A week later, on her day off, Chloe found herself getting ready for a date with someone she'd met on the app. They were going to meet at Dave and Buster's. She dressed in the pink top and black skinny jeans Beca had given a shrug when she was getting ready for her date with Aubrey.
However, when she arrived at Dave and Buster's, she looked around for the woman in the picture, but she was nowhere to be found. Just as she was about to leave, a man tapped her on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, but are you Chloe?"
"Yes, why?"
"I have a confession to make. I'm Donna. Well, I'm actually Donald."
Chloe took a moment to look at the man. He had the same coloring as the woman in the picture on the app, but he appeared to be a cis-male. "I don't understand. How are you Donna and what the hell were you doing on Her if you're a guy?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Chloe knew non-binaries were welcome on the app, but she somehow didn't think this was the case with Donald.
"I'm trying to help," he said. "I have this theory that all lesbians can be cured if they meet the right guy. I'm offering my services. I had a friend who is very skilled in Photoshop alter my photo so I'd appear female."
"There's nothing to cure," said Chloe. "I'm proud of who I am, and it's sure as hell not your job to 'fix' me if I were broken."
"Suit yourself," said Donald as he turned to leave. "Enjoy your time in Hell!"
"If I'm going to Hell for who I am, I'd rather go there. I think I'd find many more interesting people!" Chloe retorted before immediately turning away from him and leaving the place in tears. She headed straight to Beca's apartment.
She rang the doorbell and immediately burst into tears again when Beca answered the door.
"Chlo, what's the matter?" she asked, pulling Chloe in for a hug.
"Online dating sucks!" exclaimed Chloe. She reiterated the whole story about her latest dating app match.
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," said Beca. "You need to go on the app and report him. That's just so wrong in so many ways. Why does he think his magic penis will suddenly turn you or any other woman straight?"
Chloe giggled at Beca's use of the term "magic penis." "I don't know, and I don't want to find out," she said. She fired up the app and reported "Donna" for actually being a cis-male. She was sure he'd just make another profile and catfish some other poor soul, but she had to at least try.
"How about I invite Aubrey over and we'll binge-watch some more stuff?"
"I'd say yes, but I'm pretty sure she has a date with Stacie tonight."
"Right," said Beca. "At least one of us is getting laid."
"I think I'm going to delete my profile," said Chloe, pulling out her phone. "I'm 0 for 3."
"Why don't you just take a break from it?" asked Beca. "You could just leave your profile up and see if you like someone who swipes right on you. Let the right girl find you."
"I suppose it's not a bad idea," said Chloe. "Can we still binge-watch something?"
"Sure, but let's save The Golden Girls for when Aubrey can hang next. Assuming we can tear her away from Stacie at some point."
"What else do you like?" asked Chloe.
"As much as I dislike movies, I actually like television. So, pretty much whatever you want. I have cable and most of the streaming services."
"Game of Thrones?" asked Chloe.
"Oh my god, I love that show!" exclaimed Beca.
"Where should we start?"
"From the beginning? I haven't watched it from the beginning in a while."
"Me neither," said Beca. "I don't have much of anything to eat around here, so what do you think about ordering in?"
"Fine with me."
Beca opened a kitchen drawer and grabbed a few takeout menus. "Whatever you want," she said, handing them to Chloe. "My treat."
Chloe picked Thai, and Beca placed the order. Chloe thought she spotted a lingering glance, but she told herself she was seeing things. The prior week's conversation with Aubrey had likely planted ideas in her head.
"Wine?" asked Beca.
"Got anything stronger?" asked Chloe.
Beca opened a cabinet in her kitchen to reveal what looked to be a full bar. "Take your pick," she said.
"You have a full bar?" asked Chloe incredulously.
"Pretty much," said Beca. "I used to entertain people as part of my job, so I had one at the house. I took the alcohol with me when I moved out, much to Jesse's chagrin."
"Nice," said Chloe. She looked over the choices. "Can you make me a whiskey sour?"
"Coming right up," said Beca. She mixed up the drink for Chloe and then poured herself a gin and tonic. She was just putting the drinks on the table when the food arrived.
The two women enjoyed their food and drinks before starting up the show.
"Another?" asked Beca after the first episode.
"Totes," said Chloe, handing Beca the empty glass.
A little while later, Chloe found herself being nudged awake. She'd somehow curled up next to Beca and fallen asleep.
"Come on, you," said Beca. "I think you've had enough. You shouldn't drive. Stay here. You can sleep in my bed."
"I can?"
"It's the least I can do. I'll take the couch. I'll loan you some pajamas."
"Can I have the Hello Kitty ones?" asked Chloe.
Beca rolled her eyes. "Only if you promise not to tell anybody I own them."
"Yes, ma'am," said Chloe, mock saluting Beca.
Beca turned away as Chloe began to strip right there in the middle of her bedroom.
"Aww, Beca. You can look," said Chloe as she giggled. "I'm pretty confident about...all this." Chloe gestured down her body.
Beca said, "You should be." She turned around and put her face in her hands.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Chloe."
"Turn around, Becs, I'm dressed!"
"Okay, Chloe, do you need anything else?"
"A cuddle?"
"I think I've given you enough cuddles for a while," said Beca, grabbing a pillow for herself. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything."
"Okay," said Chloe as she climbed into bed and felt her eyelids getting heavy.
The next morning, Chloe woke up in a strange bed in strange pajamas with a raging headache. She looked at the nightstand and saw a glass of water, a couple of pain reliever pills, and a post-it note saying, "Thought you could use these. Come to the living room when you're up! - Beca. P.S. I'm running out on a quick errand, so just text me if you don't see me."
Chloe swallowed the pain relievers and lay back down in the bed. She looked down at herself and saw she had on hot pink Hello Kitty pajamas - the same ones Beca had been wearing when she saw her at the grocery store the night she met her. It hadn't been all that long ago, yet she and Beca had grown so close that it seemed like a lifetime ago. She thought for a minute and vaguely recalled asking Beca if she could wear them. She also thought she may have told Beca she was pretty confident about her body. She winced at that, hoping that it had been a dream.
She grabbed her phone, checking the call log and message history to make sure she hadn't sent any drunk texts or drunk dialed anyone. She was relieved to see she hadn't. She checked her e-mail and saw the staff at Her had responded to her complaint. It was a standard apology for the inconvenience that also stated the account had been deleted. It was the response she'd expected, but, for some reason, Chloe wished they'd been able to do more. She decided to take Beca's advice for now and let people on the app choose her.
She played around on social media for a little while until the pain reliever kicked in and then headed to the living room to see Beca.
She was surprised to see Billie shortly after she opened the bedroom door.
"Billie? How did you get here?"
"Morning!" called Beca from the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind, but I grabbed your keys while you were asleep. I went to check on Billie and take her out to do her business. After I did that, I saw her little travel crate, so I brought her things with me. I know how much you worry about her. She was an excellent passenger in the car."
"Awww, Beca…" said Chloe as she picked up her dog. She began to speak to Billie in her cartoon voice. "Mommy is sorry she didn't get home last night, but she's glad Auntie Beca came over. Were you a good girl? I know you were."
Chloe heard Beca chuckle at the conversation with the dog.
"It's my fault you drank so much last night, and I was worried about Billie when I got up. You were dead to the world, so I just let you sleep."
"Beca, I'm a grown woman. I should have realized how much I was drinking. I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing."
"It's okay."
"Oh my god, what did I do?" Chloe asked, already beginning to bury her face.
Beca hesitated just a bit too long before saying, "Nothing."
"Was it that bad?" she asked.
"Not that bad," said Beca.
"For the love, Beca, just tell me."
"You told me I was your celebrity crush and professed your love for me."
"That's not terrible," said Chloe. She noticed a blush creeping over Beca's face. "There's something else, though, isn't there?"
"You told me that several of my songs are your 'lady jams'. Complete with inappropriate hand gestures in case I wasn't clear on what you meant."
"Oh my god, I didn't."
Beca smiled. "You did. After that, I tried to just put you to bed, but you told me you wanted to sleep on me instead."
"What?"
"Yeah, I told you to go to sleep in my bed, and you said, 'But the bed is so far and you are so comfy.' There were very dramatic hand gestures as well," said Beca, demonstrating Chloe's illustration of how far away the bed was. "You went back to cuddling me, and you fell asleep almost immediately. Did you know you snore when you're drunk?"
"I do not."
"You sound like a damn buzzsaw."
"Sorry," said Chloe. "Why did I wake up in your bed? I remember asking to wear these pajamas but not much else."
"I ignored the snoring for a while, but then my arm fell asleep and I had to use the bathroom. So I gave you my bed. I'll never forget how you gave me your bed when Jesse and I first split. It was the least I could do."
"Did I...strip in front of you?"
Beca hesitated again.
"Oh, no, I did! I was hoping I was remembering a crazy dream. Shit!"
"Do you normally remove clothing when you drink?"
"I was known for it in college."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I was most famous for stripping naked, jumping into the pool at this frat house, and then getting mad when the others wouldn't join me."
"That's funny."
"I'm just glad it didn't end up on social media."
"I bet," said Beca. "Do you want some breakfast? I'm not much of a cook, but I can pour cereal into a bowl and I make a mean piece of toast."
Chloe chuckled. "Cereal's fine. Do you still have Lucky Charms?"
Beca rolled her eyes. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
"I didn't tell Aubrey, did I?"
"Fair point."
"Well, do you have Lucky Charms or not?"
"Oh, you were serious?" Beca pulled a new box of cereal out of her cabinet.
"Thanks!"
After breakfast, Chloe showered, changed into a tee and sweats she borrowed from Beca and headed home with Billie.
"Thanks again, Beca," said Chloe. "I'll wash these and have them back to you ASAP."
"No worries," said Beca. "Just consider this as payment for the time you helped me. I still can't believe you were the one who found me. I think any other person on earth would have taken advantage of me, and I'd never recover from the embarrassment."
"We're friends, Beca. We don't need to keep track of who does what for the other. We're there for each other, and that's all that matters."
"Well, then I suppose I'm lucky to have you as a friend."
"Feeling's mutual," said Chloe as she gave Beca a hug goodbye.
A few days later, Beca invited Chloe, Aubrey, and Stacie over for lunch and some television. She'd originally invited them over for dinner, but she'd switched it to lunch when Chloe had explained that she had to work that evening.
Stacie and Aubrey were already seated at Beca's table when Chloe arrived.
"Hi guys," said Chloe.
"This is Stacie," said Aubrey.
"Nice to meet you," said Chloe as she shook the woman's hand. "Your picture doesn't do you justice."
"Thanks," said Stacie.
"I got a platter of sandwiches from the grocery store," said Beca. "Help yourself. Do you want anything to drink?"
"Just a soda, please," said Chloe. "I never drink on workdays."
"Probably best for the animals," said Aubrey.
Everyone got to know Stacie as they ate lunch. They learned that Stacie was working on her fellowship to become a pediatric surgeon.
"Damn," said Beca. "A doctor, a lawyer, and a veterinarian. We could add 'walk into a bar' and there's probably a joke somewhere." The other three laughed and then Beca added, "I might be the dumbest person in the room."
"No way," said Chloe.
"I never even went to college," said Beca. "Much to my dad's chagrin. He is a professor at Barden University in Georgia. Had I not gotten my big break when I did, he would have all but forced me to go there and get a college education."
"College isn't for everyone," said Stacie. "Besides, you can always go later if you change your mind."
"Maybe," said Beca. "Anyway, I have a reason for inviting everyone here. Well, besides wanting to meet Stacie."
"You wanted to meet me?" asked Stacie. "Why?"
"I had to see the hot chick who's banging Aubrey," said Beca.
"Classy as always, Beca," said Aubrey, blushing a deep red.
"Wait, did you tell them about-"
"No!" yelled Aubrey as she put a hand over her girlfriend's mouth while the other two laughed. Stacie must have licked Aubrey's hand because she then pulled it off of her mouth.
"What?" asked Stacie, feigning innocence. "I thought you liked what I can do with my tongue."
Aubrey muttered something that sounded a lot like "I do" and a deep red blush creeped over her whole body.
"So, you're not as easily embarrassed as your girlfriend," said Chloe.
"Not in the least," said Stacie, smirking.
"So, what was your other reason?" asked Chloe.
"Right," said Beca. "So, I took some time the other day and I met Jesse for lunch. I wanted to see how much he and I could work out without our lawyers arguing."
"And?" asked Aubrey.
"Well, first off, he fired Bumper. Jesse didn't get specific, but he said the guy called me some pretty awful names when he saw Gail's and my response to his request. He said he just couldn't continue to work with and pay someone who would talk about me like that. I know, deep down a part of him still loves me. I guess a part of me still loves him as well. Anyway, get this, he hired Michael Fry, the Unicycle Guy!"
"Oh my god, you mean that weirdo attorney who rides a unicycle in all of his commercials?" asked Chloe.
"That's the guy. Anyway, we have things worked out pretty well with the division of property now. Our attorneys are working together to move the divorce along as quickly as possible."
"Really?" asked Aubrey. "That's wonderful. Divorces around here usually take forever."
"Gail seems to think she and Unicycle can fast track the process."
"That's great news," said Chloe.
"Yeah, it is," said Beca. "I can't wait to move on with my life. Jesse and I are going to sell the house and split the profits. I like this apartment, but I can't wait to own a bigger place again soon. Anyway, it's probably the best conversation we've had since the split. No fighting, no crying, and we even laughed a few times."
"Do you think you guys will end up as friends?" asked Chloe.
"I don't know. Maybe. I mean, we were together for ten years, married for seven. Now that we've had some time to process things without crazy attorneys, we're getting along."
"Well, I think it's good," said Stacie. "My parents divorced when I was ten, and it was such a good thing. They fought all the time when I was little, and the fighting finally stopped when they split. They were much happier afterward, and so was I. They still had to see each other because they had joint custody of my little sister and me, but I think they did a pretty good job co-parenting us. My mom told me later that they'd spent the most time in the divorce proceedings learning how to co-parent us. We were never made to feel like we were in the middle, even though I'm sure there were times one made the other mad. They're still friends now, even though my sister and I are grown. I mean, they don't hang out, but they get along great at family gatherings."
"I'm not sure Jesse and I will get there. And we don't have kids or anything. I guess Chloe and Aubrey filled you in on that whole situation."
"Yeah. I was sorry to hear about you guys splitting up when the news came out," said Stacie.
"Thanks," said Beca. "Enough about my divorce. Stacie, I'm sure Aubrey told you, but we've been watching The Golden Girls together lately. Is that okay with you? If not, I'm sure we can agree on something else."
"Blanche is my spirit animal," said Stacie. "Well, she would be if she was pansexual."
Beca laughed. "You know, if that show came out today, I have a feeling she would be."
The four women got comfortable and watched a few episodes of The Golden Girls. Chloe smiled every time she looked over at Stacie and Aubrey. The two of them were snuggled together on Beca's couch. She was glad the Her app had worked out for them.
When 5:30 rolled around, Chloe told everyone goodbye and thanked them for entertaining her before she had to head to work.
When she went on her dinner break, she checked her texts. There was one from Aubrey.
A: Text me when you're on your break
C: On break. What's up?
A: Did you notice Beca when we were watching TV?
C: Notice what?
C: I was getting cavities looking at you and Stacie
A: Beca = 😍
C: ?
A: That's how she was looking at you
C: [shrugging emoji]
A: Seriously
C: Whatever you say
About a week later, on her day off, Chloe met Beca, Aubrey, and Stacie for dinner. It just so happened that several tabloids had run a picture of Jesse with another woman. It was evident when she arrived at the diner that she hadn't taken the news well.
"Hey, guys, sorry I'm a little late. I was talking to my attorney and my publicist. You guys saw, didn't you?"
"Yeah," said Chloe. "So, I guess that's his new girlfriend?"
"I talked to Jesse, and they're together," said Beca. "It sucks that he can go off and have a girlfriend and I can't."
"Why?" asked Stacie. "And a girlfriend?"
"I told you she's bi, didn't I?" asked Aubrey in a low voice.
"Right. Sorry," said Stacie.
"My publicist suggested not dating anyone - guy or girl - until the divorce is final. I guess his publicist didn't say that."
"Double standards are stupid," said Aubrey.
"Did you know he already moved in with her? And they got a cat!"
"Okay, you're mad he's moving in. I get it. But, the cat? What's wrong with that?" asked Aubrey.
"He always told me he didn't want any pets, but I guess she did," said Beca. "I can't believe he moved on so quickly, and I'm here waiting."
"Waiting? Got your eye on somebody?" asked Stacie.
"Well, no, but…" Beca stammered. She wouldn't meet Chloe's eye. Chloe looked over at Aubrey, who shot her a knowing glance.
Beca was saved from finishing her sentence when a waiter came to take their order.
Stacie was telling them a story about a child who'd come to see her for a follow-up after an appendectomy that had drawn her a picture and written her a love letter, complete with a marriage proposal. The four of them were roaring with laughter when they saw a camera flash. Beca immediately froze and then muttered something under her breath.
"What's the matter, Beca?" asked Chloe.
"Someone was taking a pic of us. The stupid paparazzi bug me all the time. Can't wait to see what TMZ does with this!"
"I could threaten them," said Aubrey. "Pretty sure the fact that I'm an attorney will scare them."
"These people don't scare easily," said Beca. "Let's just hope nothing too crazy comes from the pics they're inevitably going to snap."
"It's a harmless dinner out with friends. What are they going to do with that?" asked Stacie.
"It's anyone's guess," said Beca.
The rest of dinner went okay, but Beca was much quieter than usual and definitely on edge.
"I'm sorry they ruined your meal," said Chloe.
"I'm used to them being a pain in my ass," said Beca.
Sure enough, pictures of the four women having dinner together were all over the different tabloid sites by the next morning. The headlines were pretty tame, thankfully. People Magazine's site said, "Beca Mitchell Laughs Over Dinner With New Friends." TMZ wrote: "Beca Mitchell Finds New Friends After Split with Jesse Swanson." One headline had made Stacie and Aubrey giggle. Aubrey texted Chloe when she saw it.
A: Did you see Perez Hilton's headline?
C: No
Aubrey sent her a link titled "Beca Mitchell Seen with New Gal Pal." The picture attached was of just Beca and Chloe.
C: Think they know what "gal pal" means?
A: Probably
C: So, they think we're dating?
A: Did you see how she was looking at you in the photo?
Chloe clicked on the article again.
C: [shrugging emoji]
A: You don't see it?
C: No
A: Oh my god she's looking at your cleavage and smirking
C: I don't think so
A: Stacie says she is
A: Look at this one
Aubrey sent her a link from Celebuzz. "Beca Mitchell Out on the Town with Hot Redhead." It showed a picture of Beca and Chloe walking toward one of their cars.
C: Weird
A: Stacie said you're definitely giving her a hair flip and a goofy grin
C: I am NOT
Aubrey's reply was a gif from the Brady Bunch movie of Marcia saying, "Sure, Jan."
C: [rolling eyes emoji]
C: I'd better text Beca and check on her
Chloe figured Beca's publicist was probably all over her regarding the new pictures.
C: I saw the crazy headlines, you okay?
B: My publicist isn't happy
C: What's she doing?
B: She's dealing with Celebuzz. Nothing else was a big deal
C: That's good
B: Working today?
C: Yup
B: Mind if I come by for a few?
C: Not in the studio today?
B: No, finished my latest song and taking a day or two away
C: Okay, come on over
When Beca arrived, Chloe handed her the tee and sweats she'd borrowed when she fell asleep at her place. "Here," she said. "I'm sorry I took so long to wash these."
"It's fine," said Beca, waving her hand dismissively.
"Sorry about the paparazzi. I really should have been more careful when choosing a restaurant."
"It will die down," said Beca. "It always does, and my publicist got Celebuzz to change their stupid headline and use a different photo."
The new article showed a picture of all four women together. The new headline was: "Beca Mitchell Busy Making New Friends."
"That one is a lot safer," said Chloe. "Have you talked to Jesse?"
"Yeah, over text," said Beca. "I explained that I'd been out with friends. He believes me."
"Even if he doesn't, that's not your problem."
"I suppose it isn't, but it could complicate the divorce. I'm three months away from being a single woman again."
"How do you feel about that?"
"I'm good. I feel...free. There was always a part of me that couldn't quite be myself around him. Not like when I'm with you." Beca clapped her hand over her mouth.
"What?"
"Nothing," said Beca, quickly.
Chloe chose to let the subject drop, convinced Aubrey and Stacie were putting ridiculous ideas in her head. There was no way Beca was interested in her, so it was best she did not get her hopes up. She fixed the two of them some lunch, and they ate together before taking Billie for a walk.
"So, any luck on the dating app?" asked Beca as Chloe was putting away Billie's leash.
"I've gotten a few notifications, but I haven't swiped right on any of them."
"That bad?" asked Beca.
"No," said Chloe. "I haven't been all that impressed with anyone, and I'll admit I'm more than a little nervous after that last date."
"I don't blame you," said Beca. She checked the time. "I'd better go. I don't want you to be late!"
"See you later. I'm sure the tabloids will leave you alone soon."
"I sure hope so."
Three Months Later
Stacie invited Beca, Chloe, and Aubrey over for dinner on the day Beca and Jesse were scheduled to go before a judge for their divorce hearing. They had a little "freedom" celebration planned for Beca.
Beca walked into Stacie's condo and declared, "I'm a single woman again!"
Aubrey popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and the four women toasted Beca's official freedom.
The group ate a big sushi platter they'd ordered from their favorite Japanese place, followed by a chocolate cake that had the word "Freedom" written on it. Chloe had insisted the four of them watch Under the Tuscan Sun one night at her place. Beca had fallen asleep about halfway through the movie, but she'd immediately said "Someone needs to do that for me" when the characters in the movie made a similar cake to celebrate the main character's divorce in the beginning.
The drinks were flowing after that. Stacie found a drinking game associated with The Golden Girls and the four of them were pretty sloshed after a couple of episodes. Chloe snapped a few pictures of Beca that were ridiculously blurry and got Beca to make an online dating profile.
Beca and Chloe took Ubers to their respective homes after everything died down for the evening.
Chloe woke up to a text from Beca. It had a few screenshots, captioned with "What the hell happened?"
The screenshots included several very blurry photos of Beca. It was a blur of her dark hair and pale complexion. The "about me" section said: "recentlvy divruoced. ysingle asnd ready to mingle. hcit me upv." It said she was a lesbian and had the wrong age.
Chloe texted her back.
C: Anyone "swipe right" on you?
B: That's how I found out
B: I woke up to a bunch of notifications
C: Anyone you'd want to date?
B: No idea
C: 😂
B: I'm going to make a real profile
C: You'd better
About a half-hour later, Chloe saw a notification from the Her app. She texted Beca.
C: I see you have a profile now
C: Thanks for swiping right
B: Are you going to respond?
Chloe sat staring at her screen for the better part of a minute. This had to be a joke. After spending a few minutes going over different ways to respond in her head, she opened the Her app. For the first time in months, she "swiped right."
Beca immediately sent her the "Miss Honey" gif.
Chloe went back to the text exchange.
C: Cute
B: So…
C: ?
Beca sent her the gif again in text messages. Chloe took a deep breath and texted back before she lost her nerve.
C: Yes
She immediately worried that Beca wouldn't understand her response.
C: To a date
B: Good
A Few Months Later
Chloe was at the grocery store around 3 am, again. She'd gotten home from another late shift at the clinic to discover she'd barely had any food in her apartment. She shook her head, thinking, When will I ever learn?
She grabbed a cart, got some essentials, and then headed to the checkout.
"Oh my god!" exclaimed the cashier.
Chloe looked around to try and figure out what had caused the outburst.
"What?"
"Aren't you...her?" The cashier pointed to a tabloid photo.
Chloe picked up the tabloid and laughed to herself at the headline: "Singer Beca Mitchell Seen Getting Cozy with Local Veterinarian." There was a photo of the two of them laughing over coffee at a nearby coffee shop.
"Well, at least they got my occupation right this time," said Chloe.
"So, that's you?"
"Yes."
"Is it true?"
"Well, I don't know what they mean by cozy…"
"Then, it is true. You're dating Beca Mitchell. You lucky woman!"
"I can't argue with that," she said, winking at the cashier.
She paid for her groceries and headed home.
Once she'd gotten home and put away her groceries and made herself a sandwich, she flipped through her phone. She laughed at the number of headlines featuring herself with Beca. Only two of them had gotten the fact that she was a veterinarian correct. One of them said she was a war veteran, and someone said she was a barista. She shook her head.
Her phone buzzed with a text.
B: Hey! Did you see a few of the tabloids actually got your job right?
C: Yeah
C: I'm amazed
B: I can't believe the one said you were a war veteran. Lazy reporting.
C: I think that one was my favorite
B: I'm just glad you're taking this in stride
C: I knew what I signed up for
C: I can't believe you're still awake
B: I knew when you got out of work, so I set an alarm
C: Awww
C: That's cute
B: I'm not cute
B: I'm badass
C: [rolling eyes emoji]
The pair had finally decided to take the relationship public when Beca's new album dropped. Her publicist got them both booked on Ellen.
B: Are you sure you're okay doing the Ellen show?
C: Positive
C: I can at least make sure everyone knows I'm a veterinarian
B: Okay, then. The car will pick you up at 11 am, so you'd better get some sleep
C: Yes, ma'am
Chloe paced back and forth in the green room waiting for the producers to call her to the show. Beca had just gone up on stage to talk to Ellen about her new album. Many of the songs had been written by Beca herself, inspired by the end of her marriage to Jesse and finding love again with Chloe.
Finally, the producers called her backstage. As soon as she heard, "Well, let's meet this girlfriend of yours. Come on out, Chloe!"
"Hi," she said, a little surprised when Ellen wrapped her in a hug.
"So, Beca tells us you're a veterinarian?" Ellen asked.
"Yes," said Chloe. "Contrary to what a lot of places reported, I am a veterinarian. I actually work the late evening shift at an emergency veterinary clinic."
"And, how did you meet?" she asked.
"We met at the grocery store," said Chloe. She turned to Beca. "Can I tell them the story?"
"Go ahead," said Beca. They'd shared the whole story with Stacie and Aubrey shortly after their first date, and they'd help convince Beca that it was okay to share.
"I was on one of my late-night grocery shopping adventures," said Chloe. "And, there she was."
"What did you think? You knew who she was, didn't you?"
Chloe nodded. She said, "I mean, I knew that meeting someone famous was cool and all, but seeing my favorite celebrity in the cereal aisle with their arms full of Lucky Charms boxes is honestly even better than I imagined. And…are those Hello Kitty pajamas?"
The audience roared with laughter.
Once it died down, Beca spoke up. "Chloe saw that I was in need and she helped me when what I really needed was a friend. It was the night Jesse and I decided to split up, and I worked myself into quite a state. She could have taken an embarrassing photo or ten, but she didn't. And I'll never forget that."
Several audience members said "awwww" at the statement.
"Well, we wish you two all the happiness. Beca Mitchell and Dr. Chloe Beale, everybody!" announced Ellen as they finished their segment on the show.
As they exited the stage, Beca whispered, "I think I found my real lucky charm that night." She gave Chloe a kiss on the cheek once they were off-camera.
Tumblr prompt: I mean, I knew that meeting someone famous was cool and all, but seeing my favorite celebrity in the cereal aisle with their arms full of Lucky Charms boxes is honestly even better than I imagined. And…are those Hello Kitty pajamas?