone. "Call me."
"I will," Beca said. "It was very nice meeting you."
"You, too," Chloe said.
Beca smiled before turning and walking away from Chloe. She could feel Chloe's eyes on her. "This is going to be a fun year."
Beca smiled and mumbled, "Yes, it is."
~ 2020 BeChloe Valentines - What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell ~
Beca called Chloe later that night and set up a dinner date for the next evening. She found herself looking forward to the date.
The next afternoon, Beca made her way back to her dorm to lay down before she needed to get ready for her date. She had a bad headache from listening to all the thoughts around her during her classes. She couldn't play her music so all the thoughts were invading her brain and she couldn't tune them out.
After some rest, Beca gathered her things for a shower and made her way to the communal showers. She showered and quickly made her way back to her room.
Beca checked herself in the mirror and thought she looked good. She was taking Chloe to a relatively nice place for dinner and wanted to look nice for Chloe.
Beca let out a sigh and placed everything she needed in her purse and left the dorm. She walked to her father's and unlocked her car.
"Beca?" Warren Mitchell's voice called out before she could get into the car.
"Hey, dad," Beca said, looking over her shoulder at her father.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming by?"
"I have a date and just needed my car," Beca said, holding the driver's side door open.
"A date? Hmm, why didn't she tell me?"
"Because I knew you would want to talk about it and I don't have time," Beca said.
"You know I hate when you do that," Warren said.
"I know," Beca said. "But I really do have a date and I'm going to be late if I don't leave now."
"Oh, okay," Warren said.
"Should I ask her to visit when she returns the car?"
"I'll be late tonight," Beca said. "So, I'll return the car tomorrow. I'll be sure to block out some time to come in and say hi."
Warren sighed and Beca added, "And, sorry about jumping on your thoughts, again. I can't turn it off."
"I know," Warren said. "Why don't you, uh, plan to come for lunch tomorrow?"
"I'll do that," Beca said. "I'll text you when I'm on my way over. It might be a late lunch depending on what time I get back from my date. I have to go so I'll see you later."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Warren said. "Why is it so hard to talk to her?"
"I wonder the same thing myself," Beca thought as she got in the car and drove off.
Beca parked the car and hurried up to the door of the Bellas House. She knocked and Aubrey answered.
"Oh," Aubrey said. "It's you. Chloe will be down in a minute."
Aubrey stepped aside to allow Beca to come in. Beca looked at her and was surprised to see Aubrey checking her out.
"She cleans up nice. But I still don't see what Chloe sees in her."
Beca hid her smile and said, "You look nice, Aubrey. Hot date tonight?"
"Um, thank you," Aubrey said. "And, yes, I do have a date."
"Hey," Chloe said as she came down the stairs.
"Wow, Beca looks hot."
"Wow, you look amazing," Beca said as she watched Chloe descend the stairs.
"Thanks," Chloe said with a smile. "So do you."
Aubrey rolled her eyes and went to sit on the sofa.
"Ready to go?" Beca asked.
"Try to remember there is someone else in the house tonight, Chloe," Aubrey said.
"It's our first date," Chloe said. "No need to worry about noise, Brey."
"Being on a first date never stopped you from putting out before. And, you're not as quiet as you think you are."
"Wow," Beca muttered as she glanced over to Aubrey. She grabbed Chloe's hand and said, "Let's go."
Beca tried not to listen to Chloe's thoughts as they walked to the car, but she couldn't help it. She also wasn't too upset by it; Chloe was thinking about her and wondering where they were going.
"So, where are we going?" Chloe asked. "I have GPS in my car, I just need the address."
Chloe moved to go toward her car and Beca stopped her.
"Oh, um, I have my car," Beca said, pointing to her car parked at the curb.
"She's a freshman; they aren't allowed to have cars on campus."
"My dad lives just off-campus," Beca said. "I'm not allowed to have a car on campus since I'm a Freshman so I keep it at my dad's until I need to use it."
"Oh," Chloe said as she let Beca lead her to the car. "This is very sporty."
"Guilt gift," Beca said as she opened the door for Chloe.
"Thank you," Chloe said as she got into the car.
Beca ran around to the driver's side and got in. They pulled off and Chloe was quiet; except for her thoughts.
"This is a nice car. I wonder what she meant by a guilt gift."
"What did you mean by guilt gift?" Chloe asked.
"My parents got divorced when I was only five," Beca said. "My father ignored me until I graduated from High School. He and my mother decided I needed to go to college, even though I had other plans. So, he bought me this car as a bribe and to ease his guilt."
"Oh," Chloe said.
They chatted about school and other things on the drive. Beca had to force herself not to answer questions she heard Chloe thinking but not asking. Beca's headache was coming back.
The restaurant was very nice and also very busy. Beca's head was pounding before they had finished their meal. She was trying not to show how painful her headache was but Chloe noticed.
"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, looking at Beca with concern.
"I'm sorry," Beca said, rubbing her temples. "I have a really bad headache. It started earlier today and I thought it was gone, but it seems to have come back again."
"We should go," Chloe said.
"No," Beca said quickly. "I'm enjoying spending time with you."
"I'm enjoying spending time with you, too," Chloe said. "I'm sure all the noise in the restaurant isn't helping your headache. I have cheesecake and ice cream at my apartment. It's also quiet. We can have dessert there. What do you say?"
"Please say yes. I don't want this night to end so soon."
"I'd like that," Beca said, seeing the hopeful look on Chloe's face. "I'll get the check and we can go."
Chloe smiled and Beca got their waiter's attention.
~ 2020 BeChloe Valentines - What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell ~
Beca and Chloe started dating exclusively and had been together for a few months. It was mid-January and Beca was waiting outside the Bellas House after Winter Break. Chloe had texted Beca that she was close to Barden so Beca got her car from her dad's and sat outside the house to wait for Chloe.
As soon as Beca saw Chloe pull up behind her, she jumped out and ran to Chloe. Chloe was smiling when Beca opened her door for her and helped her out. She pushed Chloe up against the car and kissed her. Chloe kissed her back.
"God, I missed this," Chloe thought as she deepened the kiss. "I need to show Beca how much I missed her."
"Let's take this inside," Chloe mumbled against Beca's lips.
"Let's get your bags," Beca said, pulling back from a very heated kiss. "Then we can welcome each other back properly."
"You just read my mind," Chloe said, causing Beca to tense up for a moment.
"If you only knew I could," Beca thought. She then thought, "I need to tell her."
Chloe pulled Beca into another heated kiss and Beca thought, "Later. I'll tell her later."
Beca held Chloe in her arms after showing Chloe how much she missed her.
Chloe let out a sigh and snuggled closer to Beca. "God, how does she know exactly what I want and when I want it?"
Beca shifted slightly, uncomfortable hearing Chloe's thoughts now. She needed to tell Chloe about her 'gift."
"Hey, Chlo," Beca said softly. "I, uh, need to tell you something."
"Oh, God, that doesn't sound good."
Chloe sat up and looked at Beca. "Wh-what is it?"
"Um, I know this is going to be hard to believe," Beca said. "But, I-"
Beca was interrupted by a knock on Chloe's door.
"She'd better not have Beca in there."
"Chloe?" Aubrey called through the door. "I'm back. I just wanted to see how you were."
"Dammit, I didn't think she'd be back this early."
"I'll be out in a few minutes," Chloe yelled. "Beca's here and we're talking."
"Talking? Yeah, right."
"Fine," Aubrey said and walked away from the door.
"She doesn't like me much," Beca said, moving away from Chloe.
"That's putting it mildly."
"Hey," Chloe said. "What did you want to tell me?"
"It can wait," Beca said. "I'll let you catch up with Aubrey."
"No," Chloe said, grabbing Beca's arm. "You're more important. Is everything okay?"
Beca sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You know how I have those really bad headaches?"
"Yeah," Chloe said. "Oh, no, are you sick? Is it something really bad?"
"No, no, I'm not sick," Beca said. "I know exactly what causes my headaches. I, um, I can hear what people are thinking. And sometimes it's overwhelming and my brain can't handle it, so I get headaches."
Chloe pulled away from Beca and looked at her in disbelief.
"What the Hell? She's got to be making this up. But, why?"
"I'm not making this up," Beca said. "I know what you're thinking whenever we're together. That's, um, that's how I know what you want me to do when we, uh. When we have sex."
Chloe's thoughts start coming fast and furious; Beca can't keep up. Her heart stops beating for a moment when she hears Chloe think, "I don't know if I can stay with someone if they can really hear my thoughts. It's too creepy."
Tears stung Beca's eyes. She slowly got out of bed and began putting her clothes on.
"What are you doing?" Chloe asked, getting out of bed to face Beca.
"Maybe I should let her leave," Chloe thought. "If she leaves I can take some time to process this. Oh, God, can she really hear what I'm thinking right now? This is too much."
"I'm leaving," Beca said. "I know when I'm not wanted."
"What?" Chloe asked. "Where did you get that from?"
"Not twenty seconds ago you were thinking I don't know if I can stay with someone if they can really hear my thoughts. It's too creepy," Beca said.
Chloe's face paled and a look of shock passed over her; Beca had repeated exactly what she had been thinking.
"I'm not lying. I can hear your thoughts," Beca said and walked out of Chloe's bedroom.
Beca made her way down the stairs just as Aubrey came out of the kitchen.
"Leaving so soon?" Aubrey asked from behind Beca. "Not soon enough for me."
"Don't worry," Beca said over her shoulder. "You won't have to worry about me darkening your doorstep anymore."
Beca opened the door and quietly shut it behind her. She wiped at the tears in her eyes and she hurried to her car.
Chloe slowly came down the stairs, looking around. "Did Beca leave?"
"Yeah," Aubrey said, smiling. "She's gone." Her smile dropped when she saw the look on Chloe's face. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"
Tears started to fall down Chloe's cheeks. "I, I think we just broke up."
~ 2020 BeChloe Valentines - What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell ~
Beca drove around for a bit before making her way to her father's house. She parked the car in the driveway and was starting to walk away when she heard her father calling her name.
Beca wanted to keep walking but she could hear her father's thoughts and knew he was concerned.
"Hey, are you okay?" her father asked.
"Not really," Beca said.
"Come inside," her father said. "Let's talk."
Beca looked at him and heard him sigh. "Come on, Beca. I'm trying here."
Beca nodded and followed her father inside. Beca sat across from her father at the dining room table.
"So, what's going on?" Warren asked.
"I think Chloe and I broke up," Beca said, wiping the tear that slid down her face.
"What happened?"
"I told her about my 'gift' and she thinks it's creepy."
"She's not wrong."
"Really?" Beca looked at her father.
"Sorry, Beca," Warren said. "But it is. I know about it and it does have a high level of the creepy factor."
Beca sighed. "I know. But I only told her because I didn't want to lie to her anymore. It's hard to tell people that's why I keep it to myself. I thought since we liked it each so much, she'd ask some questions and we'd figure out a way for her to be okay with it. I was wrong."
"Maybe she just needs time to process it," Warren said. "It was creepy to me when you were not quite five and knew about my affair with Sheila. And, not having been around you for thirteen years, it's still kind of a shock when you know what I'm thinking. It takes some time to get used to that."
"I get that," Beca said. "But, you're trying. I'm not sure Chloe wants to try."
"Text her," Warren said. "You can't hear her thoughts through a text and you can have an honest conversation about it."
Beca looked at Warren. "That's actually not a bad idea."
~ 2020 BeChloe Valentines - What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell ~
Two weeks later, Beca hadn't texted Chloe and Chloe hadn't contacted Beca. Beca was giving Chloe some space to think before she did anything. Beca was still hopeful, even though it seemed that Chloe was doing everything to avoid Beca.
Finally, after almost a month since their "maybe" breakup, Beca heard Chloe's voice inside her head. She looked around the Quad, knowing Chloe was near. She saw Chloe with some guy and they were holding hands. Beca's heart dropped to her stomach.
"I guess we're really through," Beca thought as she turned and walked away. "Didn't take her long to move on."
"Shit," Beca heard Chloe's inside her head.
Beca assumed that meant Chloe saw her and she quickened her pace.
"Beca!" Chloe yelled after her.
Beca ignored her and walked faster, losing herself in a crowd of students streaming out of the science building. She was getting another headache from all the thoughts.
Beca angled off from the crowd when she was sure Chloe couldn't see her. She then made her way to her father's house.
Beca let herself in and was thankful her father and Sheila were both out. She slowly made her way up to her room and laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Beca took a pain reliever, but the whispers were starting and she put her earbuds in and turned up her music to drown out the voices. A couple of hours later, Beca heard her father and Sheila come home. Shortly after that, Beca fell asleep without her father or stepmother knowing she was in her room.
~ 2020 BeChloe Valentines - What a Tale Your Thoughts Could Tell ~
Beca awoke the next morning, confused as to where she was. She flopped back on her bed when she realized she was at her dad's.
Beca could hear her father and Sheila's thoughts while they were sleeping. That was creepy. She reached for her phone to check the time and saw that it was four a.m. She also saw several text notifications from Chloe.
Beca opened the text thread.
Chloe [4:25 pm]: Can we talk?
Chloe [4:45 pm]: I know you're angry with me but I do want to talk to you about this.
Chloe [5:30 pm]: Please, Beca?
Chloe [6:00 pm]: I know you saw me with that guy but it's not what it looked like.
"It never is," Beca mumbled.
There were several more texts sent about every twenty minutes; the last came in at almost Midnight.
Chloe [11:54 pm]: I miss you.
Beca threw her phone down on the bed. She ran a hand through her hair and got up to go to the bathroom.
Once Beca was finished in the bathroom, she found some clothes and got dressed. She debated on waiting until her father or Sheila woke before leaving. After pacing in her room for a few minutes, she opted to leave without seeing them.
Beca stopped short when she saw roses sitting by the door. She looked closer and found a card.
"Valentine's Day," Beca mumbled. "The day to show how much you love the one who is supposed to love you back. What a bunch of bullshit!"
Beca put the card back and left the house. Once outside, she debated on walking or taking her car back to her dorm.
"When the fuck did I become so indecisive?"
After going back and forth for a good five minutes, Beca opted to drive so she wasn't wandering around campus at five in the morning.
Beca thought about Chloe as she drove. She hated to admit it, but she was in love with the redhead. Maybe that's why this was bothering her so much.
Beca was lost in her head and only snapped out of it when she heard a voice calling out for what she assumed was a dog. She also realized she was close to the Bellas House. She quickly turned into a local diner; she knew she wasn't quite ready to talk to Chloe.
Beca walked into the diner, thankful to see there were very few customers. She heard a voice call out to sit anywhere she wanted, so Beca went to the farthest corner of the diner and sat down.
The waitress came and poured coffee while handing Beca a menu.
"May I have some cream, please?" Beca asked.
The waitress leaned over to the next table and grabbed the cream. She put it on Beca's table.
"Can I get you anything else?" the waitress asked.
"Coffee's fine for now," Beca said. "Thank you."
The waitress turned and walked away. Beca looked down to pick up two sugar packets; when she looked back up, Chloe was standing less than five feet away, staring at her.
"Please want to talk to me," Chloe thought as she continued to stare at Beca.
Beca dropped the sugar and stood. She held out her hand toward the seat across from her and asked, "Would you like to join me? And we can talk."
Chloe let out a breath and hurried over to Beca's table. They stood looking at each other and Beca couldn't hide her smile when she heard Chloe's thoughts. Beca sat back down.
"I miss you, too," Beca said, causing Chloe to blush.
"You really can hear my thoughts," Chloe said as she sat across from Beca.
"Yeah," Beca said. "So, um, where's the new boyfriend? It's Valentine's Day, shouldn't you be spending the day with him?"
Chloe cleared her throat and ran a hand through her hair. "I'm going to kill Aubrey."
"What does Aubrey have to do with this?"
"Can you maybe stop doing that for a minute?" Chloe asked.
"I honestly cannot turn it off," Beca said.
Beca pulled out her phone and put her earbuds in, turning her music up as loud as she could stand it. She wrote a text and hit send.
Beca saw Chloe's mouth moving but she wasn't talking loud enough for Beca to hear her.
"What the Hell is she doing?"
Beca held her phone up and shook it at Chloe.
"Oh, she wants me to read her text."
Chloe pulled out her phone and read Beca's text, repeating what she had asked about Aubrey. She looked up at Beca and reached across the table and pulled out Beca's earbuds. Beca turned her music off and looked at Chloe.
"Aubrey ambushed me yesterday," Chloe thought while searching Beca's face to make sure she was listening. "She made a date with that guy for me and didn't tell me. He showed up out of the blue and Aubrey pushed me out the door with him. As we were walking, he grabbed my hand in his and was holding it really tight. I couldn't pull it away without causing a scene. Then I saw you. I'm pretty sure he's missing a layer of skin from his palm I wrenched my hand from his."
Beca chuckled and Chloe smiled. "And the only person I want to be with today, and every day is you."
"I love you, Beca."
Beca looked at Chloe; glancing from one eye to the other.
"Say it out loud," Beca said.
Chloe let out a small sob and said, "I'm in love with you, Beca."
"I'm in love with you, too," Beca said.
Beca's not quite sure how it happened, but suddenly Chloe was on her side of the table with Beca laying down on the bench seat, and Chloe laying on top of Beca with her arms around Beca's neck.
Chloe leaned down and kissed Beca. Beca smiled into the kiss and put her hands on Chloe's back, pulling her closer.
The pulled away from each other when they heard someone clearing their throat. They looked up to see the waitress smiling down at them.
"Can I get you anything?"
Beca looked at the waitress and then back to Chloe. She smiled and said, "No, thanks. I have everything I need right here."
"Get the check so we can go back to my place."
"Can I have my check, please?" Beca asked.
"Don't worry about it," the waitress said. "It's on me."
"Thank you," Chloe said and pushed herself off Beca and grabbed her hand, pulling her up.
Beca stumbled after Chloe, yelling a 'thank you' to the waitress as they went out the door.
Chloe stopped and pulled Beca to her for another kiss. Beca kissed her back but then pulled back and looked into the diner.
"Let's go," Beca said. "The people inside are thinking about us and I don't like some of the things I'm hearing them say about my girlfriend."
"Okay," Chloe said, grabbing Beca's hand again. "Let's go back to my place and the only thoughts you'll hear are your girlfriend's and what she wants you to do to her."
"Oh, okay," Beca said as Chloe was leading her toward the Bellas House. She looked back over her shoulder at the diner. "Chlo, my car is-."
Beca stopped talking when she heard Chloe's voice in her head.
"I want you to do that thing with your tongue that I like."
"My car can wait."