Chloe and Aubrey got to know each other pretty well over the next few weeks, both finding it much easier to communicate now that the awkwardness of trying to pursue a romantic relationship was out of the way.

Chloe had swiped right on a few other women on Her, but she hadn't gone on any other dates.

One day, a few weeks after her failed date with Aubrey, Chloe was surprised to hear a knock on her apartment door. She opened the door to find Beca there in tears.

"Come on in, Beca! What's wrong?" She wrapped her friend in a hug as she stepped inside.

"Have you seen the headlines? It's all over the place!"

"What is?"

"Just google my name."

Chloe pulled out her phone and did so. It appeared the news had come out about the split, and all of the articles accused Beca of cheating.

"Beca Mitchell Gets Cozy with Swanson's Assistant," said Chloe, reading the title of one of them, wrinkling her nose.

Beca pointed to the photo with the article. "I gave Benji a hug after he brought over some of my stuff. He might actually be taking the divorce worse than either of us. I guess someone followed him," she said, rolling her eyes. Beca had recently rented an apartment, but she'd mistakenly left a few things behind at the house. Jesse had asked Benji to deliver them.

"Jesse Swanson Heartbroken After Seeing Beca Mitchell with Assistant," Chloe read another title.

"Benji and I spent time together all the time. He and I got along great and we used to joke about what a disaster Jesse would be without him. I've hugged him plenty of times, but someone catches a photo of it somewhere other than my house, and it's news."

"Beca, I'm so sorry."

"I didn't cheat on Jesse. You believe me, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Why is he doing this? I'm sure his publicist was involved. He's a blabbermouth and probably told her everything. I'm sure she convinced his dumb ass to give her a few quotes to use. Maybe he's hoping people will think 'poor Jesse' and he'll get more of the spotlight. Work has been a little light for him lately."

"People who are hurting do shitty things sometimes," said Chloe. She went through a few kitchen cabinets before producing two wine glasses and a couple of bottles of wine. "Red or white?"

"Red, please."

Chloe poured them both a small glass of red wine. "I'm sorry he's making things difficult for you."

"Thanks. I just don't know what to do," said Beca, as Billie walked in from Chloe's bedroom and ran up to Beca. She lifted Billie onto her lap and began to pet her.

"Talk to your publicist," Chloe said as she grabbed a box of tissues from her linen closet and placed them on her coffee table.

"I have, and I'm sure she'll handle it. Jesse and I were actually starting to have civilized conversations, and then he pulls this stunt!"

"You knew you couldn't keep the divorce under wraps forever."

"I guess I just thought we'd discuss things together with our publicists first."

"I'm sure your publicist will know what to do. There's got to be some sort of a statement you can release. Would Benji back you up and say there was nothing going on?"

"I have no idea if anyone would believe him if he did."

Chloe gave Beca a light squeeze on the arm. "This will pass as soon as the next celebrity gossip hits."

"You're right," said Beca.

"Hey, do you mind if I go into the bathroom and wash up a little? I'm sure I'm a mess."

"You look fine, but go ahead," said Chloe, moving Billie from Beca's lap to hers.

Just as Beca shut the door to the bathroom, Chloe heard a knock at her door. She set Billie down gently on the floor so she could answer the door. She was confused for a moment when she saw Aubrey.

"Did I get the time wrong?" asked Aubrey.

"No," said Chloe. She saw Aubrey look over at the wine glasses on the coffee table.

"It's okay if you have a date here," she said.

"Oh, no, I don't," said Chloe. "A friend came by unexpectedly, needing to talk. She's in the bathroom. I got distracted and temporarily forgot we'd made plans."

"I can leave if you want."

"I think she's okay now," said Chloe. "Wine?"

"Sure."

"Red okay?"

"Have you ever seen me drink white?"

"Good point," said Chloe as she grabbed a wine glass from her cabinet and poured some more of the red wine for Aubrey.

Just after Aubrey took the glass from Chloe, the bathroom door opened. Aubrey dropped her wine glass in shock, causing it to shatter and spill red wine all over Chloe's carpet.

"Aren't you-?" Aubrey seemed unable to finish her sentence.

"God, Chloe, really?" asked Beca. "Had to show me off to your new girlfriend?"

"Okay, both of you," said Chloe, picking up her dog, who'd taken a sudden interest in the spilled drink. "Aubrey, this is Beca. But I guess you already know her name. Beca, Aubrey isn't my girlfriend. I already told you we decided to just be friends. You came over here of your own accord. I didn't even tell Aubrey who was here because I just see you as my friend Beca, not some celebrity."

"And you're not dating Beca?" asked Aubrey.

"Nope," said Chloe. "I just gave her some wine because she was upset. Now, how do I get this out of the carpet?"

"Right," said Aubrey. "Sorry. I'll grab some paper towels."

Beca rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you two. I can't believe neither of you knows how to get red wine out of the carpet. Chloe, grab a cloth. Something really absorbent and light-colored. Aubrey, grab some cold water."

Chloe put Billie in her bedroom to keep her out of the mess and grabbed a white microfiber cloth she ordinarily used for cleaning. "Chloe, soak up as much of the stain as you can. Aubrey, once she's done that, pour a little cold water to help dilute it."

After Aubrey had poured the water, Beca said, "Okay, now make a baking soda paste - three parts baking soda, one part water. Put that on the stain."

"Now, what?" asked Chloe, after she'd covered the stain with the baking soda paste.

"Let it dry and vacuum up the baking soda. Works every time!"

"How did you know that?" asked Chloe.

"Jesse has a bad habit of spilling wine. I looked it up on the internet after we'd paid for a few more carpet cleanings than I really wished we had."

"Can we start over?" asked Aubrey. "I'm Aubrey Posen, a friend of Chloe's."

"Beca."

"So, how did you two meet?" asked Aubrey.

Chloe looked at Beca for a second, seeing a panicked look in her eyes. "Oh, I met her on one of my late-night grocery shopping adventures."

"Your what?" asked Aubrey.

"I have a bad habit of waiting until there's no food before going to the store. Since I get home from work around 2:30 am, I frequently find myself at the grocery store around 3 am. Believe it or not, it's a pretty good time to shop. No lines. Sometimes the produce isn't all that great, though."

Aubrey turned to Beca. "And, why were you there?"

"That's a story for another day."

"Right," said Aubrey. Chloe saw Aubrey's eyes cut to Beca's left hand, which hadn't been wearing a wedding ring since the night Chloe met her.

Beca appeared to have noticed because she said, "The articles that came out today are partially true. Jesse and I are through, but nobody cheated." She went on to explain that they'd disagreed on the subject of children and things had come to a head.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out," said Aubrey.

"Me too," said Beca. "So, I should go. You two had plans."

"Stay," said Chloe. "If that's okay with you, Aubrey."

"I don't mind."

"What were you two going to do?" asked Beca.

"We discovered we share a guilty pleasure. We were going to watch a few episodes of The Golden Girls," said Chloe.

Beca began to laugh so hard she doubled over and couldn't form words.

"Look, if you don't want to stay, you can just-"

"It's not that!" Beca cut Aubrey off. "It's totally my guilty pleasure too. I used to watch it with my grandma when I'd spend the night at her house when I was a little girl. It was in syndication by then, but she would watch it every night. I tend to watch it when I find it's on TV because it reminds me of her. I never admitted that to people because it seems so weird."

"It's on Hulu," said Chloe, as she turned on her TV and selected the app.

"I never thought to look," said Beca.

"Before we start, can I get anybody more wine?" asked Chloe.

"Sure," said Beca.

"Yes," said Aubrey. "I'm sorry I broke the glass and messed up your carpet, Chloe. I'll pay you for both."

"Don't worry about it," said Chloe. "I should have warned you about Beca being here. We've been hanging out so much lately that I forgot she's famous. Accidents happen."

"And, believe me, the stain will come out as soon as the baking soda dries. I've used it enough times that I swear by it!"

The three women were interrupted by Billie scratching at the bedroom door.

Aubrey asked, "Hey, Chloe, can I let Billie out?"

"I think so," she said. "Just put her on the couch. I don't want her walking near the spill because there still might be glass. I really don't want to have to bring her to my work tonight to get her paw stitched!"

Aubrey opened Chloe's bedroom door and immediately scooped up the tiny pooch. Billie happily curled up in Aubrey's lap when she sat on the couch, relishing the attention.

"Do you have any popcorn?" asked Beca.

"Of course," said Chloe. She tossed a bag into the microwave, hitting the appropriate buttons before bringing Aubrey a new glass of wine and refilling Beca's.

Once the popcorn was popped and in a bowl, the three women sat down to watch a few episodes.

"We're on season two, episode five. I hope that's okay," said Chloe.

"Fine with me," said Beca.

Less than five minutes in, all three women were cackling at Sophia's comments about Dorothy's old friend from college being a lesbian. "Jean is a nice person. She happens to like girls instead of guys. Some people like cats instead of dogs. Frankly, I'd rather live with a lesbian than a cat. Unless a lesbian sheds...that I don't know."

"Hey, Chlo, when did this air?" asked Beca.

"November 1986," said Chloe, pausing the episode and reading the info off of the screen.

"I can't imagine what it must have been like to be gay back then," said Aubrey.

"It was weird enough telling my parents back in high school," said Chloe.

"I didn't figure it out until college," said Aubrey. "All it took was an evening of experimenting with my first roommate, and I knew, though. I didn't have to tell my parents. They showed up early to pick me up for Thanksgiving break and saw me making out with her outside the dining hall. I was totally embarrassed, but they took it well."

They resumed the episode.

Beca laughed when Blanche said, "Well, why not? A man has so much more to offer, you know what I mean, Dorothy?"

"Believe me, they do NOT," Beca said.

"Poor Jean," said Chloe. "How many of us have fallen in love with a straight girl?"

"I think that's a requirement," said Aubrey.

"Been there," said Beca.

Aubrey quickly snapped her head toward Beca, and asked, "What?!"

Beca's cheeks turned pink. "Bi girl here, dude."

"How did I not know that?"

"I'll tell you what I told Chloe. I haven't dated a woman since I became famous. Nobody ever questioned my sexuality when Jesse and I went public with our relationship, and I never felt the need to share it."

"Well, you learn something new every day," said Aubrey.

The three of them spent the rest of the evening watching more episodes and laughing. When the clock hit midnight, Beca said, "Okay, that's it for me. I got a text from my publicist. She wants me over at 9 am so we can release a statement. I told her to just write one, but she wants to talk to me before doing so."

"That's probably good that she wants your input," said Aubrey.

"I'd personally be fine with a 'parted ways' and 'irreconcilable differences' with a side of 'respect our privacy' blah blah blah. But I'm sure she'll know what to do. That's why I hired her."

"Sorry, Becs," said Chloe.

"Comes with the territory," said Beca. "Night, Chlo. Nice meeting you, Aubrey!"

Once Beca left, Aubrey turned to Chloe. "I can't believe you're friends with Beca Mitchell and you didn't tell me!"

"I'm serious, Aubrey. We've been hanging out for a while, and I just see her as my friend Beca. Most of the time, I don't even remember she's famous anymore."

Aubrey shook her head. "She did seem pretty down to earth."

"She is."

"Well, I need to head home too. Work beckons, as usual, tomorrow morning!"

"Night, Aubrey," said Chloe.

Chloe woke up to a text from Beca around noon the next day.

Beca: Saw the publicist

Beca: I hate having to do this

Beca linked an article with her latest statement.

"Beca Mitchell Confirms Split with Jesse Swanson" was the title. In it, Beca had said, "Jesse and I have decided to part ways due to irreconcilable differences. Rumors of infidelity are simply not true. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time."

Beca: Text me when you're up

Chloe texted Beca back.

Chloe: I think it's a good statement
Beca: I hate that I have to give one at all
Chloe: Me too
Beca: I have to see the lawyer tomorrow
Beca: We have to discuss the division of property
Chloe: Sorry
Beca: One step closer
Chloe: Good way to think about it
Chloe: Thanks for the help with the wine
Chloe: You were totally right, worked like a charm
Beca: Don't thank me, thank Google 😂

The next day, Chloe woke up to another text from Beca asking to text her when she was up for the day.

Chloe: I'm awake. What's up?
Beca: Any chance we can get together today? I'm having a rough time
Chloe: I had plans with Aubrey for lunch (breakfast for me)
Chloe: I can ask if you can join us

Without waiting for an answer, Chloe texted Aubrey to ask if Beca could come along for lunch. Aubrey immediately replied that Beca was more than welcome.

Beca: You don't have to do that
Chloe: Too late, already asked, join us
Beca: You sure?
Chloe: Aubrey said you are more than welcome
Beca: Okay

Chloe texted Beca the information for lunch.

Aubrey was already at the table, looking professional in a three-piece suit with her hair tied up in a neat French twist when Chloe arrived at the diner. Beca arrived right after Chloe.

"Hey, guys," said Beca. "Thanks so much for letting me crash your lunch."

"You're welcome anytime," said Aubrey as Chloe nodded in agreement.

"So, what's up?" asked Chloe.

Beca said, "Jesse's a dick."

"What happened?" asked Chloe.

"I just saw John this morning. He's my attorney. Jesse wants everything. He wants the house, and pretty much everything except my car. The only reason he can't have that is that it's in my name only and I bought it before we were married. He wants alimony too. Can you believe that? I'm surprised he didn't ask for a few pints of blood!"

"You didn't have a prenup?" asked Aubrey.

"No," said Beca. "I wanted one, but Jesse refused. He said that was just for couples who don't plan on staying together. I really should have insisted."

"Who's your attorney?" asked Aubrey.

"John Smith, attorney to the stars."

"Oh, no," said Aubrey. "He's a disaster."

"How do you know that?" asked Beca, furrowing her brow.

"I'm an attorney," said Aubrey. "I don't handle divorces, but I know the guy."

"Can you help her?" asked Chloe.

"Well, I can't really take the case. I really don't have the knowledge or expertise, but I can call in a favor and see if my friend Gail can see you," said Aubrey. "She's a fellow Yale alum and a former member of Redhot and Blue."

"What's Redhot and Blue?"

"My a cappella group from college."

"Oh, right, that's a thing," said Beca. Chloe smiled to herself because she could see Beca was trying not to laugh at Aubrey.

The server came to take their orders, and Aubrey headed outside for a few minutes afterward to call her friend.

"Why didn't you tell me Aubrey was an attorney?" asked Beca.

"It never came up," said Chloe, shrugging.

"Right," said Beca. "So, what kind of attorney is she?"

"She handles birth injury cases."

"Interesting."

Aubrey came back inside. "Gail will see you at eight tomorrow morning."

"Really? Thanks!"

"Who's Jesse's lawyer?"

"Bumper Allen," said Beca.

"I went to law school with him," said Aubrey. "He's an asshole. I'm sure he told Jesse he could get everything. That actually explains a lot. Anyway, Gail has gone up against him plenty of times before, and she'll know what to do."

"Thanks so much, Aubrey," said Beca. "I owe you one."

The server arrived with their food and they spent the rest of the meal chatting lightly. Chloe was thrilled to see Beca and Aubrey getting along so well. In fact, Aubrey seemed to have adjusted to the idea of Beca being a friend who happens to be famous more quickly than Chloe had.

When lunch ended, Aubrey insisted on picking up the check. She made sure Beca had all of Gail's information, and the three women parted ways.

It was a few days before Chloe spoke with Beca or Aubrey beyond more than a few texts. Aubrey was in court, and Beca had written a new song she wanted to try out in the studio.

Chloe invited the two of them over for another wine and TV night, and she was glad they both accepted.

Beca arrived first with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Beca, glad to see you happy. I feel like I haven't seen much of that lately," said Chloe.

"Aubrey did me a huge favor putting me in touch with Gail."

"Oh?"

"I'd rather tell you when you're both here."

As if on cue, Chloe's doorbell rang. Aubrey was on the other side, a bottle of red wine in hand. "I know you said not to worry about it, but I brought this anyway."

"Thanks, Aubrey," said Chloe. "I'll open this up and pour us some wine. Beca, do you mind grabbing the snacks out of the fridge? I got us a charcuterie tray."

"You with the big fancy words, Chlo," said Beca. "Do I have to eat this with my pinky in the air?"

"Maybe," said Chloe.

"Before we start, I really wanted to thank you, Aubrey. Gail is amazing!"

"So, things went well?"

"Yeah," said Beca. "Jesse was trying to say that I'd abandoned the marriage, and he was entitled to everything. Gail told me that's definitely not how the law works, and she and I wrote what I think is a far more fair arrangement. If he stays at the house, he definitely doesn't get alimony, and I'll take a lot of the furniture. There are a few other things we can consider, but at least I don't feel like I'm getting screwed. She said renting an apartment is a good idea until the divorce is final. If I buy a place of my own, he might try to go after it."

"I'm glad she could help you," said Aubrey. "Gail has gone against Bumper quite a few times, and I'm sure she won't disappoint."

"So, what's new with you?" asked Beca.

"I had a lunch date today," said Chloe.

"Do tell," said Aubrey.

"Her name is Cynthia Rose. She told me her parents got her name from 'Starfish and Coffee' by Prince."

"Her parents sound pretty cool," said Beca.

"I thought so too," said Chloe. "Anyway, she's in the AirForce. She said she joined because she got kicked out of flight school for killing three hundred fake people. I thought that was funny."

"I like her sense of humor," said Aubrey. "Where did you find her?"

"Same app where I found you," said Chloe.

"Picture?" asked Beca.

Chloe fired up the app and pulled up the picture to show her friends. Cynthia Rose had skin the color of cocoa, and her hair was done in a series of long braids. Both women nodded in approval.

"Anyway, so, I thought things were going pretty well," said Chloe. "But, at the end of the date, she finally confessed that she'd been through a recent breakup. She liked me, but she'd spent the whole date mentally comparing me to Denise, her ex."

"What did you say?" asked Aubrey.

"There wasn't a whole lot to say," said Chloe. "I thanked her for her honesty and told her I'd be happy to revisit the dating idea if she changed her mind."

"Well, that's not awful," said Beca.

"I had a date last night," said Aubrey.

"I hope it went better than mine," said Chloe.

"What's her name?" asked Beca.

"Stacie," said Aubrey. "And, it was awesome." Her face turned red.

"You totally got laid," said Chloe.

Aubrey's face turned even redder. "Well, yeah," she said.

"Okay, I definitely need a picture," said Beca.

"What is it with you and pictures?" asked Chloe.

"I'm technically still married, and both my attorney and publicist agree it's best I'm not seen dating anyone until the divorce is final. Let me live vicariously through the two of you."

Aubrey fired up the app and pulled up Stacie's profile.

"Oh my god, are those boobs real?!" asked Beca.

"Definitely," said Aubrey, her blush immediately returning as she hid her face in her hands.

"Are you seriously incapable of talking about sex?" asked Chloe.

"Blame my conservative upbringing," said Aubrey.

"Fair enough," said Beca. "Tell us the rest. I'm not getting laid anytime soon, so maybe it's best to not rile me up."

Chloe thought she saw Beca fire a glance in her general direction, but she immediately dismissed the thought. The woman had been her celebrity crush for years, and the idea that Beca would be remotely interested in her was a pipe dream at best.

"So, I found Stacie on Her, just like I found Chloe," said Aubrey. "The picture I showed you was her profile picture. I didn't even have to think about swiping right on her. And, before you ask, Chloe, no question about you either." She winked at Chloe.

"Thank you," said Chloe.

"Stacie invited me to go mini-golfing. She totally kicked my ass at it. I got more than a little distracted watching her bend over to pick up her golf ball," said Aubrey, blushing again. "We went out for a sushi dinner, and then we walked around Downtown Disney before we settled down to sit and watch the fireworks."

"How were the fireworks?" asked Chloe. "I keep meaning to catch them on my nights off, but I haven't gotten there yet."

"Awesome, but I have pretty high expectations for Disney."

"And the fireworks after?" asked Beca, wagging her eyebrows.

Aubrey blushed almost crimson. "Amazing," she mumbled.

"Stop tormenting her," said Chloe.

"Sorry," said Beca. "It's just so easy, and I can't help but find your blushing hilarious."

"Can we please start the show?" asked Aubrey.

"Just tell us you have another date set up with her," said Chloe.

"We're going out for Italian food next Friday," said Aubrey.

"Nice. Should we pick up where we left off in The Golden Girls?" asked Beca.

"Totes," said Chloe, as Aubrey nodded.

The three women enjoyed another evening laughing at the antics of Dorothy, Sophia, Blanche, and Rose.

Beca left first. "I'm still working on my new song," she said. "I'll definitely say this divorce has fueled my creativity. I've been writing songs for years, but this is the first one I've felt compelled to record. It's about time I sang my own stuff instead of what others write for me anyway. So, I'm going to cut out. I can work in the studio by myself if I go in tomorrow."

"Don't you live alone?" asked Aubrey.

"I do, but it's easier to focus in the studio, even when others are working. Fewer distractions."

"Got it," said Aubrey.

"Goodnight, you two!" called Beca as she left.

"Are you sure you and Beca are just friends?" asked Aubrey.

"Yeah, why?" asked Chloe.

"Because I kept catching her staring at you throughout the night."

Chloe shrugged. "It's not like she'd ever want me. I'm not famous or anything like that," said Chloe.

"Don't sell yourself short," said Aubrey. "Two failed dates on Her doesn't mean you're not one hot, sexy babe."

Chloe shook her head, chuckling. "Even if she did want me, she's not dating until the divorce is final. Just think what the press will do if she's seen dating a woman right now. They'll say Beca left Jesse because she discovered she's gay!"

"You're right," said Aubrey. "At least try the app again. I know it's early, but I've already fallen hard for Stacie."

"I will," said Chloe. "Tomorrow."

Aubrey yawned. "Glad to hear it," she said. "I should cut out too."

"Stacie wear you out?" asked Chloe, winking.

"Shut up," said Aubrey, grinning and blushing.

"Beca's right," said Chloe. "You are so easy to embarrass."

Chloe put the wine glasses and plates in the dishwasher and put the remainder of the charcuterie in the refrigerator. She took Billie on a short walk to do her business and headed to bed. She had a hard time falling asleep, thoughts of Beca in her head. She wondered if she and Aubrey were imagining things. She decided time would tell.